Willie

2010

September 09, 2010
Missed By: Michele & Dakota

Why Dogs Speak To Our Souls..

Simply put, they enflame our hearts, they enchant our souls.

Part of my life has ended. A piece of my heart is missing.

Today I am in a total and complete meltdown, sobbing uncontrollably. I was attempting to go to the store when the realization struck like a knife that my faithful companion of the last 12 years is forever gone. I sadly suspect, more to follow.

Willie, or, more officially, Woolywits, �The Say Hey Kid� was no ordinary Old English Sheepdog. He was the gentlest of giants, he was MY furbaby, he was a superior therapy dog. He was the star pupil in his puppy kindergarten class and the only other thing talked more about then Hurricane Floyd at the 1999 OES National Specialty was "Did you see that Sheepie in the Obedience Ring"?

He was sweet and serene, he never growled, bit, or threatened. He was loved by all that knew him and he in return loved people of all ages other dogs and, even cats.

And he loved me, his adoptive mother.

Books are written about dogs and dog-lovers. Hollywood makes movies about dogs their owners and the social bond between them. Poems and essays also abound about the loss of faithful pets and the uprights left to mourn them.

There was a time when I might have pooh-poohed the sadness described by some people upon the death of their dogs. Sure I would have thought they are sad but they will get over it.

After all in the end it is just a dog, isn't it?

But that's just it.......it isn't JUST A DOG!

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.

"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person. Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.

So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I really had no idea, before Willie.

Our world is rife with ambition, a lack of concern for neighbors, relationships based more on obligations and �chits� rather than on true caring with endless arguments about who is right, who did what first, and who owes what to whom.

A faithful dog like Willie offers another world many of us might otherwise never know.

He loved me despite my many failings, he was happy in letting me think I was in �lead�, his endless love that he gave to me, asking only water and food in return. A great walk to him was a treasure. His wagging butt and kisses of appreciation on my face and hands, for me, a healing balm against an uncaring universe.

I will never forget you.

That I adored Willie goes without saying. Since the day I brought him home, he was with me everywhere. Nursed him when he was ill, fed him from my plate, walked him in the rain, sleet, snow at all hours. I tried to attend to his every need.

In exchange, he gave me unquestioned devotion and a quiet and comforting companionship that I have never known and much too precious to lose.

Now it is gone, it is lost.

So many times I prayed it would get better, because you deserved so much more then I was ever able to give you and I beg you please to forgive me for that.

A woman perceived as being in control stuns others when they see her morning her lost dog. My sadness has so totally overpowered my usual pragmatism and perspective that to some it may seem out of character.

When my rational side kicks in, I try and focus on the so-called �important things" I am blessed with to be thankful for, health, roof over my head, a car that still runs, and of course, Dakota.

Dakota. The Dynamic Duo is no more. Her faithful companion and her soul mate since she was 6 weeks old. Her big brother. Not once have they ever been separated, not for one day.

But I miss my bestest friend. I miss my mama's boy. She needs to understand that.

I will miss the sound of his steady breathing as he lay asleep next to my bed, his intentionally sitting in front of me with his back to me so that I may graciously rub his neck.

I will miss his pawing me should I dare to ignore his presence, his wagging butt whenever he saw me and the warmth of his body at my feet as we watched TV.

I will miss his bark from the backseat of my car, signaling me to open his window so he could ride with the breeze blowing back on his ears. I will miss his constancy and, yes, the unquestioning love people talk about when they talk about great dogs.

There are those that will suggest another dog to fill the void.

Despite their good intentions, the suggestion seems a bit like telling a parent who loses a child, �It�s a good thing you have other children�.

NO living, breathing being can replace another that was loved and lost, if only to fill the void.

For the moment, the idea feels like investing again in certain heartache. I don�t want �another dog�.

I want my Willie back. And that can never be.

In loving memory of my beloved Willie :o)

WoolyWits �The Say Hey Kid�
"""WILLIE""" TDI, CGC
A Friend of Rescue, A Friend to All
April 3, 1998 - September 9, 2010

Did I ever tell you you're my hero?

It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.