Well it's been over a week now and still hard to talk or write about it without bawling.
On Sunday 9/9/07 I had to help my old boy Ch York's Whailin' Willie CGC to the bridge, he was 13. The cancer finally won out over his body although he never showed any signs of pain or discomfort. He was till the end my very best friend always here to support me. I still can't believe he is gone and each day is a struggle when I leave work to go home. My heart is broken.
Willie was my first Am Staff and show dog and Champion, in the rings and my heart. He taught me how to show and was very forgiving while doing so. He led me to work against bad dog laws and to get involved the way I am in public education. In fact I probably owe him for this twisted life in dogs and how I came to work here. He was a great impact on my entire family and taught us all how to win with pride and lose with grace. Always a gentleman. I always said he would never protect me if I needed him too because he loved everyone. He proved me wrong with that at a bike event one day when he showed me that he would protect me in his way if he felt I was threatened. Willie was laying on the ground in front of my feet and as this guy approached he stood up, mind you about 50 people passed us prior to this and he remained in a down stay. As the guy spoke to me he was attempting to move around Willie to sit on the bench next to me, Willie maintained eye contact with the guy and moved as he did, just watching him until he jumped on the bench between the two of us to keep himself in the middle, never did he bark, growl or attempt to be protective towrds this guy but I knew what he was doing. It amazed me as with everything he did through his life.
I've never wanted to make this final choice with him, I had always hoped and asked him to go on his own. In life and in death he made his own choices. His spirit and mind were with him in full force but his body gave out. Bill and I were away from the house about two hours at a dog show where one of our frenchie girls won big. We showed and quickly returned for Willie who we found now bleeding internally. On the way to the show we spoke and cried that it was time and I decided that we would go that night but just wanted to wait until Dana and Dustin returned from working the Groom Expo that night. When we got home we couldn't wait any longer and rushed Willie to the Emergency clinic. He walked inon his own, wagging his tail and greeting everyone who came to help us. When the Dr. came in he walked right up to him and smiled, wagged his tail like "Hi I'm Willie" the Dr. was so taken by him he made the comment,"I know this has to be hard he has such a great temperment even threw whats going on now". As Willie was leaving me I bent down and kissed the top of his head, he looked up and licked my tears away as he has done so many times before in his life to comfort me only this would be the last time.
He has been a great friend and is missed dearly, our dog's lives are much too short