Oh Gadsby ... you and my Billy left so close to each other, I *know* you have met beyond Rainbow Bridge.
You and Billy ... my my, but Morgan and I were **very** fortunate to have known you two. Billy too, was a 'happy boy'. Happy in the moment, happy to cheer EVER-buddy up!!
Billy has, I'm sure, already shared wtih Gadsby that Billy took ALL his pills (and there were gazillions of them over his life - he had many huge health challenges) with something yummy like liverwurst or yogurt, and those just made those bitter pills *way* easier to swallow. In fact, I can betcha he's looking for the stash of liverwurst up on Rainbow Bridge -- cos a place like that that has all good things MUST have some *somewhere*!!!
Morgan, I am in your debt. Reading your posts about Gadsby is forcing me to also deal with Billy's loss -- a bit sooner than I wanted, but you are so introspective (as I also tend to be) that the communion we share here over our beloved buddies is simply a sharing and lessening of the pain, and a gaining of peace.
For me, it has **always** made grief far far more bearable to sit and reflect on what I learned from THIS dog. How can I honor his memory? What are the most wonderful things I can remember? What things did I learn from him?
One of the deepest things I learned from Billy is have your priorities in order. When you love someone -- as much as you can try to please them. Not to the loss of your 'self' -- but protecting that relationship is important.
We used to joke that of all our dogs, Billy was "Mr. Perfect". mmmm -- **Particularly** when it was ME he was trying to please. David? mmmm, not so much ***BECAUSE*** Billy was *my* dog.
It was deeper than the bond tho -- it was his attempt to 'connect' with anyone who took time with him.
Mostly -- it wasn't just so much with me -- it was an attempt on his part to "connect" with anyone he knew. When you were a tech who had worked with him -- particularly if you had EVER handed him a treat -- why he was sure glad to see you!! And you KNEW it because he'd look you in the face and wag.
But Billy always knew how to make himself memorable -- so many, many times he's been very ill (Billy had IMHA -- immune-mediated hemolytic anemia) and many times even he had to stay up at the ICU at Gainesville's Small Animal HOspital (University of FL Vet school).
But I've walked with the vets and techs MANY times up and down the halls there and even months later someone would pass and STOP and say "WOW -- is that BILLY???? What's his PCV -- How's he doing??"
Mostly because when he saw someone he *knew* he acknowledged it -- he'd look at them and wag all over (when you're a badly docked English cocker you don't have much else TO wag). But he made all those people know he recognized them and was happy to see them.
It was that tiny effort to "connect" -- to give his full attention to someone and let them know he was glad to see them -- if I can do that for others, I can spread happiness too.
Thank you Morgan -- you just motivated me to put something into words about Billy that I had never quite figured out before. A more popular dog I've never known. I've had people come up to me that I didn't even know -- but they would look at me and at the end of the leash and say "Is that BILLY??? You don't know me but I worked for Dr. ___ vet and Billy was always so much fun ... even when you had to *** him to draw blood. You knew he was a friend."
Every single solitary "companion" animal has some special thing if we but take the time to think about it. It's that process of "thinking about it" that helps us grieve, and grieve properly. It honors them.
Morgan -- I wish I'd known Gadsby. To have given you this much paws for thot? My, he must have be so very special. *hugs*