Friday, October 30, 2015

Wally

You may have seen my parents' dog Wally make an appearance here occasionally. Sad to say he passed away yesterday - he was 84 in dog years. Diagnosed with cancer last May he enjoyed one last glorious summer.

Wally was supposed to be a gift for my sister but he became a big part of all our lives. My dad's biggest fan, my mom's protector and my sister's bed hog/cover stealer. He even tolerated two crazy pugs. We forgave the serious mess he made when he drank water and forgot that he never was a good gun dog, cowering in corners even when we tooted our horns on New Years Eve. He was a good dog.

I cannot think of another dog that enjoyed life like Wally. He came with us on our beach vacations, got his own dish of ice cream at the Igloo (then mooched everyone's leftover cones), ran through the mountains, opened Christmas presents, chowed down on homemade meals with gravy, and put the fear of God into every groundhog in a five mile radius. We lost count of how many times people stopped us when we were out and about and told us what a good looking dog he was.

Lots of people wonder why dogs don't live longer. But I think it's they way they cram a lifetime of joy into less than two decades that endears them to us. They always look with eager eyes, not yet weary of this world.

You don't imagine your life without your pet and then one day they aren't there, lying in their spot on the living room floor or sitting at the corner of the dining room table looking for handout. He will be hugely missed.

11 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry for your loss of wally. I know exactly that feeling of opening the front door and not having a excited dog waiting just for you whether you were gone 5 minutes or 5 hours. So lucky he had one last summer to soak up the sun & enjoy his family.

    brandi

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  2. This is a beautiful tribute to Wally, I've enjoyed pictures of him over the years. I'm sorry for your family's loss.

    Kelly

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  3. I love this tribute. I haven't been able to do one yet. I had to have my black pug, Suzzie, put down last week. In dog years she was almost 77 and we had been battling diabetes for almost half of the time since she graced my life four years ago.

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  4. So sad. I lost my elderly "baby angel" last summer and miss her every day. They live such short lives we must remember to cherish every day with them.

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  5. So sad. I lost my elderly "baby angel" last summer and miss her every day. They live such short lives we must remember to cherish every day with them.

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  6. I'm very sorry for your loss. What a good dog. I love your observation about having fresh eyes - that's a nice way to think about it.

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  7. I'm so sorry. And I'm so glad you all had each other for as long as you did. Take care.

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  8. what a nice tribute! I am sorry to hear about Wally. RIP, good doggy.

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  9. Beautiful tribute he will be missed...I loved seeing his pictures throughout the years.

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  10. Sorry for your loss. I enjoyed his pictures over the years.

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