Willie the Hero Dog

[wpdixiepl]

In loving memory of Willie, November 11, 1993 - May 28, 2005

1994: Willie is a charismatic, affectionate, little dog. Perhaps a miniature poodle-mix, he has a squat body and a neck that is wider than his head, but he has a beautiful plumed tail and unforgettable twinkling brown eyes.

In 1994, Willie was on "death row" at an animal shelter in Kansas City. A friend of mine asked me for help in saving this dog from certain death. I hurried to reach the shelter prior to closing time, expecting to find a healthy poodle (my friend's description). What I found was a shock. I discovered a pathetic looking creature. The "death row" poodle was completely shaved which accentuated his flat head, stubby ears and long thin tail. He was gaunt and his eyes were incredibly sad. I double-checked the tag number on his cage and sure enough, he was the "poodle" I had come to "save." I wondered if I could love such a homely animal. Then something miraculous happened. Our eyes met and time was suspended as our souls connected. It was if we were lost soul mates who had just been reunited. I said out loud, "Well, I guess you're coming home with me."

For the first several days, I wasn't sure Willie would survive. He was weak from vomiting and diarrhea and his hauntingly forlorn eye said to me "I don't think I can take this anymore. I don't want to get attached to you and have to leave is this real, or will I be sent to 'death row' again?" Our first night together included a midnight trip to the pet hospital. Slowly Willie began to gain strength and his hair started to grow. But he didn't know how to play. With curiosity he would watch Napoleon, my oldest dog, play with his toys. Then one day, Willie gingerly picked up a doll in his mouth and began to shake it from side to side not with enjoyment, but mechanically as if teaching himself how to play. Soon Willie was fetching and shaking toys for sheer fun. Finally, the emptiness in his eyes was replaced with a sparkle. Within weeks, he had become part of my family. Within months he was healthy with soft shiny fur, an elegant feather duster of a tail and a traditional poodle topknot.

Willie had been found near the railroad tracks and the shelter workers had named him after the hobo singer, "Boxcar Willie." The name seemed appropriate, so I christened him "Wilhelm," or affectionately, "Willie." As time went by, I began to realize how fitting his name really was. He is outgoing, happy, and his enthusiasm for life is contagious. Now I say he was named after the great American humorist, Will Rogers, who said he never met a person he didn't like!

In 1996, Willie and I joined a non-profit organization that provides pet assisted therapy to people bound by physical or mental limitations in institutions. After training, Willie and I began a regular schedule of visiting a local psychiatric hospital/dorm for children. The impact Willie had on those struggling children was awesome. One day we met a tiny 9-year-old boy who was immediately drawn to Willie. The boy held Willie on his lap and gave him bear hugs that must have felt imprisoning, but Willie lovingly endured the child's desperate caresses. He took Willie for a walk and then he lay down on the floor and the two romped around like happy young boys. The hospital staff let the boy play longer with Willie than the allotted time. This was most unusual, but the reason was soon clear. Staff members told me that this child had been severely abused and had withdrawn into himself. He was incapable of expressing his feelings openly. Usually, he was very introverted and afraid to touch and be touched by others. Willie had broken through his shell of fear and had given him a few minutes of joy.

It wasn't so long ago that our society considered children like this "throw aways." Similarly, our society stood prepared to extinguish a beautiful dog's life who had the potential to contribute some good to this crazy, mixed up world. Through a stroke of fate, a little dog was spared from death and he has become a great humanitarian. He is Willie, my hero; Willie, the homeless dog that almost died; Willie, a little boy's friend.

In 1998, Willie was awarded the "Pet of the Year" for the state of Missouri for his work in pet assisted therapy.

2005: WILLIE'S BROTHER, NAPOLEON:
When I arrived home from work on Wednesday, February 16, 2005, Poe collapsed and stop breathing.. I was preparing to give him CPR when he began breathing on his own. I rushed him to the vet. His belly was distended, he blood pressure was dropping and he was having difficulty breathing. There was a mass in his abdomen. The vet performed emergency surgery. He had liver cancer which was also attached to the outside lining of his stomach. The vet successfully removed all of the cancer and about 1/2 of the liver. Napoleon began breathing easier, it appeared the surgery was successful. As the doctor's were closing him up, he arrested and they were unable to revive him. I am overcome with grief. Napoleon should have lived another 4 - 5 years.

May 12, 2005: Official Diagnosis from Cardiologist on Willie's heart condition: His echocardiogram shows he has severe mitral valve regurgitation and mild tricuspid valve regurgitation. This is secondary to chronic, degnerative valve disease called endocariosis -- a condition is which the edges of the valve leaflets thicken, become knobby, and do not close completely. This results in blood leaking backwards from the ventricle into the atrium every time the heart contracts. In Willie, these changes are quite sever and have resulted in enlargement of his left atrium secondary to chronic regurgitation. Unfortunately, there is no medication that will reverse or stop the progression of degenerative valve disease, and therapy is aimed at alleviating the clinical signs of heart failure. Prognosis is quite variable with this condition. Under normal health, Willie should have another 4 - 5 years. As a result of the heart disease, with careful monitoring, diet and medication, we are hoping for 1 year.

Saturday, May 28, 2005: Willie,died this morning. We had just traveled to Missouri for an emergency visit to the cardiologist (we're in Arkansas). We drove all night Thursday night and took Willie to the hospital in Columbia Friday morning. We arrived back home late Friday night. Saturday morning (May 28), at 6:15, I woke up to find Willie in a seizure (later found out to be a stroke.) I took him to the emergency vet hospital. The hospital gave him an injection of Lasix and inserted an I.V. shunt should we need to administer emergency meds over the weekend. The emergency hospital closed at 7:30 and discharged us. We immediately took him to our regular vet, who opened at 8:00. Willie experienced cardiac distress almost as soon as we reached the vet. We administered more Lasix and put him on oxygen. He struggled for 3 more hours as we administered 3 more doses of Lasix, to help control the rapid accumulation of fluid in his lungs. The doctor had prepared Lasix injections and I.V. flushes for me to take home and prepared an oxygen mask for me to borrow over the weekend, so I could give him I.C.U. care over the weekend at home. We began research to see if we could administer Cortisone to help heal his stroke symptoms -- we needed to see how the Cortisone would react in his body with the high dosage of Lasix he had received. By 11:00, both of Willie's lungs were filled with fluid and his ability to breath enough oxygen to sustain himself became impossible. Willie was staying alive for me and was waiting for me to tell him it was okay to leave me. I kept the oxygen mask on him as I told him how much I loved him, reminisced about some of our fun times, thanked him for being such a good worker as a pet therapist, told him of the people that loved him and were proud of him. I told him what a good job he had done while he was here on earth, helping other people through emotional distress. I told him he was remarkable and we were so blessed to have him in our lives. I told him I knew he loved me and I was so grateful for his love. He wagged his tail in recognition of my words. I told him it was okay for him to go on. He immediately pushed his oxygen mask off. I picked him up, he immediately started gasping desperately for air -- his lungs were so full of fluid. We gave him some Valium to relax his panic as his lungs were suffocating him. I was standing, holding him against my chest, my head resting on his, caressing him and kissing him. I explained to him how he was going to die. That his heart could no longer sustain his body. That his lungs were too full of fluid to provide him enough oxygen for his body. He was relaxed from the Valium and his breathing rate was slowing. I told him that in a few minutes, he would stop breathing, but his soul would stay in his body while his heart continued to beat for a short time. Then his heart would stop and his soul would leave his body. That leaving his body would feel wonderful -- he would float above us and look down. He would see Mommy crying and holding him -- but that was okay -- Mommy was just sad because she was going to miss him. I told him to let his soul go on and find his brother Poe (who died 3 months ago). That he would have so much fun playing with Poe and taking care of Poe. I asked him to come back to me in spirit -- come play in my house -- let me hear his collar jingle -- flicker the light bulbs -- play with Porter -- and visit me in my dreams -- to bring Poe with him to visit. I told him time would pass real quickly for him and in a blink of an eye I would be with him on the other side -- but for me, it would be a long time -- so his visits would help. At 11:20 he stopped breathing and very shortly thereafter his heart stopped. I looked up to talk to his soul. I said have a wonderful time, Baby, -- go on and find Poe - - play and have a wonderful time.

Willie and Poe are survived by their adoptive brother, Porter - a rescued Bichon-mix.

Willie's Webiste: http://www.savewillie.homestead.com

[mulroony]

Sorry to hear about your losses, but you should be comforted in knowing you gave Willie and Poe a friendly and loving home that they may have otherwise never know. My heart goes out to you for your loss.

[richnrissa]

I'm very sorry for your loss,
thank you for sharing your story...proof positive that dogs are resilient loving creatures, whom have boundless things to teach us, even after we have been horrible to them..

[flyndog]

What a beautiful tribute to your dog friend! Thanks for sharing his story.

[Pug Momma]

Some people say that adopted dogs are lucky to find good homes and my belief is that sometimes the dogs adopt us and we were lucky they found us.

I am truly sorry for your loss even as i try to cope with the loss of a puppy lastngiht.

He gave many people joy and will be remembered in hearts across Misouri.

My heart is breaking fo you. I wish I had better words to help.

Amy

[wpdixiepl]

Thank you to everyone for the kind words. Yes it's true, Willie was not the lucky one in the adoption -- I was and so were other people, too. Willie was a giver, a guardian, a hero, a healer.

Many blessings to all of you, especially those who have felt the pain of the loss of a companion dog.

Julie

[animal_luver_girl17]

You two obviously had a deep relationship. It's sad when a soul friend moves on, but you know that he's in paradise, singing to the clouds and chasing bunnies to his heart's delight. A friend like that can be hard to find, but once you connect, you're together forever.

I'm really sorry to hear that he's gone. Your story is so beautiful it made me cry.

In his time on Earth he touched many lives, including yours. He was a healer, a hero, and a friend. He'll sit up in the clouds, waiting for you to join him so you can play fetch together once again. You'll never leave eachother for forever and a day.

[calgal]

The ending was sad but beautiful. It made me cry. I've lost beloved pets and know the pain.