The pawprints of our friends who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge never fade away. Please send us stories and pictures of the pets you miss. It’s our privilege to help share the love. Email to info@poopvanscoop.com and just note that it's for Pawprints.
Willow March 12th, 2010 From our dear friend, Jo Sanburg
Today is the one year anniversary of Willow's passage over the Bridge. I miss her more than ever.
I want you all to know my Willow....and not just about her sudden departure (4/28/98 - 3/12/09), but her wonderful life!
Willow was a shy one when we first met at the fosters. When she came around the corner and I saw her beautiful brindle self my heart melted. She came ever so hesitantly to me and put her head into my armpit (a posture that would forever remain our favorite together). How do you walk away from that?
We were her third family. She had been rehomed twice for sleep aggression, and was reluctant to trust, but we never had a problem with it. Willow quickly established her place in my house and my heart. Willow's favorite early game was to go into the yard and chase the tennis ball I threw against the fence.
After a few months, though, she abandoned that game for better ones, like "cat play" (acting like a cat in posture and play) or horsing around chasing me from room to room or around in the grass. We live on a cul-de-sac and she lived for the times when my daughter would take her to the open end of the
street while I would stand at the closed end. My daughter would let her off lead and she would run like the wind to me...so happy and so proud and so excited. Truly a favorite game for her and great for us...we got to see her heart in those moments. She loved to sing when I sang...she would “roo” to cover my voice. She quickly destuffed all new toys, and divested them of squeakers. Her favorite toy was just the head part of a once stuffed and squeaky moose. She would not allow me to go to bed in peace without the usual floor snuggle and two cookies. She was, figuratively and literally, my shadow. In the shower? Poking at least her head in. Always in the kitchen helping me cook or clean or empty the trash. Sitting at the computer she had to come put her head under my arm and help. But my favorite was that she would come at me with her head down and push the top of her head into my chest and just stand like that for the longest time, or if I was not in a good position for that, then she would push her head under my arm (almost in my armpit) and just be quiet and calm there...indefinitely. Her favorite treats to share were pop tarts - she knew the sound of the packaging right off and was nearly in my lap. She also loved applesauce and mandarin oranges. Crazy girl.
She was crazy enthusiastic when I came home from work...I was definitely the deal for her. I loved that!
Walks were nearly every day, and our special time. I'll never forget the first day she saw a rabbit. Must have been late last Fall. All those walks in six years and no rabbits (lots of cats, people, and other dogs, though)! She saw the rabbit first and nearly pulled me off my feet! It was startling, but fun to see her go back to her "roots". She had to be wherever I was...could not bear for me to be out of her sight for more than a minute before she would come and find me. I loved that, too.
She was my hearthound, my partner. We were always close, always together, and everything I did included her if I could, or I was concerned how to best make her happy if she had to be here alone. In August we adopted a cat, Moko. Willow was not rated cat safe, but I knew her, and really trusted that it would work. The adjustment time was so brief it surprised all of us. They had a lot of fun being together and playing once in awhile these last months. One of our most favorite recent outings was to take her up on the Colorado National Monument (we live in western Colorado). She was so happy to get to GO so far and get out and about in the wilderness so often on our drive. Her running dreams that caused her to incessantly scratch the walls and bark or growl at the rabbit were a source of many lost sleep hours, but funny, too. And her needlenose poking into bags at the door in search of what we might have brought for her (because of course all things are for the greyhound).
It is too quiet, too empty. No cold nose, no wet tongue, no soulful eyes. I miss you baby girl. Run fast and free.
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