It has been an emotional few weeks for me, for a lot of reasons. Everytime I think to write about it...the feelings wave over me again, and I have to stop.
I'll start with Wiley...
A few months ago we lost our friend "Wiley" to bone cancer, and I still get teary eyed whenever I think of him. I miss him so much.
Wiley came to us 9 years ago. My husband was out in an area called the Indian Bend Wash, which was located just a few hundred feet from our home at the time. He was on one of his twice daily walks with our two dogs at the time....Jaeger and Gunnar, father and son amazing Dalmatians.
As he started on the walk, he was followed by a dog, all the way to their destination and all the way back home. Doggie just trotted behind hubby and Dals...and came all the way home, and sat out in front of our house, looking in. I won't go into all the details of how this dog became ours...but he was meant to be. We named him Wiley...as in "Wile E. Coyote"...because that is what he looked like, a poor under fed, skinny straggly coyote. That soon changed with some good food, a little grooming (what he would allow) and much love.
I can't tell you what this doggie meant to us. He was with us though many hard times. We lost three dogs total during the time we had Wiley. My mother passed away, my mother in law and father in law also passed away all in the matter of one year, just three years ago. There was always Wiley to come home to...to cry on, and to be there as a comfort. .
When he became ill, my husband wanted a wagon that he could take out when he walked Wiley, in case Wiley became tired and had a hard time walking. He finally found one that was sturdy, a garden wagon that he ordered online.
He then cut wood to fit the inside, padded it and then upholstered it in material that would match. It was a labor of love.
Well, Wiley decided not to use it...lol...he walked every morning down to the park and back, even though at times slowly. He did jump on it one time while it sat in our living room, but he did not use it to be transported home. That did not matter to us...we wanted to do what we could for his comfort, and if he didn't need or want it...that was OK.
We lost Wiley in January of this year, and the wagon went into the garage.
A few weeks ago, my husband mentioned that he had called our vet's office to see if they could use the wagon. He had seem them struggle with large dogs that were injured or recovering, trying to get them up on the stainless steel carts that they used, and they were happy to accept the gift of the wagon.
I, on the other had, burst into tears at the thought it leaving our house...don't ask me why...I am a baby, I am sappy and I am sentimental. But honestly, that wagon was not meant to be used for anything else...it's purpose was to help a dog, and that is exactly what it needed to do.
My only request to my husband was that it in some way have Wiley's name on it before he sent it off.
Last week there was another reason to take a ride to the vet's office...Poor stray injured cat came to us....so off my husband went to the vet again.
When he came home he was somewhat teary eyed, and he told me this story.
The assistant at Power Road told my husband that a family had brought their dog in to the office and received some bad news about their pet. They were not ready to let their dog go, but it was large and was having a hard time walking. They asked the vet assistant if she had any idea of what they could do, as they wanted their dog to be able to go outside.
She replied..."As a matter of fact....."
Wiley.....the love keeps going on buddy..
