Winnie - A Short Love Story
I Am A Dog Lover
This is Winnie, a little dog that has captured our hearts. She was 8 weeks old and 3 pounds when I agreed to adopt her from a long time friend desperately trying to find a home for her in the summer of 2016.
Winnie's Background
An old childhood friend of mine was struggling with addictions he had battled for years. My friend who we will name Bob, had struggled with alcohol addiction for almost 30 years. Hooking up with like-minded addicted ladies that also struggled with the same devil, alcohol.
Many times Bob had got sober by signing himself into a rehab center and this would last until he made another bad choice in women. It seemed to be that Bob had trouble being alone and he only ever seemed to hook up with women with the same problem.
This one particular lady friend came with a miniature poodle. She moved in with her dog and stayed until her little 8 lb Poodle, had 5 puppies.
We know the mother is an 8 pound gray poodle but are uncertain just what the father was. My veterinarian suspects a Yorky or a miniature Schnauzer or maybe a combination of various breeds.
Bob found homes for the mother and 4 of the puppies before he called me desperate for someone to take her in as he was scheduled for another rehab commitment. My wife and I have a Standard Poodle and one dog was enough for us, at least that is what I thought at the time.
Keeper
Bob called me again and offered Winnie for free, with a bag of food and toys. The desperation in his voice made it impossible to refuse. My wife was away visiting her mother at the time so I agreed to take her home.
I knew that once she held this little dog there would be no argument, and I was right. She instantly fell in love with this little girl. She named her Winnie and I knew she was now family.
Winnie Became Family
I have had many breeds of dog over my 64 years on this planet. Some have been small dogs and some have been medium and some have been very large. All of them were loved and a dog that is loved will give unconditional love and companionship back to you for life.
She was so small, only 3 pounds that it was incredibly easy to love this little cutie. Winnie is two years and six months old now and is 8 pounds of hyper energetic furry 4 legged terrorist.
Winnie is the boss and the 45 lb Standard Poodle seems to adore her as well. The two play hard every day but Keeper (The Poodle) always lets her eat or drink first, he is a gentleman and protects her if anyone or anything threatens her.
What Should You do
It is truly amazing how integrated and loving a pet can be. So, if you are a dog owner you know exactly what I mean. But if you do not belong to a dog, you are missing an amazing experience.
Consider adopting a stray mutt from your local shelter. There are so many homeless dogs that are looking for a forever home it breaks my heart.Every time I go near a pound I have to force myself not to go in because I want to take them all home. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately my wife has declared our Motorhome accupancy limit to 2 adults and 2 dogs.
Today I cannot imagine life around here without our 2 friends. Winnie along with Keeper are our 4 legged kids and just make our Motorhome, home.
Recent Comments
9
The love and attention a dog shows is as you say unconditional and forever. They ask for so little in return.
Jerry
If I could, I would adopt every dog and cat in every shelter. Breaks my heart to hear of any animal being put down. Winnie is a winner for sure. She will return love a thousand times over.
Mark
Love your dogs name, Keeper is a great name for a dog :) we also have a Standard Poodle his name is Toledo or just T for short and a Wolfhound called Murphy :)
I agree wholeheartedly if you haven’t belonged to a dog you are missing such a special love and bond. I couldn’t imagine life without my fur-kids :)
I too have had many dogs over my life, so I say Thank You for this tribute for all animals!
Shaunna
See more comments
A very touching story Murray. I have had to give up pets myself before due to circumstances, so I know how hard it was for your friend to do so. Like him I was fortunate enough to find them loving homes. When Winnie sees your friend again it just might be a very emotional reunion. I hope you are prepared for it. My ex-husband adopted my beagle, Riley. It took me forever to get past missing Riley, but I did and then after two years my son visited from California and we had brunch one day at his father's home. When Riley saw me he started baying hysterically and trying to crawl up in my lap. I had to take him in my arms and give him hugs and kisses just to calm him down. Everyone there was so startled, including me. Joe, my ex, was down right rattled. He loves his dogs and takes them to dog parks regularly and Riley and Pepper are inseparable. Over the next 4 weeks we had many dinners and parties at Joe's and Riley's response when he saw me was always as dramatic as the first time. At first I sensed some slight jealousy and resentment from Joe over it, but he came to terms with it. It was a little embarrassing, actually.
Your friend is attracted to these women because he can identify strongly with her. Very few non-addicts can comprehend nor understand what an addict goes through. That video you shared with me on the gut biome might help him. Also, he might consider doing a coffee enema regimen to detox and protect his liver. I was married to an alcoholic for 9 years and watched him die of cirrhosis. It's a horrible way to go. I never judged him for his addiction. I think that's why we lasted so long. His death practically destroyed me.
Thank you Teri for sharing. I really hope the video helps, it has changed my health for sure. The gut biome video is actually one of nine videos in a series. If you can't find the rest of the series the short answer is to get tested and work towards balancing the gut biome and your health will improve, and it will improve quickly. My family doctor had no idea of what I was talking about so I had to seek out an informed Natural-path, find one that you trust.
Sadly Winnie's first daddy passed away just before Christmas. I was in Texas and he in Canada, unfortunately I could not make the funeral but did speak with his kids and share stories of past memories. Thirty years of alcoholism finally took him in the end. I have many good memories of Rick as we went through our childhood as neighbors and friends. He will be missed.
Murray
The video was amazing. Sadly, and I don't know if it is true or not, I have read that some deaths of functional medicine practitioners have been suspected of foul play. I shared it on facebook and will go back and take notes to share on my blog Will definitely share the link to the movie on my blog. So sorry to hear your friend died.I'm sure that now that his soul has been set free from the limitations of the physical body he is at peace and can see and appreciate the value of your friendship all the more Murray.