It was December, 1995. Just a few weeks ago we lost our dog, “Kika” a keshound my wife’s dog before we were married. I was in Woodstock, Ill. and a little voice told me to drop by the county animal shelter, so I did. I looked at lest six dogs, but one caught my eye, a mix of German shepherd and Irish setter. Out of all the other dogs, this one, with his front paws on the gate and tail going 100mph, we immediately connected. I called my wife and asked her to come over. She came and I showed her the other dogs and then the one I connected with. The handler brought him out and we decided all most immediately he was the one. We brought him home and our son Peter called him “Willy”. We asked him why Willy? He explained the we freed him from the pound and being inspired by the movie “Free Willy”, my son decided to name him, Willy. Willy, gave us 10 years of companionship. In January of 2005, my wife was telling me of Willy having convulsions during the day and we found out earlier that he had a problem with his lungs. On my birthday Feb. 6 2005, I just came home from work and my wife meet me in the driveway crying. Willy went into convolutions real bad and my wife put a sandwich bag over his muzzle and held it until he died. She rapped his body in a old shower curtain and we took him to the Vets and had him cremated. When we got home his imprint was still in the snow on our driveway. When I would pass his favorite place to lay, I would look to expect to see him there, and of course he wasn’t.

We have a new dog now, his name is, “Beethoven”. He is huge over 90 lbs. full of love. I think animals especially dogs teach us about life. They bring joy to us when they come into our lives, there are good times and bad times, and then when they depart from our lives.

John from IL