In Praise Of William


When the despot's Girls were around the other day, and when all went suddenly silent, I walked into the living room, with a tea towel in hand , to be greeted by this scene.
It brought a lump to my throat.
An old dog sat between two children , all of them watching tv.

William is a dear soul. He has a gentleness about him which can be incredibly touching. 
Whereas Winnie steals the limelight with her blustering extrovert ways, William will often just sit and watch. He will not allow a stranger to pet him but will be the first to greet a visitor. 
He will never snatch a tasty morsel from an outstretched hand and he will allow himself to be back combed by two chattering schoolgirls, with patient alacrity. 

When Mary, the disabled rabbit arrived , William would sit outside her hutch for hours with his nose resting on the door, so fascinated he was with her and I remember when Joan, our first old cat was dying, it was William who lay with her on our bed, his paw outstretched towards  hers.


A gentle dog is a joy, and it breaks my heart just a little when I remember that he is now an old man with white in his beard and a mellowness in his eyes



61 comments:

  1. Please stop, you're breaking my heartx

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  2. I wish there were more "Williams" in this world and that my heart was more like his.

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  3. That is a touching photo. It also may help to confirm that not all children are screaming, crying, candy-eating little terrors in a plane! Those two look lovely. William sounds like the perfect pet. -Jenn

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  4. William's gentle nature touches us all through your beautiful words. I, too, have tear filled eyes and hope the little guy is going to be around for a good while longer.

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  5. Have always thought William has a very old soul. I think he knows
    something the rest of us have yet to discover.



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  6. He is a little olden gentleman....a sweet moment in time.

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  7. You bring so much into each other's lives.

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  8. My heart has broken a few times when my sweet old pets have died. It is always too soon. They never seem to be old enough, they should live longer, we should not have to say goodbye so soon.
    William has time .. plenty of more time .. he is still needed here / there.
    Sending him soft snuggles and a kiss.

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  9. Anonymous11:29 am

    He has the kindest face. So sweet.

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  10. He sounds an absolute treasure. Looking at the photograph who exactly are you talking of in your last paragraph? X

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    1. That was my thought, as well. ;-)

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    2. I guess in dog years we are almost the same age ( he's 56 I am 53)

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    3. And both of you with rugged good looks. :-)

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  11. Are you trying to prepare us for something, John?

    Sweet William, the flower, must have been named for him. In the last photo, his smile reminds me of my Pa's, (grandfather) he was a gentle and loving man who would have been both flattered and amused by the comparison.

    Such an undemanding kind of love is rare, whether amongst animals or humans.

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    Replies
    1. No. But i think i am reminding myself that dogs dont go on forever. Meg was only 2 years older when she died

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  12. Two questions:

    1) Is William the favourite of the girls?

    2) Why is your sofa not facing the t.v.?

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    Replies
    1. 1. Yes
      2. I dont like tvs dominating the room

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  13. He's gorgeous. I'm jealous.

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  14. Anonymous1:13 pm

    He's a beautiful, beautiful boy inside and out.

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  15. It's heartening to know that he's so valued and appreciated - and it sounds like he probably knows it, which I hope.

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  16. William is a dear little soul. That just gave me such a sad little pang when you said William is getting old. It is difficult when our beloved pets start to age. Xx

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  17. Oh, John. Truthfully, dogs and I do not coexist well but I can recognize the deep goodness of their souls and I do love other people's dogs. Thank you for this peek into Sweet William's deep, good soul.

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  18. What a beautiful soul William is. We lost our old boy Tor in May - would have been 16 this August. Your William reminds me of our Tor. I love animals more than humans most days....

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  19. William is a gentle soul with the capacity to offer tenderness and compassion to animal and human alike. He reminds me a lot of you John. And people say animals don't have feelings. Bull!!!

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  20. I would so love a William of my own. Alas not possible with my nomadic ways. Maybe one day...

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  21. And now I have a lump in my throat that won't go away. Dogs and cats don't seem to have long enough lives.

    William looks like he is smiling in most of his pictures.

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  22. It is you who make your animals so kind and human. like you are.

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  23. Love your William. My jack, Lulu is blind now. It amazes me how our dogs soldier on despite all kinds of infirmities which would leave us humans gasping. They are treasures. And we are lucky.

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  24. A dear soul William has. Dogs are more than just dogs...they are really so much more.
    My best love to your sweet William.

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  25. Such a sweet Gud Dug.
    Love that photo.
    William and Watson sound much the same just sweet, good souls.
    I remember little Mary, the story and photos.

    cheers, parsnip

    cheers, parsnip

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  26. John, you are fortunate that William has come into your life.
    But you already know that!!

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  27. Stop it. My two boys are both getting on and have health issues. I'm not ready to think about losing them. Why do we put ourselves through this?

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  28. You've got white in your beard too! I love William so much. Bet he loves the special attention he gets from the girls and that pic of his outstretched paw is just so endearing. Big Hugs to William. xxx

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  29. My beautiful, gentle boy, I suddenly realised, is old. He has grey spectacles. I only noticed when looking at photos. To consider life without him is heartbreaking; he was born in this house. I am going to give him an extra love now (he would lie on my lap all day!)
    Love to your gentle boy too. xx We are lucky to have them in our lives, albeit for such a shot time.

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  30. Pup lived to be 12 ... with an illness taking him in the end, not old age.
    My cat lived to be 18 - he was just so convinced that he had to be around for more adventures with us.
    This is the one thing that could be called a negative about having a pet.
    They don't live as long as we do.
    It is so unfair. But those years we do have with them are glorious and so full of love, they sort of make up for their limited time.

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  31. John I can hardly bear to read this. You can't possibly mean that William has only a few years/months left so soon of your other dear dog went. I really don't know why we love our animals so much when they have such short lives compared with ours.

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    Replies
    1. Dont worry pat, he's well and fit.... Its just that he's getting older

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  32. the saddest thing ever is an old pet.

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  33. I recently adopted a cat. I have a young one, she is a year old.
    The other one, was found lost. He was in the shelter. His photo was online. I looked at that old face and knew that no one was going to adopt an 11 year old cat. So I was there when they opened.
    He is the sweetest, most gentle, dear cat. He moves a little slowly and he purrs this loud rusty purr when I speak to him. He will keep his eyes closed and just start purring at the sound of my voice.
    I want him to live forever.
    I know he will not live forever.
    But he and I are going to enjoy these years as much as possible.
    What more could any of us ask for ?

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    1. https://36.media.tumblr.com/189a21e0b33e164c39f23ce6e5c91f55/tumblr_nvk7zkVT461qgju3co1_540.jpg

      you can see what I mean :)

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  34. 8 isn't really all that old. I had a cocker spaniel that lived to be almost 16, and he was quite spry up until about 13 years old.

    I love William. What a sweetie.

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  35. Strewth, your beautiful animals...nearly in tears x

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  36. What a gentle, loving boy William is, may he be with you for many years to come.

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  37. The goodness shows in a dog and in a man when it is needed most.

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  38. We do live with the knowledge that our animal companions don't last forever, and they jut live 'in the now'. My DIL said just the other day that she was concerned that their 6month old boy would have to cope with the eventual death of their gorgeous 6 year old Golden Retriever, which is true. I struggled for a suitable reply, then said that perhaps it would be an introduction to death, before he had to cope with the death of a grandparent. They share so much of our lives, and we learn so much from them, don't we.

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  39. What a great post.

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  40. Dogs are like kids. You hope they'll do you proud. William has.

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  41. Hmm, my Jack is nine and getting quite gray ...

    I guess I needed that post, my sinus are clearer now.

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  42. Our beloved pets are so precious to us. He looks to be such a beautiful gentle dog. They're wiser than we sometimes give them credit for being. :)

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  43. That picture of you two is very sweet. I can tell William takes good care of you!

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  44. And I would guess he quietly misses Meg too. Bless him.

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  45. Stop! It's heartbreaking. The picture of him with the cat is just too much. x

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  46. Those pictures are priceless. Yes a gentle dog is a joy. I've had both sorts, and we can't expect them all to be the same any more than people are, but oh, a dog who cares for a chick or a kitten or a small child with equal gentleness, they are extra special, no doubt about it.

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  47. Aww William is such a love... the picture with the old cat on the bed just about does me in...

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

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  48. That is the trouble with our beloved critters: they don't live nearly long enough for our desires. I lost my Scottie, Angus in 2008 and I still miss him terribly. My girl, Prissy, is getting older, too. At times like this, I always think of Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Power of a Dog."

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