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
Please stop, you're breaking my heartx
ReplyDeleteI wish there were more "Williams" in this world and that my heart was more like his.
ReplyDeleteI love William.X
ReplyDeleteThat 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
ReplyDeleteWilliam'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.
ReplyDeleteHave always thought William has a very old soul. I think he knows
ReplyDeletesomething the rest of us have yet to discover.
He is a little olden gentleman....a sweet moment in time.
ReplyDeleteYou bring so much into each other's lives.
ReplyDeleteMy 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.
ReplyDeleteWilliam has time .. plenty of more time .. he is still needed here / there.
Sending him soft snuggles and a kiss.
He has the kindest face. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteThe loveliest sort of doggy!
ReplyDeleteHe sounds an absolute treasure. Looking at the photograph who exactly are you talking of in your last paragraph? X
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought, as well. ;-)
DeleteI guess in dog years we are almost the same age ( he's 56 I am 53)
DeleteAnd both of you with rugged good looks. :-)
DeleteExactly ! Jules :)
DeleteAre you trying to prepare us for something, John?
ReplyDeleteSweet 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.
No. But i think i am reminding myself that dogs dont go on forever. Meg was only 2 years older when she died
DeleteTwo questions:
ReplyDelete1) Is William the favourite of the girls?
2) Why is your sofa not facing the t.v.?
1. Yes
Delete2. I dont like tvs dominating the room
He's gorgeous. I'm jealous.
ReplyDeleteHe's a beautiful, beautiful boy inside and out.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartening to know that he's so valued and appreciated - and it sounds like he probably knows it, which I hope.
ReplyDeleteWilliam 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
ReplyDeleteOh, 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.
ReplyDeleteWhat 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....
ReplyDeleteWilliam 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!!!
ReplyDeleteI would so love a William of my own. Alas not possible with my nomadic ways. Maybe one day...
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have a lump in my throat that won't go away. Dogs and cats don't seem to have long enough lives.
ReplyDeleteWilliam looks like he is smiling in most of his pictures.
It is you who make your animals so kind and human. like you are.
ReplyDeleteLove 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.
ReplyDeleteA dear soul William has. Dogs are more than just dogs...they are really so much more.
ReplyDeleteMy best love to your sweet William.
Such a sweet Gud Dug.
ReplyDeleteLove 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
John, you are fortunate that William has come into your life.
ReplyDeleteBut you already know that!!
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?
ReplyDeleteYou'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
ReplyDeleteMy 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!)
ReplyDeleteLove to your gentle boy too. xx We are lucky to have them in our lives, albeit for such a shot time.
*short
DeletePup lived to be 12 ... with an illness taking him in the end, not old age.
ReplyDeleteMy 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteDont worry pat, he's well and fit.... Its just that he's getting older
Deletethe saddest thing ever is an old pet.
ReplyDeleteI recently adopted a cat. I have a young one, she is a year old.
ReplyDeleteThe 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 ?
https://36.media.tumblr.com/189a21e0b33e164c39f23ce6e5c91f55/tumblr_nvk7zkVT461qgju3co1_540.jpg
Deleteyou can see what I mean :)
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.
ReplyDeleteI love William. What a sweetie.
Strewth, your beautiful animals...nearly in tears x
ReplyDeleteLove him
ReplyDeleteWhat a gentle, loving boy William is, may he be with you for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteThe goodness shows in a dog and in a man when it is needed most.
ReplyDeleteWe 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.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post.
ReplyDeleteAwww.
ReplyDeleteDogs are like kids. You hope they'll do you proud. William has.
ReplyDeleteHmm, my Jack is nine and getting quite gray ...
ReplyDeleteI guess I needed that post, my sinus are clearer now.
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. :)
ReplyDeleteThat picture of you two is very sweet. I can tell William takes good care of you!
ReplyDeleteAnd I would guess he quietly misses Meg too. Bless him.
ReplyDeleteStop! It's heartbreaking. The picture of him with the cat is just too much. x
ReplyDeleteThose 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.
ReplyDeleteAww William is such a love... the picture with the old cat on the bed just about does me in...
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland, NZ
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."
ReplyDelete