RIP Winky William Wu - 2/18/2006 to 11/20/2011

[Brewfilek]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Haven’t Left At All

I saw you gently weeping as you looked through photographs
You paused for just a moment at one that made you laugh.

But as you turned more pages the tears began to flow
You whispered that you missed me but I want you to know;

I softly licked those stinging tears that down your cheeks did fall
I want to help you understand I haven’t left at all.

On those days that you are overcome with sorrow, pain and grief
I rest my head upon your leg to offer some relief.

When you take our walking path I’ve seen you turn around
Because I know you surely heard my paws upon the ground.

At night while you are sleeping I snuggle at your side
You stroke my fur as you touch that place where I used to lie.

You said it’s just your heart playing tricks upon your mind
But rest assured I’m really there, my spirit’s left behind.

I know your heart is hurting; it’s like an open sore
You think my life has ended and you won’t see me anymore.

But for those of us bound tight by love, death is not the curtain call;
It’s really the eternal beginning that waits for us all

So as you live your life I patiently await
For us to be together when you pass through Heaven’s gate.

Thank you for posting this. It's the single saddest yet most beautiful passage i have ever read.
Tears were litterally streaming down my face...and i'm at my desk at work!!
i'm going to save it away to look back upon.

Rest in peace Winky!!

[fasteddie]

Winky says you'll never regret taking eons and eons and eons of pictures of your Yorkies!

We smile when we see a memory and picture of our little guy. Here's him with Yoda looking up and waiting for a treat (as usual!)...

[yorkieusa]

Oh! That is a precious pic. You're so right about taking lots of pictures. The pictures become so very cherished.

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by fasteddie

Winky says you'll never regret taking eons and eons and eons of pictures of your Yorkies!

We smile when we see a memory and picture of our little guy. Here's him with Yoda looking up and waiting for a treat (as usual!)...

Love the Winky picture, and you're absolutely right.

[ladyjane]

He was truly a precious baby...and I agree about pictures. They stay in our memories forever, but the pictures are such treasures.

[salazark]

RIP little Winky. My prayers are with your family. Such beautiful tributes. It makes you realize how short our time with them is. I'll give mine extra hugs tonight.

[Doodlebug]

The picture is precious. It is so nice that you have a lot of photos to remember Winky and every photo captures a special moment in time. I hope you will post more. I love seeing them.

[MauiGirl]

I am so very sorry for the sad loss of you precious Winky.

Rest in Peace little Winky, who was very much loved.

[saphire]

I am so sorry for your loss.
Thanks for sharing all the pics, they are gorgeous, as he was.
RIP sweet Winky.

[Lisa and Pic]

That picture of Winky is precious. He obviously loved his treats and what a special boy.

[LDandPasquale]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Seeing Winky's face at the top of Yorkietalk made me smile and cry all at the same time! My sympathies are with you and your family at this time.

[fasteddie]

We miss you Winky. We are thankful for you being full of life for your 5 years, eight months, and two days and thankful you were with us since you were a tiny little furball.

Here's a little Winky shrine we made on our fireplace. This is where Winky loved to hang out the most. Winky was loved by many and his cousin drew a picture of Mr. Little Tongue as well. Yoda is hanging out with ya! May you have the bestest Thanksgiving feast today, Winky! We love you!

[Doodlebug]

The shrine is so touching. You can tell how much Winky was loved. Yoda is so sweet laying there napping. I love the picture cousin drew of Winky. I know you were thankful for every minute you had with the little guy. Bless you guys for being so good to him.

[Susan78]

I am so sorry for your loss of Winky. He reminds me of my dear Keally I lost in 2010 a fighter all the way. You were a great Mom and Winky knew the love he had. Maybe he is with my Keally now having alot of fun over the rainbow bridge till we meet again. My prayers are with you take care of. Susan

[lisaly]

I am deeply sorry for the loss of your baby. We lost our Kiwi several years ago from CHF, and my heart is breaking for you. Your love of your precious baby will live forever in your heart, and in time memories will begin to comfort you. We lost our little one, Gracie, shortly after Kiwi, and then a little over a year ago, we lost their sister, Ashley. All three of those babies were with us their entire lives, and I know I will forever carry them with me in my heart. No matter how old our babies are, it's difficult to prepare ourselves for losing them. It is so tragic that Winky was so young, but his life was very full because he had your love. Your life will never be the same again because you were touched by your beautiful little boy and his impact on your lives will last forever. I found the following story and poem very comforting, and the YouTube video was sent to me after I lost my Ashley who was with us for almost seventeen years. I find them very touching, and I hope they can help to allow your hearts to begin to heal. I understand how great your loss is, and if there is anything at all that I can do to help ease your pain, please let me know. I care.

Rites of Passage

Some of the most poignant moments I spend as a veterinarian are those spent with my clients assisting the transition of my animal patients from this world to the next. When living becomes a burden, whether from pain or loss of normal functions, I can help a family by ensuring that their beloved pet has an easy passing. Making this final decision is painful, and I have often felt powerless to comfort the grieving owners. That was before I met Shane.

I had been called to examine a ten-year-old blue heeler named Belker who had developed a serious health problem. The dog's owners - Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane - were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me - I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
By Robin Downing, D.V.M.

Living Love

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember...

The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter--simple because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush against you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come.

The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep where you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.

And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you---you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you.

But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size than your own---seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come. And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg--very very lightly.

And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lay---you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart---As time passes the ache will come and go as it has a life of its own. You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when---along with the memory of your pet---and piercing through the heaviness in your heart---there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love---like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this Love will remain and grow--and be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our Beloved Pets--it is a Love that we will always possess.

-Written by Martin Scot Kosins

Saying Goodbye - Loss of a pet - YouTube