Wilson Was on Wordless Wednesday

Say not in grief...."He is no more"

But live in the Thankfulness that Wilson Was

The End of an Era

Our Saviour of the Heart

Wilson 5/23/2003 - 4/20/2019

Wilson came into our lives when we had just suffered the loss of our first Cardigan Dylan at the age of nearly 17. Wilson instantly had huge shoes to fill and fill them he did! He was a gentle old soul from day one. A quiet reserved gentleman that preferred to hang in the background. But that didn't mean he lacked for personality or the Cardigan sense of humor. He loved his people fiercely! Very quickly our broken hearts were on the mend as this sweet boy worked his magic.

Wilson was a smart pup who enjoyed pleasing his people. He was my Novice A agility dog and got me started on a hobby I have loved for years now. We also dabbled in Rally and Herding, allowing Wilson to earn the CWCCA's Versatile Cardigan award. But his most favorite activity if he could pick it was to swim
and fetch sticks from the water. You didn't dare say "Wanna go swimming?!" if his leash was off. He was off and running for the neighborhood lake as fast as his legs could go!

He was an extremely handsome guy and always garnered many compliments wherever he went. He also just "got it" when it came to photographs and posing. He was a supermodel extraordinaire!

Somewhere along the years, as it always does, age caught up to him. In September of 2017 he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Failure and we were told he likely had less than 6 months to live. Wilson always had a strong stubborn streak and he wasn't about to let bad kidneys be the end of him. He plugged doggedly along, fighting the ups and downs of his disease. So the old guy that was supposed to pass away more than a year ago was still with us when the very bad news about Jimmy's cancer was given. Wilson had one more task to complete. He had to comfort us as we lost Jimmy so unexpectedly. He came into our lives to heal a broken heart and he stayed in our lives far longer than expected so he could help one more time with broken hearts.

We could ask no more of Wilson. He was worn out and oh so tired, the kidney failure finally winning the battle. Yesterday we helped Wilson cross the bridge to where his body could find the peace he has so earned. Don't tell Wilson, but of course our hearts are now more broken than ever.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Wilson. We will love you forever!

Having lost both Jimmy and Wilson within a 72 hour period has left us shell-shocked and hollow. Even with Cedar to comfort and distract us, the house is painfully empty. I have strong feeling it will be a long time indeed before life feels normal again.

Wilson's Still Got It Going On!

Lots of barking, so turn down those speakers!

Hint ! Hint !

Fifteen and Three Quarters!

Today, being the 23rd of the month, makes Wilson exactly 15 and 3/4 years old! He's still a beauty to my eyes! The countdown to 16 is officially on. Keep all your fingers, toes, and paws crossed for that milestone!

Three's Company!

Three Dog Night

I couldn't decide whether to call this post Three Dog Night or Pinwheel as they both fit. Since it is winter and we've just had a significant snowfall I went with Three Dog Night.....

Snow Day!

Well, as this is my very first post of 2019....Happy New Year!

Yesterday "a bit" of snow was predicted and we got almost a foot! Since it doesn't happen all that often, it really is rather fun and of course, a great photo op!

Menage A Trois!

Now that my naughty title has grabbed your attention, here's a photo from a walk this week. Wilson still accompanies us on the shorter works. He was pretty pleased with this outing. His health (and kidney failure) has slipped a bit recently so we are trying to enjoy all the good moments while we can. Wilson has really wowed my vets with how long he's kept going and what a hardy boy he is!

It is an optical illusion that makes Cedar look so huge. He's really only Jimmy's size and much smaller than Wilson.

The Best Birthday Gifts!

So yesterday was my birthday. It was a pretty low key day. It was super hot and humid outdoors so A/C was a must! I just pretty much hung around the house and enjoyed the fact that I had all three boys there to share the day. That is a pretty awesome birthday gift given that Wilson has been battling his chronic kidney failure for a full year now. We were initially told to expect maybe 6 months with him at diagnosis and here he is, still plugging along. Such a blessing!

The next birthday gift is a bit more tangible. I still go to agility trials with Jimmy occasionally. That means lugging along gobs of gear. I had been making tons of trips back and forth to the car to get it all set up while I watched smarter folks wheel their loaded wagons in one trip. So this is my other birthday gift....a collapsible wagon. It can hold up to 150 pounds or in this case about 115 pounds of Cardi!

Hello, yeah, it's been a while. Not much, how 'bout you?

Hello there! Yes, we are still out here! I just haven't felt like blogging and the longer I let it go, the less I feel like doing it! I do stay active over on FaceBook. Looking at my blog roll widget, it seems we've lost several bloggers over the past year or so. I guess I am not the only one who is letting it slide.

But, at any rate, here's an update.......

Wilson.....he is still going strong! His kidney failure is of course still an issue but with medicines and fluids, he seems to be holding his own! I know that can change at any time, so I make sure to enjoy each day with him! They are all gifts!

We actually took him for a short ride on our jetski (on a very rare sunny day! It's been a very wet summer here!) to an island in the Potomac. He did great for an old boy!

Wilson's mini-me isn't so mini anymore, but he is definitely Wilson's constant shadow!

Jimmy.....We've still been going to a few agility trials this summer, but with limited success. I think age is catching up with Jim just a bit, and keeping the bars up is not so easy anymore. We are taking a break until October and will do a few of our favorite fall trials. This is very likely our last season before he retires so each trial is a tad bittersweet knowing it is the last time.

Little by little, Jimmy has learned to tolerate and maybe even like Cedar.  They are free together in the house, and sometimes play chase games outside. I have even caught them in close proximity!

Cedar....Well of course, he's been going to training classes ever since I brought him home. At the tender age of just 7 months (back in June), he passed his Canine Good Citizen test! What a good boy!
He is a smart little guy and loves to work. We are making great progress on his beginner agility training. He is going to be FAST!

He has learned the joys of water and will even swim now. He isn't as crazy about it as Jimmy and Wilson, but loves to cool off!

So, all in all, things are good here in the House of Cardigans!  Not much happens that isn't dog related, oh, and LOTS of vacuuming! LOL! I can't promise I'll get back on track with my blogging but at least you know we are still here.....

I'll leave you with all three of my wonderful boys!

Fifteen!

Wilson's 15th birthday fell on a Wednesday so I didn't want to disrupt the Wordless Wednesday with anything but a photo. But of course, there was a lot to that day worthy of pictures!

The weirdest thing about the day was that I got called for jury duty. You never know if you will actually sit for a trial or not. You still have to go, wait it out, and see how it goes. Being the chronically on time person I am, I arrived at about 7:20 for an 8 o'clock schedule. Some other folks mosied in as late as 8:30. My half of the alphabet all waited around until 11:30 when we were told we would not be needed. I was SO thankful as that meant I would not miss the full day at home with Wilson!


It was lunch time when I got home. It was a very nice day so we grilled hot dogs for lunch. What dog doesn't want hot dogs for their special day?!

And of course there was cake!

And even a picture of me that I actually almost like! It was a must to be photographed with the birthday boy!

I am so grateful Wilson was still here for his 15th birthday. His kidney failure diagnosis last September really cast doubt on that!  But Cardigans are fighters, and Wilson wasn't ready to go just yet. Yay for that!

We will finish up with the birthday hat shot....this exact little cardboard hat goes all the way back to my very first Cardigan Dylan. We can't skip this tradition! Obviously, Wilson wishes we did!

Wilson Wishing on Wordless Wednesday!

What Was Wilson and the Wee One Watching on Wordless Wednesday?

The Wee One Wedged in With Wilson Who Wished he Wouldn't on Wordless Wednesday

Wilson Wondered Why he Was With the Wee One When We Weren't on Wordless Wednesday!

The Weekend Report - An Agility Trial at Long Last!

It has been a very long while indeed since my last agility trial...all the way back to October when Jimmy and I earned our PACH2 title. I usually sign up for a lot less trials in the winter, but I was also staying home with Wilson. Fortunately, he's been doing so well, I felt comfortable signing up for a trial and taking him along. This trial was given by the Charlottesville Kennel Club and was held at that farm I love so much. It was still a winter day with chilly temps and a wind, but the sun was shining! And of course Cedar got to come along as well!

I won't spend much time talking about our runs. Jimmy and I are both out of practice and a bit out of shape as well. Jimmy knocked a bar on both of our runs so we did not get any Qs. We did have a lot of fun and that's what really counts. Jimmy got to be the center of attention, something he's been missing since Cedar came along. Plus he got peanut butter! MMMM! That's his post run treat.

I had lots of fun seeing my friends again and showing off Cedar. Most people had seen him on FaceBook, but real life is a lot more fun when it comes to a puppy! Cedar took the agility scene in stride. He enjoyed meeting people and oh, so many dogs of all shapes and sizes. But the best thing that happened for him was a cute little Pembroke Corgi girl who was 10 months old. She wasn't a whole lot bigger than Cedar so they were a good match. They wrestled, they ran, they chased, and just had an all around blast. He definitely couldn't catch her with his still clumsy puppy stride, but he gave it his all. And of course I took photos....Lots of them!

I did *try* to get a picture of all three boys with a mountain background. Wilson wasn't up to walking way back in the hills so I tried near where the cars were parked. It's very hard to get a good shot when you have a puppy with no "stay".....Cedar is in the process of trying to run off with the poop bag holder attached to Wilson's leash. Just about anything is fair game to a pup!

I have a few more trials lined up so stay tuned!