Poppy and CC's Corner: Last of the Litter

Last of the Litter

"GOOD BYE BILLY"

His full name was William Wallace Warbritton, but we called him Billy. He was the last of three born in the litter. Billy and Susie had to be delivered by Cesarean Section because the first puppy was too large, stillborn, and blocked the birth canal. Billy was not always the smartest of our brood, but he was always a strong, healthy, athletic specimen of the yorkie tribe. His most enduring quality was his shy, quiet, devout loyalty to his human caregivers and to his immediate canine family.

Sweet Billy

Cheryl couldn’t bear to break up the family so we kept all four. His mother Cara (Carolina Tiger Lily) the first of our yorkies, was born October 10, 1994 and was purchased for Angela just after we married 22 years ago.

Angela with puppy Carolina Tiger Lily (Cara)

Angela started college in 1998, so Cara remained with Cheryl and I. Within a few years, Angela bought herself another yorkie, Starlet, aka “Star Baby”, "Little Princess" and “Little Girl”.

Starlet in her fur coat at Christmas 2002

Then, under the oddest of circumstances we were offered a male puppy yorkie from Texas when Cara was eight years old. We called him Cowboy since he was from Texas, and when we first got him he was so anxious he chewed on the kitchen table, chair rails and baseboards. However, there was a moment of eye to eye love and trust connection, and after that he was the best dog anyone could ever want. He also envisioned himself as a “stud muffin” to Cara even though he was only ten months old. We usually kept them under close supervision but Cheryl wasn’t concerned because Cara was eight years old and thought past puppy bearing. Actually, Cowboy was physically full-grown and knew exactly what he was supposed to do; and he did it. On Thanksgiving night while they were outside the magic happened and on January 19th, 2003 the puppies were born. Cowboy was a year old and Cara was eight and a half. Of note, Cara did not like Cowboy until that night of magic and after that she LOVED Cowboy; also, we were concerned that he might not like the puppies, but he proved to be a really good daddy dog.

Cara loved Cowboy

Cowboy loved Cara

Momma with her newborns 9 days old

Daddy checking on the pups - one month old.

Twins need a little space between them

Billy slept like this most of his life

Billy was very shy and a little slow, but he was strong and he soon outgrew his daddy. Never one to play or chase toys or fetch balls, he just observed the others. From his earliest days, he just wanted to be loved, he wanted to be held, to be scratched and petted. He never seemed to get his share of attention while competing with the rest of the family. Billy always acquiesced to all the other dogs except Susie even though he was the largest.

We moved to a home in the county with no fence and we had to walk all four dogs on leases. Shortly after, Angela brought “Star” to live wih us “for a little while” until she got settled in Florida. We still have her and she is the sole survivor. For a time we had to walk five dogs twice a day.

Within a couple of years, sweet little Cara died in Cheryl’s arms, at the age of eleven, as we sped to the closest emergency vet. The following day my son David was there and he helped me dig the grave as we buried her in a clearing of the trees in the back yard. We conducted a very heartfelt goodbye and a poignant farewell. Cheryl and I couldn’t talk as tears streamed down our faces. Cheryl remembers seeing her tears shining in the bright sunlight as they fell. It was good that we had a Baptist preacher there to take over and speak a beautiful farewell to the queen of our little brood.

The four little dogs left were a constant source of entertainment when Cheryl took them for a walk. Holding two leashes in each hand, she was OK until one of them spotted another dog, a child, a bike, or a deer and then all mayhem broke out. I watched one morning as all four of them started running in circles and barking vigorously. Cheryl was in the middle and she was soon totally enveloped in leases. She almost fell over as they reached the end of their leashes and continued jumping, barking and nipping at her ankles. She called me to help because she was wrapped up tight and couldn’t move. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t undo the wrap job for a couple of minutes. Cheryl was not amused at the time. Billy never started the barking but he always picked up the rally and took it to a new high pitch.

Two in one hand and three in the other

And then the leashes get tangled

A little help is always appreciated

Rain, sleet, or snow they had to be walked

When I walked them in the afternoons they would always want to stop at the corner of the yard under the shade of a large willow oak. Cowboy and Susie would watch intently for pedestrians or cars driving by. Star and Billy would wander aimlessly and act as if they were extraordinarily bored. One morning as I was walking them, Billy committed a costly error. He slipped out of the harness and before I could grab him he ran for the neighbors yard. Now the next door neighbor had two large dogs (an Australian Shepherd and an Akia) contained with an invisible fence. Billy of course thought he could outrun the other dogs and ran straight for them, unheeded by the electric fence because he had no collar. The Australian Shepherd must have thought that he was a large rat and he quickly ran him down. He grabbed Billy around the middle and tossed him ten feet into the air. I was sure that he had killed him because I watched him do a flip in the air on his way down. But Billy landed on his feet and immediately scampered out of the yard back to where I was waiting and calling for him. I couldn’t chase after him because I was holding the other three leashes. He came up to me with eyes as large as saucers and I checked him over. Fortunately he just had a minor tooth mark on his chest, but he learned a life lesson.

Billy shortly after his encounter with the neighbors dogs

Cowboy and Susie perched on Cowboy hill

King of the hill

Little Girl and Susie on Cowboy hill

Billy's attackers waiting for one of ours to stray into their yard.

We moved back to the city and we didn’t have to walk them because we had a fence. Within a year we lost Cowboy at age eleven, and again, as Cheryl held him in her arms. We buried him in the yard by the back fence. I dug the grave for Cowboy and we stood and grieved but we could not bear to say goodbye to that sweet, special boy; I just hope he knew how much we loved him. Within a couple of years Cheryl held Susie into the wee hours of the morning as she died in the arms of love. I dug her grave next to Cowboy’s and we again attempted to show our respects; we failed again though we both managed to tell her how much she was loved. We now have a pet cemetery in our back yard.

Susie2Cutie

Life with Billy and Star has had its challenges as these two older dogs started having health problems. I looked into Billy’s sorrowful eyes and I could see the great loss for his twin Susie. Billy became highly sensitive to any situation and he quickly jumped at any opportunity to receive affection from either of us. For the past two years we have waited to see which would outlive the other. Throughout the past winter we watched as both dogs' health deteriorated and then this spring it became apparent that Billy would be next in line. He started having mini-seizures causing him to lose control of all four legs at once, though he would quickly recover when we picked him up and loved on him. Finally, on Friday evening before Mothers Day, Cheryl held him until just after midnight and then put him in his bed. The next morning we found him on the kitchen floor near his bed. Peaceful and free from the pain and discomfort he had been suffering.

His interment was perhaps the most difficult of all physically as I am suffering from low back and hip pain and Cheryl had to help me dig the grave. We were both exhausted by the time we finished digging his spot next to Susie in the back yard. We held a brief ceremony to honor our little friend and assured him that we had always loved him, though we again became emotional. Billy was sensitive, quirky, and demanding of your constant attention, but totally worth it.

We like to think that we were privileged to have loved and cared for these five little scamps. They made us laugh; they made us cry; they have been a constant source of distraction. Onery and cantankerous as they were, we cared for each in their own special way. We watched each of them as they grew and become totally loyal to us; then slowly aging and losing that spark that made them unique, and then it claimed their lives. We were favored to share their time on this earth, and we hope that God has made a way for those little dogs to share our time in Heaven.

Billy was the last of his family and he lived the longest of them in doggy years, as he lived to the age of 98. In doggy years, Cara died at age 77, Cowboy at 77, Susie at 77. Darren asked me if I was going to get another dog and I said, “No, I’m really tired of burying them”. Cheryl and I chuckled as she remarked, “Star will probably bury us”. Star is 105 in doggy years, blind and half deaf, but still fighting.

Favorite memories from some who were fond of our little family.