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Born: February 5, 1995 |
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Dear Woody, Almost 13 years ago you suddenly died and gave this family out first major taste of sorrow and loss.... several hours before you died, I was in the den sharing my jello cup with you. I clearly remember how funny and long your tongue looked in that small plastic cup. You cracked your father and me up. Then when Brandon came home from Awanas, you left us and immediately followed him upstairs. When Brandon yelled for us to come upstairs, I sensed fear in his voice. To this day we'll never know why you climbed under his bed and died. Was it a heart attack? A reaction to your updated shots? ...... Looking back I think it was God's plan because 9 months later your Grandfather died, and 9 months after that your Grandmother died..... I think your death helped prepare us for the pain of the next two deaths...... I have so many fond memories of you, the first being the day we bought you. Quite frankly, I never heard of a Cairn Terrier. Yes, I knew Toto of the Wizard of Oz, but I didn't know what breed he was. My only other 2 dog experiences were Tiny, our family pet, a Chihuahua-Manchester mix, and the standard Poodle I bought when I first started teaching. Brandon was at that stage where we felt since he had no siblings living at home, he needed a dog. Of course, I wanted a standard Poodle, but your father didn't think it was "manly" enough for a boy. Brandon and I began searching, first at the SPCA because we wanted to rescue a puppy. Unfortunately, there were no puppies there that met our criteria (not over 20 pounds at maturity and child friendly). Then we went to the mall to browse the pet stores. After hearing horror stories about puppy mills, a pet store puppy was out of the question, but we wanted to get some idea..... that day we saw some of the most adorable puppies, but the one that really caught our eye was a breed we'd never heard of, a Cairn Terrier. The particular puppy didn't look anything like Toto, It was much lighter. We could see an energy and a certain spunk the others were lacking. Our next move was to go home and check in the paper. Luckily for us, there was a wheaten colored Cairn Terrier puppy in Chesapeake for sale.... the rest is history. From the minute we brought you home, you ruled our house, and terrified the children on the block, but only briefly. All the kids adored you, even Craig, who at first cried when those tiny sharp puppy teeth pierced his skinny little fingers.... Eight years later when you died, Craig cried again.... The one thing you did which all of us will be eternally grateful for is you introduced us to the world of Cairn Terriers, a breed that loves unconditionally, is not afraid of anything, loyal, stubborn, energetic, and a constant source of entertainment. Twenty-one years later as I write this, I can't imagine how empty and unfulfilled our lives would have been without you and Woody..... but I need to save Woody for my next tribute..... The eight years you were with us went by so quickly..... the one thing I would have changed about you is your running away each time the door opened. We really tried to let you off the leash, but you were so fast and has several close brushes with cars, that we just gave up. Besides your family and the kids on the block, another person that loved you more than life itself was your grandfather. You loved going to Wilmington and Sneads Ferry so much. Swimming in Bumps Creek was your passion. You'd go out so deep, I always feared you'd swim to the other side and run. When you came out of the water, someone had to be there to immediately put the leash on because you'd run to the woods, and no one could catch you..... I'm sorry it took almost 13 years to honor you on paper, but your father, Brandon, and I always honored you in our hearts..... without you we would have never experienced the love and devotion of a Cairn. Thanks, Corkee. You shall forever remain in our herts. Mom, Dad, and Brandon |
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"CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT" Music by Elton John |
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There's a calm surrender to the rush of day When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away An enchanted moment, and it sees me through It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you And can you feel the love tonight It is where we are It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer That we got this far And can you feel the love tonight How it's laid to rest It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best There's a time for everyone if they only learn That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours |
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