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Sorry this has taken two weeks.
Not a great Blogger. Busy Daddy. Busy Architect.
Well two weeks ago today The Matrays lost a dear member of our family - My Mother's Collie, Daniel Webster - Or, really just Webster or Webbie as he grew to be known had to be put to sleep due to range of motion issues and old age...
Webster was around fourteen or fifteen years old - If you sense uncertainty with that statement it is because there is some...Webster was a foundling - He was rescued from New Mexico Collie Rescue (
http://www.nmcollierescue.com/ ) when he was around two or three...We are really not sure.
What I am sure of is that Webster was an amazing animal, a great dog and an even better friend...My Mother found Webster at a rescue - BUT - Honestly, I could just as easily say Webster found us when my family was at its lowest point...
It was the Summer of 2002 and I had just graduated from The University of Arizona (
B.Arch, 2002 - #BEARDOWNARIZONA) - It was also the summer I accepted a full time position with the Architectural Firm I had interned with for the prior two years while finishing up my academic education.
My Sister had just moved to Albuquerque to start her first year at The University of New Mexico.
My Father had just relocated here to Northern California to accept the Department Chair Position in the Department of History at California State University, Chico...And my Mother...
... Well, my Mother was all alone back home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
My Mom was all alone in an expansive 3,818 sf, two-story Pueblo-style home with four bedrooms and four bathrooms...
All alone. We had just lost the two family dogs a year or so prior which meant there was not even a furry companion to keep my Mother company and watch over things while we were all spread across the Southwestern United States.
Needless to say, it was a trying time for all of us - You remember that Tim McGraw song "
Everywhere?" - That was pretty much our theme song for a while...Yes, I know it is about a long-lost love but what sort of lost love hurts even more than the romantic kind? -
The familial kind...
... So into this disjointed Matray-world walked Webster - Or, Sonny rather, because that was his name when my Mom adopted him - And just like with many adopted hearts Webster's transition was not an easy one:
1.) He chewed-up the wooden Banister.
2.) He refused to climb the stairs - In retrospect; this is pretty ironic as he left us with the same phobia he joined us with...
3.) My Mom took him to obedience school - AND - He failed slide...Quite the stubborn boy.
4.) My Mom had to come home everyday during her lunch break to walk Webbie and get his energy out...Put simply, he was, a furry ball of nerves.
5.) The list went on...
But then...Something else happened - I started coming home more on the weekends...So did my Sister and before you knew it; our "Transition Year" concluded and my Parents' move to Northern California was finalized. Webster of course came along to Chico and I still remember him in the starter house my parents lived in until they found the home they have been in now for more than a decade.
... It is funny though - That starter house is now where my Wife, Son and I call home - And there is not a day that goes by without me thinking of Webster because his paw prints are gently defined in a concrete walkway on the side of our house my parents put in when they were still living here...Not by design however; the concrete was probably just a little too wet when we went for his walk around the side of the house to check things out - So now, whenever I take the trash out our chase my Son around the side of the house Webbie is there with us in spirit.
Eventually my parents got more dogs - An English Springer Spaniel for my Dad...An inherited Sheltie from my Grandparents when my Grandfather's health declined - For me, I found a Staffordshire Bull Terrier-mix at a local shelter (...you can see him below in the fifth picture)...And when my Wife and I met, she brought with her a Maltese - All foundlings in their own right...
... Then came my Sister's two adopted dogs and the rest as they say is history.
Webbie was the Alpha-male; the leader of his pack of foundlings - He saw us through some tough times and into a brighter future. He was always there to obnoxiously breath heavily in your face or steal your spot on the couch when you got up to use the bathroom...
... And he will be missed.
Just as with most pets we have to accept the fact that he passed on well before our last days on Earth are done - Our pets are here for us when we need them most and ask little to nothing in return for their eternal loyalty than love, exercise and an occasional spot on the couch.
That is the beauty and tragedy of being a pet owner...Knowing you will eventually have to say good bye.
... In memoriam I would like to share some pictures of Webster with you - Thank you for reading my post about this amazing animal - AND - Thank you Webster...Thank you for being the glue that held or family together when we needed it most - Thank you for getting us through the tough times and helping us grow together as a family; we love you.
Please enjoy these photos:
... Now fade to black and role the memories - You will be missed old friend; you will be missed.
Gone but never forgotten,
B.
