26/09/2023
Woody
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
This was always going to be the worst one to write.
Where to start with this boy 💙
Woody came in to our lives 11 years ago as a ball obsessed goofball, who would go on to spend pretty much half his life with us.
He arrived from France, and I still remember receiving the email from his mum asking if I could look after him during the day. Had he not have been part of the Retriever family the answer would absolutely have been no, but seeing as he was a gorgeous flat coat, that changed things entirely.
As he was French I had lots of fun giving him commands with my extremely basic french, which pretty much started and ended with sit….. but it was fun all the same.
When I met him, I was told by his mum he wasn’t allowed to jump up, so instead he would sit on his bum and put his paws around you, whilst making the most realistic Darth Vader breathing noises!
He would spend the days with me, coming on every walk we had. He, along with Inka and Martha, made up my team of OGs, which can never be replaced.
Due to his families work commitments Woody would not only spend his usual Tues-Fri with us, he also spent many weekends, holidays, Birthdays and Christmases! They were the most special times and I’m so so grateful that we got to spend them with him. He was the biggest help by just staying with me over the New Year after we had lost Tj. Just having a big furry dog to cuddle made the world of difference. He also happened to be the very first person who found out about Teddy as he was there with me when I took the test…..literally!
In all the amazing moments we had with Woody there were a fair few that stood out for the wrong reasons……..
The time he ate human 💩 out of a pair of discarded boxers on a walk.
The time is ran off on his walk and returned to his mum with half a dead sheep in his mouth obviously as a present.
The time he again ran off one evening from home and I spent the evening on the phone to the dog warden, panicking that we would never see him again, only for a completely unfazed Woody to be returned a few hours later in the back of said dog wardens van.
And most importantly, the time Jen spent hours baking 3 separate lasagnes for a party. One normal one, one veggie one, and one without cheese. She turned her back for a few minutes to return to Woody having eaten both the large normal one and the veggie one, leaving just the cheese-less one behind 😂
Woody came everywhere with us and literally was part of the family in the same way that our goldens are. One of my proudest moments was finally teaching him to swim (I even got a wetsuit to go in the water and help him) we finally overcame the stress of him standing at the waters edge whimpering 🙈 and he enjoyed the rest of his walks swimming with the other dogs.
The last walk I ever took Woody on involved him, at 13 years of age, attempting to hump a young, male, chocolate lab.
Only a few days later Woody became seriously ill and I am so so grateful to his family that they were happy, for not just me, but my entire family to come to the vets to say goodbye to him. Honestly don’t know if any dog has ever had a better turnout…. I was also able to be there with him and his family when he was put to sleep and I just knew I had to be there with him at the end 💔
There will never ever be another dog I walk that means as much to me as Woody. He even made it on to Teddy's pre school wall as he was so convinced that Woody was actually our dog in the same way that Inka and Crumble are.
He had an amazing life and I know he has so many friends waiting for him up there.
Run free my boy, I will miss you so so much.
My work days have started and ended with you for the past 11 years, including many nursery pick ups and drop offs together. You have given me the most amazing memories that will stay with me forever.
RIP my bestest friend 💙🐾🖤
