Griffin Willoughby
June 5, 1997- August 15, 2010
Dear GRRCC,
I am so sad to write today to tell you my special boy Griffin, adopted from GRRCC in 2005, passed away on Sunday, August 15 in our home. He was 13 on June 5. Griffin had recently been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. We shared a wonderful life together for 5 years. He was such a joy and a gift. He brought me so much happiness.
I have compiled photos of some of our many happy times together over the past five years. Please feel free to share my email, contact info, and photos with the family who surrendered him, if that is possible. I want them to know how thankful I am for having Griffin come into my life when he did. I know it was a hard decision that they were forced to make, and I would love to let them know Griffin became my service dog and was the most eager to learn dog I have ever trained. He was a natural, although it was unusual to train a dog of 8 years to be a service dog. Griffin was so much loved and never left my side. I loved him dearly.
Thank you for placing this magnificent dog with me.
Sincerely, Carol Willoughby
Co-Founder – Saint Francis Service Dogs
Roanoke, VA
“Griffin has been a an angel in my life for 5 years. Born just two months after my first service dog Booker passed, Griffin would not enter my life until 8 years later. He was adopted from the Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte NC, after my second service dog, Blake, passed suddenly at age 8. Now, “The Griff” romps happily with Booker and Blake ~ My Three Amigos.” (The story of our “love at first sight” meeting may be read below.)
It was the eyes that got me. Isn’t that always the case? Voluminous and forgiving eyes spoke longingly of past love, loss and present-day needs. His eyes were black-rimmed and trusting, set in a silvery-white face. I could almost swear it was my first service dog, Booker. No, not looking for a senior rescue dog. No, waiting for a young, fully trained dog. Who could imagine I would ever see those eyes and that face again? Not in this lifetime. But Griffin grabbed my heart and pulled me in, fast as quicksand. Was there any logic to adopting an untrained senior rescue dog? Griffin’s eyes told me there was. There was an unspoken promise in those wise eyes.
He needed me as much as I needed him. We rescued each other. Even though I knew he could not be a replacement for a service dog, he could fill a void left in my heart. I had no other expectations. Griffin had his own ideas. He quickly learned to walk on a loose lead beside my wheelchair. Defying his years, he dashed with unbridled glory through tunnels and obstacles in an Ability-Agility class designed for people in wheelchairs. We were both reaching beyond our dreams and our limitations.
One day, I showed Griffin the telephone with its special handle. A curve of gnarled wood mounted on a strip of leather held years of tooth marks and scents. I gently placed the phone in front of Griffin, holding it as if it were a sacred object. His black nose twitched, breathing in years of enticing smells. With a glint in his eyes, his nostrils flared. He snuffled it. Sniffed it. And with remarkable ease, keenly grasped the handle between his teeth. Give. Good boy! It rapidly became a game of hide and seek. “Go get the phone,” I’d call, and off he’d run. Griffin just as eagerly learned to retrieve items or pick up anything I dropped, carefully placing objects in my lap.
Affectionately nicknamed “The Griff,” he does it all with a wag, a smile and a swagger. I am finding rescue appreciation is boundless.
— Carol |
