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Groenewald's
Happy Wolfgang
May 24, 1990 - June 29, 1998
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The
Greatest Title Of All
There is no title for the one that nudges you insistently with a
warm head
and a cold wet nose on your cheek to awaken you from your bed.
There is no title for the one that gets his fellow comrades to accompany
him on mischievous ventures, then at the sound of your step goes
to
his spot to look with angelic eyes and innocence on his face
to let them get in trouble in his place.
There is no title for the one that lays his head in your lap when
you are
lower than low staring lovingly into your face with deep dark eyes
that say,
"I love you and I know".
There is no title for the one that slaps your knee with a heavy
paw
as he puts his head high in the air with a smile,
so you can rub that certain spot on his chest for a while.
There is no title for the one that loves you unreserved
and is your constant companion whether or not deserved.
There is no title for the one that is always there in good times
and bad
There is no title for the best friend you've ever had.
You see, the Good Lord doesn't care about a title.
That's something Man made up to make himself feel a bit less little.
Every once in a while, God reaches down and blesses certain ones
of us with a
special gift. A gift of warm loving companionship full of surprises
and
lessons, joys and sorrows,laughter and joy and a zest for life as
if
there were no tomorrow.
I can only hope that when I lay down for my final sleep and get
to the other
side, a warm head with a cold wet nose on my cheek and a heavy paw
on my shoulder awakens me to start the circle over.
Because then I will truly know that the good Lord has blessed me
again
with The Greatest Title Of All
The one that I share with my dearest friend, my Dog, My Companion.
Dedicated to my Companion......Happy
Denise Groenewald
A
Teacher Of What A Real German Shepherd Is & Life
We
wanted a German Shepherd puppy and answered an ad in the newspaper
one day,
never realizing that not only did we find one, we found a teacher
too.
We found this puppy with the biggest ears, Mickey Mouse face, long
dark body and
dark eyes that melted our souls as soon as ours met his. This puppy
had a zest
for life and a smile on his face that others before us had somehow
missed when
they chose his littermates. We named him Happy.
At 7 mos of age I took Happy for obedience classes because that
large fella
had no idea how powerful he was, but I did. Like everything else
he did in
his life, he had a blast & gave it his all. He finished both
pre novice & |
novice classes. Our instructor was so excited about him, she encouraged
us to show him. This was only the beginning of the things that Happy
or
because of him, we learned. Happy won his age group several times
& even
managed to get qualifying scores in obedience in matches between
the ages of
7 & 9 months of age. Then at 9 months of age, his real teaching
began with us.
The lessons of what the courage and heart of a real German Shepherd
is. He limped on his
left back leg one day, the right back leg the next day, then on
the 3rd day he
could not stand. In hysterics I ran this sweet pup to the vet thinking
he'd
somehow broken his legs. The vet x-rayed him & told me he would
have to be
put down. Both of his hips were completely out of the sockets and
what was left
of the sockets were closed. The past 6 months with this happy go
lucky pup
flashed in front of me and I told the vet he had better find a way
to let this pup
live and live well. Six hours later I went home with my boy. He
was neutered
and had 3 stitches on the inside of each of his legs. The vet said
to keep him
down for at least 3 days.
On the 3rd day, Happy gingerly made his way to the back door &
outside to
relieve himself on his own. He clearly stated that he was no invalid
and would
have no more of that crate !! Happy never limped a day in his life
after that
and acted like a 6 month old pup.
We soon were lucky enough to acquire our 2 litter sister brood bitches,
Mitzie
& Katie. The 3 of them became inseparable in all their troublemaking.
If you
messed with one, you messed with all 3 of them. Happy visited all
the newborns
in their whelping boxes and earned the nickname Uncle Happy. He
was the only
dog allowed near any of the pups according to their mothers. Happy
taught all
our pups their house manners and how to get in trouble. Throughout
his life, he
taught us daily lessons by example.
He comforted my mother when she lost my father, comforted me when
I
lost my mother. He protected me twice when I was approached by "undesirables"
and was always there with a heavy paw on the knee or a head in the
chest when
he needed attention. Happy had the best sense of human personality.
If he
didn't like potential puppy buyers, they didn't get a pup. He was
there in
good times and bad & always with the correct response. Happy
could bring a
smile on the most traumatic days.
On June 29, 1998 at 8 years and a little over 1 month of age, a
piece of my
heart died. My sweet loving boy was diagnosed with a tumor on his
heart that
was causing liver failure. Three days prior he had trouble standing
and was
rushed to the vet for testing. We were asked to bring him back the
following
Monday for an ultrasound. When we looked at his heart on the ultrasound,
the
vet could not believe that he was still with us. He said that Happy
was alive
by sheer will. That brave happy heart was working overtime because
that's the
way he was. Happy loved life. That afternoon as I cried with him
in my arms, I
told him it was okay for him to go. He looked at me with those dark
loving
eyes of his and took part of me with him in his sleep.
We all have that one special dog that touches us deep inside, ours
was Happy.
Happy taught me what bravery, loyalty, companionship, love and just
plain guts
was all about. He also taught me that life isn't forever and you
have to live
it well and right while you can. I still see his smiling face next
to me on
the couch or lounging on the front porch. He will forever be my
boy.
Groenewald's
Happy Wolfgang
May 24, 1990 - June 29, 1998
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