Winston: Once A Runner

This is a re-post of a thread I placed in 'The Sandbox - Oklahoma' just a few days ago. Inasmuch as many of you in the Hobby (like myself) have pets that you are very close to, I have chosen to go 'National' with this 'Love' Story of mine about my special connection with a wonderful dog who touched my life and departed this life one sad day last week, leaving me with lots of tears and fond memories to last me the rest of my years until, as one friend recently told me, Winnie and I meet again at the Rainbow Bridge!



Winston: Once a Runner


Winston is my 12 year old Golden Retriever and he died in my arms this morning. I am not yet able to use the past tense so do note I did not say he WAS my....

Winnie, as I called him entered my life in 2000 as an adorable pup. By the time he was maybe two years old I trained him to run with me on my morning runs. Living out in a rural area he and I could safely run in the early morning hours, covering a four mile course with often no vehicles at all to fret over. Winnie did not run on a leash but simply ran by my side. He made it look so easy, seemingly just trotting along, hardly panting on his four strong legs. Winnie was my running buddy. My friend!

As he and I aged we both slowed down and then came the day when the Vet told me to stop him doing long runs. Winnie was having hip and joint issues, it would seem. This started when he was maybe seven years old. He would go to the door with me as I would leave for the run and with his eyes would plead "Take me, please take me." He could not understand I was doing what was best for him. I would return and he would be waiting by the door, his big tail thumping a joyous tune when he saw me enter back into his life. Still, he never understood why he could not join in the run. When I had extra time I would walk him maybe a mile - shorter as he got older yet - then put him in the house, turn and go running without him. But I always thought about him during the lonely, dark miles on roads we both knew by heart.

The past 3-4 weeks were so hard on him. On me as well. He was now 130 pounds and would sleep a lot. Then he started to lose interest in food. He no longer would meet me at the door as I came home from my run. This morning, October 19, I looked into his deep yet cloudy eyes and I knew this was the dreaded day. I had come to realize that this lovely animal was going to take his final ride to the Vet's.

At the Vet's in the room where he would die, they already had a big blanket on the floor for him and I to lay side by side. I held him in my arms with his large head resting on my hand. He was confused, I could tell, by the way he looked at me with his caramel colored eyes - he could not understand why I was crying like a child. Had he done something wrong? As the lethal chemical entered his vein and raced to his heart I whispered to him "Winnie, I love you - you are my best friend and the best running buddy I ever have known." His great tail thumped a few more times against my leg because we were laying on our sides next to each other and then Winnie left me and the life we shared.

John Parker wrote a wonderful book for Runners called "Once A Runner." Winnie will be cremated and his ashes will come back in a few days in a nice urn. There will be a little plate on the urn which will have on his birth and death days and they allow for a short sentence. It will say: "Winston - Once A Runner"

Sad story. Thank you for sharing.

So sorry ...amazing how our pets reach deep into our heart and soul.

I'm so sorry for you, I just cannot imagine that my friend, my dog will leave me once, he's 8 years now.

Thanks for posting the pic of your pal, Wave! Cute dogdie, for sure!

Post one of Winnie please.

Whirlaway, I tried but flubbed it up - guess I am better at the written word then I am with the techno-knowledge needed to move his pic into this forum for others to view! Sorry!

Re-Post (and unofficial conclusion of this Thread) to inform those of you who nicely have responded to my loss either in PMs or in an earlier thread! I posted the following on October 29 in the Oklahoma - Sandbox!

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Allow me a closure to this true story: The remains of Winston were returned to me two days ago in a beautiful wooden urn. 'He' rests on a custom built shelf in the living room very near the picture window where, in life he loved to gaze out, hours on end, contemplating all of the birds and other wildlife one might expect when living in a rural area near Claremore!

This morning, a lovely October day in Tulsa 'we' ran the 15K Tulsa Run and finish, we did in a time close to 1:45. Not bad for a 67 year old runner with ailing knees and his 12 year old Golden who will live forever!