Little Prince William has had an amazing journey. He came to Muttville, one of the most neglected dogs we’ve ever met, but he was a strong little guy who always held his head up high. Read his blog story from June 2011.
His parents Rob and Kristi wrote this loving story of how they met their “Little Prince”, a.k.a Willy.
Our Little Prince
I have to say that I was a little intimidated when my husband and I decided to bring Willy home. I have had many dogs in my life but never one with Willy’s history or needs. He had spent most of his life in an extremely neglectful home, locked in a small cage. He was blind, had no teeth, could barely walk, was very hunched over and was missing about half his fur. When Marie told us that the doctors thought he only had about a year left, I was afraid of becoming attached and then devastated when we lost him. But we decided that we could give him a good life, hopefully good enough to make up for his prior years, with lots of love, exercise, attention and happiness.
The first day we brought him home, Willy showed us what he was made of. He walked the perimeter of our yard for hours, laying down for breaks whenever he got tired. He fell a couple times and walked into several things, but as weak and fragile as he was, he wanted to check it all out, and he did. He seemed so happy – sniffing everything along the way and lifting his face to the sunshine while he rested. He obviously didn’t think of himself as disabled, and seemed happy to just be alive and able to walk around and explore. We were so impressed with his determination and bravery, we fell in love with him instantly.
Over the past several months, Willy’s strength has improved, his fur has grown in thick and soft, and he’s definitely gained a few pounds! He loves to eat and lets us know he’s hungry between meals by making his way into the kitchen and staying there until we get him a snack (his favorites are cheese and liverwurst). He has taken many naps lying on my chest or in my husband’s arms and we love him more every day. He is so brave – never afraid of a challenge – and sweet. He never complains about anything and is actually the easiest of our 4 dogs, despite his “special needs.”
Willy has taught us to appreciate what we have and to have the best attitude you can, all the time. He still has many health issues and we don’t know how much longer we will be blessed with this little guy, but we couldn’t be happier that we overcame our fears and brought him home with us. We hope we’ve enriched his life as much as he’s enriched ours. Our little Prince William!
As we get ready to publish Little Willy’s story, his parents inform us that he recently was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. We send our love and thoughts to Rob and Kristi, and our Little Prince, who has touched our lives in so many ways. We will always be grateful for all the life lessons we learned from Willy. Thank you, Little Prince for all the joy you brought to those who knew you. We’ll always love you.
If you adopted a Muttville dog, we would love to feature you in an upcoming ‘Success Story’. Please contact success_stories@muttville.org with the Subject line ‘Success Story’
4/27/12
Are you the proud parent of a Muttville dog? Send us your story! Include three of your favorite photos and send it to success_stories@muttville.org with the subject line 'Success Story'.
