Santandore Maree Misty Willow

Owner : Santandore Breed : Golden Retriever
Location : CAMBORNE, Cornwall
28th June 2007 - 10th March 2010
Health Tested ⓘ

It is hard to believe she is Demerara's daughter, as she is so quiet & sensible! It's a good job, because living with Deme is like having 8 dogs here! Willow is very maternal & washes her mum & any soft toys that get left out in the rain. Her best friend is my daughter's rabbit & she sits by his run whenever she can. He comes in the house in the evenings and boxes with her, so funny! He gets a bit irate when she washes him, though, poor old Willow! She has her mother & grandmother's lovely temperament. I can't imagine life without her.

I have tried very hard to avoid "gushing" about my girls, &it was particularly hard not to about little Wills. as you can see from the photos, she has this slightly worried look on her face, which is very endearing.....couple this with her quietness & gentleness it is very hard not to spoil her rotten, especially as there are 2 other girls just as deserving of affection....but there is "something" about Wills that makes you just want to hug her....& she does love a cuddle!

"I can't imagine life without her" What can I say? I am experiencing it. Willow died when her eagerly awaited pups were 5 days old. I have (despite massive vet bills & a full PM) no answers as to why, other than the fact she picked up an infection which she could not fight during pregnancy..."just one of those things..." That is of no comfort & the loss of Willow to this family is huge, she was everyone's darling. Small comfort is that we managed to rear 4 of her sons & they are now very happily settled in their new homes. All the families shared our grief & are ensuring we see the boys a lot & sending lots of photos. All families were given all facts re Willow & the blunt reality from 4 different vets was that the boys would not have survived had the cause of Willow's death been hereditary, all families were advised by their own vets that the only issues orphaned pups may have is that of canine socialisation. Fortunately Willow's mum & gran did this, way beyond the call of duty in Spice's case and i will update her page to reflect this in the near future. Deme took charge of the play & gentle telling off, in the form of staring at the boys to inform them they were out of line. I can say with my hand on my heart that all 4 boys were beautifully socialised & having bumped into 1 only yesterday & watched him walk beside a busy road with head & tail held high that there have been no lasting ill affects. (& well done Alexa & Jane, keep it up!!! bigger "well dones" for me for selecting them as a suitable home!!)
so there is now a massive gap in our lives and the way forward is very unclear. Deme is young enough & fit enough (that's to my standards, not those of the KC!) to have another litter, whilst she is fit enough to be mated off her next season, my standards say she welped 22nd may 2009, she needs a longer break than the KC's stipulated year. I suspect i will be a nervous wreck all through her pregnancy yet am fortunate enough to have some very knowledgeable friends who will no doubt let me lean on them very heavily. To replace Willow would be impossible & we will not be doing that (if indeed we do have another litter) yet i do not want to loose my line, i am proud of it for all the right reasons, health checks, temperament, looks.

so, this is my obituary to Willow. Much loved, so full of life, only trips to the vets being for inoculations, yet stolen from us and let down by someone, yet no one will admit to it. As her mum i have to take the blame, if only by failing to react to the incompetence i witnessed. That will stay with me forever, as will my memories of Willow.