Daniel had looked for a dog for a number of years. He had checked out numerous rescue sites. Finding Webster came out of the blue. The morning of January 20, 2017, he heard there was a rescue event taking place that afternoon. Daniel was totally unprepared to get a dog. He hadn’t bought the basics let alone the house full of things he would eventually have for Webster. On the spur of the moment he decided to go to the Ardmore Animal Hospital where the event was being held and there he saw Webster with a cute little handkerchief tied around his neck. He texted me, “I think I found my dog.”
Daniel had a huge devotion and passion for those he loved whether it was a friend, a girlfriend or a four-footed friend. He loved having someone to take care of and he loved that Webster was so excited when he came home. Webster’s dog walker, Corrine, and I both thought that Webster should learn not to jump on people when they came to visit, but Daniel loved the warm welcome. He frequently described Webster as adorable, patient and hopeful. The adorable part was always there once I got to know Webster. Daniel said Webster was patient because he would sit by the door with his leash on while Daniel made endless trips back to his bedroom to get forgotten items. Daniel thought Webster was hopeful because every time Daniel got up from the sofa or chair Webster would run into the kitchen where his treat drawer was. If Daniel went to get something out of his jacket pocket Webster was sure they were going on a walk and went to the door.
Every day I received pictures or a video of Webster. One picture of Webster had been turned into a cartoon character. The caption said, “Web Star” a comic book about a dog who solves crimes, eats treats and does have a drinking problem. I asked him if Webster had any other badges. He said he had earned a hydrant badge in addition to a badge for 5,000 daily face licks, a badge for having the most bedding in a single bed as organized by him and a badge for the most dreams about Greenies, only the large size. Pretty much all pictures came with captions. Daniel’s sense of humor was constant.
Daniel had a video camera set up so he could watch Webster on his phone when he was out. Sometimes it was for the joy of looking at him, sometimes it was as proud father to share the joy of Webster with work friends and other people and sometimes it was just to be sure that Webster was okay. Daniel had a huge collection of toys for Webster. Webster had no interest in toys but Daniel kept trying to find one that would interest him. The car had a hammock and a seat belt. In addition, Daniel had various holistic remedies to deal with Webster’s whining which usually occurred in the car. At Daniel’s apartment Webster had a cushion which Daniel called Webster’s safe space. It was a place where he wouldn’t be bothered. It was also where he took his Greenie, his favorite treat. Daniel would give him the Greenie and say, “Take it to your house.” Knowing that Webster has been on the street, I thought the establishment of the safe space was particularly touching and typical of Daniel’s sensitivity to the feelings of others.
Webster had been terrified during the week or two that he had an ear and eye infection. Daniel would hold Webster down while I tried to apply the medicine into Webster’s ear. Webster would whimper and try to escape. During those weeks he would often run away when he saw Daniel and me sitting on the floor. Daniel, who was also very upset by this, would explain to Webster that we didn’t want to hurt him, that we were just doing it to make him feel better. Daniel decided after that experience that he would take Webster to the vet each day to have them clean Webster’s ear if he developed another ear infection. He didn’t want Webster to associate him with pain.
Daniel and I went on a two week vacation in October of 2018. Webster had four trial visits with his dog walker, Corrine, before the trip plans were completed. Daniel’s video camera was taken to Corrine’s so that we could watch Webster to be sure Webster would be comfortable and then we were free to finish planning our trip. In order to leave Webster for the two weeks, Daniel carried numerous supplies to Corrine’s apartment along with pages of instructions to follow each day. Corrine was charged with sending us pictures along with daily updates while we were gone.
There were a number of things that Webster did that we looked forward to. He would have “crazy periods” when he would run around Daniel’s apartment getting off and on the different pieces of furniture and then crouching down before starting over again. The day before Daniel died he texted me that Webster had done the funniest thing. He said, “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.” I’ve wondered many times what that was but have thought that it may be the way he crouches down and then leaps forward on all four paws. The odd thing is that Webster didn’t bark at all the first six months Daniel had him. Daniel was both shocked and proud when he first heard Webster’s bark. Daniel believed that one day people would be able to understand what dogs were saying.
I was the proud grandmother of Webster. Daniel’s apartment complex had two dog parks. Webster had a number of dog friends. I would ask Daniel about Webster’s play dates. One day I took Webster out for a walk around the complex. There are hundreds of dogs in the three buildings that share the area. Several times when I ran into someone with a dog, I asked the owner if their dog was a friend of Webster’s. I told Daniel about it. He said, “That’s kind of embarrassing”. I said, “Are you saying don’t do it?” Daniel said, “Yeah. I think I’m saying don’t do it. But, also, I think it’s a mom thing to do so you can.”
Daniel also used Webster as a bridge between us when he was frustrated with me. He would send me an adorable picture of Webster saying that while he was angry with me, Webster wasn’t. He would also text and say such things as, “Thank you, Webster and I had a really fun day with you.”
Either Daniel was really lucky to end up with such an amazing dog, or his intuitiveness allowed him to recognize that Webster was “nothing but love and fur”. I know that I’m very fortunate to have Webster and take very seriously the responsibility for being the good grandmother that Daniel would have expected.
This post is beyond beautiful!
xoxoxo
Thank you.