In Memory of Winston: by Maddie and Katie

We greatly miss our Winston, beloved family and friend for 10 short years. His cancer returned and he couldn't beat this time. He passed just before Christmas, quite unexpectedly. The girls are doing better now. Katie sleeps through most nights, but is still very clingy when I leave her with a sitter or at Sunday School. We are putting together a memory book about him, and both girls dictated a small paragraph about their buddy.

(Katie is holding the trophy Winston won as a puppy in his beginner dog training class.)

Winston: My Story
by Katie
I love when Winston played with me. I played with him when Maddie was at school. I liked when he licked me and it felt like I was laughing when he licked me. Winston used to eat my food sometimes if Mommy wasn’t looking. He would get in trouble for that and that would make me laugh. He is my only best dog in the world. I like him more than I like any dog in the world. Dear Winston, thanks for hanging out with us.

(Many of you will remember Maddie's partner in crime, made-over in my makeup and pronounced "boo-tiful." He was so patient with the girls. Maddie worked on him for an hour, and was barely three at the time.)

Winston: My Story
by Maddie
I remember when I got to see Winston for the last time. And I remember when we took a hike with Winston when Katie was still a baby. When I was at my old house Winston blinked at me one time. And I remember when we dropped Winston off at PetSmart and then got to see the other animals. On the mornings before Christmas, when we got up and had to look for Jimmy the Elf, Winston helped us look for him and we always found him in a different place. At Rocky Point with Winston, we got to walk him on the beach and see him splash in the water. When I was a little smaller than I am now, he loved to play Find It. And he loved to play with me when I tossed a ball and he would go get it. I remember when we did the thing called Elf Yourself on the computer and Winston was in the office with us when we were laughing at him dancing. If I didn’t feed him soon enough in the mornings, he would come up to me and wag his tail. And when I got home from school, he was always hungry. If I turned on a flashlight, he would go crazy and jump on the walls and everywhere and he would chase the light. One time, when I went to feed him, I said, “Do you want some food, Buddy?” and he nodded his head. He was a good dog. When we were gone and he was nine, he used to get into the trash. And when we were home, sometimes when we were upstairs playing, we would hear him drinking out of the toilet and we would think that was funny. I loved Winston. He was the best dog ever.

(The girls adored Winst, as we called him, and he loved the companionship, even if it involved skittish movements and high-pitched squealing.)