Willi
GSRNE #499
2/14/2009 – 6/2020
It is with sad and heavy hearts that we had to say goodbye to our very sweet boy, Willi. It took us by surprise and it hit us hard. We had come to nickname him “Brother,” as he and Magnum were often causing mischief together, like good brothers do. Their morning wrestling matches were a ritual that both enjoyed tremendously, although the overturned chairs, dishes, and humans weren’t always thrilled about them.
Although we only had him in our lives for a short period, he brought us and his brother much happiness and joy. He was doing fine, except for his back end suffering from DM, just like his brother. However, what was most likely an aggressive, fast-moving cancer overtook him. Although it was a sudden shock for us, we are comforted in knowing that he did not suffer. He was his lovable and trouble-making self right up to the end. We know he’s somewhere waiting to chase his brother once again and grab his back leg (more or less gently) in his teeth. To watch them both together was always a joy. We miss him terribly, as does Magnum.
Date Adopted: 6/24/2018
Willi came to GSRNE outside of the usual procedure. We first met him and his owner at a Santa Photo event at Petco and noticed Willi’s calm, gentle nature. His owner is in the military and volunteered to help GSRNE while in this area. Eighteen months later, he had to move on and was not able to have Willi go with him, so one of our GSRNE families offered to become a temporary foster home. This is not something we can normally do, but their male GSD, Magnum, was fine with having Willi’s company. It has worked out so well, that the owner asked the foster family if they would like to adopt Willi, who is now 9 years old, because he is still not able to have Willi with him on deployment. He has been visiting Willi every few months and could see that Willi feels very much at home where he is. So, at the Picnic, we signed the Adoption Contract that gave Willi his GSRNE number, 499, and confirmed that he is in his forever home. We are very happy that we were here for Willi, for his owner and for his and Magnum’s forever family!
