Willie Bee Wonder

I met Willie about 5 years ago when my next move was going to be at a farm down in Homestead, Florida. I was worried about being alone at the farm at night with not many neighbors in sight. Random as could be, one day a new friend of mine sent me a message asking if I would adopt a dog she found on the street. She sent a picture of "Willie" in that message, at the time he was being called "Morisson". I wasn't sure that name fit him... but once I adopted him he kept that name as his middle name: "Willie Morisson del Aguila". It was shortly after that message and introduction that my friend came down to the farm with the dog, and I spent the day interacting with him. Boy was I surprised at his charming nature. He was great!

My co-worker at the time helped me out by fostering Willie for an entire month while I moved out of my apartment and into the Farm House. On the first few nights Willie did not fail to bark out into the darkness protecting his human, a.k.a me. His bark was very puppy like, not deep at all for the big muscular dog that he is... it was like his bark was someone else's. To his defense, Willie was only about 6 months old when I adopted him. Five years later and his bark has deepened a little bit, but I still call it a "cute bark". Ohh Willie. He got in trouble often. Not because he was a disobedient dog. I trained him with diligence and he learned quickly.

But whenever he had a deeply rooted prey drive. The moment he saw a chicken running around the farm or a toad hopping or a rat or a cat or a possum or a squirrel... He would go NUTS. Chasing was definitely his "thing" because all the training and good behavior flew out the window as fast as he darted towards his prey. I knew it was a problem. And I tried a lot of different techniques to train him out of running uncontrollably towards innocent creatures. He must have licked about 20 poisonous toads in his whole life. It's scary to find your dog foaming at the mouth. It was scary for me to have Willie outside unsupervised because he would try and catch these poisonous toads! among others. He got the training collar one day and he understood it loud and clear. I didn't like pressing the "shock" button, so I switched the mode to vibrate and beep. Willie got it.

He learned not to try and catch the toads though. Today I can say that he is safely aware of those toads being a "no-no". I love how he understands most things too. Willie came into my life at a pivotal moment for me. I was leaving the city/party life where I would stay out late dancing with my boy friend, because he was not my boyfriend... And moving 30 miles south to a rural area. BOLD. Eventually I had a roommate and that was nice. But Willie kept me company. And then my girlfriend moved in with me. Willie fell in love with her and it was a beautiful thing. Suddenly I had to teach my girlfriend how to behave with Willie regarding his manners; begging at the table or being in the kitchen while we cooked was a huge "no-no" for me and Martina learned quickly and agreed with the boundaries.

It was during the first year that I became Willie's mom that my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast cancer. It came as a shocker to all of us. And Willie proved his worthiness as a companion and emotional support animal by providing us the upmost unconditional love. It was all in the gestures, and his facial expressions. Willie understood when things were bad and when they were good. So, I certified him as an emotional support dog and he, my mom and I went on adventures together. It was fun and crazy and sweet. Have you ever had your dog go with you to the movies? I have... and he was a little wigged out. But a few treats calmed him down. He also came with me to the hospital to visit my mom and would be the first to find a chair and get on it to enjoy the time together. He has made me laugh and cry throughout the years.

But Willie was with me the whole time. From the beginning until the last session of chemo. We watched my mother survive. And Willie watched my relationship with my girlfriend become a serious commitment. It wasn't long before Willie had two Moms. Since then, Willie has gained a brother and an aunt! Because we gifted my mom a dog and we adopted another dog. Ringo is our new boy and Penny is my mom's. All of our dogs get along well. Penny is a little young and wants to play constantly. Ringo is much more calm and just wants human pets but he lets Willie show him love. Dogs are the best!