Champion of My Heart

Let me introduce to you my heart dog, Riley. He is my Zen Master and my shadow. This is the essay I wrote for him for the Potomac PWC Club's Picnic. It was a special category called:

THE CHAMPION OF MY HEART

In 2001, I found myself in a place I never thought I would be—facing divorce. Not only was I faced with this devastation, I had to give up my dog in order to move. Thankfully, my parents took my Pekingese, Gizmo, for me. A few months after he went to their house, my mother informed me I would not be getting him back as they had fallen in love with him. I waited a few years but my life had a huge hole in it without a dog. I had always had dogs growing up and now it just felt empty. I did some extensive research and decided I would look into getting a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I had always loved these dogs and their clown like appearance. Plus, the Queen of England has Corgis!

In the summer of 2003, after putting feelers out with breeders to no result, I found an ad in the local paper for a little female. I called and made arrangements to go and meet this little girl. When I arrived the lady told me her name was Roxanne and she had been rescued by a friend of her daughter. She explained that Roxanne had been tied up outside because the family didn’t know how to “handle her.” I asked the lady about her and she told me she was just the nicest little dog but the lady had developed allergies and could not keep Roxanne. After a few minutes, Roxanne jumped up on the couch next to me and looked at me as if to say, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.” I took her home with me right then and she was perfect from the start. She had some slight behavior “issues” I contributed to the abuse and neglect of her past but she was my faithful sidekick and went everywhere with me. She was my first Pembroke Welsh Corgi and she started my love affair with this breed. 

In late 2005, Roxanne developed seizures. At first I didn’t know what had happened to her. She would go frigid, make this horrible vocalization that sounded like screaming and then lose control of her bladder. I took her to the vet many, many times but after months of trying every treatment I could come across, the vet told me he thought it was a lesion on her central nervous system and the best thing for Roxanne was to her put down. Losing Roxanne left a huge hole in my heart. She was devoted to me and so very obedient; I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.  

My grief overwhelmed me and I just could not think of how I could get through this tremendous heartache. I contacted a local breeder and we talked for a good while. She helped me understand that only another dog could fill the hole in my heart. She said that Roxanne would not have wanted me to be so sad. She referred me to another breeder upstate. When I finally worked up the courage to call this breeder she was very kind and talked to me about Roxanne. She also told me she thought another dog would be the best way to turn my grief into joy, to take all that love and give it to another. 

That breeder didn’t have any young adults available at the time but referred me to a breeder in Pennsylvania who had a thirteen-month-old male available. I contacted this breeder and she told me she had been “running on” with him but that he had developed an elbow problem that would disqualify him in the show ring. He would never be a Champion. Well, after hearing about this dog I knew I had to meet him. A week later I arranged to go up to Pennsylvania to meet her and her special boy. When I got to her house this big goofy gorgeous male Corgi greeted me. He was so happy and smiling! I was completely taken aback by his magnificence. I asked him if he wanted to come live at the beach, and he just looked at me as if to say, “Let’s go!"

His name was “Micah.” But I saw in him a valiant spirit and changed his name to Riley, which means “valiant.” Riley has this incredible way of looking at me, almost as if he is just going to start talking. He is a very smart and obedient boy. And he is very devoted to me. Riley has an innocence about him that is so heart warming. And he doesn’t mind at all that I have so much love to give. He is always ready to play and be as close to me as he can. We went through obedience training and he took right to it. He is so joyous and carefree that he reminds me not to take life too seriously. My family keeps telling me how magnificent looking he is, but I know that the most magnificent thing about Riley is his valiant spirit. 

2007 was a very tumultuous year for him and me. I went through some personal trials, and he had to have surgery on his left leg. Although he was on strict crate rest during his recuperation, he never stopped being the happy, goofy Prince I love. Through it all he remained just as devoted as ever. That smile of his brings me joy that I cannot describe. He is now fully recovered from his surgery and we have a stronger bond than ever. 

I rescued Roxanne, but Riley rescued me. The hole in my heart is healed, and while Corgard Valiant Renard Roux will never be a champion in the show ring, he will always be the Champion of my Heart.