Virgil Tiberius Lindon: Invincible In Spirit But Not Body
Four weeks ago today, Virgil Tiberius Lindon, aka Tarawood’s Invincible Explorer, Daddy’s Boss Boy, Momma’s Drill Sergeant and the Lindon Pack Alpha barked his last order and quietly passed to the meadow by the Rainbow Bridge. As I had posted from time to time over the last few years Virgil was getting increasingly sick as he aged and it had come to the point where he was not only frustrated by his body not doing the things he wanted to do, he was beginning to experience pain, notably when transitioning from standing to sitting and especially when we had to help him get up off the floor. The “final straw” came when I was away visiting my parents for a week in late March to help finish a new shower and do a few other things around their house. After I had been gone for about 4 days Virgil seemed to stop “showing off for Daddy” and let Michele see just how sick he was feeling. When I got home on Sunday evening he was markedly less mobile than when I left with his rear end “sinking” when he walked around the living room. I had known the time was coming to say “see you later son” but now it was here. Despite all his infirmities on Monday morning Virgil appeared to be better, again he was showing off for Daddy but it was clear the pain was still there and he was absolutely exhausted. Calls were made and the both terrible and loving appointment was made for Tues., 2 April. Given my choice I would have given Virgil a nice final bath Monday night but he was just too weak to endure the effort it would have been. So Monday night we cuddled, gave him any treat he wanted and generally let him know how much we loved him and how important he is to us. And he let us know how much he loved us as well. His body had worn out, his spirit and character never wavered even for the briefest of moments! On Tuesday we had a little morning walk and then had Virgie Ty and Daddy time as I gave him a final grooming. My boy wouldn’t go anywhere looking less than his best, let alone to return to his brother Martin Zephram and the Bobtail Patriarch of our family, my Beloved Punk, who had clearly sent Martin and Virgil to us. We arrived at the vets office at the appointed time of 16:30 hrs and after a brief wait Virgil was taken into the treatment room to have his catheter inserted after which we all gathered in the “visiting room”. This is an oversized exam room with a nice sofa and side tables where parents visit their invalid children and ultimately where they are released. We were given time to ourselves before our vet came in. She had noted Virgil’s decreased mobility and didn’t question our decision at all, she could see it was his time to be released. I gently picked Virgil up and put him on the exam table – Virgie loves the grooming table and this was pretty much the same. Besides, the table raised him up off the floor to a comfortable height where we, Michele and I, could hold our dear boy’s mortal body one last time as he left his pain behind. A little bit before 17:00 Virgil passed very quickly but most importantly quietly and comfortably. He dozed off quickly and was pronounced gone a moment later. I knew he hadn’t gone at that point. His heart had stopped but that great brain of his was still hosting his mind for a few minutes more. He didn’t leave the room right away either. He was exploring his new realm a bit and probably wondered why I wasn’t there exploring with him. As I had done with Martin, Michele and I took a number of hair clippings from Virgil and gave him his final kisses and hugs before leaving. One last look and I couldn’t help but to note to Michele that even though he wasn’t in it any more Virgil has such a beautiful body. Damn he is such a beautiful boy, whitewall and all! Again as with Martin, Virgil was cremated and returned to us in an urn identical to Martin’s – well eventually identical to Martin’s as the original urn was the wrong size and a few other aspects of his cremation were less satisfying than was Martin’s. In the end the crematorium staff resolved these problems as well as was possible. I would really have preferred to bury our boys at home but this isn’t the house where we will die and there was now way I would move away from my kids, so this is what we had to do. Virgil’s remains are now home. All we need now is to find him a tux like Martin’s (display case to keep the urn clean and protected). Of course after 4 years the exact one Martin has is no longer available – humph There was one very nice and comforting surprise that came out of Virgil’s passing. While we were in the visiting room Michele turned to me and said her father was there and that he was the caregiver for our boys and all her other furkids who had passed to the rainbow bridge over the years. Not long after Martin left, now almost 4 years ago, I had asked Michele if she thought the kids had a caregiver at the rainbow bridge to which she emphatically answered yes. Of course the next question was who did Michele think he/she is. “No clue” was the answer, she just had no inclination in any direction. But with her dad in the room she knew and so now I do as well. It is comforting to know someone from the family who loves dogs is caring for my boys until I get to see them again. I sure hope Michele’s dad is ready for the challenge that just arrived because Vigil is like no other furkid he has ever encountered. It was also nice that circumstances came together so that Virgil was free of seizures for the last 4 months of his life and he actually ran out of seizure control medicine on his last mortal Saturday so he had 3 days free of a medicine he really hated. It was an awful tasting brew (potassium bromide solution) but hate it as he did he still always came to take it when called – not always quickly, and not always by the direct route but he always came because he knew it was important to daddy that he take it. And I think he was able to associate that yuchie taste with far far fewer seizures. 10 years, 9 months and 16 days could never have been enough for our boy if we had our choice, especially since we didn’t get him for the first 8 weeks of his mortal life. Tears not withstanding every day with him in it was a gift that is worth the pain of his temporary absence. He brought some of the greatest joys ever into our family. He challenged me for Alpha status many a time and there were more than a few of those times I barely convinced him that I was “running the show”. As dominant an Alpha male as Virgil is he also has a very soft loving side for both of us but especially for me. Virgil was Daddy’s boy from day one. He loves his momma but both he and Martin are without a doubt Daddy’s boys. Virgil Tiberius Lindon is survived by his momma and daddy, Michele and Carl Lindon, his Chihuahua sister Gidget Nerys, Afghan Hound brothers Farouk Bashir and Brigham Batai, Papillion sister Josephine Salia, Bedlington Terrierist brother Jeffurry Eugene, and last but perhaps most importantly his daughter Dawn Eline who he loved in a very special way. Be free and run, be comfortable, be surrounded by love and most of all be happy while you await our arrival our special boy Virgil Tiberius. We love you always V.T. |
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| Good bye lovely boy. You brought great love and bright light to this world. Run free while you wait to be reunited with the entire pack once again. My deepest condolences to you Carl. |
| I'm so very sorry for your loss. Virgil was - and always will be - well and truly loved. |
| Sorry for your loss! What a beautiful eulogy. |
So sorry for your loss. A beautiful tribute to your boy Virgil. Cindy |
| So sorry for your loss, Carl & Michele. We'll miss him being mentioned in your posts and being featured in your grooming demonstrations. Run pain-free at the Bridge, beloved Virgil! |
| While I am always in tears when one of our own crosses the rainbow bridge, this one hits particularly hard. I have had the great pleasure of spending some time with Virgil Tiberius (it might seem like a rather weighty name, but it suited him!!) since joining the world of Old English Sheepdogs when we got Mady three years ago. He was a special boy and will be missed so much. Carl and Michele, if you need any extra bum wiggles to help give you comfort, you have only to ask and my girls will do their utmost to distract you a bit from your sadness. I am sure that Miss Dawn is trying her best to comfort you, as will the rest of your furkids. I am so very sorry for your loss. |
| Carl--so very very sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy Virgil. Truly a loving tribute from a loving father. Thoughts for you and Michele. Rest in peace sweet boy. |
| Wishing you a peaceful heart and happy memories of your wonderful boy. My deepest condolences. |
| A tip of the hat to a great dog with an even more awesome name. God speed Virgil Tiberius Lindon. God speed buddy. Vance and Jen |
| I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Virgil to the Rainbow Bridge. I always enjoyed hearing about him through the years. I'm going to miss those stories. You wrote a beautiful tribute to you boy. Strength to you and Michelle during your time of loss. Tears, |
| So sorry to hear about Virgil. One can tell thru your writing that he was well loved. He will be missed. |
| Very sorry about the loss of Virgil. The tears are flowing from me for you. The pain of losing our babies is always so profound when I read a new entry in this section and the tears flow freely for everyone. We love our fur babies and their loss hurts deeply. Hugs to you. |
| So very sorry to hear of the loss of your wonderful Virgil. What a wonderful tribute you've written your love for him shines through every word. Much love and thoughts are with you. Debs, Geoff and Cloud |
I'm so sorry Carl, he was a wonderful dog, I'm happy I got to spend the time with him that I did, we will all miss him terribly.  |
| So very sorry for your loss |
| so very sorry for your loss but the tribute you made to him showed how special he was |
| So sorry for your loss. Your grooming pictorials with Virgil was such a pleasure to see. He was beautiful. Hoping the days will be easier soon. |
| So sorry for your loss of sweet Virgil. Run free Virgil |
| So sorry for your loss Carl Run free at the bridge sweet Virgil! |
| I am so sorry to hear of your loss. What a fantastic tribute to a very special boy. He was very lucky to be so loved by you and Michelle and everyone that knew him. He will always be with you. |
| My heart sinks when I see a new post in Rainbow Bridge thread, and it is with a heavy heart that I make myself read the tribute. You had one remarkable boy there, and he is safe now and free from pain. Hugs to you and all your family. Gone to join our sheepie angels xx |
| So sorry for your loss |
| carl...your words were so eloquently said...i know he is with someone who loves him. i had the same feeling with panda. hugs to you both. |
| Dear Carl and Michele, I'm truly sorry for the loss of your boy, Virgil. While I only knew him through your photos (always impeccably groomed) I felt as if I knew him. You're right, it's never enough time with them and wish as we may that they live long ..they are with us such a short time. However, they leave a pawprint on our hearts and minds forever. Your memorial to Virgil was so incredibly moving it brought tears to my eyes. How deeply loved was he! How lucky he was to have had been sharing his life with you and your family. How lucky your family was to have shared your life with him. Godspeed Virgil Marianne |
| So very sorry for your loss. |
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