through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes

My dog Ferris, who was rescued from a bus stop in Monrovia by my wife Anne almost exactly 8 years ago, had a heart attack and died this morning. It happened very quickly, and I was with her, which is supposed to make me feel better, but at this moment all I can feel is nearly-unbearable sorrow, and the empty space in my life left behind by my awesome dog. 

Ferris Wheaton

Bye bye, Ferris. I love you and miss you. You were the best dog ever.

A small request: if you choose to comment, please don't post that Rainbow Bridge thing. I know you mean well, but it has always made me uncomfortable.

436 thoughts on “through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes”

  1. Ferris was so cute with her loving ways and expressive eyes. I’m so sorry to hear the news. Take care of yourself. and thank you for sharing a little of Ferris with us.

  3. Perhaps retelling some of your Ferris stories will help you… I am sure I speak for most of us when I say that I would enjoy hearing them.

  6. Wil, I’m sorry to hear you lost your dog. I’ve lost one myself recently, and it isn’t easy. I alwyas loved reading about Ferris and the trouble he’d get himself into. I’m glad you got to be there when he passed; he was with someone he knew loved and cared for him very deeply. 🙂

  7. I’m so sorry, Wil. I lost a dog 5 years ago a week shy of his 17th birthday (we’d had him since he was 4 months old) and I still get sad when I think about it.
    And btw, I hate that Rainbow Bridge thing.

  8. My deepest condolences to your family.
    I’m going to go through this twice in the next five years and even thinking about it breaks my heart. I don’t know how you’re doing it.

  9. I’ll add to this growing list my condolences to you all, Wil. It is a terrible and hard thing to lose any member of the family, but dogs have the added responsibility of guarding our solitude as well as enjoying our play.
    As Agnes Sligh Turnbull wrote, “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.”

  14. Sorry for your loss! We just got our puppy about 6 months ago, and already am falling in love. Dogs are the most amazing creatures and they manage to get right in and snuggle with our soul.
    <3 Get another one!

  16. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. All of you totally saved Ferris, and I believe that she had a fantastic life with you guys. I hope you can find solace in that, and when you think of her, the tears soon give way to smiles.

  18. So sorry for your loss, Wil. Losing a treasured pet is never easy, and people who don’t own pets don’t always understand how hard it is. But we do. Will be thinking of you today.

  19. Wil, so sorry for your loss.
    A great big hug for you from me, and a virtual “buttsniff” for Ferris from my two dogs.

  20. Pets make our lives so much better, but they just break our hearts when they leave. I lost two dogs last year and it was so incredibly hard. I am so sorry for your loss.

  21. Hi Wil, I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for your loss. I’ve never commented on your site before but I’ve been reading for a long time and your Ferris stories are some of my favorites. I know your pain is strong; please know others are thinking of you and wishing you all the best. Again, I’m very sorry.

  22. I’m so sorry for your loss. About a year ago, I lost my itty-bitty kitty, Kerowyn. It does get easier after a while. Grieve in whatever way works for you.

  23. Oh Wil I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my precious cat Charlie two years ago. He was 17 years old and I had him for 16 years. I had to put him to sleep, because it was time for him to go, but I still miss and it’s been 2 years. I feel the emptiness still, but it gets better as time goes by. You know I wanted to tell you that Ferris came into your life as a precious soul. He knows you all loved him and that his time with you was for a reason. Charlie was rescued from a shelter and he was the best cat I could of loved. I know I will never find another cat like Charlie, but my heart is open to love another one someday. Just not now, I don’t know if I could handle it. So farewell Ferris, you sweet soul and may you watch over the Wheaton family from above.

  27. I’m so sorry, Wil. My childhood cat died over 10 years ago and I still have my favorite picture of him displayed.
    I never had dogs growing up, but when I got married my (then) husband talked me into it and we got a yellow lab. I loved that dog so much. He started to look human to me after a while. I felt like he could actually speak to me in his own dog way.
    No human can ever love us as much as our pets do.
    xoxo

  29. My condolences on the loss of your beloved companion.
    I recently had to put my cat of 18-1/2 years to sleep because of her incurable and painful cancer. And while losing a friend suddenly is gut-wrenching and the void is painful, it isn’t as painful as having to make a decision to do the deed yourself. Thank the powers that be that you were spared that when you remember your friend.

  31. Know where you’re at now, and for months to come. I lost my cat of 16 years, who as a small kitten slept on my stomach or right next to me, and in his last year did the same thing. It devastated me and I went through all the stages of grief. In the process I also lost my job because I couldn’t deal with the stress and didn’t know what the source of my anger was until much later from some friendly therapy. You should take no small credit that not only does Ferris still live in your memory, but also in those of your family and those of us in the community you have painstakingly built over the years. Ferris will continue long past most dogs through the dream immortality of internet.

  32. Oh Wil, I just saw this. I am so very sorry. Losing a friend is terribly hard, whether he or she has two legs or four. I’d love to read more Ferris stories, if you’d like to write them (not if it’s too sad right now, of course). I’m sure those stories will be part of your family’s history forever.

  34. I’m very sorry, Wil.
    Ferris, take your time enjoying the land of self-throwing tennis balls and slowly-fleeing bunnies. Come back when you’re ready.

  39. Wow. What a beautiful dog. Very sad, my condolences. I’ve had to be the one to put the pets to sleep and when it was the Springer Spaniel that I grew up with, my friend and confidant, well that was a very hard thing to do. My best to you and your family.

  41. So sorry to hear, Wil. I’ve been through the loss of a pet, too, so I can sympathize. My condolences to you and your family… I will miss hearing about Ferris.

  42. I’m only commenting again, because I forgot to put this in my last comment. Sorry. I left a post about Ferris at my livejournal here: http://newsie–nympho.livejournal.com/ It’s a whole post about Ferris and my cat Charlie. God bless you Wil and your family for rescuing Ferris and giving him a chance at a life of love and happiness.

  43. As your blog readers and fans we’re in this strange position where we feel like we know you and your family, but you don’t know us (at least not each one of us specifically). So it’s strange to feel like a friend of mine is going through this grief and I can’t actually call him up and say “Hey buddy, how can I be there for you?”
    I hope that our written wishes of good will and support really do help and that we can, in some small way, be there for you, our friend, on this sad day.

  45. So sorry to hear of your loss. We at Wilsonworld know the pain that your heart is feeling. You and your family are in our thoughts.

  46. I dreamed of this last night. I’m am crushed that I would dream such a thing and then to find out it happened…
    I’m so very sorry about Ferris. I’m definitely a pet person (they are my kids) and I understand your loss.
    My sincere condolences to you and your family.
    Take care and be kind to yourselves during this trying time.
    oxoxo
    Angela

  48. Oh Wil! I am so sorry! I know she was truly loved and wanted. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

  49. As you are not using Twitter at the moment, I will tell you how very sorry I am here. I’m sure she’s in doggie heaven now, digging in someone else’s paint filled garbage. 😉

  50. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. My heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I only knew Ferris through your writing, but I loved her (and I’m not even a dog person).

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