Willie

Willie + Raksha

"It's been many years, but still, it makes me very emotional because he was like a baby for me and it was like as though I'd lost my own kid." That's Raksha, about Willie, a gentle golden retriever from Bangalore who loved mangoes, chased birds at the lake and never once stopped making people smile. 💛 Because they were never just a dog. 

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0:00

I'm just a dog.

Kate 0:14

So the name of your soul dog was Willie. Um, tell me how you met Willie.

Raksha 0:22

Willie, I met through a friend. There was a litter of seven puppies that was put by a female dog, golden retriever. And the first, uh, baby, which was Willie, was given to one of this, uh, this person's friend. And, friend actually did not want a puppy, so they had given that puppy so. He could actually raise it, but then he decided not to keep the puppy. And that's when they started looking for a good home. And coincidentally that, we were searching for a pup as well. That's how we went and picked up Willie and he was just around 30 days when we actually put him in a basket and we got him home.

Kate 1:04

Oh, I love that. He came home in a basket, like out of the movies. Yes.

Raksha 1:09

So yeah, he slept the entire way when I was getting him home. He was very sleepy poppy and then he was actually being bullied by his siblings because he was the eldest and the quietest as well. So he was being bullied by them by, uh, like pulling his tail and they were like trying to bite him. Yeah, so he was like a very quiet and very emotional pup that I'd got. And, uh, yeah, that's how he came home. Aw, and

Kate 1:39

how did he, did he come with the name Willie or did you name him Willie?

Raksha 1:43

Uh, so, I was supposed to pick him up, I was supposed to get him, like, two weeks, uh, prior to that, like, not two weeks, like, a week or something prior to when I actually picked him up, but then they actually, uh, said that they won't be giving me the pup, and I was really sad, and, uh, I came back home, and I saw Free Willy, and Oh, because I I love animals. And, uh, I was really sad. And just to boost my, thing morale up, I actually decided to see free Willie, and that's how he got his name Willie, because, uh, it was just like, it connected so well, uh, because everything came back together because I saw this movie because I didn't get Willie. And then eventually I got him after a week. So I was like, okay, why not name him as a Willie?

Kate 2:32

Yes, that's a great, great dog name. My family had a golden retriever, Willie, also. Oh, wow. Yeah, that's what I was excited when I saw his name was Willie. If you had three words, how would you describe him?

Raksha 2:47

Oh, very emotional, very sensitive, and, very beautiful. He would actually get a smile on everybody's face wherever he was. So, yeah, so whomever he met, he loved everybody. And, yeah, he was very beautiful dog.

Kate 3:03

What about a song that, that reminds you of him? Or that time period of when you had him in your life?

Raksha 3:11

So when I think of it, I just, uh, like the song that comes into my mind is it feels like summer because, he was, I don't know, it was like, it was such a happy feeling when he was around me and I love summer and I feel that that's how he reminds me of, uh, like, I can't just let go of that feeling that I used to feel when I had Willi, so, uh, yeah. Yeah.

Kate 3:39

I love that, the warmth, the carefreeness, like, that, anticipation of fun in the summer, it all kind of, embodies his character, I like that a lot. Yeah. I know, so, like, just from your own career history, you travel very often, did you ever take Willie on any of your adventures?

Raksha 4:01

Yes, so he had actually motion sickness, so I could not take him everywhere. But, I would take him somewhere to the close by places. And, uh, I have taken him to a lake, uh, where I used to love water. So he would just jump into water, splash around, and he would just chase some birds. And he was very agile as well. So he would just climb any kind of rocks. Like he was very fast and he was, he was amazing. So I've taken him to a lake in my own city, Bangalore. And I think that was the best time that he had when he just ran around carefree. And then he was, he had a lot of fun. just in the water and then yeah, with all the birds. And that was the first time he was seeing some buffalos as well. So it was really good. Yes. Oh my gosh.

Kate 4:49

Did he start barking at them or how did he react? No, no.

Raksha 4:54

He just stood there and he was shocked to see such huge animals he had never seen. And it was really cool the way he actually stood and tried to understand what So it was really cool. Yeah. It was amazing. Yeah.

Kate 5:09

To see him If you had one more day with him, how would you spend it? Would it be at the lake or is there something else like that? You had one more day to do whatever you wanted with him, what would you do?

Raksha 5:23

I would first of all, uh, into my life and, uh, being there in times where I was. And, uh, he was always with me. And I would feed him like whatever he used to love mangoes. So I would give him mangoes. Yeah. Wow. That's really cute. Yeah. He was very fussy about food, but he would love and mangoes were one of them. And so, yeah, I would give him some mangoes. Around and play with him like you would any even if you would see like a small piece of grassland or something, you would just start rolling on a big happy. So I would just take him somewhere to a grassland where he can actually roll and then have fun.

Kate 6:15

Yeah, just be carefree. What would you say, would be, his greatest, the greatest lesson he taught you?

Raksha 6:22

Greatest lesson he taught me was to be very sensitive towards, people. And, uh, he was always very cautious. When he would jump, he would make sure that he Touch me. It would not hurt me if I'm like, uh, if I have a bear, like showing my skin, he has done those things like that, which has shown me that you need to be more sensitive towards things.

Kate 6:47

Yeah.

Raksha 6:53

And also he has taught me, uh, to be there. So yeah, to be there with people, like when you're alone, Be there, like you might have not done anything, but then just being there, his presence has strength. And I think that actually has taught me, yeah, that, and it has been amazing. Yeah.

Kate 7:18

Yeah. Sometimes you don't need grand gestures, right? Oftentimes just that company and just knowing someone is there for you is, Is all, is all you need to get through a rough time or just get through the day that, yeah. That's beautiful. I love that. Was there a certain way that you memorialized Willie? When he passed away? Was there a certain way that you decided to, celebrate his life or do you have any advice for someone else who's going through that grief process of losing their soul dog?

Raksha 7:53

So it is a hard process, I wouldn't lie. It's been many years, but still, it makes me very emotional because was like a baby for me and, it was like as though I'd lost my own kid. So what I would say is just celebrate the life. So celebrate those moments. Mm-Hmm. or have those pictures around you. And then that's how I have memorized. And also whenever, like your podcast or even some of the, publications. So I've always, talked about him very openly. And, I think that's how I can keep him alive in my own thoughts by just remembering him and then just feeling grateful. Of him being dead in my life.

8:37

Ow ow ow ow ow.