Willow (Willy Dog) 7/22/13 - 7/14/25

Losing a friend

🐾 Willy Dog, In Memoriam

The Song, Story, Video, and Painting

By Tim Cooney
July 2025, Petaluma

"If they’re hungry, we feed them. If they’re scared, we comfort them. If they’re lonely, we cuddle them. And when they leave us, we grieve like we’ve lost a part of our soul. Because we have."

Tim Cooney 2025

From The Journeyman

I lost Willow last week.

She was my dog. My shadow. My road warrior. My healer.

Willow, a 12-year-old Cockapoo, was there for me through everything—divorce, the pandemic, my son’s addiction and mental health crisis, and many heartbreaks and some healing. When I didn’t know how to move forward, she did. She nudged me toward the light. It was Willow who made me decide to drive cross-country to reunite with Cindy in California after thirty-eight years. Willow was too big for a carrier, and I wouldn't put her in cargo. So we decided to drive. After thirty-eight years, Cindy and I would reunite for another cross-country road trip, and Willow would bring us together for that trip. We were three hearts in one car for 3000 miles and nine days, Cindy, Willow, and I. And by the time we reached Petaluma, we were road-tested best of friends.

That trip was a significant part of my reinvention. Willow helped make it possible.

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I wrote the song “Willy Dog” in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Many people adopted pets during the pandemic, but Willow had already been with me for seven years. She came with me after my divorce in 2017. It seemed like it wasn’t even a question as to who Willow would stay with. Of all the things we argued about, Willow wasn’t one of them. She was my dog, and everyone knew that. I wrote the song as a way to express my gratitude to Willow for sticking with me through everything. She was there before, during, and after my whole life changed, and through it all, she was the friend I could always count on, not only to comfort me but also my kids, and especially Cindy and her son’s. Willy helped two families that needed healing. I don’t know how dogs do that, but that’s what makes them so important. They have a way of uniting us around them.

At a time when I was under fire from all directions, and everything was changing, Willow was a constant source of love and affection. When times got lonely, she was always there to remind me I wasn’t alone. She showered everyone she met with love, making every new person and new day a fun experience. She brought out the best in people, including me.

I lost Willow after she suffered a long respiratory illness. She was the runt of her litter and struggled with shortness of breath her entire life. It was a fluke she lived, and we got her when we did. This little pup was going to stay with the breeder due to her frail health, but she had an incredible personality and fighting spirit, so the breeder decided to place her with the right family, and they picked us. She was offered to us after we met with the breeder, and she explained her health issues. We knew of her frailty, but couldn’t resist her sweet personality. Willow was born on July 22, and eight weeks later, on September 22, we picked her up; it was my 52nd birthday. We were connected in a special way, and she made it clear right away who she wanted to be her forever person.

I put together this video last week after Willow passed, featuring my original song ‘Willy Dog.’ You can find it on my SoundCloud and Spotify pages soon. It’s a small tribute to a friend who gave me all they had for twelve years. I know how many of you have pets, and how much they bring to our lives. Enjoy every minute you get with them; they keep things real and remind us to honor ourselves by honoring our loyalties to others. I hope you enjoy my tribute to my friend, Willow (Willy), who passed away on 07/14/2025.

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Willy Dog

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🎧 Listen to the track:
🎵 Willy Dog – by Tim Cooney

🎶 Willy Dog – Lyrics and Song by Tim Cooney

I got a friend who sleeps like a log
She don’t say much and she croaks like a frog
She’s my Willy,

My Willy, Willy Willy dog

She’s friendly with the squirrels and chases them a lot
She never catches them, but gives it her best shot
That’s my Willy,

My Willy, Willy, Willy Dog

She’s always with me wherever I go
Out in the wind, the rain and the snow

I’m with Willy

My Willy Willy dog

I’ll tell you one thing that I know is true
Nobody loves me like you-know-who
Like Willy, my Willy Willy dog

She doesn’t like other dogs she just needs her own space
She barks and growls and gets in their face
But that’s just Willy,

Willy Willy Willy Dog

But she loves all the people whoever you are
She’ll make you feel like you’re a rock and roll star

If you go for a ride she’ll just jump in your car
That’s just Willy,

Willy Willy Willy dog

Willy always greets you when you come to my door
She barks a lot but loves you even more
That’s Willy, Willy Dog

When she barks all the time I don’t know what to do
She looks really cute but if you only knew
About my Willy, you’d love her too

That’s just Willy

Willy Willy Willy dog

I feed her dinner and she gobbles it up
She’s twelve years old but still acts like a pup
She’s my Willy, Willy, Willy Dog


She’s always with me wherever I go
Out in the wind, the rain and the snow

Where always together

Don’t you know

I’m with my Willy

Yeah, Willy, Willy Willy Dog

She’s my Willy, Willy Willy Willy dog

Every night when I lie down to sleep
Willy’s always there, lying at my feet

That’s just my Willy dog

She snores just a little

But hardly make a peep

I pray to God her soul to keep
Keep my Willy,

My Willy Willy Willy dog

I’ll tell you one thing that I know is true
Nobody loves me like you-know-who
Like my Willy, my Willy Willy Willy Dog

Like My Willy, Willy, Willy Dog…

She’s My Willy Willy Willy dog

Every night when I lay down to sleep
Willy’s always there lying at my feet

That’s just my Willy dog

She snores just a little

But hardly make a peep

I pray to God her soul to keep
Keep my Willy,

My Willy Willy Willy dog

I’ll tell you one thing that I know is true
Nobody loves me like you-know-who
Like my Willy,
My Willy Willy Willy dog
My Willy Willy Willy Willy dog

My Willy Willy Willy Willy dog

Painting by Tim Cooney

Willow, (Willy Dog) - 07/22/2013 - 07/14/2025

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🐕 A Lifetime of Dogs

Willow was my eighth dog. Each one brought joy and stability, but also a lot of work and worry. They anchored my life through chaos, brought me back to myself when I was adrift, and always reminded me to honor the simple things in life, like a walk in the woods with a beloved friend.

In The Journeyman, I wrote about my first dog named Smokey, who used to run alongside my bike while I delivered papers:

“Every afternoon, Smokey would be waiting for me at the bus stop. He’d trot beside my bike silently as I delivered my newspapers, veering off only to chase a squirrel, investigate a trash can, or run interference on an advancing combatant before rejoining me. He was like a little sentry—half-wild, half-mine. Kids in the neighborhood began calling him ‘Super Smokey. ’ He gave me a kind of invisible armor. I wasn’t alone out there anymore.” I was part of a team!

And about the stray dogs of New Bedford:

“New Bedford was full of strays—dogs without collars, without homes, and without fear. They roamed in loose packs near the harbor and railroad tracks, eyes sharp, ribs showing. I felt more kinship with them than I did with most people at the time. They were survivors. Ragged, neglected, but still determined to live on.” They befriended me, and over the years, I came to know each of them as an individual.

They taught me how to survive. How to find love. How to come back.

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💌 Thank You

When I posted about Willow on Facebook, I was overwhelmed by the response—so many hearts, kind words, memories shared. More reactions than any post I’ve made, except those about my son Ben. Thank you. Truly. I know so many of you have loved and lost a dog, too. I understand what you went through. I honor it.

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• Smokey: 1971 to 1981

• Buddy: 1980 to 1992

• Donovan: 1992 to 1995

• Patches: 1992 to 1995

• Molly:1995 to 2005

• Shadow: 2005 to 2015

• Willow: 2013 to 2025

• Lexie: 2015 to present (Lives with my daughter, Grace). I bought her just before the divorce, which is why I was able to keep Willow. She made the separation easier for my twins and did what dogs do best: love us. Thanks, Lexie.

• Kirby: 2015 to present

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🐾 One More Walk

We still have Cindy’s nine-year-old Jack Russell, Kirby, and I’m grateful. But Willow was my final chapter in a 50-year journey with dogs. I’ve fed them, walked them, healed them, and mourned them. And I’ve been made whole by every one of them.

My days of dog parenting are winding down. But I am—forever—better for it.

With love and thanks,
Tim Cooney
SunTurtle Studios, Petaluma