“People have been trying to understand dogs ever since the beginning of time. One never knows what they’ll do. You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don’t. I may be wrong, but I call it love — the deepest kind of love.”
— Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows
The deepest kind of love, indeed, is what Willy holds for his family, The Maddoxes. This four-year-old Labrador Retriever, affectionately known to his owners as “Chill Will,” has not only served his family, but he has loved them very well, in his own doggish way. Kim and Rusty Maddox first brought Willy home to be an emotional support dog to their son, Justin, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash seven years ago. “We ended up going the emotional support animal route, because our entire family needed that.” They have enjoyed him as a loving pet, and the Maddox family will tell you that choosing Willy was by far one of the best decisions they’ve made throughout Justin’s journey.
What a joy it is to introduce our latest Dog of Alys Beach, Willy.