Oscar Wilde once said, “some things are more precious because they don’t last long.” For those who have experienced the sudden passing of a beloved pet, this sentiment certainly rings true.
When Belwood native, Gordon Hill adopted a small Shetland sheepdog into his home nine years ago, he never thought the decision would eventually lead to a writing vocation.
The puppy in question, dubbed Wilson, became a trusted companion for Hill— a son who was constantly getting into mischief.
When Wilson passed away suddenly in October, the loss hit Hill hard and he began to search for some way to memorialize the sheltie, who delighted in chasing squirrels and swimming with alligators.
As the days passed, Hill said he found himself in a stupor.
“I had dogs all my life and I’d never been attached to one like I was to this one, so I thought, ‘I’ve gotta do something to get out of this funk… I’m going to sit down and see if I can write something.’”
By December, Hill had finished a 167-page novel chronicling Wilson’s adventures from his arrival in Belwood as a puppy to the progressive kidney and liver failure that took him at eight years old.
Hill, who retired in 2001 after working as a factory labourer at Owen’s Corning in Guelph for 30 years, never fancied himself a writer. In fact, he says English was his worst subject in school. However, when he took the pages to a local teacher for editing, her response surprised him. “She said, ‘I had A-students for so many years that wouldn’t be able to do what you just did,’” Hill recalled. “And I’ve had good responses from people that have already read it.”
Currently Hill’s book, Wilson, Son my Son is available for purchase at the Guelph Humane Society and Elora Gorge Animal Hospital. The official book launch will be held on June 7 at Roxanne’s Reflections in Fergus at 2pm and an electronic version of the novel is available for those with Kobo e-readers. Copies of Wilson, Son my Son are $10, with $2 from each purchase being donated to the Guelph Humane Society.
Though Hill started writing as a form of therapy, he is glad to share his memories in hope of encouraging others to adopt rescued animals.
