Tribute to our best friend & protector, Codie
We vividly remember bringing you home from the shelter on January 11, 1998 (the year of El Nino). You were there for three cold wet months and a scared 5 year old with soft fur.
It didnt take long for you to warm up to us and dance around the room with eyes flashing and a ball in your mouth. You'd let out woof just to tell us you were happy and this was now your home.
Making a mess of the house with your dirty paws became a passion, and when we scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at us with those innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I'll keep digging until I get that gopher in the backyard."
As the days went by and you became more comfortable with your new home, you protected us by barking at everyone who walked by. When we had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for us with your tail wagging and ball in your mouth, just to say, Welcome home, I missed you and I want to play catch. You never had a bad day and we could always count on you to be there for us.
When we would sit down to read the paper and watch TV on the couch, you would hop up in the middle looking for attention. You never asked for anything more than for us to rub you so you could go to sleep on the couch. Every morning, you would let mommy sleep and go wake up daddy at 5:00am.
As you got older, you started to move around more slowly. Then, one day, you couldn't stand any more on those wobbly legs. Mommy knelt down and held you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up at her as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask her for one last favor. With tears in her eyes, mommy called daddy at work and we drove you one last time to the vet. One last time, you were lying next to us.
You tried so hard to stand up in the animal hospital, perhaps it was your sense of pride. We held you for so long before the vet led you away, turned your head and looked at us as if to say, "Thank you for rescuing me from the shelter and taking care of me all these years.
We cried so hard and thought, "No...thank you for taking care of us and Justin." You will be missed.
In Memory of our beloved Codie whose paw prints will be in our hearts forever.