A Special Soul Crosses Over

If you go way back in The DailyBark you can read about an extraordinary dog named Cody. He was a service dog who took care of our friend.

We used to call him Codyboy to distinguish him from my beloved aunt, Codiegirl. Codyboy and Codiegirl were friends long before I was born.

When Cody’s mom was in the hospital years ago, Cody stayed with us and went to work with mom each day. Me and him became great pals and used to play together when he wasn’t wearing his service vest.

A few weeks ago Cody suddenly had a seizure and had to be rushed to the dog hospital. His mom saved his life by giving him CPR.

The doctors said Cody had a tumor that was pushing on his brain. There was nothing that could save his life. He was in the hospital a bunch of days until he got strong enough to go home.

Cody and his mom spent every minute together when he got out of the hospital. It was such a bittersweet time celebrating every little thing while knowing the end was near.

After a few days Cody told his mom it was time to let him go. One of his last wishes was to come to Asherpark and walk where Codiegirl had walked on her last day.

Even though he was awful sick, Cody stood as tall as he could and made his way to the pasture where him and me used to chase goats. The goats are long gone but we have some funny little alpacas now.

Cody put on his happy face because that’s how he wanted everybody to remember him. He summoned his border collie self and gave the alpacas a good dose of stink eye. You can see for yourself the alpacas were impressed.

We all said goodbye to Cody as he proudly got in the car for his last ride. My heart was screaming. We were all crying.

Just before he left mom whispered in his ear, “Go find Codiegirl. She’s been waiting for you.”

When a special dog leaves this world the sadness is terrible. But when that special dog has been by your side 24/7 and taken care of you for many years, the loss is overwhelming.

Cody’s mom was crushed with grief. She lost her best friend and her helper dog. No dog can ever replace Cody. In time there will be other dogs but there will never be another Cody.

Farewell Cody. When you sailed off into the big unknown you took a piece of our hearts with you. Be well, my fine friend.