In Memorandum: A Great Dog
Dan asked me tonight if we were “dog people”. I think the fact that we’ve lived with a furry friend (or fiend) now for a year classifies us as such. Our dog is good. She’ll be great at some future point. But for now I’d like to pause and remember a dog that reached that state of being early on. I’m talking about my brother’s recently passed-away pooch, Coda.
I first met Coda on a visit to California six years ago. I was immediately struck by his coloring: pure white, not a stitch of brown or black to be seen. Also remarkable was the young puppy’s obedience. He listened to his owners with absolute attention.
Over the years, Coda became a great dog. He could perform tricks at a word, was fiercely loyal, and above all, was a friend and companion to those with whom he lived.
He will be missed. By all. I will miss his big furry paws upon arrival at the house. I will miss the dog-swapping story time my brother and I share. And mostly, I will miss the happiness he brought to my family, and to all those who knew him.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:22 am
insightful, sweet story, what a sad day. I feel like I have lost a nephew, i have, a loving hairy one, who only knew kindness and unconditional love, what we might all learn from Coda.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Thanks, Robynn, for your rememberance. Just last week, I had the opportunity to go hiking with Brad, Crystal, and Coda. As Brad and I were heading down the hill, we passed a man who was carrying a puppy. He simply could not get over how beatiful Coda was; he commented on it about 5 times in the few minutes we spoke with him. Coda, of course, like the humble creature he was, took it all in good stride.
I will miss him. My thought are with his beloved friends Brad and Crystal.
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Thank you Robynn for remembering our Coda so fondly. It is hard to explain to those who don’t have this relationship with animals how integral they become to one’s life. His absence has been felt every moment this past week, but that hole is slowly being filled with memories of the silly and noble things he did to make us smile or swell our hearts to near bursting with pride over his beauty, innocence, intelligence, and elegance. Reading your post and people’s comments helped restore those lovely moments.