It has taken me months to be able to write this memorial. If it seems a bit disjointed it’s because my heart is so broken and I have an incredible void in my life. My beautiful, sweet boy, Kody (fka Radar) crossed the Rainbow Bridge in my arms on July 31, 2013 at 8:00 pm and I sobbed until I thought I would lose my breath.

On May 26th he was diagnosed with a lung infection after having his teeth cleaned. At the same time, he was diagnosed with cancer based on blood work and x-rays of the chest. He also had what was diagnosed as an elbow hygroma, which we thought would be removed after the lung infection cleared up but it grew faster than we could cure the infection and turned out to be cancer as well. After a 2 month battle and lots of visits to the vet, I came home to find him unable to put pressure on his leg and labored breathing. I knew then it was time to say our good-byes. I made sure that every day counted with Kody because I knew our time together was limited.

Kody chose me as his forever dad on April 15, 2006 at the Minnetonka PetCo pet adoption day. I will never forget that day as we were fostering his brother, Hawkeye (06-166 aka Teddy and later Beau). I was sure I was going to adopt Beau but it was suggested I wait and meet Kody. I was sitting on the floor Indian-style as people were meeting Beau when his foster mom, Carol, walked in with Kody. After the excitement of Kody and Beau being together again settled down (they were crying and all wiggly), Kody came up to me, sniffed me, did a turn and sat in my lap. He then leaned into me as I began petting him. It was then that I knew he was the one. There was another person interested in him and I prayed that Carol would choose to give Kody to us instead. We picked Kody up on April 19th and brought him to his forever home in Rochester.

Kody was an exceptional dog. Everyone loved Kody. People would stop me and ask if he was a show dog because he was so beautiful and so well-behaved. He went everywhere we went. He was shy of other dogs, except Champ, his foster sister Mandy, and my parents’ dogs. He tolerated the fosters we had, and had more interest in people than other dogs. He loved riding in the car, going to Grandma’s, and going to PetSmart to see the birds and little critters they had for sale. Most of all, he loved going for walks. Kody would carry his leash in his mouth and people would always comment on how cute that was or say, “It looks like he’s taking himself for a walk.” He knew our walk so well that I always figured he could probably walk it by himself.

Kody was incredibly smart. I trained him not to stop during our walks for potty breaks or to sniff things. It was a time to focus on the walk and he would go potty when we got back to our yard instead. He pranced as he walked and held his tail and head high; his feathers were so beautiful. I started writing down the words that I know he understood and it filled a column and a half on a piece of tablet paper. He would learn new words quickly too. I tested his knowledge once by telling him to bring me a certain toy and he got them all correct.

He and I connected in a way that people would say was unique or unusual and I believe he was my soul mate. It was like I could communicate with him through those big brown eyes and I always knew what he wanted. I know he loved me and I loved him (and I told him so several times a day). Everyone knew how much he meant to me and Aaron. He helped me get through some very emotional and personally difficult times by being such a loving companion.

Kody attended my son, Aaron’s baseball games and all of the kids (and parents too) got to know Kody. If I left him home (because it might rain) they would ask where he was. I recently found out that dogs weren’t allowed at one of the baseball fields where Aaron would play, but maybe they never noticed Kody or perhaps he wasn’t “just a dog”. No one ever said he wasn’t welcome there.

Kody loved his squeaky toys, rawhides, peanut butter, Dubliner cheese (that’s a funny story), and treats. Whenever I came home with groceries, he would anxiously wait to see if there was a bag for him that might contain a new toy or some kind of treat. He loved opening gifts and at Christmas time would open his own presents from under the tree. Sometimes I would put an old toy in a bag and he would rip it open to get the toy out. He also loved tummy rubs, laying in the sun, and being brushed. He wasn’t a fan of baths but he was always a good boy when he got one.

He spent his last days going to the cabin, looking for frogs or “fishies” near the shoreline and enjoying time with his family. It broke my heart seeing my 15 year old son break down the night we took Kody in to cross the rainbow bridge. Simple things were difficult, like opening the car door to let Kody in, seeing him carry his leash on the walk from the parking lot to the room where he passed, and seeing his tail wagging until the end. The hardest part though was saying good bye and leaving him in that room knowing I would never see him, smell him, hold him, or touch him again. I lay on the floor beside him on the blanket and wept as I caressed his face and held him in my arms. I looked into his eyes, told him over and over how much I loved him, how sorry I was that we had to say good bye so soon, that he was “the bestest puppy in the whole wide world, he’s daddy’s puppy dog” (a song I made up and sang to him often), and he always would be.

It all seemed so final when I ordered his urn and had to put an end date on the inscription. I also included the words “If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.”…and I wish he could have. There will never be another Kody and I don’t know that I’ll ever feel as connected with a dog as I was to Kody.

There are so many more things I could write about Kody but I guess some of it wouldn’t mean as much to the readers as it does to me. And even though we have a new Golden puppy (Dewy), there are still many times when I miss my Kody. There are still places and things, or words and actions that remind me of him. It’s interesting that I’m submitting this on Valentine’s Day but I guess we never forget those we love so much and days like today seem to make those memories even stronger.

Thank you RAGOM and Carol for giving me one of the greatest joys and companionships I could ever experience.

God Bless you, my Kody. Dad will always love you and I can’t wait to see you again someday when you help me cross the rainbow bridge.