More Cody

Here are more pictures of Cody

Goodbye Old Buddy

Cody - 1998-2010

I said a final goodbye to the last of my childhood dogs last night, and this morning he was helped across the rainbow bridge.

Cody was such a wonderful dog to grow up with. My mom has always had Irish setters and he a great one. Many people think of Irish setters as crazy, brainless, hyperactive balls of fur. Yes, many of them are, but when you get a sane one they are amazing dogs.

Cody was more of a hunting bred setter so he didn't have all the long feathers of a show dog, but he hated being brushed so it was better that way. I was 14 when we got him and we were best friends. We went to some "training" classes, but sadly they were the " yank your dog around until they are too scared to leave your side" classes so we mostly just used books and common sense. I trained him to sit and down in German because I thought it would be cool.....it was.

He was my first agility dog, and I didn't even know what agility was. I would tip over picnic benches and tables and have him jump over them in a pattern. I think I saw an agility trial once at a breed show and got the idea from that. I remember wanting to train him to do the pattern all by himself on verbal cue only. Lol, that didn't work, but we had fun trying! He loved playing with me, and tried everything I asked him to do.

He was always pestering our older rough coated collie "Heidi" and she was always a grump about it. Then when she passed away we got another setter......one that was crazy.......named Kelly. She became his best buddy for a while until we got Patriot and two puppies was too much for Cody. He became the grumpy one and never liked puppies after that. Eventually it was just him and Patriot (Kelly went to a more active home that had the time for a dog like her) and they loved being together. Cody sulked when Patriot went to "college" and then rejoiced when they were reunited 4 months later.

I am sad to say that he took a back seat in my life after I got Patriot. I still loved him, but Patriot is my Heart dog and I wasn't good at sharing my heart with another dog. Now I wish I had been better about it.

Cody turned 12 a couple weeks ago and had a wonderful birthday full of hiking and pampering. He had been going downhill for a couple months, and finally started having trouble breathing and lost his appetite this past week. It was time, especially with my family going out of town for two weeks later this month. I will miss him, but I am glad he is in a better place filled with all our other setters who have crossed the bridge.

I am getting a bunch more pictures of him together that I will post later this week.

Goodbye Cody, you were one of the best and I will never forget you! Say Hi to "Brandy", "Esty" and "Heidi" in heaven for me!