Cody died today.
He took off this morning, on a blue sky day…
 
Cody loved life with a gentle fierceness that we could almost touch.
I have never known a being more committed to being happy,
to finding the light in every single moment.
 
Diagnosed very early with dysplasia, arthritis, and severe allergies,
he was never strong physically, always a bit unsteady, off balance…
Spiritually his enduring strength and harmony were literally breathtaking.
Cody was never contained or limited by his physical self.
He was transcendent.
His spirit entered the room before his body and continued after.
 
We understood, from the beginning,
the honor that being able to care for him was.
Tending to him was a delight, a wonder…
Cody was truly a gift —
of knowledge and strength,
of courage and commitment,
of love and compassion,
of all that we have ever sought.
 
He was the mother of our pack.
Perhaps because he knew what it was like to be physically “less than,”
he took great care with the puppies who came into our life and
tended Lucky, Rusty and Abbey as their health diminished.
 
He was friend and companion to all of us,
sharing his heart, his food, his bed, his toys, his joy, with any one of us,
two- and four-footed alike, who were in need.
 
He taught us so much—as Dogs do—
not by any one specific “action,”
by simply being,
here with us, in his life… completely
 
Grief is like the ocean—it comes in waves, 
and each wave, as it breaks over us all, 
brings not only the missing,
but also, the warmth and delight of loving Cody.