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April 2003 - September 2015
Coda became my best buddy in February 2008. I had just finished college the prior summer and did not enjoying living by myself. As a formerly competitive collegiate runner, I was excited to share my time with a fellow retiree. He was wonderful company and provided me with a much needed sense of routine. With him, I felt more motivated to get out and explore the Rochester area.
I have many beloved memories of Coda. But the following is one of my favorites.
While living in MA we employed a greyhound savvy dog walker. She would sometimes bring Coda and our cattle dog, True, back to her house for the afternoon. One evening, when I went to pick them up, I was greeted by an extra loud ruckus. She had a full house, well over 10 dogs came to the door with her. Over the barking she explained that two pugs had been harassing True all day. As she spoke, the pug she carried leaned toward the ground to growl at True. True looked unsurely at me and growled back at the pug. I managed to get Coda harnessed and out the door. We stood and looked back in as the dog walker tried to corral the inmates and hand True’s leash to me. Suddenly the pug broke free from her jailer and jumped to the ground to confront True. The second pug pushed its way to the front of the pack to join it’s sibling. The three dogs faced off and froze. No one was sure how to interfere without breaking the spell and causing a fight. Except Coda. My sweet natured quiet boy used his big dog bark to back down the two little pugs. He took an extra wide stance and pointed the full volume of his bark at the two pugs. At first they were stunned. Then they seemed to get the message to slowly backed away from True. I quickly harnessed her and pulled her out of the chaos. I was so proud of Coda for protecting his Mom and sister from the mean little pugs. Brave is not a word I would typically have used to describe him. But on that day, he was our Hercules.
Coda was there for many great moments in my life. He stuck with me through grad school, getting married, a move to Massachusetts, the adoption of our second dog, a move to California, a move back to Rochester and finally another move into our first home. I am so grateful for the 7 years we had together and will remember them fondly for the rest of my life.
See you at the rainbow bridge buddy. I'll bring the peanut butter.
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