Coda

We adopted Coda from Animal Services in 2016.  From the beginning she was calm, quiet, friendly and relaxed. When we brought her home we quickly realized she obviously wasn’t allowed inside a home before and certainly not all the way into the living room.  It took some coaxing, but it wasn’t long before she made herself at home, not only on her bed but on the couch, the chaise and all of the beds…but we didn’t mind! We loved her instantly!!

Coda loved people and was friendly with everyone…but we also found out that there were some things she didn’t love…car rides, fireworks, thunderstorms and any big dog that walked onto our property-but she did love little dogs!!

Coda was loved by everyone!! We all knew that we would be covered in fur the instant we got near her but that never stopped anyone from spending time with her and giving her cuddles.  We were told when we adopted her that the shedding would slow down in the summer…it never did.  She shed 24/7, 365 days a year.  No amount of brushing helped!! Our vacuum got quite a workout this last decade for sure!

We soon realized Coda needed a buddy so we adopted Cooper.  He was just 8 weeks old when we brought him home and Coda became his protector right away.  She taught Cooper the ropes but Cooper taught her something too…how to bark!  She really didn’t bark much at all until he came around and taught her that any delivery person and any visitor had to be greeted with as much barking as possible!

It is usual in our family to nickname dogs with tons of names beyond the name we originally gave them and Coda was no exception.  She became Duck, Baby-Duck, Duck-Coda, Coda-duck, Duck-ling, Coda-bear, Coda-La, puppy girl and baby girl…but she responded to whatever we called her – it didn’t matter to her, especially if a treat was part of the reason we were calling her.

Coda loved laying outside relaxing.  She had her favorite spot in the front yard at the cabin, in the bushes, where you could always find her.  In the winter she loved laying in the snow-even in the spring, as the snow was melting, she would find a shady place where there was still a pile of snow and she would make herself a little nest right on top! 

Coda loved going for walks.  She was never in a hurry, making sure to give everything a good sniff before proceeding further.  You could tell by the way she walked and the way she held herself that she was a farm dog through and through and we were always sure that if she ever needed to she could find her way home, her nose would lead there!

Coda was gentle but also very protective.  She would always sit in the same spot in our living room where she could see the door and also keep an eye on us.  She would be relaxed, paws crossed, keeping watch.  She didn’t like to be fussed over but when she wanted attention she would let you know and we gratefully complied.  She would always walk up and lean against Jim’s leg and let him know that now was when she wanted attention – she didn’t really worry much about what he was doing at the time, interrupting was always acceptable.  She hated having her picture taken so we didn’t try very often but sometimes we would sneak in a photo here and there without being too obvious about it!

Cooper and Coda were a team and you would often find them sitting close enough to each other to be touching.  Cooper loved his Coda and in recent years as her hearing was failing he knew before going outside, or when he heard us come home, that he had to go find Coda and let her know that she needed to get up and follow him.  Cooper is going to miss her very much.

We all love you so much Coda and we will miss you, talk about our amazing times with you and hold you in our hearts forever!!

Love,

Your forever family-Jim, Debbie, Sage, Matt, Karley, Josh, Hannah, Weston and of course your Cooper