Another Goodbye

I have a father, a mother, an older half-sister, a younger brother, and our own house which God puts all together as a family. But a family will never be complete without the loyal company of a pet, whether it is a dog or a cat, a family will always in need of one or more than one inside the house, to put a smile on our faces and another sense of responsibility for everyone.

Cody is a 1/8 breed of a yellow Labrador, and he was given to us by our neighbor last April of 2007. He was only 1 month old back then, having this cute sad face which seems to be very amusing to my family. Even though he is outnumbered by our pet cats, he chooses to have a good relationship with them instead of fighting with each other, letting our cats to sleep beside him and eat their food together on the same dish. They always play chase around the garden and breaking my mom’s flower pots which made her really angry. When Cody was 5 months old, my dad bought a leash for him so that he wouldn’t go chasing around the cats every now and then because he isn’t that small anymore. He likes barking on other people or a total stranger to him, but when they get near to him, Cody wouldn’t mind at all and make friends with them instead. I forgot to mention that he is super friendly to anyone and barking was just his defense mechanism or just to show off I guess. Cody is scared of anything that he is not familiar with especially with fireworks and loud noises. He will try to find a place to hide when he got scared or if my brother is trying to scare him. Cody has this ability to jump very high about a meter above the ground when it’s feeding time; this only means that he is very hungry and excited. Cody is also a sweet and caring dog, when one of us is sick or not feeling well, he could sense it and will sleep or sit beside us, letting us know that he is taking care of us. We also take good care of him when he is sick, giving him medicine, enough water, food and of course affection.

But these past few months, I was very busy with our thesis. I don't go home very often because I'm working with the documentation of our thesis in my boyfriend's house because my laptop's video card overheated and I can't open it. My mom said to me that Cody was acting very weird lately; he wouldn’t finish his food and keeps on shivering when he is trying to sleep. I bought and gave Cody some medicines and he becomes lively again after that, but I couldn’t play with him or give him enough attention and affection because I’m still occupied with all the school work. I can’t even say “Hello, Codykins!,” when I've arrived or “Goodbye my Codykins!,” when I’m about to go out.

It was Friday morning, and I’m about to go home from my boyfriend’s house when my sister text me and said that something happened to Cody. I thought it was just a joke but I felt very sad and worried about him. I was in front of our gate when I saw my dad and my brother digging in our garden, and my mom and my sister brushing the light brown fur of my Cody.He is dead....He died from an unknown condition that morning, my mom was the last person Cody wished for affection because my mom told me that Cody kept on insisting to pat his head and brush his fur. When she is about to cook lunch, they all heard a short wail or howl from Cody. They checked him outside to see what's going on and found Cody lying on the floor with his eyes open. He died 4 years and 6 months old, or 29 years old in human years last October 14, 2011 at 9:333am. I wished that I become more aware of his situation and gave him enough time to play with me, I even promised him that I will give him a bath if I'm done with all my work. I was crying and felt so guilty by not being with him all the time. All of us were sad that day and could smell candlesticks, we've lost a member of the family and we will never forget him. As of now, it has become a habit of mine to never forget to say "Hello, Codykins!," and "Goodbye, Codykins!," in his grave every time I arrive and go out.

We love you so much Cody!