Good boy, Cody!

His nickname was Cody Coyote and he deserved every bit of it. Everything about Cody was bigger. He was bigger than the average husky, for one thing. His zoomies were zoomier. His naughtiness was naughtier. It wasn't that I didn't understand huskies, my purebred, Katie had given me a crash course in husky weirdness. But this boy was wild! Frankly, he was jumping on my last nerve.

He didn't start off that way. When I met him as a two month old puppy at my local Humane Society, he had been practically starved to death. The worker told me that if they had gotten there a day later, he wouldn't have made it. I could literally see every bone in his little body. His ears were bitten and scabbed. The worker thought that the other puppies drove him from what little food was available.

He was scared of everything. The sound of the dishwasher starting sent him scuttling from the kitchen. He was afraid of the gas stove when it was turned on. He was the only dog I ever knew that was afraid of bacon. As soon as the sizzling sound started, he would take off.

After a while, he started to feel secure and the naughtiness began. He literally ate my couch. It wasn't separation anxiety, he would do it right in front of me. I was beyond frustrated with this dog!

Now I knew from previous experience, that a tired husky was a good husky. But when I tried to walk him, he would pull so hard that I looked like I was waterskiing down the road. He would drag me from side to side and I could only take so much before I had to give up and go home.

Each day on our walks, I would see a tall, blond woman walking a Rottweiler. I avoided them because I didn't want her dog to eat my dog. Then one day, she pulled up next to us in her car without her dog. We talked about Cody as she petted him. She told me that her Rottweiler, Jade was an obedience champion and described her as "zen." Well, there was nothing that remotely resembled "zen" about Cody but when she suggested that we walk them together, I figured I had nothing to lose.

We started off with the people walking side by side and the dogs on the outside. At first, Cody was his usual nightmarish walker, pulling hard to get on Jade's side. Fortunately, Jade was non-reactive, otherwise she would have killed him right then and there. But she truly was zen. She was calm and a bit on the stuffy side.

It took a few walks before the magic began to happen. Jade taught Cody so much without saying a word. She simply showed him how a good dog behaved. He stopped pulling so hard, which meant I could walk him for longer periods of time. This impacted his behavior at home as he was finally getting an adequate amount of exercise to burn off his enormous energy.

What surprised me was that Jade also learned from Cody. As he veered off to the side of the road to sniff a tree or chase a bug, she became curious. She also became more playful, and would initiate play either with Cody or the humans. She was helping Cody to grow up and he was making her young again.

My gratitude to Jade knew no bounds. My wild child was calming down and the sweet side of his nature began to emerge. I actually began to enjoy him. Instead of dreading his walks, they became the best part of my day. Jade's human, Deb became one of my closest friends and we influenced each other in much the same way as Cody and Jade.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Deb and Jade moved back to Illinois. My mother, who had lived with me ever since my dad passed away, developed dementia. We stayed in touch but inevitably grew apart.

Then came the day when Deb called and told me that Jade had bone cancer. We cried together and then laughed as we recalled the beautiful memories we shared.

Deb made Jade's last days as comfortable as she could. But at last, her great heart gave out and she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. No words are adequate enough to describe the sense of loss I felt when this canine mentor left this earth.

In September of 2019, it was Cody's turn to cross the Bridge. For the last year of his life, he had suffered from seizures. Those last few days, the seizures wouldn't stop and I knew it was time.

As I held him for his last hour, I kept telling him to go find Jade. I knew she would be waiting for him. She would be as patient as ever and would teach him all about the wonderful land that lies just beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

As I always do when I have to make that last terrible decision, I cupped my hand around his muzzle so his last scent would be mine. Cody earned his silver harness, yes he did. But it would have been impossible if the greatest dog trainer in the world, Jade had not been there to show him the way.