Memoirs of Kody Pupsons: In lasting memory of our puppy is our life with our puppy, Kody Pupsons. He passed away Christmas Eve day 12/24/18. I found our puppy 12 1/2 years ago at the Cowlitz Humane Society office here in Longview, WA on July 3, 2003. As I walked by the cages trying to select a puppy for us, I came upon one cage that contained a young lab. He was the only puppy not barking and would tilt his head at me as I looked at him. I knew in an instant this was the puppy for us. I went home to get Mary Ann to show her her new birthday present. Mary Ann and I then went on route from the humane society office to our home, first going to Petco to buy many toys. We then preceded on to our home at New Estates where he was to become our close family companion for the next 12 1/2 years. We have many memories of him. He was about the most perfect puppy one could have ever had. We never had to train him to do anything. One of his outstanding accolades from day one was not soiling in the house. He would go to the sliding door in our kitchen, scratch on the door to be let out and likewise scratch on the plastic cover on the outside of the house when he wanted in. While working in my bedroom office, I would turn around and there he would be, lying next to me on the floor, sleeping. If I went out back behind the house to bring split wood by our smaller by our smaller wood storage shed located next to the house, he would lie on the nearby grass waiting for me to finish. In the house, if I moved from one room to another, he would move with me. In the morning when he saw me putting on my coat to go to the mailbox, he was right there ready to go with me. When supper time came, he would come into the house and stand there rotating his head and slowly backing up, growling softly and shaking his head. Mary Ann called this "his hungry dance". He was a wonderful travel companion. He knew what rest stops were for and always did his thing before returning back to our car. He went with us several times to our family cabin, Rainbow Cottage near Cooke City, Montana. He would fish with me on the nearby Soda Butte Creek. He went with us on several trips to California to see Ted and Jennifer in Lake Forest and to Tucson Arizona when we visited our dear friends, Nancy and Chuck Henson. He was with us several times when we stopped to see Teryn and Bart in Ventura, CA. He made several trips through Utah and Arizona with us to include one trip where we rented a house for one month in Green Valley, AZ. During one of our fishing trips near Cooke City, Montana, we fished several nearby lakes. One memorable fishing adventure with Kody happened when Mary Ann, Charlie and Nancy Henson were out fishing on Island Lake in their boat and Kody and I were fishing on the shore. As Charlie, Nancy and Mary Ann came by within voice range, Kody heard Mary Ann's excieted voice catching a fish. He dove into the lake and started to swim towards her. The water was barely above freezing temp and I was panicked as I had visions of Kody becoming hypothermic. Charlie saw me frantically waving, pointing to Kody when Charlie turned his boat toward Kody. Mary Ann grabbed him by his collar and they towed him back to shore. Kody hopped out on shore, shook himself dry and went on his merry way as though nothing ever happened. Once on the Soda Butte, Mary Ann and I were stream fishing with him. He came up to me holding his mouth wide open, allowing me to remove a willow stick that was stuck in his teeth. He would always walk ahead of me in the thick grass and brush, guiding me back to the edge of Soda Butte Creek. He grew from a 7 1/2 pound puppy to a 100 pound lab with feet to match. He never tired of walking with me 1/2 mile each day to the mail box for mail and the newspaper. Along the road our neighbors always enjoyed petting Kody. He was always so loveable and friendly. Mary Ann especially loved him and would always enjoy making breakfast and supper for him. He was wonderful around children. He was very protective of Mary Ann. We built a beautiful fence around our back yard where he stayed inside most of the time barking at the FedEx/UPS trucks and garbage trucks when they occasionally passed by. Before we built the fence, the FedEx driver told me that he once clocked Kody at 28 miles per hour. There was something about FedEx/UPS trucks that got his barking attention. Sometimes when I would leave the gate open he would go out to explore our surrounding property, but would always come home on his own. When Kody was younger, he would hop up in bed at night, but found out after a while, when bed covers were too warm for him to crawl down to sleep at the foot of our bed. As he got older he couldn't get up onto our bed but he would continue to sleep at the foot of our bed. He loved riding in the back seat of my Jeep Gran Laredo when I would go into town. He especially enjoyed walking with me when I shopped at Lowes Hardware. This store is very pet friendly and everybody wanted to pet Kody. When traveling with us he always slept with us in motels. Kody will always be a long lasting, profound memory to us. He enabled me to become more caring towards all animals and especially puppies. I can't even kill a fly that gets inside of the house. I would catch it and carry it outside because of him. His picture is on the screens of both my I Phone and my Mac computer. Mary Ann commented jokingly more than once that Kody got more kisses from me than she did. It is a known fact that people who own pets live longer. We were so very attached to Kody that his passing will always be a memory in our hearts forever. Sometimes sadness can generate levity as well. We lost our beloved Labrador Christmas Eve day, so we had him cremated. His ashes were put into a small wooden urn. I then went to a sign maker's store bringing with me the typed out letters of his name that would be attached to the urn. As I gave her the typed out letters, I started to cry when the very kind clerk said, "Was this for your wife?", "No", I answered, "this was worse. It is for my puppy." After I arrived home I told Mary Ann what I had said and she broke out in laughter like I had never seen her laugh for some time. As a finality, with a profound love dedicated to our Kody Pupsons is the following poem "Rainbow Bridge": "Someday we will all be back together again". Joe and Mary Ann Rainbow Bridge: Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face, your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together... Author Unknown