Kody…

We had lived together at the farm for a couple of years when I started thinking about maybe getting a puppy.  The Man never really seemed very keen on the idea for one reason or another, so when I saw an ad in the local paper for some Golden puppies just up the road, I convinced him to go for a ride and “just look at them”.  When we arrived, all of the 9 puppies had just gorged themselves on their supper, and they could barely move.  Those fat bellies didn’t even come close to clearing the ground, so the time was right for a nap in the noon day sun.  Adorable in their slumber as they were, I started to worry about how the Man could be charmed by a puppy that had no interest in us whatsoever.  That changed rather quickly, when out of the dozing pile of honey colored puppies we saw movement.  We watched with amazement as this particularly round puppy slowly crawled his way towards us.  With the grass a bit on the longer side, the 6 week old puppy was having trouble with traction, but he eventually made his way to our feet.  As the Man scratched the exhausted pup, I pointed out that it must be fate that we should choose this puppy as our own, for he had chosen us.  Before we knew it, we had handed over a deposit, along with the promise to return in two weeks to take him home.  We settled on a name for him, Kody, after his handsome father, Dakota, and counted the days until our first-born arrived at the Farm.  The day finally came for Kody to come home, we couldn’t have been more excited!  He quickly made himself comfortable, including figuring out where his food dish was.  It didn’t take us long to figure out that when he “chose” us on that first day, he had simply been looking for more food.  Puppy chow was his reason for living, and if he didn’t get fed when or as much as he wanted, he would crawl under a bush and pout.  Being the only dog on the Farm, he quickly trained us to meet his every need and want.  Kody and the Man bonded immediately, and most evenings I would find the both of them curled up on the couch together, something they still do.  It has been 9 years since Kody came into our lives, and as other pets have joined us, and others left us, he has taken on the roll of the wise old man.  When my lab, Gracie, joined us 6 years ago, Kody showed her the ropes as only an older dog can.  He is the Old Man on the Farm now, as his graying face and cloudy eyes reminds us.  He still makes the rounds to inspect his domain every day, but his movements are slow and deliberate as he walks the rock walls bordering the fields.  Food, along with his nightly couch cuddles, is still his reason for living, and we probably spoil him with treats more than we should.  In the end, it is us who are spoiled, as we are given back love and affection ten-fold.