This is Cody

Our new Little Kid with a Fuzzy Coat

[Cody at 10-weeks Old][And at 3-Months Old][His First Swim, Sail, Kayak]
[Cody & Bubba @ 5 Months Old][Cody at Six Month][Cody's 1st Xmas - 8 Months Old] [Cody at 1-1/2 Years Old][Cody at Put-in-Bay][Cody and Mercedes at Put-in-Bay][Cody and the New Model T Speedster][Cody at 6 Years Old with Speedster at Winery] [Cody and his 7th Birthday] [Cody Elected as Sergeant at Arms] [Cody Trophies at the Middle Bass Challenge Race] [Cody Gets Cancer and Maybe is Cured] [Cody Finally Loses to Cancer]

Here he is at 10 weeks doing some fancy posing

To Demonstrate his prowess amongst beasts, here Cody attacks his Duck-Billed Platypus.

And comes out the victor!

More on Cody as he grows up later!

3 Months Old

Yesterday (July 25th)Cody celebrated his 3 month-old birthday (Cody was born on April 25, 2002)

As you can see he is growing rapidly. When we first got him Cody weighed only about 12 pounds. Now, he is around 23 pounds -- our little baby is growing up.

And as a true Golden Retriever he is already very fond of fetching tennis balls.

More Later as he grows up!

Three and Half Months Old

Yesterday was a big day for Cody. He went for his first swim, first kayak ride, and first time sailing.

Cody follows Mom around everywhere she goes. Well, to his surprise she walked right out into the water, and he followed.., and followed. The next thing he knew he was swimming.

It was then Cody became a true Tennis Ball Retriever.

Although, after getting thoroughly soggy, Cody started looking more like an Otter than a Golden Retriever.

While in the water Cody got to play with his niece Julia and nephew Riley (Stacy's oldest two children)

Cody even got to do a little Noodle swimming

Mom took Cody for his first Kayak ride as the kids watch on.

Cody takes his first sailboat ride on a Hobie Wave and finally gets his hands (oops! paws) on the helm.

He also took his turn on watch

And after getting totally soggy one has to dry out by rolling in the sand.

But, I am still sooooo cute!

After a very full day of swimming, kayaking and sailing, Cody got some well-earned shut eye.

He was really conked out!

Stay tuned for more as Cody grows up.

Cody at Five Months Old

Cody has grown up fast and now weighs 50 pounds. Seems like yesterday he was only 13 pounds. He has been going to kindergarten and has really learned well. He now heels, sits, downs, comes, stays, and has always shook hands.

Cody and Bubba (his Yellow Lab Friend) have their weekly wrestling and playing match

After a while they start getting tired but try to keep looking tough as they can.

Bubba has just about had it in this picture.

Then they both keel over but still keep at it in a horizontal postion!

Finally, they agree to give it up for a while!

After a tough bout they both head for the cooler for a well deserved drink.

Cody at 6 Months

Cody has shown remarkable learning ability for a puppy. We entered him into kindergarten and then Elementary School where he graduated 10 weeks ahead of time and in a record time over any other puppies in the school. He is now in Advanced Training Classes with adult dogs and is the most obedient dog in that class as well.

His teacher thinks he must have some really good genes somewhere in there for intelligence

He still loves sailing, swimming and all water sports. Below are some pictures of him helping us with a regatta. We asked him to load the marks on the boat.

Cody at 8-months Old on Christmas day

Cody was born on April 25th, so at Christmas he was eight months old. It was his first Christmas and was very happy about getting more play toys and treats.

The highlight of the holidays for him was a visit from Joey Johnson (Joey is our Grandson and I believe Cody is Joey's Uncle). The two of them spent most of their time in, on and around the water and beach.

These two youngsters had a good time playing in the water all week -- both were pretty soggy the entire visit by Joey

Being a cat dog (catamaran dog, that is) Cody already knows how to use beach wheels and always helps the sailors to launch and bring their boats back up on the beach.

After a full day of playing Cody and Joey relax in the comfort of a recliner and watch a little TV.

Cody is Now a Grown, Young and Handsome Gentleman

In July of 2003, Kathy Maloney, our Bookkeeper had her new Baby girl (Siobhan, pronounced Schi-Bon) and she and Cody really hit it off together. Cody would give her big kisses and she would giggle hysterically.

Cody wanted to get into construction, and wanted to do some roofing work.

But Cody decided he would rather be on the water and so opted to be a Bosun'

And after a hard day of working and playing, Cody reposes on Dad

Put-in-Bay 2004

We Spent the summer at Put-in-Bay, Ohio ( a beautiful island in western Lake Erie) and while we were there, we had a visit from Rick and Diane Roten, Hobie 20 catamaran sailors, with their two Golden Retrievers, Jake (2 years old) and Gus (8 months old).

The three dogs really hit it off and began good buddies right off the bat.

From left to right, Cody, Jake and Gus

Rick Roten entertains the troops

After lots of playing and running, Diane Roten offers the boys refreshments

After a tiring day, the gang wanted to come in and get some rest

Parading at Put-in-Bay in 2005

Mary and I have a 1929 Model A Ford that we have had since 1962. We refinished back then and it was about the best looking car on Put-in-Bay Island. But in the fall of 2004 I decided that is was the 2nd rattiest looking car on the island.

So, I put it in the shop and it was supposed to be ready by the spring of 2005 so we could keep using it for the weekly Antique Car Parades on Sundays.

Well, it was not finished and as of fall of 2005 it isn't even close. Perplexed, in June I found and acquired a replica 1929 Mercedes Gazelle Roadster.

Here is Mary, Cody and I (Rick) getting ready for the parade:

Cody always sits with his butt up on the back of the seat, like he was parade celebrity. He gets more attention than all the beautiful and expensive cars. History on wheels worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and all we hear is, "Ah! Look at the dog!"

And here is a picture of Cody's Mom and Dad and Uncle Dick and Aunt Betty Bliss at the Pre-Parade Party (Photo by Diane Nemek):

l. to r., Dick & Betty Bliss, Rick White and Mary Wells

A New, but Very Old Car, Comes to Cody's Family

This summer I picked up a great antique car on EBay.., a 1908 Model T Speedster. The engine and drive train to the car are 1926. When I brought the car home I discovered it had loads of brass and copper, but it was all dark and tarnished. After a lot of elbow grease it is starting to shine nicely. By next year it should look like gold. This is one of the most unique cars on the island.

Cody loves the car and he remains a big hit in the Weekly Antique Car Parade.

Six Years Old at the Winery's 4 O'Clock Club

It is now June of 2008 and Cody is 6 years old, but still very much the puppy. He is extremely sweet and lovable.

At Put-in-Bay many of the business and shop owners, old timers, and many other locals gather at Heineman's Winery daily at 4PM. It is now called the 4 O'Clock Club. Here they all sit around drinking Burgundy and recalling old times, new times, and telling anecdotes and other lies.

Most drive an antique car to the Club Meeting. Personally, I drive my 1908 Model T Speedster with Cody in the Shotgun Seat. Once there he stays outside and entertains folks visiting the winery and does a very good job of it.

Last week a lovely couple took a bunch of pix of him and were kind enough to send them to me by email. Thanks to Loi Dang for the following pictures:

Below is the Model T Speedster after it got a brand new paint job and some new side lamps

Cody on his 7th Birthday

Our Real Estate guy took this on the patio in Key Largo with his I-Phone. Pretty good picture

        This is incredible. Yesterday, April 25th, Mary and I were sitting there watching TV after breakfast. Cody was sort of antsy and kept staring at both of us. Seemingly, he wanted some sort of attention or wanted us to do something for him.
        So, we made sure the door was open. That wasn't it. He had already had his breakfast, so that was not the problem either.
        He continued to be sort of ticked at us for not knowing what he wanted.
        Well, a couple of hours later he found a toy Birthday Cake, which had not seen around the house for over a year and brought it in and handed it to me.
        Then it came to me, "Oh My! It is April 25! Cody's birthday!"
        He was seven yesterday, but still the puppy.

        I know this sounds bazaar, but it has to be more than coincidence -- the toy had been missing for a long, long time. He has cazillions of other toys all over the place.
        So, why did he just happen to select a birthday cake toy on his birthday? Huh?

        The attached pictures were posed and not impromptu, but the story is true.
Unbelievable,
Rick

OK, Mom and Dad. Is it time to blow out the candles?

He closed his eyes and got a big breath to blow out the candles (Now.., this is fiction on my part)

And then does a high five rejoicing his birthday.

Cody Elected as Sergeant at ArmsCody elected as Sergeant at Arms of the Duggan Antique Car Club in Put-in-Bay, Ohio

In August of 2009 Cody was elected as Sergeant at Arms of the club, and at the same time his Uncle Dick Bliss was named President.

On Sunday Evening, after the Parade, Cody relaxes to the Lawrence Welk Show

Cody Trophies at the Middle Bass Challenge

The first Middle Bass Challenge Race was held starting from south side of Middle Bass Island and circumnavigating it and North Bass Island, in the opposite direction -- a figure eight course, with your option of going either way.

Cody sailed with me and while we were actually 9th place out of 10 boats, They honored Cody the First Place Trophy for the Dog/Man Class. Here is getting his trophy

Barbie Beckford was the photographer for the event and took these action shots of Cody

"Finally heading for the beach"

"Heck, I'll swim the last hundred feet.., probably can swim faster than Dad can sail!"

"Aaaah! Phew, that was a long trip!"

"Finally, Dry land.., feel like kissing it!"

"MMM, MMM, MMM. Life is Good!"

Cody at 8 ½ Get Cancer of the Lymph Nodes – Lymphoma

At first we thought that it was just because he was eight and getting a little older, but Cody wasn’t as playful as usual. He was getting more and more lethargic and was doing a lot of sleeping. He was always very enthusiastic about getting his breakfast and dinner – he would give us a spinning and jumping dance to earn his meals.
We really started getting worried when he stopped doing his dances and did not even ask for breakfast. Mary wrote it off, saying, “Dogs know what is good for themselves.” But, I was getting concerned. This was about 3 weeks prior to us returning to Key Largo for the winter. I thought we would just wait and see our regular vet in the Keys, since we did not have one in Ohio.
However, he daily was getting worse. Mary said to me, “We have a problem. His Lymph Nodes are swollen on both sides of his neck.”
Mary got on the phone and called all the vets on the mainland in the area describing his malady and most pointed to a Vet in Lorain that specialized in Cancer. We made an appointment for the following Wednesday, about 5 days away. By that time he was really falling to pieces.
The Vet said he might live for a month or so. But, for $4000 he would be put on chemo saying he might go into remission within 6 months, but would probably die about 6 months later anyway. Great picture, eh?
Mary and I went on an internet rampage, Googling anything and everything on cancer. We found a couple of labs that have had great success using alternate protocols on humans and animals, not approved by FDA. The chemicals are only advertised and sold for consumption and use by animals. And the cost was very low, since they used basically over the counter chemicals. Apparently, if the the pharmaceuticals cannot make any money, treatments are not approved by the FDA – more wonderful news about government control of our lives, eh?.
So, working with two of the research labs, we started him on Hydrazine Sulfate. After a week he was not responding and crashing fast -- lost 10 pounds, would not eat, and could not even hold his head up. I thought he was going to die within a week or so.
They then started him additionally on Cesium Chloride mixed with DMSO and we applied it topically. DMSO is famous for being able to penetrate the skin and enter our systems. I have used it for years on the my knees, back, neck and shoulder when I am hurting – it is basically sold as a Horse Lineament. It also has the ability to mix with other chemicals, attach them and take those chemicals into the system with it. Additionally we administered Potassium and a product that adds an additional part of oxygen to the system (since cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygen environment, this is said to help. The next possible protocol would by Hydrogen Peroxide which is simpy H202, meaning it adds more oxygen to the system, hopefully killing cancer cells)
Within 3 days he was starting to get perky, ate a little, drank a lot of water and generally just seemed as if the decline in his health had slowed up.
By that time we were in Key Largo again, and took him to the local Vet. That was after a week on the additional protocol. He stopped losing weight and gained 2 pounds back, he held his head high, was in great spirits, and was eating reasonably.
We expected the Vet to bad mouth the whole thing, but instead he just could not get over what he was seeing. A dog literally brought back to life. He kept us there about an hour asking questions. He was really interested inasmuch as he had just lost his Great Dane to Cancer in August, and that was after chemo treatment.
That was Thursday, and here it is Sunday and he now has a ravenous appetite and he is full of energy. It is a miracle.
However, we are not breaking out the champagne yet. But, at least we think we have made a lot of progress with him.
And that makes me think.., if I had cancer I might just pursue the same route, rather than suffer all the radiation and chemo.
At any rate, we are still praying for him and hope you will as well. He is a such a loving and wonderful dog. If he were to pass on there would a lot of Antique Car People, Winery Goers, Sailors and others that would miss him dearly.
Through it all he loved his Dog Cookies.., at his lowest ebb, that was the only thing he would still eat.

And in November of 2010, I wrote this Editorial in the Catamaran Sailor Magazine:

I know this column is supposed to be about sailing, but this fall Mary and I had our thoughts and efforts devoted to one thing, and one thing only. Keeping Cody, our 8-year-old Golden Retreiver alive.
This column was also very close to being an eulogy. Instead it is a column of thanks and gratitude.
It all started in late summer. We noticed that Cody had lost some of his friskiness, but simply wrote it off as normal aging -- after all, Mary and I are no longer spring chickens either.
Yet, he was always right there to get in the Ford Model T Speedster and head for Heineman’s Winery every day for our 4 O’Clock Club, where all the old timers, business owners, Mayors or whomsoever would drop by driving their antique cars, share bottles of Burgundy, tell lies and solve world problems.
Cody would sit and stay in the car and entertain hundreds of folks entering and exiting the winery. Almost all would stop to see the antique cars parked outside the door, and all would pet Cody, or take his picture, or get their picture taken with him.
One of the old timers said, “He gets his picture taken more than Perry’s Monument!” The monument is located on Put-in-Bay, an island in western Lake Erie and commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie in 1812 and is the Peace Memorial between Canada and USA. It is one of the tallest monuments in the United States.
And Cody seemed to be more picturesque. And he loved the attention.
All the islanders loved Cody and most would be sure to have a dog cookie ready for him when they saw him.
The Islanders have a weekly Antique Car Parade, with almost 100 cars participating. Cody was made honorary Sergeant at Arms of the Antique Car Club. He now has a shirt with the proper stripes to display in the parade.
He would proudly ride shotgun next to me, and when we passed the crowds I would ask him to “Shake.” He would raise his paw and reach out toward the crowd.
We love this guy as if he were a son.., hmmm. I guess he is our son.
At any rate, this fall Cody got more and more lethargic. He was seemingly getting old very quickly.
Then one day Mary said, “We have a problem. His Lymph Glands on both sides of his neck were swollen to the size of golf balls.
We took him to an Oncologist Vet within a few days and there we were told he had Lymphoma. He would not live much longer.
The solution they offered was Chemotherapy for six months, and added he would probably die within six months after that. Pretty bleak outlook.
Thanks to the internet I discovered several alternatives for cancer treatment
We found a couple of labs that have had great success using alternate protocols on humans and animals, not approved by FDA. The chemicals are only advertised and sold for consumption and use by animals. And the cost was very low, since they used basically over the counter chemicals. Apparently, if the the pharmaceuticals cannot make any money, treatments are not approved by the FDA – more wonderful news about government control of our lives.
So, working with two of the research labs, we started him on Hydrazine Sulfate. After a week he was not responding and crashing fast -- lost 10 pounds, would not eat, and could not even hold his head up. I thought he was going to die within a week or so.
They then started him additionally on Cesium Chloride mixed with DMSO and we applied it topically. DMSO is famous for being able to penetrate the skin and enter our systems, hopefully killing cancer cells
Within 3 days he was starting to get perky, ate a little, drank a lot of water and generally just seemed as if the decline in his health had slowed up. Weeks later he has now gained back the lost weight and added a couple of pounds, his fur is lustrous and he plays all the time now. The Lymph Nodes are no longer swollen and we cannot even locate them now.
We pray that this is all not just a last hurrah before the end. We don’t think so -- he just keeps getting better and better.
By spring I hope I can tell all friends at Put-in-Bay that Cody beat the odds and is back in business as Sergeant at Arms and Winery Entertainer.
I will be praying this is so.

Some said it already sounded like an eulogy.

Christmas 2010, Cody's Last One

He had a great time. Although he was getting to the point he could barely walk, for some reason that day he did a great job of walking and really enjoyed meeting our Daughter-in-Laws many animals.

Cody meets a horse for the first time. Leah's miniature horse, Reese. They immediately bonded.

Well, at least Reese bonded to Cody and she followed him everywhere.

Reese still following Cody.

And now on New Years Eve of 2010, our wonderful and beloved Cody has passed on. I have had many dogs in my life, but he was the most loving of all of them. Mary and I were forced to take him to the vet to send him off to sleep. His eyes were still trusting and sweet as I told him for the last time, "I love you!" But, he is going to a better place to visit Nugget, Cain, Duchess and Onyx until I come to get them and take them home.

Our Granddaughter, Julia Jantz wrote this about Cody:

Cody was a great dog, maybe even the greatest! You couldn't help but smile when you looked into his sweet face. EVERYONE loved him! The thing that got me the most, was realizing how much that GREAT dog had to suffer. I don't understand why ...though! I don't understand why the best of things have to be taken away from us! Especially when they are taken away from us in a way that causes them huge amounts of pain and suffering. I guess it's just to show how brave they are, and that even in the worst of times they will still be there for us! That really truly shows that Cody was the best! Even in his lowest moments, I'm sure that he was still thinking of you, and how much he loves you. That truly shows what a great dog he was! Maybe that's why he had to leave us, to show us really how great he was. It made us appreciate what a wonderful dog he was even more then we may have realized if he was still with us at this very moment. Really thinking about that, makes me smile! Cody was an AMAZING dog, and his still is, just, somewhere else, that's all!
I love you Grandma, and wish you and Grandpa the best!
I love you Cody

I am not sure, but sometimes I think dogs are better people than people are. With that being said, I have to add I know a hell of a lot of great people.

A Dog's Prayer

Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

When it is cold and wet, please take me inside... for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements... and I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth... though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land... for you are my god... and I am your devoted worshiper.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest...and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.

--Beth Norman Harris

Sorry to Say There Will be No More Adventures of Cody