We had heard it would be great therapy to get a dog for the boys after my oldest son, Joshua, passed away. Pets are supposed to be therapeutic for those that are healing. We forgot how much work and extra stress can also be attributed to adding another member to our family.

We drove to Ga to a cockapoo breeder who would not let us see their breeding house or the puppy’s parents, once we arrived. But the kids saw and held the little black ball of fur, with the white stomach and goatee. He looked like he was wearing a tux. My son thought all spies wore tuxedos, so they named him CodyBanks. Agent CodyBanks. We knew we were not driving home alone. The breeder knew it too.

We were concerned about his intelligent when he just could not seem to overcome the housetraining hurdle. He was convinced that carpet was grass and preferred any type of rug to going outside to do his business. This habit seemed to last forever. Good thing my husband sold carpet for a living.

Cody also had a strange fixation with chewing up dirty socks and underwear. He likes to dig in the dirty clothes basket to pull them out and later we find a few threads. Most of the time the fabric makes its way through him, which keeps the boys occupied studying the remains in the backyard. I remember last year, (it was on my birthday), the babysitter arrived and immediately took off her shoes and socks. I was on my way out the door when the kids yelled, “Cody ate the babysitter’s sock!” I figured it would just digest, but later I called my husband, Robert, who immediately called some vets to get their take on it.

He was told to be patient for a few days and see if Cody gets feverish and sick. If so, they would surgically remove the sock. He envisioned dollar signs everywhere. So he called another vet, who told him that peroxide worked good to get anything back up. (I wish I was home that day to see all of this). Robert took peroxide and tilted Cody’s head back and poured it into his mouth. Cody immediately hacked it back out and right into Robert’s eyes. After his eyes stopped foaming and he could see again, he got some more and poured a heaping dose down Cody’s throat, determined to keep it there. Sure enough Cody began to regurgitate. And he regurgitated and regurgitated all over the yard. Along with everything else, up came one hot pink babysitter footie sock.

We thought this unpleasant experience would train Cody to avoid the socks forever, but no. He continued to chew and I was continuing to purchase new packs of socks and underwear on a monthly basis. I guess we should learn to keep our dirty laundry well hidden, but with all boys, it has been a constant flow. But as the years have gone by, (Cody is now 4), he has provided us with a never ending tail wag and constant companionship. He has loved us through all of our grieving and stress and anger and depression and everything that a family walks through when they lose a family member. He has seen us at our worst(our dirtiest laundry!), and we have seen him at his. What better example could we find of unconditional true agape love? All he asks for is a rousing game of fetch and occasional loving.

Now as we are on our fourth year with Cody, I realize that somewhere along the way, he became completely house trained. He doesn’t seem to chew up as much, but will still carry around a sock just for attention. He even thinks he is now a 35 pound lap dog and makes himself comfortable whether he is invited or not.

We have realized that what we were told is really true. He is great for us and a necessary member of our family dynamics. We are still walking through our own issues with grief and healing, but he has been instrumental in helping us cope and overcome. We constantly aspire to the saying, “I want to be the person my dog thinks I already am.” We are grateful for our Cody Banks. I have invested a small fortune in new undergarments for us all, but we love him unconditionally, dirty laundry and all.

By: Sophia Dare

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