A Memorial Tribute to Cody - Thank you for your Condolences

Thank you for your notes after Cody's sudden passing last Friday morning, March 6, 2026. We posted his photo and a note about what happened, and the messages we received were so appreciated. Today's blog is a look back at how we adopted Cody, and memories in our family. We realize that his passing came after he had learned his life lesson.

(Cody in the pickup truck from 2022, a year after we adopted him. Taking rides became one of his favorite things. Credit R.G.).

Our Thanks to You

     Thank you for all of your notes about Cody's sudden passing. Your notes, texts, messages and calls mean so much to us. 

   We've talked with a grief counselor, and he helped us work through our grief, guilt, self-blame (there's always that). Our counselor told us to light a candle nightly and talk about good memories, which we are doing. 

  We've gone over 1,000 times what happened, what we did and didn't see, and we understand it was his time, as totally unfair as that was to him and to us. We had pictures of him printed to go with his  ashes on a bookcase shelf of his own (next to the 6 shelves of our other kids' ashes). 

  Yesterday, the crematorium already had his ashes in a 1-day turnaround, so we picked them up. That was really emotional. We've kept his bed where it was with 2 of his toys, as we've kept Dash's and Tyler's. We are on our healing journey, and appreciate your kindness and love. 

 

Bonded with Tom 

From the minute we met him, Cody bonded with Tom. He became Tom's shadow. Over the years together, Tom was the only one who could get Cody out of bed to go outside. Cody always growled when being disturbed, but Tom could get away with it! Cody slept on Tom's bed, he followed Tom everywhere and he got annoyed when we went out and he couldn't go with us. I always called him "Cody Mouse," and I made up a little song about him - "There's a mouse in the house..." Tom would always call him "Pumpkin," and could always get Cody to stop growling and cooperate.  

(Photo: Cody at the ER Vet on March 5, 2026 for his ultrasound. Credit: R.G.)

Cody's Passing 

On March 6th, Tom posted a photo of Cody in memoriam. I wrote, "Tom and I are absolutely gutted today. Cody passed away at home unexpectedly this morning at 6:45am. We took him in for an ultrasound yesterday and learned that he had a large tumor on his liver but never expected him to pass today. We were going to make plans to have surgery and remove it. It's been an awful day, and we just can't talk to anybody right now. We have now lost all three dogs in 7 months, two from cancer and one from kidney failure."

How it all Began: Rescuing Cody

On April 30, 2021, we adopted Cody. Cody was an 8-pound long-haired, black/tan/white Dachshund/Terrier mix with one floppy ear and one ear that always stood straight up.

 

We were used to having three dogs, and since Franklin passed in May 2020, and Dolly passed in October 2020, there were only Tyler and Dash. So, we checked rescue websites, and Tom found Cody (then called Axel) at Sophia’s Grace Foundation website.

 

(Photo: Cody’s first day in the family. April 30, 2021. Credit: R. Gutro)

The Rescue

Sophia’s Grace Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, established to provide a safe and loving foster home system for Dachshunds and other small breeds while they wait for their forever homes. We service the East Coast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern areas of the country. It was established by my friend Corinne Zoscak.

 

Cody’s website photo was adorable and we quickly fell in love wit him. He didn’t have much history but we soon learned it through his behaviors. In fact, his birthdate was unknown, but he was thought to  be about 10 years old.

 

(Photo: Cody's happy face in 2022. Credit: R.G.) 

Cody had only been with a foster mother associated with the rescue for 2 weeks before we adopted him, and in that time, he was neutered and had a dental cleaning, which revealed a previously fractured jaw. Cody was “dumped” at a kill shelter and found by the rescue, who took him in.

Because Tyler and Dash were bonded with me, I wanted to ensure that Cody bonded with my husband, Tom. To do that, when we drove a couple of hours to meet the rescuer with Cody in Virginia I had Tom hold Cody in the passenger seat for the long drive home. It worked.

Bonding and Issues

Cody was a loner and didn’t associate with Tyler and Dash, which told us he was an only dog. We determined Cody was badly abused by a man because he was always growling and snapping. If someone would walk by him he would react defensively (because he was obviously kicked in the sides) and nip the leg or foot. We realized his fractured jaw was also from abuse, too.

 

 (Photo: Left to right: Dash, Tyler and Cody prep for their first walk together on April 30, 2021. Credit: R. Gutro)

There is always a chance that a rescue dog has been abused. Like Cody, Dash and Tyler were both abused as we learned.

 

Cody came to us with a lot of anger and distrust from his previous home (I refuse to call previous homeowners "pet parents" if they were abusive). We worked with a trainer, and also had to resort to putting Cody on prozac because of his issues. Both of those helped him to be less angry and reactive and start to enjoy his life. 

Cody's Transformation Through Love and Patience

Over the 3 years and 10 months we had with Cody, we watched him transform into a scared and angry little dog to one who became loving and protective of Tom. He became Tom’s shadow.

 

(Photo: Christmas 2024, when Cody claimed a squeaky christmas ornament toy as his own. Credit: R.G.) 

Whenever we would say, “Do you want to go for a ride?” He would start dancing around and squeaking in delight! He also insisted on sitting in Tom’s lap in the pickup truck, while Dash and Tyler sat in the back seat-belted in.

 

Whenever I would open the center console of the truck, Cody would squeak in delight, because he knew I stored treats in there, and he would always get some.

(Photo: Cody would fall asleep in Tom's arms. Credit: R.G.) 

We took the boys everywhere. We would go through Dunkin’ drive-throughs and get lunch and park near a river. If we had errands, all the boys would go with us and one of us would stay in the truck with them.

We made a forest path in our backyard, and they all loved exploring it. Cody was the only one of the boys that didn’t mind meeting other dogs. Tyler and Dash saw other dogs as a threat and would bark. But Cody would greet them.

Like his brothers, Cody loved three treat time at 7:30 p.m. nightly. Sometimes he and the others tried to make me do it earlier!

(Photo: Tyler, Dash and Cody. Credit: R.G)

Cody's Mission

The day after Cody passed, we were talking about how he changed so much since he first arrived in our family. That was his mission with us. 

  Cody's transformation was more evident after Tyler and Dash passed. He started drinking out of the waterbowl with Dash. He climbed into bed with Dash when Dash was sickly. Cody no longer fought us about eating breakfast or taking pills, he ate and wanted more. He didn't growl or snap at us when we would ask him to go out, instead, at the sound of a treat bag, he got up and went outside. He finally became totally happy by the time he passed. 

Cody’s personality had totally transformed from an angry abused dog to one who finally found love and comfort in this life. 

You'll read about what happened in tomorrow's blog.