A Tribute to Noah

Our Noah crossed the rainbow bridge on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Noah first came to us from Friends for Life as a foster in the fall of 2008. In a short time we knew he was part of our family and we adopted him in February of 2009. He had medical issues with his teeth and digestion that were overcome working with Dr. Sam and the dental specialist over several months.

Noah was not a dog of tricks and chasing after balls or chewing on toys. Noah loved people. He made instant friends with everyone he met. During our daily walks, he knew and greeted many people in the neighborhood. He would also greet their 4 legged companions but he was mainly interested in the 2 legged companions. He love to be petted and you never know – there may be a treat.

Here is a tribute to Noah written by my husband.

Saying Goodbye to Noah
By James Clancy

Once again, I am faced with the pain of parting with a loved one, which seems to equal my suffering experienced when I lost my Father and Mother. This time it is our doggie Noah, who has been our companion of two wonderful years. It seems unlikely to compare the pain of loss of parents with the loss of a pet but the pain I experience seems as authentic and deep as any previously experienced.

Often times we say that we will not accept the attachment for our doggies and the eventual pain of loss associated with them. We know that however youthful and alive they are as youngsters, that will pass and we will eventually be faced with their irrevocable loss. Perhaps by choosing doggies as companions we implicitly accept the pain we will experience at the end of the relationship.

Perhaps we need to look at our relationships with our doggies in a different way. Let me suggest that we think of them as beloved guests in our lives.

A guest, especially a house guest, whether friend or relative comes and we have the understanding that someday they will leave. When any guest arrives, we experience the excitement and newness of a developing relationship. Every house guest and every relationship has its ups and downs and our time with our doggies is no exception. We ascribe to our doggies a personality with quirks and traits, both good and bad. We come to understand their needs and pleasures and will cater to those needs in much the same way we entertain a houseguest. However much we enjoy the guest, we know that the visit will not last forever and must end. We accept this as a natural course of events. (Some who host their in-laws and relatives may suggest that the end is a welcome relief and a thankful return to a more normal life). We know that no matter how fun, enjoyable, pleasing, exciting the visit is, the guest must move on. This is much the same with our doggies. They are but visitors in o
ur lives and how much we may refuse to accept their passing, they will pass. The visit will come to an end.

We must hold in our hearts the memory of that visit. We must remember that our doggies remain alive in our minds and hearts even after their passing. We will always have the fun and pleasure of their visit. But remember also, that the next visitor into our lives is but a moment away or perhaps a just a short visit to a nearby animal shelter. If we expect this next visitor to be the same as our lost pet, remember even the visit of close relatives is always different. They as we all do, change with each passing moment, each new adventure in their lives. When the beloved human guest returns, they will be a different person and, try as we might, they will never match the memories we have of the previous visit. I believe that in much the same way, our next visitor will never match our old memories and they should not. As much as I would wish the return of my lost doggie, my last visitor, he would not be the same! He would be a new visitor, eager to share my life and the a
dventures that we would cook up, the times we would spend together.

I will try not to mourn, greatly, the loss of my doggies. Rather I will look for the next visitor knowing that our times and his personality will be different. We can't hold onto those things we love in our lives for but brief passing moments. I know that my time with Noah was all I could make of it. I don't know if it will help me to think of him as just a visitor however true that may be. But I will miss him and perhaps the pain of that loss will be more bearable when I think of the good times we will have on his next visit.

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