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Brandy Noel
Brandy Noel is a cocker spaniel
who entered the world on October 17, 1993. She lived to be one week shy
of her 15th birthday, and passed from this world to Heaven on
10/11/08. With her passing, she took a big part of our hearts, where
there now remains a hole that shall be filled upon our reuniting when it
is our turn to pass from this Earth.
I once read that you don’t pick a
dog; that the dogs in your life pick you. How very true those words
resonated on December 19, 1993.. The moment our eyes locked amidst the
barking and chaos, we were hooked. Her eyes fixated on ours while all
the other dogs barked or paced, trembled and pleaded to be released from
their cages. Our girl said, “It’s about time you got here, you’ve
been waiting for me all your life.”
Maybe you know this look, the gaze
that refuses to let go the first time your eyes lock. Miss Independent
simply sat there, annoyed to have been in a cage at all, tiny squeak toy
and pellets of dog food strewn about, soiled newspaper beneath (clearly
not an environment to which she wished to become accustomed). It is said
that when you find “the one,” your true love in this life, it’s as if
time stands still. You are not just in the moment, you are the
moment. This was ours.
She was such a gorgeous dog inside
and out. Our Brandy was and always will be a child to us. She went
everywhere with us, visited the elderly in nursing homes and a high
rise, traveled the country with us (in a car, never on a plane), had her
own pet health insurance, and truly made our lives complete. With a
home-based career, she was a part of our lives for 24/7. Twice she had
mast cell cancer and twice we beat it. She had cherry eye and overcame
that. She had a patellar luxation, and Cornell University's top
orthopedic surgeon fixed that. We always kept her in tip-top shape, with
the best food, lots of love and care, walks, play sessions, and so much
more.
In her time on Earth, she went on
every vacation with us and shared her love and zest for life every step
of the way. From the beaches of Maine and Cape Cod to the Grand Ole Opry
in Tennessee, the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and even the
battlefields of Gettysburg… a photo album of her life shows that warm
cocker smile and eternal puppy gaze that endeared her to us and those
she encountered. For the memories etched in our hearts, we are forever
grateful.
How we shall remember her always
is in a photograph from 2001, in the prime of her life. Our baby girl
was selected as the national winner of the Mighty Dog calendar contest
and graced their calendar cover, won $2,500, and we donated a year’s
supply of food to a local animal shelter. Magazines, newspapers, and
television media treated her like a celebrity.. All our little girl knew
was that she chased a stick and that mommy took a picture of that
moment. Forever mighty, that’s how she will remain until we meet again.
Her illness came sudden, which
might just be a blessing. I won’t go into great detail about the final
moments except that we were there, it was peaceful, she went from little
snores of cocker life, to the ceasing of breathing and the passing of
her sick weak body, as her spirit moved on. We had her individually
cremated, and her ashes are here in an urn with us.
She is definitely in heaven, the
heaven that is a mere breath away, and she has come to us in our
dreams, in the stars, and has given us very unique signs that she is
amongst us. But the day to day living and not having her here, the
routines we shared, the love and bond of physical closeness…. those we
miss the most.
We are true cocker spaniel lovers,
and we have chosen to open our hearts and our homes to another, whose
name is Dexter. We truly believe Brandy would want us to be happy in our
time on Earth, as she always embraced every day. OBG and all the work
and passion for cockers given from the heart means so much to us, and we
will continue to donate in Brandy Noel’s memory. Our home will always
have the pitter patter of cocker feet in it, and our hearts will always
be guaranteed the bittersweet knowledge that God gives us these furry
angels for only a short time.
Brandy, we miss you and always
will. Fly high amongst the heavens, dear sweet girl, and look to the
Rainbow Bridge for the day our souls reunite as one. We love you dearly,
Mighty Dog forever.
“Time is…
Too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice.
But for those who love,
Time is not.”
~Henry Van Dyke~
Darlene and Carol
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