Tribute to Brodie

Brodie was the best dog in the world. We're not just saying that because we're his parents. Anyone who has met him would agree with that. He was happy all the time and always wanted to please us. He would do anything for us and was so smart that we could just talk to him and he would understand (well, most of the time :) he was a blonde after all).

Brodie touched the hearts of everyone who met him, even if it was only for a few minutes. He loved children and would run around with them until he almost couldn't walk anymore. I only wish he was around for our kids. He would have been the perfect companion for them.

We'd like to share a few stories that bring smiles to our faces:

-When he was a puppy, we were hanging out on my bed in college watching a movie with Brodie laying against the window screen. All of a sudden, we heard a noise. When we looked over, Brodie wasn't there anymore. He had fallen out of the second story window, bounced off of the porch roof, and ended up in the mulch! But when we looked out, he was running around like nothing had happened and was wondering how he got outside! Typical Brodie. Nothing gets him down. :)

-We hadn't exposed Brodie to water much, which is odd since he is a golden retriever, so we decided to take him out on a boat on the Potomac River. We were swimming and decided that it would be a good idea to introduce Brodie to the water in the river! Dumb idea. He was thrashing around and did not like it at all. Paul had to pull him up into the boat, which was not easy. Needless to say, we never tried to get him into the water again.

-When he was a puppy, I took him out to go to the bathroom, but a bunch of birds were making loud noises flying above us, so he wouldn't go! He remained a complete wuss the rest of his life, especially when it came to loud noises, like the vaccuum and hair dryer. He would run for his life when we got out the vaccuum, let alone turned it on. It turned out to be a hilarious character trait throughout his life.

-Brodie loved the snow. From the time he was introduced to it as a puppy, he absolutely loved it. We would make snowballs and throw them and he would chase them and try to pick them up in his mouth after they had smashed into the ground. It was excellent play time.

-Brodie's favorite thing in the entire world was his ball. He would fetch it constantly, to the point that he could barely breathe. Sometimes he would run so hard and fast after it that he would somersalt over! It was hilarious.


There are too many funny moments to put down, but those are some of the ones that really make us smile and laugh. Finding out that Brodie had cancer was the worst news ever and putting him down was the hardest thing we've ever had to do, but we know it was the right decision. He just wasn't able to do the things he wanted to do anymore. We will always love him and there will never be another pet that could replace him.

We are so lucky and blessed to have had him in our lives. We just hope that he feels the same way about us. Here is an album and some videos to remind us of what a wonderful dog he was and how much he brightened our lives.




Brodie High-fiving laying down. Man, he is so cute!

House Being Built

Here is the outside. Isn't it pretty?





And here are some inside pictures of our seethrough walls:

Family room:



From Family Room looking into kitchen:




From family room looking outside:




Morning Room:




Our Bedroom: