Goodbye Normie

Meet Norman. (This is a funny picture of him, exactly how I'd like to remember him). Tonight my family said goodbye to Norman, the dog we got when I was in high school. Of course my sister and I had to say our goodbyes from afar, in our hearts. My parents had to make the heartbreaking decision that it was Norman's time to go be in Doggie Heaven. Norman was sixteen years old with failing health and some major dementia. He's really gone downhill pretty fast, which I guess is a blessing since we know he wasn't suffering for long. We all talked about it and agreed with my parents that they would be honoring and respecting Norman by letting him go be at peace. My heart truly aches for my parents and what a hard day they've had. I also know tonight and the coming days will be tough as they see reminders of him all over their house and miss the sounds of doggie footsteps and a jingling collar.

I was with my parents when we went to the SPCA and picked out Norman. He was an absolutely adorable puppy who didn't bark for the first couple of weeks we had him. He was some sort of terrier mix we think - ended up at about 35 pounds, mostly black and white, some resemblance to a cross between a jack russell and a beagle or something like that...and he learned how to bark. The first weekend we had him, we struggled with a name. Someone came up with Norman, from the movie Psycho. He had done something mildly psycho like running around or acting crazy, so it seemed appropriate. Norman Bates Reid was his full name. He earned that name in the next few years! As a puppy, Norman was quite the psycho dog. He ate EVERYTHING, including the TV cable that he chewed in half, the vinyl flooring that he ripped to shreds, and even $60 cash of mine from a paycheck I'd just cashed! Despite the wildness, we loved Norman to pieces. He was never the most cuddly dog. Just a cool dude. Always full of energy and just happy to be a dog and do doggie things, like run laps through the house. All of my friends have always known Norman and loved him. I can't really describe what was so cool about him. Just trust me, if you had known him, you would've called him cool too. Everybody loved Norm and Norm loved everybody!

Over the years, Norman has starred in the Roanoke Valley SPCA's calendar quite a few times since my Dad sat on the board there. He was quite the handsome fellow and Norman never forgot where he came from, and was happy to support the cause. In the 2010 calendar, my parents put in a picture of Campbell and Norman together. So that picture will be really special to look back on.

I know Norman is happy now, tail wagging, hiding a massive bone behind a huge cloud in heaven. He will be greatly missed but he will always live in our hearts. Goodbye Norman!!