Normy

I have always had at least two dogs in my life. I started out with Chip and Fred, then Fred and Arffy, then Arffy and Sparky, then Sparky and Norm, then Norm and Barney. Oh and of course I have Sandy and Gus now.
When I was 15 Norm entered into my life...
My mom was away for teachers convention, Dustin had just started his freshmen year in college, and dad and I were hanging out at home. It was a Friday day off from school and my dad woke me up to go for a drive. He did not really mention where we were going just that I needed to hurry up and get going. I hopped in the pick up and asked where we were headed. He told me we were going to Christine to pick up a puppy. I was excited but also realized that my mom did not know about this and would probably not be the most impressed person when she arrived home on Sunday afternoon. I was excited anyway because I loved puppies!
We made it to Christine and found a large batch of puppies and a mommy that could not feed them anymore because there were so many of them! The owners opened up the puppy pen and out came all of the pups, except one. There was one extremely fat black puppy hanging back in the corner. I of course, picked him up and decided he looked just like Norm on Cheers. Dark hair, sweet smile, a little round in the tummy, and pretty calm.
Dustin was a bit surprised when he came home on Saturday but not as surprised as mom when came home on Sunday evening. She fell in love with him just as fast as the rest of us had, though.
We took Norm home and the two of us were instant buddies. In fact we spent the first three weeks together because he was still on a liquid diet because he was so little and needed night time feedings and snuggle time. Norm was with me through those awkward teenage years, break ups, bad choices, good times, and bad times. He was my shoulder to cry on when my grandma Martha passed away, and was there to celebrate when Bill and I were engaged.
I played many a games of ball, snuggled in my bed, and drove in the country with Norm. My friends, Jody and Raven knew Norm well. Many times Raven would come over and take Norm for a ride when no one was home. He was just the kind of black lab farm dog that everyone loved. He was a gentle giant with a warm heart and a big bark.
I could write for hours about the fun times Norm and I had together.
I can not believe Normy is gone and I am so sad but am glad he is not suffering anymore. I also know that his buddy Barney is going to miss him terribly. I am sure this is tough on my parents because losing a dog is like losing a family member.

We will always remember the fun times we had and relish the many years we had together with our old pal Norm.