Safe Travels, Buddy

Our oldest wiener dog, Norman, lost his life on Monday morning. He had been sick for a while, congestive heart failure. We knew the time would come when we would need to make that tough decision to keep him alive or let him go.

We bought Norman in January 1997, about 6 months after we were married. He was our "first" child. We added him to our family as a companion for the dachshund Jennifer had growing up. Junior hated him at first sight, but eventually grew to love his "Nor-Nor". Norman was a miniature black and tan dachshund. He had two little tan marks over his eyes on a black background that looked like little devil horns. And they were fitting for him. Norman was into everything, causing mischief and mayhem all over the house.

Norman had 2 different back surgeries, which cut down on his activity in later life, but he still had a good life. He was up and active on Saturday, running outside and barking at the world.

On Sunday morning I woke up and Norman wouldn't move or get out of his overnight house. He spent all day just laying in his bed, not eating, drinking or sleeping.

He began whining in pain around 1:00 AM Monday morning, so Jennifer took him into the vet and helped him on his path.

There is a website, www.rainbowbridge.org, that we found when Junior died 6 years ago. We like to believe that the rainbow bridge is real, and all Norman's pain is gone, and he is chasing a tennis ball with Junior.

Rest in Peace, Norman. You were a great companion for us, and will always carry a special place in our hearts. Enjoy the bridge, and tell Junior we said hello.

Norman Winchester Peterson August 1996-August 2008.