A Story of Love and Extraordinary Friendship

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“Codi’s Journey is a warm and sensitive narrative, describing the love, companionship, extraordinary closeness and caring that was the reality of the relationship between a dog and her humans. From the text it’s obvious this dog was always tuned into her humans, truly her family, even though they were of a different animal domain. Likewise, the author’s descriptions of her enthusiasm for life, her smartness, drive and tenacity make her come alive as the book unfolds.

Based on some of the stories shared it’s very apparent that Codi’s “work” in life was to continually perfect the ability to chase, catch, and retrieve a Frisbee, and she was as determined as any good athlete in perfecting these skills. Even as she aged and her health deteriorated, she maintained this zest for life, and in the process taught her humans about the importance of getting the most out of life no matter what stage of it one is in.

If you ever have owned, loved and then lost a cherished animal friend, Codi’s Journey will awaken memories and reminiscences of your animal companion and may bring on a few tears – happy tears for having owned and loved an animal that loved you back tenfold. You won’t want to miss this story of love and extraordinary friendship.”

                           Peter Cunningham, Florida

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A “Must Read” for Dog Lovers

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“If you’ve ever had a canine friend, you’ll be deeply touched by Jeff Maziarek’s tribute to his friend and teacher – Codi. In his newest book, Codi’s Journey, he tells a remarkable story of a man’s best friend and the powerful bond between dog and owner – teacher and student – that will make you laugh, as you read about Codi’s playful way of teaching the wisdom of the ages, and cry tears of joy and sadness as man and friend prepare for the next steps in life’s great journey. You won’t want this story to end!

Codi’s Journey is well-written, and a definite “must-read” for dog lovers who have lost a dear canine friend.”

Pete Koerner, author of “The Belief Formula”

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A Compelling, Heartfelt Work

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup


“Codi’s Journey” is a compelling, heartfelt work about the unquestionable love between man and dog. I loved the Codi conversations especially, although I loved every word. It truly is a love story. While the loss of such a dear friend is so much to bear, next to all the love we are given, it is little.

What a labor of love this book was; I can imagine the tears that were shed in the writing.”

Gloria Wendroff, author of “Heavenletters”

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Book Excerpt: Codi’s Comedy

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“Perhaps Codi’s most humorous exploit was something we ultimately came to call “going Border Collie Crazy,” or “BCC” for short. It all started when she was about five months old, coinciding with the time when we began to leave her alone in the house for longer periods of time. One day, upon returning from a shopping trip that kept us away for longer than we had ever been before, the BC greeted us enthusiastically at the back door and then immediately launched into a high-speed romp through the house.

This wasn’t just a quick gallop from one end of the abode to the other and back again. No, this was a sustained burst of pent-up energy that included jumping on and off the couch, crawling on her belly under the cocktail table, rising up again and sprinting down the hall to the bedroom, leaping on and off the bed, circling a padded chair, then repeating the same process at least twice more until she finally got it out of her system. It essentially happened so fast that all we could do was stand back and laugh hysterically as this wild-eyed Border Collie treated our entire house like it was the setting for an agility competition!”

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Written Straight from the Heart

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“After reading Codi’s Journey, I can honestly say that I’ve become a better “dog mother.” While most of the books in this category are funny with a twist of danger or a hint of sadness, this book gives it to you right from the heart.

It’s almost as if Codi herself wrote the book through the author so the rest of us “dog parents” can feel that it’s Ok to feel as nuts about our canine kids as we do. In fact, it’s perfectly normal to have such profound love for a four-legged being that we are willing to leave no stone unturned in order to keep them both happy and healthy.”

                        Kristen Damolaris, Illinois 

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Book Excerpt: Seeing Codi for the First Time

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“As we left the house, we immediately noticed a small fenced in area with a lone black and white, roly-poly puppy inside it – the moment of truth had finally arrived. I was filled with a feeling of excitement and anticipation, and yet at the same time I found myself feeling sad the poor little thing was all alone. That feeling faded quickly, however, as we approached and saw her balancing herself on her rear legs while clinging to the top of the fence and vigorously wagging her tail. She was simply beautiful in every respect. Although her coat was primarily black, she had distinctive white markings on her chest, her forehead, and on all four of her legs. She also had piercing eyes and an adorable little pink belly with small black spots. As Andrea and I bent down to greet her, the strength of the connection was obvious to all three of us.”

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Book Excerpt: Codi’s Focus on Frisbee

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“While giving Frisbee performances, Codi’s concentration also showed itself in what some spectators felt was a negative manner. It wasn’t that she growled at people or threatened them in any way; she just ignored any attempt on their part to pet her. Usually it was a little kid who would approach her during one of her brief rest periods. The child would first look to us for approval to pet her, and afterward reach down to stroke her head. In the exact moment the child’s hand would move down to touch her, Codi would deliberately lower her head even further to ensure the attempt would fail.

This was actually a very comical behavior to witness, as her body language effectively said, “Leave me alone, I’ve got work to do.” The person was typically taken aback by her response to their advance, and sometimes would ask if she was an unfriendly dog. Our response was always to politely explain that she was a working dog who just didn’t want to be bothered while on the job. We also let them know she always did the same thing to us in such situations. It wasn’t personal at all to Codi, it was just business.

The fact was her intensity made her appear aloof, or perhaps in some sense a bit arrogant. We just learned not to take it to heart. We knew she loved us. It just wasn’t her nature to express it the way dogs usually do. That love, however, was very evident whenever we’d return home from being out for a spell, as each time we were greeted by an aggressively wagging tail. And, sometimes, if we were very lucky, we even got a small lick on our chins!”

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Book Excerpt: Do Dogs Have Souls?

Posted on April 12, 2009 by codipup

“Is it possible that dogs (and other animals) have a soul, a higher consciousness if you will? Do they take a so-called simpler life form for some specific reason? Are they, perhaps like human beings, pieces of God consciousness in the process of evolving to higher levels of awareness?

For domesticated dogs and cats as well, is part of their life plan to be in service in a deep way to their “humans?” Do we choose them or do they choose us? For several minutes that evening these questions and others like them raced through my mind.”

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