There are certain great dogs that find you only once in a lifetime. For us, that dog was Noonan, our Golden Doodle. He was truly an old soul; gentle, always calm, and confident even in the face of chaos. He was our emotional sponge, absorbing tears, hugs, joy, exhaustion, and despair without ever asking for anything in return. He was ALWAYS there for our family and made our house a home through his warmth and unconditional love. Noonan was there to guide us through our formative years.
He was in our wedding, studied long hours with me during medical school, helped welcome both our children into the world, moved into our first house with us, rode in the back seat as we test drove our first car, and would always welcome me home at the end of long days of medical residency (no matter how haggard I looked). He helped define the last decade of our life, and we will be forever grateful for the memories and love he gave to our family. Keep chasing those tennis balls on the other side buddy. Thanks for guiding us through the good times and the bad; we’ll take it from here and try to live up to your impeccable standard for living life.