6. Noona

She was Nunatak.  Noona.  A Boone daughter.  I wanted to continue the “oo” sound.  So from B”oo”ne to N”oo”na.  As she grew older I called her Noodle…or Noodleheimer.  Miss Noodle.  It was a term of affection.

Noona was a stud fee puppy.  As a young pup she flew to Memphis from Phoenix.  The first time I walked Noona with Walker on the 2.5 mile trail around the lake at Craighead Forest Park in Jonesboro it was obvious she was going to be an excellent working dog.  She had the focus and the stamina.  She never looked back.  As she grew up she ran the roads at our training area in the rice fields. 

Noons after one of our bike runs.

She ran about 3 mph faster than anybody I was running, so Noona always set the pace.  She especially loved running down the road next to the deep irrigation ditch that had thick bushes that grew on its sides.  There were lots of little birds that lived in those bushes and for some reason those little birds really set Noona off.  She would have loved to chase them, I suppose, but instead as she ran along beside the ditch she would use them as a sort of turbo boost and when a little bird would fly out or make a noise Noona would speed up and go faster.  It was hard for the other dogs to keep up with her.  Flare could do it, but Mir was not as fast and she had to work to keep up.

Noona(on the right) powers down the road next to the ditch where the little birds lived.

When dogs are in fenced in areas such as chain link kennel runs I have found that while they are waiting for you to open the door to their run they have a reaction in anticipation.  Mir was a twirler.  She would run around in a little tight circle.  Noona was a jumper.  She would jump up in the air over and over while she waited.

Noona was bred to Mir’s son, Teak,  for two litters.  It is interesting to see the descendants of Mir and Noona.  Miles is from the first litter.  When Miles waits for me to come open his door he jumps up and down.  Kiva is from the second Noona and Teak litter.  Kiva goes around and around.  A twirler.

I have Miles and Kiva living in the outdoor kennel building now.  They have their own individual runs and as I watch them – Miles jumping up and down, and Kiva going around and around…I think of Noona.  And of Mir.

Some dogs stay with you for as long as you live.  They are with you as they live and then they are with you in spirit.

Here’s to you, Noona.  You are irreplacable.

Abakan Nunatak o’Elmfield WSX…”Noona”

Noona’s last run, March 3, 2016. She died just over one year later.