Cooper

Cooper came into our lives like a bolt of lightning. We were living a fairly staid life, comfortable but missing the two dogs we had lost this year. We had adopted a Rescue Staghound as a companion for our other two dogs, and she was a gem, taking over as queen of the pack with scarcely a ripple. We had feelers out for a Basset Hound, looking for a mature dog to replace the Basset mix I once had. In-stead, Donna Lim of GGBR offered us a puppy, a starveling of 10 weeks or so that GGBR had rescued from death at the hands of the Sacramento City Pound. Sallie looked at me and said “A puppy!?” “I'll take all responsibility,” I replied, not remembering (or choosing not to remember) past puppies I had raised. We agreed to take him. His name was Cooper. When we picked him up he looked like a big-headed dachshund with legs like tree trunks. He couldn't move forward without stepping on his own ears. He pooped and peed and threw up in the car on the trip home, then nestled in under my arm with his head in my lap. I was hooked. Since then it has been a little like opening Pandora's box. Not that anything evil ever came out of this little guy, but he was a constant whirlwind of chewing, romping, bookeating, toiletpaper unrolling, wastebasket exploring,peeing and pooping, a dog who wanted to taste everything life had to offer. We had had him three days when he had to go to the emergency room at VCA in Sacramento. He had to stay overnight. The next day when we came to get him, he romped all over the car, threw his toys in the air and gave little yelps of joy. He was so afraid we were going to abandon him! He's now a 5 mo old adolescent, knows to sit and wait for food, to go to the door when he has to go. Our Staghound has taken him under her wing and taught him some doggie manners. She is his doggie mom, and they play together for hours. He has been quick to learn some human commands and he will start Basset school soon. He can still be a goofy puppy. We love him.