Cooper is a real find.
We decided to get a dog when we found a place of our own back in April of 2003. We were going to get a puppy but ended up at the Humane Society when things didn’t work out.On Thursday, as we were driving by the Humane Society, I had the clearest image of a white dog with its head on my lap. The place was closed so we decided to back Tuesday thinking it would be a nice way to mark Ostara-Earth Day by adopting a dog from the shelter.
Dana, who was almost nine, reluctantly agreed to let Nova, almost three, and I could go look at dogs without her on Tuesday since the Humane Society would be closed by the time Dana got out of school.
Nova and I dropped her off at school and headed over to have a look.
When the doors opened and we went in, Nova found Cooper in the first kennel. He was shivering in the corner, and it looked like he was barely able to stand.
The lady at the Humane Society didn’t think Cooper was ready to go. He had been left in the night drop box on Thursday, apparently shortly after I had driven by and had a vision of a white dog resting his head on my lap. She had to see if he had been seen by the vet and could be released.
As Joyce went to find out about his condition I glanced up the row of kennels. There were at least three other white dogs, smaller and healthier than Cooper but Nova didn’t even want to take a single step away from that door.
Nova began to talk to Cooper and he responded to her voice, barely audible over the incredible hysteria from the other dogs barking for our attention. Cooper crouch walked over to her, leaning on the wall most of the way. He didn’t bark or whine. He just nuzzled and licked her hand. She told him he was going to be our dog and he was coming home with us.
At first it looked like the attendant was going to say no, but when she looked at Cooper and Nova together she said she thought it would be okay.
Apparently, this was Cooper’s second time at the shelter. Not long before that, he had been adopted by someone else and that he had been examined by the vet over the weekend. His prognosis was okay… mostly dehydrated and afraid. Off we went with our new dog and my serious second thoughts.
I didn’t have a lot of money, prospects for a job or the resources to look after a sick dog. I wondered how we would get along if Cooper turned out to be as sickly as he looked.But Cooper has turned out to be our best friend. He is a major couch potato and we girls love to snuggle up with him and watch cartoons on Saturday morning. He walks on a leash like an old pro, even well enough for either Dana or Nova to handle him. He is great in the car and makes an awesome door bell.
The only left over problem from his bad experiences somewhere else is the need to greet visitors to my home with a mop in my hand. Apparently, Cooper has submissive urination disorder (yeah, they have a name for he-pees-on-the-floor-when-upset).