Saying Goodbye...Cooper

Earlier this month, we had to say goodbye to our dog Cooper. He would have been 11 years old this September. He ended up with a an anal tumor that couldn't be contained and we made the best decision for him and our family, but of course, it is very hard to let him go.

He was a good boy, although, as Rory reminded us when we said that..."well, he did run away from us sometimes". We had to explain to Rory that when we lose a pet, we try to focus on the happy memories with him. Kids are funny. I thought I'd post a few photos of some our happy memories. This is the photo that sold me on needing to adopt him. I couldn't pass up that adorable face. And, his first week in my house. He used to collect all his toys on the one chair he felt comfortable in. He never really played with them, he just always wanted them in one spot. Even as an old man, with his graying fur, he still maintained that puppy look about him. He was my hiking buddy and was happiest out in the woods with his family. When Bev and her cat Audrey moved in, Audrey quickly took charge and provided Cooper with a true sibling relationship, full of snuggles, bullying, sharing, torturing and loving. They used to switch beds. We were never really sure if he was afraid to ask her to move or if he was just being a gentleman about it, but he looked ridiculous curled up in her tiny cat bed. He still chose to sleep in that one even long after Audrey was gone. And of course, he loved his boys. He was about as nervous as they come in the beginning, cowering in my closet all day long for the first 3 weeks I had him and even after he warmed up to me, he'd still take off and hide whenever someone new was in the house. But when Rory was born his whole attitude shifted. You could always tell he was still nervous, but he felt like he had to be brave for that baby. He would sit near him, even when other people were around. He never wanted to leave the baby out of sight, despite every bone in his body yelling at him to go hide. By the time Jordy came into our lives, he was used to putting on his brave face for visitors and he loved the attention those boys gave him. We are happy for him to be free of his pains and to reunite with Audrey. He was so well loved and will be missed by everyone.