Cooper

Last Christmas, Santa delivered a life changing present....a black lab puppy!

Cooper arrived around 5am. He slowly walked thru the kitchen, checking out his surrounding, very unsure of himself. I had no idea what I had just done!

Last weekend, I was sitting at my daughter's hockey game. I looked down at my new Nike tennis shoes. I noticed the side had been chewed off! My 5th child-my now 80lb lab-ruined yet another pair of my shoes!

He is full of energy, to say the least. Before we got him, I envisioned the kids playing ball, Cooper and I going for a run, simply having a family pet. A pet the kids would bond with and be responsible for.

So the reality is, we have a pet who requires everyone's attention. He demands it! He jumps in the car any chance he gets. He sits in the passenger seat-facing forward-just like a person! He jumps in the pond any chance he gets.

He loves to eat shoes, underwear, dolls, golf balls, carpet, library books, pencils, homework and Christmas ornaments. Our USA Hockey player came in last week with his USA hat on. When he turned I was shocked to see the hat he was wearing was missing a side! Cooper!

The day I realized that he was with us for life was the day he was lost for about 30 minutes. I was absolutely panicked! I called the salon and told them I was going to be late-maybe even gone all day! How could I tell my kids that their beloved dog was lost? I drove around the sub looking for hime with a big lump in my throat. I was remembering how much we all love him. I couldn't imagine life without him! I turned the corner and there he was! Standing there in the snow with his red collar on-in his own yard-looking at me. At that moment I knew no matter how many pairs of underwear he destroyed, he was a part of our family. We will love him forever!