Two days before his 5th birthday, I adopted Cooper from the kennel I worked at. He was overweight, had lots of anxiety, and was SUPER dramatic. All of my fellow coworkers said “that’s a really bad idea Jasmine, he’s such a bad dog”. Still to this day, since Cooper first step paw into my life, there’s never been a stronger bond or companionship to exist in our world. In our younger years things were a little crazy as I tried to navigate the world. Cooper was happy to do anything as long as I was there, or it made me happy. As we aged, Cooper turned into a phenomenal dog & I enjoyed working & training with him. His desire to please was stronger than any desire for food. He was a service dog for me majority of his life. Even after retirement, I’d still suit him up & let him “work”. Nothing made Cooper happier than putting that harness on. Now, he’s always been dramatic, we even joke he went out dramatically, but that drama was nothing but love & cheerfulness. Everyone that met Cooper loved Cooper. From closest friends, local pet shops or just friendly people you meet while out & about. All of our closest friends laughed at how he would greet me at the door. Even with all the training, the pure joy of seeing me was there until his final days. Cooper would do these high pitched, short, repetitive barks, looking up at me, while spinning in slow circles for butt scratches for the first minute or so that I would walk in. His smile is one burned into my brain. The fear of forgetting our pets is scary, but no one will ever forget Cooper.
