Helicopter

Cooper is a tail wagger, if he is happy or excited he wags his tail.

The other day I heard a thump-thump-thump and looked into the living room. Cooper was laying down, chewing on a piece of rawhide and wagging his tail like crazy. His tail was wagging so hard that his rear end nearly lifted off the ground. It reminded me of a helicopter getting ready for take off.

To see Cooper having so much fun made me smile. I often wonder if Coop has had many joyful moments in his life.

Bath Time

We are going to Long Island this weekend. Since it will be the first time Cooper meets the family, we decided he should look (and smell) his best.

Off to the dog wash we went. We were the first people there and had our choice of bays. We chose one with a super dryer.

Cooper was very good during the bath, he didn't try to jump down or run off. Of course once the water was off, he gave a big shake making sure Jeff and I also got wet.

You can see how beautiful he looks now.

57.5

Cooper now weighs 57.5 pounds. Every ounce of weight is pure muscle.

It is amazing how quickly he flies up the stairs - more like he is one, not five.

The Blaze II

More pictures from The Blaze:

The Blaze

We went to the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-Hudson, NY) on Saturday evening. The weather was perfect - cool but not cold. The leaves have started changing, so the drive up the Merritt Pkwy to Croton-on-Hudson was very enjoyable.

We learned about the Blaze when we visited Kykuit in Sept.

Each October, 4,000 hand carved and illuminated pumpkins are placed along the Manor's grounds. This is an AWESOME sight and we had a lot of fun.

The pumpkins are not just carved as scary Halloween faces, but also fish, dinosaurs, celtic knots and snakes.

I would highly recommend visiting the Blaze. Tickets sell out VERY quickly, so you need to order them well in advance. We bought our tickets in early Sept.

Since so many people attend the Blaze, bring your big bag of patience and be prepared to wait in line to see everything. The wait is definitely worth the carvings you will see.

Punctured

Cooper does not have a soft mouth, which means that the tennis balls he plays with end up punctured.

Once this happens, the balls lose their bounce.

I am not sure how many balls we have already gone through.

The good news is that at least Cooper is learning to play fetch.

Teeth

Once a week I try to brush Cooper's teeth.

I say TRY because Cooper hates to get his teeth brushed. Even chicken flavored toothpaste cannot make him like this experience.

When I begin to brush his teeth, Cooper keeps moving his head or tries to chew on the brush. I think more toothpaste ends up on his lips than on his teeth.

I'm sure that no one ever took the time to brush Cooper's teeth before, so I am hoping in time he will learn to tolerate this.

Lexus

The Lexus is almost 2 years old and it is time for the 10K mile service.

I called Lexus service and scheduled for the car to be picked up at the house.

At 7:00 pm, someone arrived at the door with a set of keys to a different RX-350. They drove off in Lexi and returned the next evening.

Not having to drive to Fairfield to drop the car off was great. Not having to drive back to pick it up was even better.

I have to say that this is one of the nice features of owning a Lexus.

As I was ooohing over how good the car looks after being completely detailed, Jeff burst my bubble with "You realize that having someone provide this service is why an oil change costs $200".

Bailout Bill

I'd like to extend my congratulations to Joe Courtney, the only member of the Connecticut Delegation to vote against the "Bailout Bill". While the rest of our esteemed politicians followed the lead of the head ringleader Christopher Dodd and voted to saddle the American Taxpayer with another trillion dollar obligation, Joe Courtney had the courage to say No.

No, Chris Shays, the people that leveraged their investments 30 to 1 don't deserve a bailout.

No, Chris Murphy, the people that financed a million dollar home on a $2,000/month income don't deserve to be bailed out.

No Joe Lieberman, the banks that approved people for "Liar Loans" don't deserve to get bailed out.

Yes, Joe Courtney voted that responsible people make responsible decisions.

The 18^th century German Philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel once said “We learn from history that we don’t learn from history.”

I hope people learn from the atrocities that our delegation has burdened the American Taxpayer with and send Jimmy Himes to Washington for a fresh start.

And that was hard for me to say, I'm a life-long Republican.

Morning Walk

As we were walking Cooper at 6:15 am, Jeff said isn't it amazing how often you overlook the beauty that is all around.

Fall

Neighborhood scenes from our morning walks with Cooper:

Cabinets

I love the Internet! We need to buy a new vanity for the bathroom and have been to several stores, but did not see exactly what we wanted. After a while, all the vanities looked the same.

So, for the last 2 weeks I have been searching on line for a vanity. I knew two manufacturers that had good reviews, so I focused on their products. I was able to find specs on door styles, vanity and linen closet sizes, stains, options, etc. I also knew we wanted a Toto toilet, so researched those too.

This afternoon we went to White's Plumbing and in two hours had ordered everything - vanity, bathroom fan, toilet, sink, fixtures, etc. I expected that the faucet and shower fixtures would take a long time to choose, but we saw a great set by Jado and knew that was the one.

I thought of buying some of the items on line for a lower price, but since we were already there, we decided to just get everything at the same time. Jeff's credit card was smoking when we left the store.

Unfortunately, it will be 4 weeks until these items are delivered, so Jeff will have a little break before construction on the bath begins.

Stuck

When the alarm went off this morning, there was no Cooper racing around the bed.

The bedroom door was closed, so I knew he had to be somewhere close by. I looked in the bathroom and then the closet - no Cooper.

I finally noticed Cooper's nose sticking out from under the dust ruffle. I called for him to come out, but he was stuck. Jeff had to lift the bed, so Cooper could crawl out.

It did rain and thunder during the night, so I think Cooper tried to hide under the bed. Danny used to be storm phobic and would try to get behind furniture, but he was too big to fit.

Cooper is about 20 pounds lighter than Danny and has a smaller frame, so he can squeeze in some very small spaces.

Our 15 Minutes, Part II

You may remember Danny getting his story in the Wilton Bulletin a couple years ago. Now Cooper is the star! Read his story at http://www.wiltonvillager.com/story/426493

Wilton Villager

We received a call from the Wilton Villager the other day asking if Kara could interview us. It seems that she read about Cooper's adoption and wanted to meet us.

Alex the photographer showed up first. Cooper does NOT like to have his picture taken and is distracted by a camera flash or shadows on the floor. (You may have noticed on this blog that Cooper's pictures are fuzzy/unfocused). Alex was very patient and after waving treats and what seemed like 20+ photos, one was deemed acceptable.

Kara spoke with us and asked about the blog and why/how we adopted Cooper.

Could it be that Cooper will become another famous Wilton canine ?

I can ride, rope, hammer, and paint

Notice anything different (Other than the missing Honda)?

Brushing

Cooper loves to get brushed.

When he sees me take his brush out, he runs over and lays down. Cooper's hair is very short, so I try to be gentle.

After brushing his back and sides, Cooper rolls over so his belly can be brushed.

This always makes me sad. Cooper has little hair on his belly. Even worse, Cooper's skin which should be pink, is black.

Dr Duffy said that Cooper had skin ailments before (allergies, fleas, etc) that went untreated and as a result the skin on his belly and legs is black and rough.

I hope that in time Cooper's coat will grow in. I don't know if his skin will ever be pink. I wonder how people could have been so unkind to this sweet dog.

Golden Lab

Could Cooper have some Labrador Retriever in him ?

I think so and this suspicion was confirmed during a walk in Wilton Center.

Ever since we adopted Cooper, I thought he was part Lab. I base this upon the feel of his coat and the shape of his head. Also, Cooper's high energy level is unlike any of our previous Goldens.

While at Wilton Center, we met a man who said, "I had two yellow Labs when I was growing up. They are great dogs."

I guess I am not the only one who thinks Cooper looks like a Lab!

Cat for Dinner

Most days when we walk Cooper, we see a coyote. I am not sure why there seems to be such an increase in them lately.

Tonight as I was pulling into the driveway, a coyote ran in front of the car. What surprised me was that there was an animal hanging from its jaws.

I hoped it was the woodchuck, but from the dangling legs, I think it was a cat.

The coyote ran into the woods and disappeared.

I never know what I will see in our yard.

Demolition Continues

The dumpster has finally arrived, so now there is nothing to delay demolition.

The vanity has been removed, the ceiling is gone and the shower is next.

We have found things that make you scratch your head - like why was there a pile of cigarette butts, sitting on a stud behind the sheetrock ?? And why would you not insulate an exterior wall ?

Little Things

With Cooper we celebrate the little things. These are things that you would expect a dog to do or to know, because it seems all dogs are that way.

What we are learning is that Cooper must have lead a very lonely and isolated life.

Today Cooper chewed his first rawhide bone! Such a small and yet big step.

The first day Cooper arrived we gave him the rawhide. He showed no interest at all.

A few days later, Jeff put peanut butter on it. Cooper licked the peanut butter off and walked away.

On Friday Cooper started to carry the rawhide around and tonight I heard a crack. Once he took the first bite, there was no stopping Cooper. The bone is all gone.

56

Cooper now weighs a little over 56 pounds.

His weight is increasing slowly, but the muscles in his legs and chest are growing quickly.

Cooper gets walked several miles a day and his build is starting to reflect this.

Ear infection

Cooper has an ear infection. That means that every night for one week we need to clean his ears and then administer ear drops.

This would not be bad, if Cooper liked to have his ears cleaned. However, he doesn't.

After his ears are cleaned, they need to dry before putting the drops in. Cooper is willing to come over the first time we call him for the cleaning. After that, he ignores us or tries to hide. This may be a loooong week.

Demolition

All of the bathrooms in our house need updating. It is obvious that the vanities and fixtures are from the 70's.

We had hoped that this problem would be resolved when we renovated the house. However, the renovation has been put on hold indefinitely.

What to do ? Well, Jeff decided that since he previously updated a bathroom in Oxford, he would tackle the downstairs bath here.

The first step was finding out the exact window measurements, so we can order a new one. Off came the molding and sheetrock. With sizing in hand we went out to pick a window.

This is not as easy as it sounds - which manufacturer, what options ? Dave at Ring's End was very helpful. We will be looking over brochures this week and ordering next week.

Week One

Cooper has been with us for one week and we have learned a lot in that short span of time. Here are just a few of the highlights

1 - Water bowls are ok, but drinking out of the toilet is more fun. This behavior means that all the toilet lids are now down.

2- When the alarm goes off, Cooper is raring to go. Cooper goes from sound asleep to 60 mph. Cooper doesn't slow down until bedtime. Reminds me of a beloved Sheltie we once owned.

3 - Shadows and blinking lights are fascinating and need to be chased. I am wondering what this will mean for our Christmas tree.

4- Everything tastes better with cottage cheese. Linda used to put cottage cheese on Copper's food and he does not like to eat without it.

5- Do not leave a door open! Cooper loves to run and does not have any recall skills. The great escape and chase was scary, but luckily all ended well.

6- Doggie kisses are given at unexpected times - like when you're napping on the couch. That will wake you up for sure!

Marble tongue

Cooper has black markings on his tongue.

The tip of his tongue has a black spot, and further back most of his tongue is black.

The first time I saw Cooper yawn, I had to look twice to be sure his tongue really is marbled.

Chasing Shadows

Cooper's favorite game is chasing shadows. When the sun comes through the windows, Cooper will stare at the shadows on the ceiling or floor. When we put Cooper out on the deck he will just stand and stare at shadows under the table.

I read that this could be a sign of an obsessive compulsive disorder. We think that in his past Cooper did not have any toys or stimulation, so chasing shadows became his entertainment.

We spoke with Dr. Duffy about this and he agreed that was probably Cooper's only way to have fun at his old home. He did not seem too concerned and thinks that with walks and playtime, this may lessen.

It makes me sad that the pile of toys and rawhide is ignored. Squeaker toys are the one exception and have been quickly destroyed.

Busy Days

Since Cooper arrived in Wilton on Saturday evening, he has had two busy days.

Sunday morning started with a trip to PetCo for dog tags, collar and leash. Each of our dogs has had a distinct color and we chose green for Cooper. The checkout girl said she thought Cooper was 1-2 years old!

Next was a trip to the do-it-yourself dog wash. Cooper is so thin, that we didn't want to put him under the cold hose in the yard. Cooper was a little nervous, but did great. I wish I had remembered the camera.

On Monday morning, Cooper got his Wilton dog license. Later in the day, Cooper met his dog walker, Carol.

Monday afternoon ended with a trip to Norwalk Vet Hospital and a checkup with Dr. Duffy. Dr. Duffy said that Cooper's ideal weight is about 62 pounds (he is 55) and thinks he is about 5 years old. He suggested cutting Cooper's food down (no more lunch time meals). We asked about allergies and were told to try Benadryl. If the itching continues, cortisone shots could be done for a short period of time (this was listed as a last resort, as there are side effects).

Cooper may have a slight ear infection, so the Dr. put some drops in and said to watch it. If it still is bad next week, we will need to go back for some medication.

Dr Duffy said that Cooper's skin and coat will take months to get better. He said that we are doing the right things (food, supplements) and now we need to be patient. In 3-6 months we should see a difference.

Danny's Place

We have been wanting to plant Danny's memorial tree for a while now, but weren't sure what to get. We saw a fully grown tree hydrangea in a neighbor's yard and it was so beautiful that we decided to buy one.

I am hoping that the deer will ignore this plant, so it can flourish and stand as a permanent reminder of our special dog.

As we were planting the tree, Cooper stood on the deck watching and barking, reminding us that life goes on. The weeks and months may pass, put Danny will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Heeeere's Cooper

The trip to get Cooper home was pretty uneventful. We just made it home as Hanna arrived and got to take Cooper out for his first walk in the middle of a rain storm. He took it all in stride.

I'm trying something new with the second picture. It's a video of Cooper discovering Mr. Celery. Oddly enough, the music in the background was actually on the TV while this was going on.

Memories

I took Danny's box down from the shelf in the basement and when I opened it a hundred memories came flooding back.

I unwrapped his food and water bowls and put them back in their previous locations.

The toys were the hardest part. Danny had a favorite toy that he would swing, throw and catch and then repeat all over again. I still smile when that image comes to mind.

The pile of toys and empty bowls are a reminder of our loss. When Cooper arrives, I hope they will become part of new happier moments.

Valerie

We received this Royal Dalton figurine as an anniversary gift.

I thought she was beautiful, but did not understand the significance. I was told to turn the figurine over. One the base is her name - "Valerie".

What a wonderful and thoughtful gift!

Valerie now sits atop my antique desk.

Kykuit - Part II

Here are some more Kykuit photos.