Virginia Beach

We spent last week on vacation in VA Beach. We stayed in an ocean front hotel. When we walked onto the balcony on Sat night, we realized that we were over looking a monster truck race!

I am not a truck fanatic, but it was fun to watch. I thought Megasaurus was the best part. Megasaurus breathed fire and could eat cars - tearing out the inside before snapping the car in two.

On a rainy day we went to the VA Aquarium. I thought the harbor seals were the best part. The aquarium is being renovated and will soon have komodo dragons, which would have been neat to see. We saw an IMAX movie about life under the sea which was fantastic.

Passage East

For anyone who is wondering, "What happened to the Cooper stories?"....

We spent last week on vacation in Virgina Beach, VA. While we were in VA, Cooper was at Passage East Kennel in Wilton. I was nervous about leaving Cooper, but Jeff reminded me that he is a dog who has been through much worse than spending a week at a highly recommended kennel.

We dropped Cooper off with his food, cottage cheese, treats and toys. The attendant was very nice and did not laugh as I asked that Coop get cottage cheese mixed with each meal.

I thought about Coop every day and wondered if he was doing ok.

When we picked him up on Sat evening, I asked the owner if Coop was ok. He's great I was told, a perfect guest. I asked if he ate - the man seemed surprised, not a problem, cleaned his bowl out every time.

The owner did warn me that our MilkBones were not used because they have special bones that they give the dogs. I guess these bones must be fantastic, because when Coop got home, I gave him a Milkbone. He sniffed it and reluctantly took it with a look that said, "Is this the best you've got ?"

Passage East groups dogs by size, so Coop was in the Lab/Golden wing. We were told that Coop loved to play with the other big dogs (mainly Labs) and did not hesitate to rough house with them! I was surprised. The owner said that he thought Coop would love a brother/sister and they had some rescue dogs up for adoption.

We are not ready for a second dog, but I was glad to hear that Coop adjusted so well to the kennel.

The Longest Night of My Life

On Thursday, May 8th, 2003 I remember getting a call on my drive home. Jake had a seizure and Valerie was frantic. I arrived at home about 30 minutes later to a dazed and confused Jake and a more confused Valerie.

We put Jake in the car and rushed to the after-hours vet clinic. Half way there, he had another seizure and we pulled to the side of the road to comfort him during his agony. The clinic kept him overnight and pumped him full of anti-seizure medicine to stop the convulsions.

We brought him to his regular vet the next day and plotted out a course of action. He would be weaned off the high doses of anti-seizure medication to a point where he was functioning but not having convulsions. As the week drew on, Jake became more aware of his surroundings and we become more and more hopeful.

Hope came to an end on Friday, May 16th. As we finished cleaning up after dinner, Jake had his first seizure since he was on medication. About 60 minutes later, another one longer and more violent than the first. We doubled his dose and made a plan to see the Vet the next day. Then came another, and another. The choice was clear. Jake couldn't even make it up the stairs to go to bed, so we slept with him on the floor that night.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. The choice couldn't have been clearer but it still bothered me. When he was on the table about to take his last breath, he looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes that said "Thank You Papa."

Six years have gone by and I still see those eyes.

Danny gave me the same look before his passing. I hope to never see it in Cooper.

Jake

While living in NC, I saw an ad in the paper asking for people to adopt homeless Goldens. I always liked Goldens and knew that too many dogs end up in shelters, so thought why not ? Looking back I did not realize just how traumatized a rescued dog could be.

Jeff had always wanted a red Retriever named Jake. When I called Neuse Golden Retriever Rescue and was told that there was a dog named Jake, I knew it was fate. When we first met Jake, a large red coated Golden, he did not walk, but crawled on his belly. My heart broke and I wondered what cruelty he had been subjected to, to be too afraid to walk.

Jake had large soulful eyes that always appeared haunted. We had Jake for 9 years and I could never erase the sadness in his sweet face. When we brought Jake home, he was terrified. A loud noise or sudden movement would send him scuttling from the room.

Jake taught me patience and Jake taught me that some wounds never heal. Trust is tenuous and when our vet said a nail had been intentionally driven into Jake's leg, we knew that all the love in the world might never be enough to make him feel safe.

Surprisingly, after all the abuse Jake endured, he did learn to love being near people. Jake loved to be petted, but not hugged.

Jake and Brandy became inseparable. Brandy taught Jake that jumping on the bed was ok and that toys were meant to be played with. Jake never learned to play fetch, but he would happily chase after Brandy.

At 90+ pounds, Jake was a big dog who brought much happiness into our lives. Jake had a white spot on his chest and I nicknamed him my "pure of heart" boy; even after all the abuse, Jake retained his Golden heart.

Jake's sweetness and gentleness were echoed in Danny's personality.

Brandy

AKC registered Sir Brandon of Stonehenge (Brandy) was the first dog that I ever owned. Brandy was not just beautiful, but drop dead GORGEOUS.

When we were out walking Brandy, people would often stop and comment on how handsome he was. One woman once asked if she could hire him as a stud for her female Sheltie.

Brandy did not walk, but seemed to prance. He was very intelligent, fearless, proud and an Alpha male. Brandy loved to bark - it could be at a leaf blowing by or a stranger at the door.

Life with Brandy was an adventure, you never knew what to expect. When I look at Cooper, I see the same zest for life that was such a part of Brandy's personality.

Brandy hated to get his feet wet and I can still picture him jumping over puddles on rainy days. Bath time was a nightmare, he would whine from the moment he saw the hose.

When Brandy was 10 years old, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and given 3 months to live. Brandy survived for 6 months and never slowed down.

Jeff had already moved from North Carolina and was living in Connecticut when it came time to put Brandy to sleep. Driving alone to our vet and saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I can still remember holding him in my lap as his life slipped away.

Jeff's Dad called that night and said, I feel bad that you are all alone and having to go through this. I remember saying, "I'm not alone, I have Jake...."

Brandy & Jake

Long before Danny and Cooper were part of our lives, we had two other dogs, Brandy a Shetland Sheepdog, and Jake a rescued Golden Retriever.

Both of these dogs passed away in the middle of May. Every year when I flip the calendar from April to May, their memories immediately come to my mind.

This week I will share some stories about these two special dogs.

Digging

After the last few rainy days, the sun was finally out today. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to let Cooper enjoy some time on the deck.

About an hour later, I looked out the window and saw dirt all over the deck. It seems that Coop had decided that it would be fun to dig in the containers that I recently planted.

Looking closer, I saw that the stems on the bulbs which had poked through the dirt were torn off and bulbs were scattered around.

Needless to say, I was NOT happy! Cooper, however, appeared gleeful.

Jeff's comment was, "And you thought your biggest problem would be the woodchuck!"

Summer's Coming

Summer must be coming, because Cooper is blowing his coat.

When I finished brushing Coop the other night, the brush was full of hair. As soon as I walked away Coop gave a hard shake and more hair flew everywhere.

I hate to admit that there are dust bunnies everywhere and they multiply faster than I can vacuum them up.

Pink Belly

You may remember that when we first got Cooper, he had little hair on his belly and his skin was black and rough. I can no longer see Cooper's skin, since his belly hair is now long and thick.

Last night while brushing Coop, I thought I should check his skin. When I pulled back his fur, there it was, a PINK belly. To be honest, the skin is about 90% pink. There are still some gray spots.

Dr. Duffy says Coop's skin is a reflection of his health, so a pink belly tells me that Cooper is recovering from his past neglect.

Hudson

These are the Bertch Hudson cabinets which we ordered for the bathroom.

Our cabinet is in a different wood and color. We chose cherry wood with Autumn stain.

Illume

These are the Jado Illume faucets and shower fixtures for the bathroom.

They are in polished nickel.

Bark all you want

The other morning Cooper raced to the bedroom window and started barking and barking. I could not get him to stop and finally looked out to see why he was upset.

I looked and saw nothing, but even yelling "Be quiet" had no effect.

I looked more carefully and saw that Danny's nemesis, Silverback, was stretched out on a large boulder sunning himself! The woodchuck flicked his paw in a not too nice gesture - as if to say shut up dog.

I felt bad for Coop, he was obviously frustrated. If I thought Coop would come back, I would happily let him chase Silverback. However, Coop would either take off for Maine or end up stuck in a woodchuck tunnel.

Tile Started

It took us about an hour to lay out the tile design on the garage floor. Once the design was finalized, the tile cutting and installation began.

The theme of our bathroom is rectangles. This may sound odd, but I fell in love with a Toto rectangular undermount sink. Most sinks are round and the rectangle was different.

I saw the rectangular sink when we selected the downstairs bath fixtures, but wanted a more traditional look for that room. However, the rectangle intrigued me. I started to think about making the rectangle the upstairs "theme".

The red glass accent tile will act as the rectangular border on both the floor and wall. The Bertch cabinet drawers are simple and rectangular.

The sink fixtures were difficult. Jado has some VERY modern rectangular faucets, but in a traditional house, I thought they would be too out of place. I compromised on a more transitional faucet.

I hope all of these ideas will come together and the final look will be fabulous.

Sheetrock

All of the sheetrock has been installed.

Once the mud and tape is completed, tile installation will begin.

Tables

Whenever we sit down for dinner, Cooper always lays under the table. It doesn't matter if it is the kitchen or dining room or if there are two or six people.

Even when we went to my Mom's house, Coop was sprawled out under her dining room table during dinner.

We don't feed Coop from the table, so I find this a little odd.

Coop has now started sleeping under the coffee table in the family room and curling up under the office desk when Jeff work's in the evening.

When there is a thunderstorm, I can understand Coop hiding under the table. Beyond that, I guess this is just another Cooperism.

Window

The new bathroom window has been installed.

Walls

The previously missing insulation is now in place.

The sheetrock is starting to be installed on the bathroom walls.

Planting

Every year I plant several container gardens for the deck. Every year they get eaten by the woodchuck (but that is another story).

While at Costco, I saw some interesting bulbs and decided to plant them in the deck pots.

On this warm and sunny day, Coop and I went out onto the deck. I had my new shiny shovel, bag of bulbs and fertilizer.

I started to dig in the first pot and Cooper went crazy trying to bite the shovel. After yelling, "no", I realized the sunlight was reflecting off the shovel, exciting Cooper.

With the hole dug, I put the shovel down. Cooper pounced on it.

You can imagine that this short task took much longer and was much messier than originally planned.

Yet another reason why he is called Crazy Coop

Ceiling

The bathroom ceiling has been installed

Bathtub

When our contractor returned from vacation, he announced that his helper had quit. So, you can imagine that work is progressing slowly.

The new bathtub and subfloor has been installed.