Introducing Cooper

For those that may not know we have three puppies at home (Age 7 to probably 12), when we left for this trip we were planning on bringing the youngest which is Ellie who is 7 yrs old. But things happend to fast and we just couldn't get things ready so the plan was to do this trip and get home and take Ellie on the next trip. The more we talked about it the more we thought it wasn't fair to take the three of them apart and take her from what she knows. 

So our girls are ages 7 to probably 12 (Zoey was a rescue and not sure her age). Ellie is a Great Dane, and she is mostly deaf and has been since we got her, but she is 7. Callie was a nine-month-old lab/husky puppy we got from a couple that got in over their heads with a high energy puppy and new baby. And Zoey is probably 12 and a springer spaniel/short-haired pointer (We think). We got her from a police officer off craigslist who didn't have the time for her and told us he found her. All are fantastic pups, but they are bonded and are used to the house and yard, etc. It didn't seem fair to tear them apart. We thought about it, but the more we did, the more reasons not to bring Ellie with us. We wanted to get a puppy, but I didn't want to have to house train one on the road, and we thought getting a younger dog that could get used to our traveling would be good. In steps, Cooper! 

Tracey and I spent a lot of time on Petfinder/craigslist and contacted many people. Some of the shelter's applications were INSANE the questions they asked. When we found Cooper, his name was Buckaroo, and they named him at the shelter. We were told he is an English Pointer. We were told he was a plantation hunting dog in Georgia, and he failed as a hunting dog because he is so skittish. They dumped him cause he wasn't a good hunter; he had mange and was severely malnourished. I can't imagine what he went thru. But he, in the short three weeks we've had him, has proven to be an INCREDIBLE pup. He is super intelligent, a fast learner, a great friend, and an excellent cuddle buddy. We're working on getting him better at walking on a leash to go on picture walks with me. It's a work in progress, but he's getting better, so he is getting him to eat. But every day, he gets better and better. There are some videos and pics on my Instagram page. 

The first trip we made with him outside the park was to Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia; Tracey was off on Thursday, so we went. We met a great couple, Nina and Wayne, from Florida, but they travel too. It was pretty warm that day, but we found some shade, and Cooper just laid down and took a nap. He was so good we decided to take him so I could get a beer. LOL

We found a place called Omaha Brewing, and it said they were pet friendly. Now I know some places say they are pet friendly, but you have to sit out in the heat with your pup. This place was amazingly petted friendly, they had water bowls, treats, toys, and pet beds, and we could keep Coop inside. When we got there, there weren't many people there, just a table of 8 playing cards. We talked to them, and they were all super nice and loved Cooper. We ended up dropping his leash, and he just sat there. I got up to get another drink, and he trotted right with me and back.  He did the funniest thing with the dog bed, he fell asleep with his nose on it (top right picture in the collage and on my photo Instagram page here).

We enjoyed Omaha Brewing so much that we went back on Saturday during their crawfish boil after we got Coop microchipped, so we missed the crawfish. Still, there were a lot of people and other dogs. He could really care less about the other dogs, anywhere he doesn't care about other dogs. He doesn't get excited or worked up; he'll sniff and wag his tail like no one's business, but if that dog barks at him or makes an aggressive move, he's done. He walks away. Even out on walks, if a dog in another trailer or nearby barks, he looks over, and he seems to say what's wrong with you? A very quizzical look on his face for a fraction of a second, and then back to sniffing. Now squirrels, those little things are what he is all about. 

So while out at Omaha, we had quite a few people ask if he's a lemon; I was confused about the question and said no, he is a good dog. I was thinking of a lemon car or one that is bad. They laughed and said no, it is a type of pointer, apparently rare. They said it has to do with his coloring; his nose and eyes are light brown, and he has yellowish rings around his tail and a light yellow tint to his fur in some spots. 

I honestly can't figure out why anyone would get rid of this sweet little guy. He sleeps all day except when I take him for walks; we've heard him bark once in three weeks; he does this funny little hop when I take him for walks, kinda like a kangaroo; there is a reel on my Instagram page of it. He also points, but he stands on the tops of his back feet when he does. Both feet, sometimes just one, I don't know how or why he does it, but basically, his claws are facing up. I genuinely feel we lucked out and got an excellent dog for our traveling buddy. He rides amazingly in the truck and lays down on the floor; he's not too big for the trailer and us. We are just thrilled with him. He and Zoey have a lot of similarities, and I really miss my girls, so having this little guy helps. I can't wait for them to meet.

I'm sure you'll be seeing more of Cooper. Still, since this post was supposed to be an update on our location and things happening, and I ended up talking about Coop more, I decided to split them up. So follow along, and next week I'll have a more location updates. :)

Oh yeah on walks he does this hop thing which is why the vet called him Buckaroo and we call him Cooper-Roo, its kinda like a kangaroo hop. He's not trying to pull just hops, check it out on my IG page here.

Until then, Ride the Wave…