The Love of a Dog

There's nothing like walking in your front door and being bombarded by a big furry, slobbery dog! No matter how long you are away, they always greet you with the same love and affection. My parents have an English Springer Spaniel whom they have raised with strict discipline and training. He is the most well behaved pet I have ever come across! When my father goes to sit down at the table to eat, Cooper knows to automatically go into his crate and he doesn't come out until every else is done eating. I love this rule because to me nothing is more annoying than when you are eating at a friends house and their dog is sitting right by your side dripping drool on your lap, just waiting for you to drop a piece of scrap. Cooper wouldn't get caught dead doing this! My parents often tend to walk him without a leash and he stays right by their side. I don't know how they did it, maybe they have too much time on their hands but even The Dog Whisperer should take lessons from my parents!

Just recently, Cooper has been testing my fathers dominance and pushing the boundaries little by little. With an empty nest, Cooper is now the center of my parents attention. So it's funny when I come home to visit how jealous he gets! My dad was trying to help me with something on the computer in the living room and before you know it, Cooper had brought him all of his toys and set them by his feet. We wouldn't have noticed except he began crying when we didn't immediately throw his ball. My dad began to tell me how he thinks Cooper has been sneaking upstairs. If you knew my mother, you would understand why she doesn't allow dogs upstairs. Her OCD wouldn't have any part of the dog hair that would collect in our places of slumber! Anyways, my dad continued to tell me when he came home the other day that Cooper was not right at the door waiting for him. As he proceeded to walk into the house, Cooper was no where to be found. But then when my dad turned his back, Cooper was standing right there? Now, Cooper is no magician, and when my dad walked up the stairs he noticed a spot at the top of the stairway that was warmer than the rest! Although he had no real proof, my father was suspicious that Cooper had been sneaking upstairs to sleep while my parents weren't home. Now, to most pet owners this would not be a big deal but Cooper has been so well trained that this was completely out of his character.

So over the last couple of weeks, my dad has been trying to catch Cooper in the act but Cooper is sneakier than we thought! It wasn't until one night last week, when Cooper got really brave, that my parents finally caught him. My mom woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and landed on her face after she tripped over something! Her immediate thought was to be mad at my father thinking that he left the laundry basket in the middle of the floor after she asked him several times not to do that! But when she turned she was suddenly surprised and startled when something began moving under the blanket at the foot of her bed! It was too big to be a mouse and when the head popped out from underneath she was even more stunned to see Cooper's glowing eyes peering out. How does an old dog learn new tricks? Poor Cooper, ended up back in his crate! Better luck next time buddy!