Heart warming dog adopting.

When we made the decision to move to the suburbs, we knew the extra space would allow us the opportunity to open our home to another dog in need. After some searching, I came across Cooper on Susie Senior Dogs’ Instagram. The post said that Cooper’s owner had died when he was 4 years old, he was now 10 and had been in the shelter for SIX years. At first glance, Cooper was a shy dog, he would rather be in the safety of his kennel than meet new people. This caused him to be overlooked again and again. However, from the photos, you could see a kindness in his eyes; this struck a chord with me. I think anyone who has ever been criticized for being shy can relate, sometimes you just need someone to believe in you and we were going to be that for Cooper.

We were in New York and Cooper was in Florida, so it was not the most ideal situation, but I was determined to make it work. My husband agreed and off we went to Miami to meet Coop. We knew right away that our instincts were right. Flying was not an option to get Coop home, but we were lucky enough to find a volunteer to drive him north for us. He made his way to New York just in time for Christmas, his first with a family in a long, long time. The first few nights were rough, he was scared. It was a big change for him, but every day he trusted us a little more, showed us a little more of his personality and within a week, you couldn’t sit down without him trying to fit his 80 pound body in your lap. Cooper was gentle, Cooper was funny, Cooper LOVED his family. He spent the next year and a half running in the yard with his brothers, cuddling with his humans and getting tucked into his very own bed every single night.

When you adopt a senior dog, or any dog, you know that one day you will have to say goodbye and while we knew that day would come, when Cooper got sick we were crushed. As hard as it was, when the time came, we were so thankful to have been able to change his story. He had a family, he experienced love, he was able to feel safe, and even though he became sick he didn’t have to go it alone. I am grateful every day for the joy he brought our family and feel so lucky to have known him. Given the chance, I would do it all again. I hope that Cooper’s story can inspire others to take a second look at the shy ones, the senior ones, the ones that just need someone to believe in them. Cooper was proof that a little love can go a long way”