By the Fire, circa Blizzard of 05 

Snow, Kids, Men and Dogs - by Dad

The recent Blizzard of 2005 dumped about 16 inches of pure powder here on Long Island. With the 35mph winds creating 3 to 4 foot drifts and the snow-plows plowing your drive deep with snow, it added up to some good deep white stuff. All very beautiful, very peaceful, very idyllic.

The "kid" that is in all us, called me out into the snow, so I leashed up Cooper and us two "kids" went out. Mike, Elizabeth, and Nicole were already out back, building forts, and having snow ball fights, so I took Coop out on his usual walk, up to the school and back. This dog loves the snow. He will dart around, back and forth, jump into deep snow up to his chin, jump back in, then out, and in, again and again. If a dog could laugh, I think we would have heard Coop's native Pennsylvanian accent come out in roaring laughs and squeels. But his tail tells the story - when having fun he wags it like a windshield wiper on high speed.

And then after I shoveled for the 3rd time, with tired muscles and craving warmth, I laid down by the fire, and the kids and Coop were right there with me.

The Dog that Knows Everything - by Nicole (Age 6)

This morning Cooper did something when me and my brother and sister were playing ouside in the snow. Mom came out to tell us something and Cooper (ran outside without a leash!) and started peeing in the snow. And when he was done he went right back inside. He never does that!

The New Mets, Cooper circa 2004 

How Did He Know??? by Mom

Cooper never ceases to amaze me. He was asleep in his kitchen bed when a man from the electric company was walking around reading house meters. I first spotted him across the street at a neighbors house walking behind their front bushes. It was close to zero degrees today so his face was totally covered and the only sign of who he was was the insignia on his jacket. Anyway, just a few seconds after I saw him, Cooper jumped out of his bed and ran around to the front of the house barking and looking out the window to where the man supposedly was (now hidden behind the neighbors bushes). As far as I can tell the man had not as much as made a peep of noise as I just happened to be looking out the window when I first noticed him. There was not even a car in sight on the block so it's not that there was any sound from a car door. Furthermore, he had not yet come to our house (or dog would certainly have been alerted and never would be sleeping in the first place). So how did this beagle know the man was across the street???

There is Not a Person Inside of Cooper - by Nicole (age 6)

My mother wrote that sometimes she thinks there is a person inside Cooper and I think so too sometimes. Today I was laying down with Cooper in his bed and I was thinking about that. I just realized that there can't be anybody in there because once I dropped a chicken bone and he swallowed it, so he went to the emergency room for an x-ray to see where the bone went. They would have seen a person inside if there was a person inside. So now we know there's not a person inside Cooper.

Smart Dog - by Dad

When Cooper needs to do his "business" outside he will scratch the back door and look at you. Today he did an interesting variation on this. While I was in the basement working, he came downstairs and scratched a basement door (that doesn't lead outside, just into a different part of the basement). Seems the dog has developed the idea of scratching any door to communicate that he has to go out. And sure enough, he did have to go! Smart dog!

Mad Science - by Mom

Sometimes I wonder if there's a person trapped inside of Cooper. Perhaps he was the result of some mad scientist's experiment years ago that inadevertently turned human into canine, although no ability to reverse this process was possible. I say this because he seems to 'know' everything and to understand us people all so well. He also knows how to make eye-contact and communicate his needs to us (when we're willing to listen, that is).

My feeling is that Cooper realizes he's human but doesn't quite know what to do about it, and thus he's resigned himself to living in a dogs body for the rest of his life. This is not the first time I've felt this way, however. I had a dog growing up (Benjy) that I also believed was human. Maybe he too was the result of that scientific experiment.

Home - by Elizabeth (age 9)

Cooper knows the word " home" very well. When we're coming back from a walk we say "Home Cooper Home" and we let him lead us home from where we were. He's usually very good at showing us where home is unless he's wandering off sniffing something or chasing squirrels. He finds his way home by smelling where he is. You know, he is a scent hound.

The Sentinal, circa 2004

Should I be Insulted... by Mom

Should I be insulted that Cooper doesn't budge from wherever he is when I come home during the day (though he does get up to greet the kids when they get home)? Should I be insulted that his tail usually doesn't wag when I come down for breakfast in the morning (even though he eagerly awaits the kids coming down and wags his tail for each one of them)? Should I be insulted that he licks the kids before he sleeps on them but never licks me and only sleeps on me when I have a blanket he can go under? Should I be insulted that he seems to like me most at meal time just cause he knows I'm the one who feeds him?

Maybe I should be insulted... but I'm not. I love you too Coop.

Cooper Thinks He is King of the House - by Nicole (Age 6)

Cooper thinks he is the king of the house. Why? He sleeps some places where he is not supposed to. Only a king would do that!

How Cooper Barks - by Nicole (Age 6)

Cooper barks at many things. Like the doorbell or when he sees another dog. Sometimes he barks when hears another bark. When he hears the door opening or closing he will bark. He barks when the mail girl or boy comes to our house. He also barks when new people come over to the house. When loud music is playing he barks. His bark is like "woof" - like a deep voice and like a cool boy. Did you know all dogs bark? Cooper barks at many things.

Finding a Little Sun, circa 10/2004 

Stubbornness - by Dad

Beagles are known for having a streak of stubbornness in their souls. If I give Cooper a command such as "Come on Coop, let's go", he will invariably give me the following reaction:

If he is sitting, he will continue to sit. He'll look towards me (showing he is listening), but without eye contact. Many times he has preferred to sit and stare at the closed refrigerator (no joke!) instead of obeying me. But you can see his Beagle brain cogitating, ruminating, and pondering. He thinks: "Should I stay or should I go? Dad will eventually come over here and put the leash on me. But if wait here in the kitchen a piece of food may fall on the floor. I'll ignore him for now".

"For now" will last for 20 seconds. With a little more prodding - "Come on Coop, LET'S GO" he will come over to me.

Yes, Beagles have a streak of stubbornness, but the dog's desire to "obey" always wins out.

Pink Machinery-by Michael (age 12)

Although Cooper is very different than us, he is also alike in some ways. He eats, sleeps, plays, and gets into fights. Sounds like you, right? Well, not for long. That is, unless you lick your bed before going to sleep. Whether Cooper is sleeping in his bed, on the couch, on the rug, under a blanket, or on a person, he always does one thing in common: he licks the spot he is about to sleep in. First, he'll walk in a tight circle around the spot he's going to be laying on, then he lays down, and begins his daily rituals. Usually, if he is licking a person, he'll lick their skin. If they're wearing long pants or long-sleeved shirts, he may skip his rituals. Now, to the actual ritual. He starts by performing his mandatory inspection, searching for that scrumpcious dirt, blood, and other tasty treats. He then uses his scent detectors to find the precise location of the dirt. He then takes out his bright pink vacuum cleaner to sanitize the area. He then moves to the next dirty area. Actually, he enjoys cleaning dirt spots from his specimen. When he is done and the inspection has been passed, he puts his body over his newly cleaned bed. I bet even you don't clean that well.

Solitary Confinement-by Mom

One thing I love about Cooper is how he never complains about anything. He just spent a week in solitary confinement (i.e., boarding at vet) while the rest of the family took a nice vacation. He was away from his toys, his bed, our furniture, his house, his family... and unsure as to when he was coming home (or if he was even coming home again). Nevertheless, he arrived back with a smile on his face, his tail wagging and uncontrollable joy as he ran around his castle making sure all was well. He wasn't angry at us, he wasn't holding a grudge-- he didn't complain about one single thing. Sure I wish he would have talked a little more about his experiences over there but he just wanted to get right back into his routine and snuggle up to the radiator near his bed and have the 5 of us pet and kiss him and tell him how much we missed him. Two stars for being such a good boy!