Football ! - by Dad

Cooper's favorite after dinner game is football. Here is how it works. After dinner I am usually in the den talking to the family. Cooper sees that I am relaxed and basically doing nothing. He runs and finds his old deflated and chewed up Wilson NFL football. He brings it to me and starts growling. I say in a deep voice "COOPER THAT IS MY FOOTBALL!" Then the fun begins. Coop starts wagging his tail and growling; I get on my knees and basically play tug-of-war with the football, but better. He starts growling, we pull each other into other rooms; yanking on the football. Sometimes Coop gets the ball and runs around the house. But he always brings it back to me, and the game/fun fight begins again. Ultimately, the ball rests between us and someone must 'give up'. We debate whether I should ever let Cooper 'win' the game/fight as he knows me as the 'dominant male' of the family or pack. Should I ever let him win? Answer: I do. It's just fun, and when Cooper wins it doesn't go to his beagle head.

Stained Glass Cooper and Chalk Cooper by Nicole

Here is a picture we made into stained glass in photo shop. It is of Cooper! Cooper is so cute! It is of Cooper in the snow! Also, here is a picture of Cooper in chalk from photo shop!

COOPER UPDATE- Right now, Cooper is barking as Dad and Cooper play football, a game that they play! They are having so much fun! Beagles are very playful, and need daily exercise like a walk, and playing.

New picture of 'The Coop' - by Dad (age 44)

A picture of Cooper during a walk to the local school yard this past summer 2008. I take Cooper to the school for a walk - the same walk we have been doing for 6 years. When we get to a point during the walk, Cooper knows it is time to run, and we do a 50 yard dash back and forth. He loves it. He hasn't slowed down a bit.

Update on the Coop - by Dad (age 44)

It is September 2008, and Cooper's health is fine. The slipped or burst disk in his back naturally "drained". After a scary week or two he was back to normal. We opted not to have back surgery and everything turned out fine. Coop had been through to much, and we didn't want him going through another operation.

A letter from Cooper to You! - by Nicole (Age 9)

Dear Fans,
Hello! Yes, this is the real Cooper speaking. Ruff, Ruff! How are you today? Good? Good! Wanna play, lets play! Play with the football! Now here are some rufferific tips to act like me!

~ always look cute and where your lucky red color
~ enjoy your food, and DO NOT EAT MUSHROOMS (i do not like them)
~ lick your best friends, so they know you like them
~ always keep your tail up! (be positive)
~ learn special skills, like playing football or baseball or singing or acting!
~ always be ready to play
~ be creative and make youe own seat like I sit on the top of the cushion on the chair
~ practice your running and challenge your friends for a race (for fun)
~ get a name tag that says things like this- Name, Address, Phone numeber and add a picture of a paw
~ just be yourself, and enjoy life!

NOW YOU RULE! RUFF, RUFF, RUFF! You are now officially my friend!

Friends Forever,
Cooper

WELCOME B & A - by Nicole (age 9)

Welcome to our Life With a Beagle blog B & A !!!

Cooper is a famous beagle, right next to Snoopy and Uno. Now, you may not believe that, but it is true! He is in the book Scrapbooking For Dummies. There is a picture of him in it, and it is ultra cute! People who have that book are always looking at that picture, and talking about how cute he is! Also go to www.mousepaduniverse.com, there are a few pads with pictures of him! If Cooper was in a dog show, he would definitly win! We are not just saying that. He has the personality like Uno, because he is unique and has the looks! Everyone we know thinks he is the cutest beagle. So, you can call that a fact! The only reason he is not in dog shows is because he doesn't go to a dog school. That is because when he did the teacher was so mean to him. The teacher was most likely jealous of Cooper! But his family members are champions. His sparkling personality touches everyone! He is loyal. If you are crying he would go right up to you and sniff you! Although he is not talking, it makes you feel a lot better. He is friendly. If you go to my house, he will go right up to you! Whenever we are leaving, lets say to school, after our Mom say "Good-Bye", he says bye by barking. Obviously, in a nice way! He is playful. Normally right after you eat dinner, he gets his real football, and brings it to you so you can play with him. He is sweet. He will lick you all the time! Altough most beagles have these amazing traits, no other beagle is as great as Cooper. Oh, we almost forgot. Since we said he was very cute, what other way is better than showing you some pictures. They are right down low. Enjoy looking at the site B & A!

P.S. Some stories are not good. We mean Cooper might of ate something that he is not supposed to eat. They all have happy endings though. But what does Cooper know? He is the best dog and did NOT know he wasn't supposed to. Well maybe he did - but he is perfection. Now look at the pictures below. Are'nt they cute?


Here is Cooper sleeping. He looks so snuggly! He is 5 years old in this picture.


Here is Cooper playing with his football! He plays tug of war with dad, catches it when Dad throws it and many more. Cooper is almost 6 years old in this picture. Go Cooper!


Here is Cooper making cute faces on our back porch. Or, you can call it a photo shoot, because it sure seems like one! Cooper is 6 months old in this picture.


Here is Cooper playing in the snow. Although he loves the sun, he loves the snow a lot also! There is some snow on him-so cute! Cooper is 4 years old in this picture.


Here is a picture in one of his beds(now he has a brown one to go with the amazing basement.) He is only 3 months old in this picture! Awww, such a young puppy!

Cooper is sick (getting better) - By Elizabeth age 12

August of 2007, Cooper was diagnosed with cancer. He is doing pretty good though,and we are very happy. He had a bump on his arm and when he got it checked out, the Vet said is was a cancerous tumor. He had skin cancer. Cooper later got it removed through surgery leaving a big scar. But the docter wasn't sure they got all of it, because it was right near a bone. He was then treated with chemotherapy for 6 months. He was very fortunate to not have side effects, because they can be bad enough they have to stop giving it. When the 6 months ended (which was recently), he seemed pretty good. But then, last week we saw another bump somewhere on the top of his neck. We took him in, and they weren't sure what it was so they took a sample. When we got the results, it was nothing to worry about, just something like a fatty deposit. But it doesn't end there. About 2 days ago we started seeing Cooper act very strangely. He had very low energy, couldn't jump or run or anything like that. He did not seem well. We took him to the vet the first day we noticed this. My mom thought she saw him eat something weird from outside and they took and x-ray and saw something in his stomach so they gave him medicine for that. But another day passed and Cooper did not get any better so we started to thing it wasnt his stomach- maybe cancer. Maybe it spread on an organ and he is very uncomfortable. This thought really scared us. So this morning my mom and dad took him to a special vet and they told us he had a slipped disk in his back so his back was what was bothering him. Right now im typing this on the couch and he is right near me in his bed. We brought his bed in the den so he can be in here but he doesnt have to jump up. We are all very thankful to have such great doctors, for people and animals.