Cooper Claus

At the pet store last night, it was decided that Cooper needed a new toy. He's been such a good boy with all the changes and people around, not to mention those (damn) birds always squawking. Last year, he got a "baby" from my friend Jules and he loved (LOVED) that thing. He ended up tearing it to shreds, but he never let it go. He would take it to bed with him, carry it on walks and never be within 5 feet of it. One day, after picking up pile of fluff, after pile of fluff, I decided it was time to chuck baby in the garbage.

He hasn't been the same since. We tried several other 'babies' with no real luck. They just weren't the same.

Last night, he got a new "baby." It was an exact replica of the original. It was love at first sight. He carried it on a walk for over 45 minutes. He wouldn't eat his dinner, because he couldn't figure out how to scoop up the kibble while keeping his baby in his mouth. I'll have to try and snap a picture of his new baby...but here is a pic of one of the babies we tried to give him to make up for that original one. This 'pig baby' almost did the trick, but it was quite as durable, and it's lifespan was limited to only 1 week.

I guess he deserves a new toy every once and awhile, since I torture the poor dog:

Not only is there a 'jingle collar,' the deer antlers had to be perched upon his head for a picture. And before anyone asks, I did NOT make any Christmas cards with this image. I'm not that insane. He is cute though...

Several years ago, a student gave Cooper a Santa hat and scarf gift. I think she didn't really realize just how big a 100 pound dog is...but he played along for a few minutes:

Perhaps we'll have to pass this on to his little friend Chloe? She's about the right size.

Hope everyone had a great weekend: 8 more sleeps. Santa Paws will bring another fun toy for Cooper. We'll just see if he's smart enough to figure it out.