Introducing Cooper!  Last month we adopted a black lab mixed puppy from the local Humane Society.  We already had 3 cats, Bella, Gizmo, and Chloe but we had wanted a dog for a while but my hubby didn’t want the huge commitment that a new puppy requires.  A few days before we adopted Cooper, my hubby made a comment to me one night that he was thinking about getting a dog for added security.  We have an alarm system but the bark of a big dog is even scarier to burglars than an alarm.  I had been trying to talk hubby into a dog for some time now so I didn’t let his comment fall on deaf ears.  I didn’t give him too much time to dwell on the pros and cons of getting a dog and over-think it.  I knew our family was ready for a puppy and I knew it was a great way teach our girls responsibility.  Plus hubby is a huge dog lover and animal lover in general so I knew that deep down he really wanted a dog.

A few days after my hubby’s comment to me, I took my girls to a pet store that I knew had an adoption center with available puppies (I saw them on the internet).  The pet store was near my husband’s office and it was close to the time he would be getting off work.  My girls and I checked out the puppies they had- a litter with 3 male and 3 female black lab mixed 3 month old puppies and 1 other mixed puppy from a different litter.  They were all adorable but we really liked one in particular.  He was the only one with a little while on the fur around his nose.  It almost looks like he was sniffing flour.  Plus I thought we had a better chance of hubby saying yet to a male dog because he is surrounded by all females in our house except for Gizmo, our male cat.  Ok, so maybe that part was in my head.  He probably would have accepted a male or female dog but I didn’t want to take the chance.

When hubby got off work I had him meet us at the pet store.  He thought he was just meeting us to shop but when he walked inside, we were in the adoption area.  As soon as he came in I told the woman which puppy we wanted to take into the play area with us.  We all (including hubby) fell in love with this little guy.  He was so sweet and playful but he also calmed down nicely, too.  It didn’t take long before hubby agreed that we should adopt him.  We picked out the necessary puppy supplies, completed the application, and we were on our way home with our new puppy, Cooper.

From day one we have been crate training Cooper.  The first night he had an accident in his cage because hubby forgot to put the divider in it.  He pooped on one end of the cage and was able to lay on the other end.  After that hubby put the divider inside the cage to make it smaller and Cooper hasn’t had an accident in it since.  Cooper had multiple pee and poop accidents in the house the first few weeks but now it is getting much better.  He is able to hold it much longer and we have learned to take him out as soon as he eats or drinks.  We are really looking forward to a time when he is totally trained and we can let him be more free around our house.

When we are home with Cooper we created an area blocked off by our couches and his crate to contain him.  It has worked well for the first month and it kept him contained.   But now Cooper has gotten bigger and it is harder to contain him.  He has grown from 16 pounds to almost 26 pounds so he can climb up on the couch and jump over the arms to break free.  We need to come up with another way to keep him out of trouble.  I think we’ll be buying some gates this weekend to block him from our kitchen and our upstairs.
Daddy and Cooper napping!
When we first introduced Cooper to our 3 cats he didn’t even notice them but THEY NOTICED HIM!  They were scared of him and stayed in our bedroom for the first week or so.  Now they are getting braver and closer to him but they still hiss at him when he gets too close.  He barks at them a bit but really just wants to play with them.  I am hoping that as time goes on they will all get along and be friends.

Look how big he got from the first pictures to this one!

Every once in a while I will try to update on Cooper’s growth and progress but I will leave you with one funny story.  I took Cooper to Pet Supermarket yesterday.  We walked around the store and Cooper stopped on the part of the floor that was a giant picture of grass.  And right there in the store on the grass area he pooped.  I give him credit for waiting until he was on the “grassy” part to do his business.  Why does a pet store have pictures of grass on their floor?

I think we’re starting bad habits!  What do you think?