{"id":5022,"date":"2011-08-21T21:33:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-22T01:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/?p=5022"},"modified":"2021-04-29T08:15:04","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T12:15:04","slug":"cooper-2000-2011-r-i-p","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/5022","title":{"rendered":"Cooper 2000-2011 R.I.P."},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me start out by saying that up until getting Cooper, I was strictly a cat person. Stereotypical girl thing I know, but cats are easy. You feed them, water them, clean the litter box, open the door to let them in and out, and pet them on the rare occasion they want your attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 2001 my daughter learned of someone who was trying to find a new home for their puppy, a 10 month old German Shepherd Dog. She begged me for a straight week, night and day about this dog. The only kind of dog I ever wanted was a GSD, so if it had been any other breed I would not have given in to her. They didn\u2019t really tell me a lot about the dog and I didn\u2019t know enough to ask any questions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So the husband shows up, jumps out of his van, hands me dog bowls, a bag of food, toys, AKC papers and a leash. He pats Cooper on the head, tells me thank you and leaves. There I am standing on the street with a dog that was HUGE thinking “10 month old puppy?!?” (remember I\u2019m a cat person)<\/p>\n

Luckily I had a fenced in backyard and that is where he stayed for 3 days, leash still attached.<\/p>\n

He would growl whenever we tried to get near him. Brittany was the one he warmed up to first, and things started to get easier from there, finally. Me, I was busy researching how to be a good dog owner.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He knew basically nothing. We began working with him, playing with him, and in general just building his trust in us. After a couple of months we were all bonded well enough and his true self started to emerge. Once he trusted us, his obedience training began in earnest. Fortunately, he was pretty smart and caught on quickly.<\/p>\n

Cooper was bursting with ENDLESS<\/b> energy and with the GSD smarts, he was quite creative in his energy outlets. We also noticed he was obsessive in the truest meaning of obsessive compulsive, when it came to playing ball as well. He was driving us CRAZY!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While attending the SPCA annual pet fair in August 2002, I watched a demonstration by a K9 search and rescue team. The light came on\u2026Cooper needed a job! I attended one of their trainings, where Cooper was evaluated by them and determined to be too shy for the work.<\/p>\n

Not to be deterred I set out to improve his socialization and began to train him myself with the search commands he would need to learn. Five months later I found a team that did offer us membership.<\/p>\n

Our training schedule was intense. We trained weekly, multiple days per week, for years learning air scent search wilderness and urban. Here we are on a rubble pile.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And cadaver search on both land and water. Here we were at a farm where we could practice both.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I continued with his socialization training, obedience training and we enrolled in an agility class.<\/p>\n

He totally loved the \u201cgame\u201d as SAR people call it. I think his favorite activity was riding on the front of the speed boats the water rescue teams used to get us to water search areas. He would stand on the front of the boat nose high in the air with the boat speeding and bouncing along. I think the boat operator liked that he liked it too. Here we are on the PPL lake doing a search for a drown duck hunter. He pinpointed the spots and the divers did the rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If boats were his favorite, then the high-line was his least favorite. But he did it and that comes down to the trust he had in me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 2006 we got out of the SAR business to concentrate on other activities.\u00a0 Now he enjoys a life of leisure and regular activities of hiking, backpacking, patrolling the yard during the day and the inside of the house at night (ugh), and just hanging on the porch with his girl Sophie. He is still obsessive about playing ball.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Facts about German Shepherds.<\/p>\n

The German Shepherd Dog was developed in Germany over 100 years ago by Capt. Max von Stephanitz who wanted the ultimate, highly intelligent utility dog that was capable of whatever task his owner required of him.<\/p>\n

The breed has a dense weather proof coat and is an EXTREMELY heavy shedder, doing so only once a year but it lasts for 365 days.<\/p>\n

Of the herding dog group, GSD’s are natural guard dogs, and protective of family and property without the need for specialized training.\u00a0 They ARE NOT naturally aggressive, but proper socialization is necessary.\u00a0 Once accepted by a GSD your are his friend for life; they are extremely loyal and wonderful with children.<\/p>\n

German Shepherd Dogs are the 3rd most popular dog breed in America.<\/p>\n

GSD’s must be with their families or their temperament can become unstable. They are NOT yard dogs and require a firm hand and a handler who is consistent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let me start out by saying that up until getting Cooper, I was strictly a cat person. Stereotypical girl thing I know, but cats are easy. You feed them, water them, clean the litter box, open the door to let them in and out, and pet them on the rare occasion they want your attention. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[184],"class_list":["post-5022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-cooper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3hvz5-1j0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15260,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/15260","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":0},"title":"Mama is Looking for a Dog","author":"Wendy","date":"May 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Barbado da Terceira","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/520_big-barbado-da-terceira.jpg?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/520_big-barbado-da-terceira.jpg?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/520_big-barbado-da-terceira.jpg?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/520_big-barbado-da-terceira.jpg?fit=850%2C638&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3221,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/3221","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":1},"title":"Time to Archive","author":"Wendy","date":"November 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The end of the year is coming fast and I have been surfing around our website and decided that some housecleaning is in order. I'm retiring information that I have on the Odds 'n ends page. However the information will survive in the archives so it is not really gone.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/photos\/mSophie_2.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14453,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/14453","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":2},"title":"Snake Avoidance Training","author":"Wendy","date":"April 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many people haven\u2019t heard of this life-saving training, but it is a topic worth discussing as warm weather approaches and the critters emerge from their winter slumber. When John and I were in search and rescue, my German Shepherd, Cooper, had snake avoidance training. I definitely want Eli and Jake\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fur Kids"","block_context":{"text":"Fur Kids","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/fur-kids"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WesternDiamondBack_thumb.jpg?fit=674%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WesternDiamondBack_thumb.jpg?fit=674%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/WesternDiamondBack_thumb.jpg?fit=674%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4987,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/4987","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":3},"title":"Sophie 2002-2013 R.I.P.","author":"Wendy","date":"September 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"John was at the Bloomsburg Fair, September 2001 and decided to walk through the dog show building. In here is where dog breeders from around the area setup stands and have their dogs on hand for your inspection. John\u2019s cousin whom he hadn\u2019t seen in 20 years was there with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/IMG_1397.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/IMG_1397.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/IMG_1397.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/IMG_1397.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2826,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2826","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":4},"title":"Sophie… RIP 09\/05\/2013","author":"Wendy","date":"September 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Sophie Dreese, pet partner and friend to John Dreese, made her journey to the Rainbow Bridge in the presence of her \u201cparents\u201d John and Wendy on September 5, 2013. John brought Sophie home when she was about 11 weeks old, and she was all ears and feet. At this point\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fur Kids"","block_context":{"text":"Fur Kids","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/fur-kids"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_1390_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_1390_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_1390_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3134,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/3134","url_meta":{"origin":5022,"position":5},"title":"2009 OLP Overnight Hike 7\/10 – 7\/11","author":"Wendy","date":"July 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Old Logger's Path Trail, Forksville PA the, traditional trailhead at Masten Special Note: 27 mile loop trail Sweeping vistas, cascading streams, rock outcroppings, Pleasant Stream and Rock Run Stream, make this one on PA'a premier hiking trails Thursday, July 9th We hadn't been out in the woods much this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"m071009OLPSally","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/m071009OLPSally_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/m071009OLPSally_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/m071009OLPSally_thumb.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5022"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13360,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022\/revisions\/13360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}