All About My Mr. Man

I got Cooper when he was about 10 weeks old from a small breeder in Iowa in November of 2006. Well, she was almost at the Minnesota border, but Iowa nonetheless. He was the last one left of his litter and the little guy was so excited to see and meet new people. He was fat, cuddly, healthy (as far as I can tell from looks alone), and had a dingleberry stuck to his side. It was love at first sight. I just wished that the breeder noticed the clump of poo stuck to his side but oh well, I brought him home with it on him since it was freezing and I didn't want him to catch a cold.

Now Cooper is fully grown at 2 years of age. He's quite a handsome fellow if I must say so myself, but he is very, very dramatic and prissy. I think he has more feminine features than masculine but I suppose that's ok. He is very eager to please and is extremely easy going and laid back. He's the first male dog I have ever owned so it has been a learning experience.

Here's more about Cooper:

• He hates water and will squirm and scream during baths. I happily paya very nice man to wash my dog a couple times a year. He also hates getting his nails trimmed but I put an old t-shirt on him which for some reason makes him freeze up so the most he can do is whimper while I trim away.
• He has seasonal allergies and I am dealing with that right now. Poor little guy's face is red and puffy and he just looks miserable.
• His nick names include: Coopa Coop, Mr. Man, Choo Choo, and sometimes I call him Cooper Face.
• He loves everyone he meets. I don't think he ever barked threateningly towards anyone unless they were ignoring him. He doesn't do too well with dogs since he got viciously attacked by some huge mutts at a dog park.
• He's not a cuddler but is on you like glue when you're sick. I like that.
• He is very vocal. And he has nightmares and screams in the middle of the night because of them. It probably includes water and large mean dogs.
• He has a heart problem. At first the vet thought it was a heart murmer but after a year of saving money (i.e. paying off enough of my credit card debt) I took him to Colorado State University Veterinary School to have it thoroughly checked out. I can't remember the medical name, but basically he has a small hole in his heart that never closed up while he was in the womb. Nothing too serious but we'll keep checking up on it. Nothing but my deep love for that dog would make me step foot on my rival college's campus (I went to the University of Colorado at Boulder and CSU is our rival in-state college).

So yeah, I suppose that's about it for him. He's really the pride and joy of my life right now.