Cooper's Summer Vacation

In August, Cooper took a summer vacation to Asheville, North Carolina. 


Cooper swam A LOT during the trip! The house we rented was on a lake and had an indoor pool, so Cooper spent most of his vacation wet. First, in the lake.

And in the indoor pool:

Then Cooper hiked to the top of the Chimney Rock State Park (he would have reached the top twice as fast if Jeff and I weren't with him!) -- elevation 2280 feet.

View of the top from the parking lot.

Cooper at the top of Chimney Rock!

Cooper and Jeff at the top of Chimney Rock.

Taking a break at the top of Chimney Rock.

At Chimney Rock State Park, we also hiked to the waterfall.

Taking a break with the waterfall in the background.

Cooper and Jeff set out to reach the bottom of the waterfall.

Almost there.

Playing in the bottom of the waterfall.

Playing in the waterfall.

Posing at the bottom of the waterfall.

Thanks to Grandma Vogel, Cooper had a new towel to dry off with after all the swimming he did!  SuperCooper!

And then after all the swimming and hiking, Cooper was worn out!

Cooper passed out on the couch.

Alan relaxing with Wee, Smooch and Cooper.

...except when there was food involved. (Notice who the well-behaved pup is.)

  

Summer vacation? Did you say summer vacation? Cooper's at the door ready to go again!

Cooper's Road Trip to Maryland

After my grandmother passed away last week, Cooper was treated to an impromptu road trip to Maryland for the funeral. For him, the trip was filled with fun times -- except for the 24+ hours he spent in the car.

Cooper loves visiting my parents! He gets homemade treats and there's always someone around ready to walk him -- what's not to love?


On Friday, my brother took Jeff, Cooper and me to Gilbert Run Park. We walked the two-mile hiking trail and Cooper swam a little bit in the 60-acre freshwater lake. We also tried to get Cooper to fetch a ball at the park, but he's definitely not the retriever type (more on that later). Here is a photo of Brian and Cooper relaxing after the long day.

On Saturday, Cooper spent the day with my aunt Lisa, uncle Alan, cousin Jennifer, and their springers, Smooch and Wee. Here are a couple great pictures of Cooper that Alan took.

Not only did Alan groom Cooper, but we also took all the pups swimming! Here's a video of Cooper following Smooch around the pond.

We learned that Cooper would not retrieve the water dummy, but he would retrieve any stick we threw in the water! Here are some photos from our swimming adventure.

Lisa and Jennifer

Alan and Jennifer with Wee

Smooch

Cooper with a stick

Jeff throwing a stick for Cooper

Cooper was sad to leave Maryland, but he gets to see everyone again next month. And we'll be vacationing in a cabin on a lake, so I guess we'll need to stock up on big sticks for Cooper!

Cooper's Trip to the Doctor

Today we took Cooper to a veterinary cardiologist to get his heart checked. A couple months ago, one of his litter mates was diagnosed with a hole in the heart. After that, the breeders wanted to make sure none of the other puppies had cardiac issues and asked us all to take our puppies to a cardiologist. We were happy to report to them today that Cooper's heart is normal!


And just like kids get a toy after a doctor visit, Cooper got a present after his doctor visit too! Here he is with his new deer antler (and an old fox).

That's Cooper's second new deer antler this week too, because his cousins Smooch and Wee in Maryland sent one home with me last weekend for him! (Cooper says thanks!)

Get ready, tomorrow starts the month-long countdown to Cooper's 1st birthday!!

Cooper's Holiday Travels

Cooper traveled to four states during the holidays this year (and rode through several others). While we were worried about his carsickness issue, we learned that one bonine pill per day keeps the vomit and drool and anxiety away!

Here's a map of Cooper's 2010 holiday road trip - more than 2,600 miles total.

First stop: Ohio, to visit Jeff's mom's side of the family. Here is a photo of Cooper and his friend Sammy (Aunt Karen's dog) and a photo of Cooper galloping through the snow. Cooper definitely loved the winter weather in Ohio! Thanks to Grandpa Dillon (and his dog Mandy) for letting us stay with them.

Second stop: New Jersey, for Jeff's grandmother's 97th birthday. Here are photos of Jeff's brothers Kirt and Mike playing with Cooper. Thanks to CJ and Katie for letting us stay at their house!

Third stop: Maryland, with stops at my parents' house and my aunt and uncle's house. Here are photos of Cooper with my brother and his girlfriend Julie. Cooper was definitely smitten with Julie!

Here are photos of Cooper running around with his friends Smooch and Wee (my aunt Lisa and uncle Alan's dogs) and a photo of Lisa, Alan and their daughter Jennifer with Smooch, Cooper and Wee.

Cooper was at their house on the day of the Maryland-ECU bowl game, so he was wearing his game gear for a little while! And the Terps won, so I guess Cooper's Maryland bandanna is good luck!

Cooper also got to meet Stephanie and Eric while in Maryland, and Ashley, Lance and Luke during our last stop in North Carolina (where he got to meet three other dogs). Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of them with Cooper.

Cooper enjoyed his 2010 holiday road trip and can't wait to go on another road trip soon, now that he has doggie friends in so many places! And Jeff and I had a great trip visiting family and friends too!