Mr. Cooper

Hello! This is Cooper! I have taken over the computer. Mom has been pretty busy lately doing canning of all kinds of fruits and vegetables, so she hasn't had time to write a new blog post. Her last one was all about Shimmer. I have waited patiently for her to write one about ME, but finally have decided that I could actually do a better job filling you in all about ME than she could, so here I go.

I started life with my first Mom, Liz, in Spokane Washington. Here is me with my brothers. Yes, I am the incredibly handsome one in the middle.

When I was three months old, I came to live with my new family and Mom became my Mom. This involved a very loooong car ride home, but I spent the time getting acquainted with my new sisters and my Mom and Dad

So, now some important details about me.

I have many nicknames:

Super Cooper

Cooper Pooper

Super Cooper the Paratrooper

Cooper Trooper

I have always been a very handsome little dude, although often times I am referred to as 'Cute'. Seriously, I probably am, but handsome sounds so much more macho.

Shortly after I came to call this place home, the family adopted a Tiny Human. She and I are only two months apart in age (I am the older brother!!). The Tiny Human and I have always gotten along very well, have enjoyed growing up together and are pretty good buddies.

I especially enjoyed the snacks and treats that she would toss down to my sisters and me. That is me, front and center, making sure she didn't forget that I was waiting.

I tried my hand paw at the modeling stuff that my sisters were so good at, but it really was just not for me. I am a very active guy, and holding still for the camera is not my strong point.

I was amazingly cute, though, huh?

Things that I like to do:

I like to chew on things. We have baskets and baskets of toys all over the house, but I prefer the crunchy taste of furniture. Mom does not support this love of mine and seems to take a dim view of the 'distressing' that I have done to much of the furniture.

I like to take the role of protector of the premises very seriously. I loudly proclaim to all squirrels, birds, people walking by the fence, dogs walking by the fence, and certainly anyone who has the audacity to knock on our front door, that I am here, I am mighty, and I WILL do damage to your ankles.

Ok, maybe not really do damage to any ankles, but I bark. A lot. Mom gets frustrated with that sometimes, but a guy has gotta do what a guy's gotta do. 

Besides, if Mom gets frustrated, I just turn on the charm and give her THE LOOK. It melts her heart every time.

See? It works so well that she takes pictures to remember my cute face!

When I was still little, my ears were pretty big. Everyone commented on them.

Mom wondered if I would ever grow into my ears. They eventually got heavy and tipped over on the ends. Mom tried taping them to stay up, but my sisters liked to rip the tape off - OWIE!!! So, she gave up and let them tip. She actually loves them this way.

Every once in a while my ears seem to disappear! It kinda freaks me out, but somehow Mom always finds them again.

I'm a pretty happy guy, but one thing that I really do not like is to have a bath. I hate it! So demoralizing to look so pathetic.

Unfortunately, I get a pedicure every week and a grooming and bath once a month. Mom has a really good memory for this and never forgets. I still keep hoping!

I have really gorgeous chest floofs, if I do say so myself. The girls all love to pick me up and run their fingers through my chest hairs. Everyone likes my fluffy ears too.

Along with my guard dog duties, it is my responsibility to inspect any packages that are delivered to the house. My favorites are the ones that come from Chewy, as that is usually FOOD and TREATS. I also like getting boxes from the Barkshop, as those have TOYS and more TREATS!

I am a very happy dog, my tail wags all the time. In fact, it is kinda hard for Mom to get a picture where my tail-end isn't a blur from my tail wagging. Hehehe

One of my talents is that I can get my tongue completely up on top of my nose. Really, can  you do that..???

So, I think I have done a pretty good job of telling you about myself. I think I might have some serious skills in this blog writing stuff, what do you think? And, my page is longer than Shimmer's! Hahaha!!!

However, it has made me very tired. So I will sign off now and go take a nap. 

Good  night.

And thanks for reading!!

Meet Miss Shimmer

Many years ago I did some blog posts called Meet the Models, which gave our customers a chance to know a little bit more about the girls that modeled our designs. We are no longer producing our clothing line, and two of the girls have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, but I thought it would be fun to do this again, giving our new fans a peek at the adorable ones we still have.

First up is Miss Shimmer!

Shimmer will be 12 years old next month, but is still such a puppy at heart. She lived her first few years with Liz Moore of Diadem Chihuahuas, coming to our home a year after we got Stormie. When Liz decided to re-home Shimmer, she contacted me and we tried to think of a good excuse for us to bring another little Diva into our home. We finally settled on the fact that the dark colored clothing designs would show up on Shimmer much better than they did on Stormie, whose coat was black. It was a stretch, but it worked and Shawn fell for it. Hahaha. I don't really think he 'falls' for anything. I just think he's the greatest husband on the planet!

Shimmer's personality is so fun. She's a very happy little dog, but mostly only shows that for the family. When visitors come, Shimmer likes to be in the room, but won't let people pet her. She is absolutely a mama's girl. 

When Shimmer wags her tail, it spins in circles, making her look like she is ready to take off! When she is excited she will sneeze/snort like crazy. The more you make a similar sound, the more she will do her 'sneezing'. It's pretty funny. I'm not sure what is the most fun: watching Shimmer do the sneezing, or watching me do it with her!

Shimmer has the yummiest, softest coat of all the Chihuahuas we have had. I could just sit and snuggle and pet her all day long. She is predominately white in color and when she is out in the sun, she does literally shimmer.

When we had all four dogs Shimmer was not one to get into the mix and play, but now that it is just Cooper and her, there is a lot of playing that goes on. The zoomies are the best part. She will come running up to me and I will scratch/tickle her on her rump. As soon as I stop, she takes off, zooming all over the house or yard. Then she comes running back for me to do it again. She and Cooper run and play together quite a bit too.

She is a bit of a hoarder. She doesn't ever really chew on toys or chew sticks, but she will take anything she finds and bury it under the blanket in her crate. It can be a dog toy, a baby toy, or pretty much anything she finds on the floor. Whenever we are looking for a missing item, we always check her crate!

Shimmer is our little sun worshipper. She will find a patch of sun whenever she can and plop down in it. She loves to be outside! Whether it's raining, snowing, or sunny, she will dash out the door and race all over the yard. She bounds like a little deer, with her feet barely touching the ground. She exudes sheer joy and it is a delight to watch her. She has slowed down a bit over the years, but she still bounds all over the yard, tail wagging the entire time.

Shimmer has a fun talent - she smiles!! She is always tipping her little head up at me and smiling. It is just so perfect and goes right along with her sweet, happy personality.

She really only has one bad trait -- she cannot hold her licker! Oh my goodness, that dog will lick every surface of the house if she could. When she gets up on the couch with me, before she settles in to snuggle, she has to lay there and lick the couch. Yuck! I am constantly making her stop as I don't want the furniture to smell like dog breath!

Shimmer did have some puppies before she came to live with us. In the pictures I have seen of them, they look just like her. Sometimes I think it would be fun to have a reunion for Shimmer and her pups.

So, that is our Sweet Shimmer. I think she is pretty happy to be retired from the modeling career, as it was never her favorite thing to do, but the treats made it worth it! She always did a pretty good job though, don't you think?

Where Have We Been?

It has been a long time since I wrote a blog post and a lot has happened in the last few years. I will attempt to bring us up-to-date.

In March of 2011, we had our three month old granddaughter placed with us by the state, after she came into care with some very serious injuries. As we waded our way through court hearings, surgeries to correct her injuries, meetings with DHS, visitations, countless doctor appointments, therapy appointments, more court hearings, and more meetings, it became increasingly difficult for me to keep up with sewing and filling orders for the designer dog clothes that I had become known for. When it became clear that our granddaughter would not be able to be returned to her parents, we knew that there was no question that she had to remain with us and we were granted adoption. I closed down the business in December of 2014.

June 2011

Kaelynn fit into the family well, being a dog lover from the start. The dogs were not so sure about this new "puppy" that had descended upon the household, but soon accepted her and have always been so good with her. Poor Cooper probably got the shortest end of the stick, having come to live with us just two months prior to all of this. He didn't receive the extensive training that the girls had, so he is a little more of a wild child. But, he and she grew up together and have remained the best of friends.

August 2011

Stormie and Breezy loved to follow her around and were always willing to get free pets and loves.

We have made sure that she has been fully indoctrinated to love Chihuahuas first and foremost, even if it was at times a subliminal message.

Life has definitely been busy as we adjusted to parenting a child once more, at a time when we thought we were approaching an empty nest. But, life has a way of changing on you, just when you think you have it all planned out.

In the Fall of 2014, Breezy became very ill and was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal cancer and was started on a regimen of medications. She responded well to these and we were able to eventually get her down to the minimum dose required and she rebounded and was doing quite well.

In early Spring of 2015, Stormie developed a persistent little wheezy cough and we took her to see the vet. She was diagnosed with a significant heart murmur and was also placed on medications. I was doing well with keeping up with their daily doses and everyone seemed to be holding steady.

Then, one of the worst days of my life happened on the morning of June 27. We woke up to find that Stormie had passed away in her sleep. I was devastated and inconsolable. I have had to have several dogs put down over the years due to illness, but somehow you convince yourself that you are doing what is best for your pet and you come to peace with the decision. This one hit me so, so hard.

Stormie was my first Chihuahua and she was what is referred to as my 'heart dog'. She was so in tune to my emotions, always knowing when I needed a snuggle. She never wanted anything but to be held in my arms, snuggled up to my neck. She would often lay in her bed and just stare at me. I loved that little girl more than life itself. Losing her in that way, without the chance to say good bye was unbearable. 

My life has been so drastically changed in the last few years since we got Kaelynn and I have had to sacrifice many things, my business being one of them. Stormie was the original model and face of the company. Now it was all gone. The business was gone. Stormie was gone. Even still, great waves of grief wash over me when I least expect it. 

I did my best to move on, missing my little shadow, but having so many other responsibilities in my life, there wasn't a lot of time to linger in my grief.

Then, on the day after Thanksgiving, November 27, it was obvious that Breezy was in a lot of distress. She had also recently been diagnosed with a moderate heart murmur, as well as her other difficulties. I knew in my heart, as I scooped her up and rushed to the vet, that this was going to be good bye. Five months to the day after losing Stormie, I held little Breezy in my arms as she took her last breath and slipped away. Our vet cried, all the technicians, even the receptionist, were crying. And I sobbed harder than I could remember ever sobbing. My grief over Stormie slammed violently into my grief over Breezy and I thought I was going to literally die right there on the floor of that exam room. My heart could not handle it. How do you lose another one, when you hadn't recovered from losing the first?

Slowly, I have come to grips with the fact that I no longer have "The Girls". I still have Shimmer, who is in good health and is her sweet self, as well as our Super Cooper. Adjusting to two dogs has been a challenge. When I take them outside, I often find myself looking around for the other two, that momentary panic when I think I have lost one. 

Shimmer

Cooper

I appreciate those who have reached out to me when I announced on our Facebook page that we had lost Stormie, and then Breezy. My heart is healing. I'm even thinking about perhaps adding a new pup to our little pack. Not right now, but perhaps soon. Shimmer and Cooper still bring me so much joy and I am thinking of new ways to share their fun antics on both our Facebook and Instagram pages.

I plan to get back to writing my blog, as it has always been something that I enjoy doing, and hope that there are still some people out there who want to read it!

Thanks for listening,

Kelli