Last week, Cooper had a vet appointment to complete his round of shots and for a general checkup. We were pretty well prepared to hear that he was getting bigger, but after his last visit put him at about 3 lbs, it was a little surprising to hear that he was at 4.9! I don't want to chart this in an overly-well-designed Excel spreadsheet to try and predict his final weight, but i'm starting to get the impression that he won't be a lapdog for much longer...
To compliment his newfound weight, he's also gained a large amount of energy. He's now 4 months old (as of Sep 10), and he pretty much requires 2-3 walks per day. This isn't really feasible every day, but since he overcame is overt hatred of walking on a leash - he's suddently started to love going for long walks. As a method of facilitating this newfound passion, we've hired some help 2 days a week to make sure he can get out and get exercised on the days when I can't come home for lunch. [shoutout to Wiggles 'n Jiggles pet care].
Last weekend, Coop came with Jac and I up to Newfound lake to visit Lauren and Charlie at their new place. After hiking about 3 miles and 900' of elevation, it was clear that this dog loves to be outside, loves to walk, and loves nature. So - this weekend I arranged for him to get out for another stroll to take his mind off of the fact that Jaclyn wouldn't be around all weekend...
I'm going to interrupt my own blog to bring you this sidestory:
Every day, Jaclyn leaves for school about 20 minutes before I leave for work, so i take Cooper out for his last bathroom break of the morning, and for a brief walk. Without exception, every single day that Jaclyn kisses us goodbye and walks away, Cooper slips into a state of complete anxiety & depression. Wines, cries, stubborn resistance to other influences, and of course the occasional whelp - are heard by the entire street as i attempt to take his mind off of the separation. Eventually, he gives in, but continues to "hunt" for her around the yard, driveway, and even the neighborhood until eventually coming back in the house, where his worst suspicions are confirmed that she's left him for the day.
Back to the regularly-scheduled posting:
So anyway, Jaclyn is gone ALL WEEKEND. (if you need to, go ahead and re-read the last paragraph to get a sense of how depressed Cooper was). So i arranged a trip back home to hike Mt Wachusett with my mom and her cockapoo, Sammy. The boys got acquainted once again (they haven't seen each other since Cooper was a tot) and played in the backyard for a while until it was clear that they were friends, and ready to hike together. They both did a great job on the 2.5 mile ascent, and 1.5 mile descent, which featured lots of stone-wall walking, visits with hikers and kids at the summit, and a photo shoot at the abandoned stone cabin on Ropers Road where i got to see what Cooper would look like if he were brought to the taxidermist to be stuffed for my mantle :P
