Our Official Family Portrait (well, not really):



FINE, here's one of JUST the dogs:



What do you say to a 9 year old young lady that tells you that she doesn't want Freeport to die?  The summer READ student that has been with Freeport and I at Lollypop Farm since the beginning of July, said this to me.  Instant flashback to Kunik, Geddy, now Freeport and Mr. Cooper - fighting back tears her innocent statement created, all I could say was, "Death is a part of life.  They say our dogs don't live as long so we can love more of them."  She then said that she wanted Mr. Cooper to live long enough so that when she is in a nursing home, he can come and visit her!  One could only hope, yes?!  

What to do for this special young lady (and you are special), to help keep her memory of Freeport alive:  I used Kodak Gallery to create a mug with her and Freeport's picture on it, along with a set of stickers.  It was a simple gesture meant to invoke memories in the years to come.  I waited to write this blog so that we could get a picture of her with her gift.  



Little did we know that she had also made Freeport and Mr. Cooper a gift!  Can you imagine, a trip to Corning Glass and the thrill of etching your own glass, and who does she make it for? Freeport!  Along with a beautiful hand drawn card and a box of biscuits, this gift took a lot of thought.   Freeport and I are better for getting to know her.



Mr. Cooper has grown so much since our last blog!  He is interacting with several people who are helping him 'understand' what playing nice means - after all he's still a puppy and still has his puppy teeth!  He is getting use to water and even went swimming with Freeport on his own!  Oh, I'm such a proud 'mama'!



And he's so handsome when he's wet:



My dad was up from New York City for a couple of weeks.  He loves dogs as much as I do, and when he comes, Larry and I are forgotten by whichever dog we have at the moment -  they know who to hang out with and how to be so attentive at times:



Freeport & Grandpa, Cooper & Grandpa, Kunik & Geddy & Grandpa

He is turning out to be such a good puppy!  I call our living room the 'bone yard' with all the toys he has to play with - but it saves on furniture legs:



Our grandchildren range from 3 months to 6 years old.  Let me share some photos with Kunik, Geddy, Freeport and now, Mr. Cooper interacting with them:



Bernese Mountain dogs are amazing!  How they know that they are just children and are so gentle and protective of them, it still amazes me!  Even at 4 months old, Cooper came to the 'aid' of our 18 month old grandson when Larry was playing 'lion' with him.  Cooper came into the bedroom and stood between the two of them!  Of course, the grandson proceeded to use Cooper as a tunnel and crawled under his legs.

In the last blog on Socialization 101 I spoke about the need to introduce your dogs to different environments and people, including other pets.  One thing I realized during this last month is that a dog considers their house as their property and is usually protective of it, especially if other animals enter.  We have always had our friends bring their dogs over when they visit.  Freeport and Mr. Cooper have been the best of hosts this last month, even having a sleepover:



By having visitors come, it allows the dog to understand that the owner is the leader and puts them in a relaxed frame of mind - which is what you want for a Therapy Dog.  Of course, taking them to others houses that have dogs is just as beneficial, but you need to watch the hostess as she may be feeding your dog strawberries:



We took them to on an excursion to the Orvis store in Buffalo, which was his first experience inside a retail store.  Not nervous at all, and didn't even want to buy anything.  He did meet a stuffed black lab that he thought he should make friends with.



And, what's a couple of more stuffed animals:



Speaking of which, can you tell which ones are Freeport and Cooper:



We also took a trip back to Lollypop Farm to visit our friends and to introduce Mr. Cooper to some of the locals:



I remiss, so let me continue - The proud parents announce that Mr. Cooper graduated from Level 1 Obedience class!  He now enters Level 2 at Ebb Tide and at the end of those 8 weeks; he will be certified by the AKC as a Canine Good Citizen - the first official certification needed for a Pet Assisted Therapy dog.  He still has a long way to go, but with each passing day, he shows what a good therapy dog he will be.  



Mark your calendars:  Lollypop Farms Barktoberfest is September 26th!  If you want to meet Freeport and Mr. Cooper in person, they'll be there from 9am - 11am!  Who knows, maybe I can use your picture with them next!  If not, stay tuned for the next blog in October for pictures.  Until then, as the saying goes, let sleeping dogs lay:

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