Cooper Yellow Labrador Retriever Male 3 Years Old ID #2762
June 28, 2020
Cooper continues to be a lovable joy in his foster home but is still looking for his forever family. A physically fenced yard is a must for Coop, not only because he LOVES exploring and hanging out in the backyard (sometimes all by himself), but he has also become quite the squirrel (and rabbit and cat) chaser.
Cooper loves going for car rides and going on walks.
And he also loves his quiet time too. As you can see from some of his blog pictures, he is quite the “lounger.”
May 16, 2020
Cooper had his first post-surgery 3-month follow up scope at VRC with Dr. Sadanaga on Friday (5/22). There was some regrowth of the tumor and Dr. Sadanaga was able to remove it with laser surgery through Coopers throat (no need for external surgery on Cooper’s neck). Coop is a little more quiet than usual but recovering nicely on soft food and medication for the next week. Another follow up scope will need to be scheduled in 3 months.
I wanted to work with Cooper on his “dog meeting manners,” since he still pulls and barks when we pass most other dogs on leash. Fortunately, some great Brookline volunteers offered to meet us with their 3 labs and see how Cooper did with introductions.
The first meeting was with Katie (a current Brookline foster) which went really well, as Katie is such a sweet calm girl (plus Cooper and Katie had briefly met once before in the VRC parking lot).
The next intro was with female Pepper who is very friendly and very energetic. Pepper’s exuberance did initially bring out some barking and pulling from Cooper, but after some verbal corrections, treats, and some walking, Cooper calmed down nicely.
Next came the intro with Colin (a super sweet male lab who can also sometimes be a little “barky”), and we were all pleasantly surprised to see that both boys were nice and calm around each other.
All in all, it was a great exercise and I was very proud of Cooper. I think the lesson learned is that the calmer the other dog, the calmer Cooper’s reaction.
April 14, 2020
Cooper is doing well and is enjoying sheltering in place (and all the extra time and walks) with his foster family. He continues to be a sweet affectionate boy who is always looking for head scratches and belly rubs.
He also really loves his time in the back yard – playing and exploring. We continue to work with Cooper who can still sometimes get “excited” (barking and pulling) when we encounter some dogs and/or people on our walks.
outside walk s are better
Coop really wants to please and has made great progress with listening to verbal corrections.
March 12, 2020
Last week, Dr. Sadanaga from VRC contacted us with the results of Cooper’s surgery.
What Cooper had in his throat was a chondroma (benign tumor), And although the doctor removed a sizable amount of tissue, there was not a completely clean margin on one side. Dr. Sadanaga is suggesting that Cooper be scoped again in about 3 months to check for any regrowth. If all looks good, he recommends another scope 6 month after that. If it starts to grow back at any point, Dr. Sadanaga would go in again to remove any new growth plus a little more tissue with the goal of still getting clean margins. Dr. Sadanaga said that he feels this could be completely curable as long as we “stay on top of it.” So, at this point, there may or may not be another surgery in Cooper’s future.
Otherwise, Cooper is doing great and just had a recent follow up appointment at VRC to get his staples out. I was so proud of how well behaved he was in the waiting room when seeing other dogs, and he also had a friendly meeting with sweet Katie (another Brookline patient of Dr. Sadanaga’s) in the VRC parking lot.
Cooper will be available for adoption soon, with the condition that Cooper’s new family go back to Dr. Sadanaga for Cooper’s follow up care. If this is not geographically possible, then Cooper’s new vet would be asked to consult with Dr. Sadanaga. Dr. Sadanaga has also offered to personally talk to any families that are interested in adopting Cooper if they have any questions.
It is not going to be easy for us to let go of this sweet boy, but our hope is to find an awesome family who will love and care for Cooper for many years to come
February 29, 2020
Happy Leap Year Day from Cooper who is doing so well after his surgery. The muscle man t-shirt is part of his wardrobe for now in case the shaved area around the incision on his neck starts to get itchy.
We did find out that Coop is a “pill-spitter-outer” so we had to change from pill pockets to bread and peanut butter to hide his pills.😁
Cooper’s follow up appointment at VRC is March 10th. And we should be getting the biopsy results sometime this week.
February 17, 2020
Cooper’s surgery has been moved back one week to February 26th due to another urgent case that required care this week.
In the meantime, Cooper is enjoying life with his foster family. He still loves that rocking chair but has also now discovered how comfy a new dog bed is.
We took a trip to a busy park this weekend to expose him to some different surroundings to see how he would do. (He rides really well in the car !!)
There were people jogging, playing basketball and tennis, kicking soccer balls, riding bikes and scooters, playing with a remote-control car – and Cooper just trotted on by. He didn’t even pay much attention to the geese in the park.
As far as Cooper’s behavior toward other dogs in the park, we worked on keeping Cooper within sight of other dogs but at a “comfortable” distance. He got rewarded (treats and praise) for staying calm, and he responded well to distraction and/or a verbal correction if he started to pull or bark. Overall, he did really well and this will just be something that Cooper’s fur-ever family will need to continue to work on with him.
Cooper is smart and really wants to please. He soaks up any and all attention and love that you have to give, and he has tons of love to give in return.
February 4, 2020
Cooper had his consultation with the veterinary specialist last week, who recommended another surgery for Cooper to fully remove the small mass in his throat. The doctor wants to remove the mass to the point of getting “clean” tissue margins so that it will not grow back. The surgery is scheduled for February 19th.
Cooper continues to be a sweet and easygoing house guest who just loves to chill, but it only takes a little urging to get him in a playful mood. He really enjoys playtime in the yard and walks with our older yellow lab Koda. Cooper seems to be a little more calm on his walks, and if he does get “excited” by a passing person or dog, he is also starting to respond a little better to a verbal correction and/or distraction.
He loves belly rubs, head scratches and boy, does Cooper love that rocker! And, despite my attempt to keep him off of our other rocker by trying to block him with a large pillow, he instead found the “extra cushioning” quite comfy.
Cooper is one handsome, affectionate boy who deserves lots of love to make up for those years that he didn’t get any love. We will update Cooper’s blog after his surgery with hopefully all good news for this sweet pup.
January 18, 2020
It turns out that Cooper will be a Brookline foster for a little while longer. When he went to the vet for his follow up on 1/14, the doctor was surprised to see that the mass that had been removed from his throat had already starting growing back. After going over a couple options with the doctor, Brookline has decided to have Cooper see a veterinary specialist for a consultation. That consultation is scheduled for 1/30/20.
So it looks like we’ll be sharing that rocker with sweet Cooper for a little while longer : )
December 31, 2019
Cooper’s biopsy on the mass in his throat came back negative!! No cancer or infection – just some inflammation and tissue granulation. His follow up at the vet is scheduled for January 14th.
Cooper continues to be a very sweet and playful pup who loves being around us and just can’t get enough affection. Many times he will sit very close to one of us and once we start rubbing his head and chest, we are really not “allowed” to stop which he communicates with adorable head nudges.
On walks, which he loves, he does bark and pull (quite a bit) when we encounter other dogs or people, so we have just been just trying to manage that for now by walking during less popular times of the day.
I see that in uncertain situations, it just takes Cooper some time to “trust” and know that he is safe. When we had a few visitors at Christmas time, Cooper was uncertain and barked at them at first, but shortly after, he was going over to them and nudging them for head rubs.
Knowing Cooper’s background (coming originally from a hoarding situation with 40 dogs) and seeing the little scars on his face, his hesitancy and/or reaction around strange people or dogs is understandable, and will be something that his forever family will need to be willing work on with Cooper.
But once Cooper knows and loves you, he is ALL in!
Only good things for Cooper in 2020 and beyond!!
December 10, 2019
Cooper has settled in wonderfully with us – and we have allowed him to pretty much take over my rocking chair.
He is a such a sweet and calm boy who also has a funny, playful side.
Cooper had his appointment at the vet this week to check out the lump in his throat near his vocal chord. In preparation to be put under anesthesia, I had not fed him anything including breakfast that morning which was difficult when the other dogs in the house are eating breakfast. Well, Cooper was having none of that, and in the couple minutes it took me to help my senior lab Radar out into the back yard, Cooper helped himself to a “generous” portion of a loaf of bread that I had left on our kitchen island.
Fortunately when I called the vet’s office, they said we did not have to cancel our appointment and that they would just give Cooper some anti-nausea medication. When we got to the appointment, Cooper absolutely charmed both the doctor and the vet tech. He was successfully put under anesthesia and they were able to take a good look at his throat.
It was decided that with the size and location of the lump, laser surgery would be performed to remove it and then it will be sent out to be biopsied. Cooper’s surgery is scheduled for December 18th. Please send Cooper good thoughts for his upcoming procedure. In the meantime, we feel so fortunate to have Cooper spending the holidays with our family. And we now know to clear any and all “goodies” off of our counter tops.
December 1, 2019
We welcomed 3-year-old Cooper into our home on Friday and he is settling in very nicely.
Cooper was brought up from a hoarding situation in West Virginia. His adoptive mom had just recently lost her senior lab and was hoping her adult male lab would accept Cooper. Unfortunately that was not the case. The resident dog does not like other adult dogs. Cooper’s mom did the right thing for Cooper and reached out to Brookline where had has safely landed with us.
This sweet and handsome boy with the heart-shaped spot on his head is quite an affectionate snuggle bug. He is happy hanging with our resident labs but does tend to seek out us humans, especially for ear scratches and belly rubs.
He loves to go for walks and for the most part is very good on the leash. He gets a bit excited (with some brief pulling and barking) if we pass another dog but takes a correction well.
He also enjoys playtime in the yard, and hopefully our neighbor’s cat won’t decide to visit, since Cooper’s history includes a high prey drive when it come to cats.
He is used to being on the furniture, which we don’t usually allow, but he looked so cute in my rocking chair that I had to take a picture of him before asking him to hop off.
When Cooper’s mom recently took him in to her vet to get him neutered, they detected a lump near his vocal chords. Cooper will be seeing the vet this week to get that further checked out.
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PLEASE NOTE: While this Lab may not be available for adoption by the time you complete the adoption process, other great Labs are always finding their way into our Rescue.
If you are interested in adopting this Lab or any other Lab from our Rescue, please visit our Web site, www.brooklinelabrescue.org, for more information on our adoption process. If you need additional information about the adoption process or whether you are in our coverage area, please send an e-mail to our Rescue at info@brooklinelabrescue.org
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A physically fenced yard is a must for Coop, not only because he LOVES exploring and hanging out in the backyard (sometimes all by himself), but he has also become quite the squirrel (and rabbit and cat) chaser.
What Cooper had in his throat was a chondroma (benign tumor), And although the doctor removed a sizable amount of tissue, there was not a completely clean margin on one side. Dr. Sadanaga is suggesting that Cooper be scoped again in about 3 months to check for any regrowth. If all looks good, he recommends another scope 6 month after that. If it starts to grow back at any point, Dr. Sadanaga would go in again to remove any new growth plus a little more tissue with the goal of still getting clean margins. Dr. Sadanaga said that he feels this could be completely curable as long as we “stay on top of it.” So, at this point, there may or may not be another surgery in Cooper’s future.
Cooper seems to be a little more calm on his walks, and if he does get “excited” by a passing person or dog, he is also starting to respond a little better to a verbal correction and/or distraction.
