Finding your Favorite Dog Breed for Life!
Meet Grace & Cooper (English Setter/3), San Jose, CA
I've loved dogs for as long as I can remember. My family got our first English Setter, Roger, when I was 4. After Roger passed away around age 9, we adopted a retired show dog, Styles.
Styles was 2 when we got him and it took him a while to adjust, but before we knew it, he became my dog. I even started sleeping in the basement with him. Styles passed the day before I graduated college. Thankfully the vet let me be with him during the injection so Styles passed while I was kissing his head. When Styles passed, I went to visit his brother and daughter. I was waiting for his daughter, Reign, to breed again.
For the next two years, I was living without a dog. My life felt incomplete. Reign was in heat and we thought she had gotten pregnant because she was acting differently. Unfortunately, she had a brain tumor and passed away. I was completely heartbroken.
I was put in touch with a woman that had a litter. I was late to the party, so I would have the last choice. But then the day the puppies got graded, a dark orange male was still available. That little puppy became my Cooper. I realized later that Cooper's great-great-grandpa was also Styles' dad!
I remember Coop's gotcha day like it was yesterday. It was love at first sight. Cooper is the first dog I ever raised 100% by myself. Safe to say, raising a puppy by yourself is quite the task. There were days where I would cry because he was being a handful and I was exhausted. But for the most part, Cooper has made my days better.
There has never been a dull moment. Sometimes I wish he wasn't so co-dependent, but at the same time, I know I've found a dog that loves me so unconditionally...what else could I ask for? It was really helpful to have Coop during the pandemic. He definitely loved having me work from home. In our spare time, we volunteer with a Pet Therapy organization and visit people in assisted living. @coopertheenglishsetter
Styles was 2 when we got him and it took him a while to adjust, but before we knew it, he became my dog. I even started sleeping in the basement with him. Styles passed the day before I graduated college. Thankfully the vet let me be with him during the injection so Styles passed while I was kissing his head. When Styles passed, I went to visit his brother and daughter. I was waiting for his daughter, Reign, to breed again.
For the next two years, I was living without a dog. My life felt incomplete. Reign was in heat and we thought she had gotten pregnant because she was acting differently. Unfortunately, she had a brain tumor and passed away. I was completely heartbroken.
I was put in touch with a woman that had a litter. I was late to the party, so I would have the last choice. But then the day the puppies got graded, a dark orange male was still available. That little puppy became my Cooper. I realized later that Cooper's great-great-grandpa was also Styles' dad!
I remember Coop's gotcha day like it was yesterday. It was love at first sight. Cooper is the first dog I ever raised 100% by myself. Safe to say, raising a puppy by yourself is quite the task. There were days where I would cry because he was being a handful and I was exhausted. But for the most part, Cooper has made my days better.
There has never been a dull moment. Sometimes I wish he wasn't so co-dependent, but at the same time, I know I've found a dog that loves me so unconditionally...what else could I ask for? It was really helpful to have Coop during the pandemic. He definitely loved having me work from home. In our spare time, we volunteer with a Pet Therapy organization and visit people in assisted living. @coopertheenglishsetter