There is nothing worse than waking up at three in the morning to the sounds of a one-year-old crying. There is no way to calm them down during a thunder storm, you just have to sit there with a smile on your face and say "It's gonna be alright." No matter how much they cry and whine, you're stuck because you made a decision, and now it's too late to turn around.
Now most of you are thinking about a child right now...yeah nice try world, I'm not a dad. Kids are made of construction paper and weak glue, we'll stick for a while, but soon the glue will dry out. No, I'm talking about something much worse than a one-year-old screaming toddler. He is 85 pounds of pure evil, yet he makes every day an adventure. I'm talking bout the one-year-old monster known as my dog, Cooper.
When I first got Cooper, I thought it was going to be a smart Idea. Having a dog who everyone will love and wanna play with? What could go wrong? The day my family picked him up, I knew this was going to be a breeze. Boy was I wrong...
Full disclosure: my family is known back in my hometown as the "golden family." Since I was born there has always been a Golden Retriever sitting in my house. First there was Shamus and Shannon, two twins who my mom called "her first children." Then there was Jake, my dad's favorite dog....I still think he loves that dog more than me at times.
Next my grandpa got twins named Callie and Murphy. After a night on the internet and 50 bucks, we had Brady, and last but not least, my dad got another golden we named Maverick after Shamus and Shannon's father. Long story short, we have had a lot of dogs.
Cooper's brother, Tucker is what you would call the perfect dog. Tuck is always smiling like he just found out he was going to eat steak for the rest of his life. He loves belly rubs, playing with my brother and dad, sleeping on an ice cold floor and giving bear hugs to everyone he meets. Cooper is a whole different story.
Cooper likes to jump up on the bed just to jump back down and sleep in his dog bed five minutes later. If you don't let him get on the bed, he will bark as loud as a banshee cry, waking up everyone in the house and making you look really mean.
If that wasn't bad enough, Cooper climbs you. No I don't mean he climbs on top of you and falls asleep, he climbs like you like you are Mt. Everest. I guess he thinks that there is a Beggin' Strip on your head, and he will do anything to get it. Trust me, it might be cute when you look at it in pictures, but in reality...an 85-pound dog trying to tackle you is a nightmare.
He constantly loves to tear stuff up, he is never tired and if you're stuck with him during a thunderstorm...good luck, that's all that can be said. It is amazing how something so sweet and innocent can turn into to something so crazy and evil within a year. He is an angel sent from God to make my life a living hell.
But then at night when he jumps on the couch, lays his head down on my lap and falls asleep as I watch football, I remember why I got him in the first place.
Dogs are one of the most incredible things in the world if you raise them the right way. They are the only animals in the world that love you more than they love themselves. One minute they will be playful and sweet, then the next, they will be ready to attack anyone who hurts you.
They require attention, but just being around you is enough for them. They don't need much, just a nice shoe, maybe a belly rub here and there, and a tennis ball.
So, Cooper Thompson is a monster who makes my life insane. I no longer need an alarm clock because he is the perfect one. There is no need for a personal trainer because running after him keeps me in plenty of shape. He has gone from a shy puppy to an over-the-top dog who will run into walls if you say "go" and "walk" in the same sentence. Plain and simple; he's a monster.
But he's my monster and I thank God everyday for that.
