[Dailydrool] basset mixes

[LOIS LEMA]

mr cooper (not a sir) was my basset mix, and my first entry into the world of bassets.  he was a "bassetter"....English setter and basset mix.  he was adopted from an English setter rescue.  his body looked like setter..including feathers and a huge, feathery tail that he used as a rudder when he ran.  the legs and most of the head was basset.  overall he looked like he was put together by dr seuss!
he arrived in 2005, heartworm + and with an enlarged trachea.  I didn't know anything of his history, beyond that.  I soon learned that he was beyond gentle and sought out those souls who needed a little special attention.  right after I got him, I met a friend who did therapy dog work with her setter.  we were at the nursing home she visited while she did some paperwork.  it was too hot to wait outside so we stood in the lobby.  this older woman saw him and made a beeline right at him.  I had mr cooper for a week and had no idea what he would do.  she got right next to him, picked up his ears and spoke quietly to him in polish.  he leaned into her and stood rock solid still.  I found out later she had not spoken for months.
he adored special needs children.  sitting by them as they told him their stories as well.  the only thing he did not adore was groundhogs.  those he killed.  inside out dog park he took out 11.  he would sit silent like a statue until he saw one crawl under the fence, then he would erupt and dispatch it.  if you were lucky he would drag it over to you and display his prize.  the county parks department loved him..seriously.
he told a psychic once his favorite color was purple and he loved dressing up.  so everyone I know got him attire.  and he smiled.  again, seriously.  he waddled and marched with trout.  he vacationed in PA & NH.  
coop did have a wandering soul...if a door was open or a fence post just the right size, he was off.  once he stole chicken off a friend's neighbors kitchen counter.  after a while, he would just wander off the to bar on my corner where he would chill with bowls of pretzels and water.  seriously.  he ran a tab.
he arrived in 2005 and departed in 2009 from congestive heart failure and dementia.  I am sure he went to a place surrounded with squeaky balls...which he loved (he frequently broke the 11th commandment ."thou shall not covet thy other dog's squeaky toys" 
Because of coop, I joined the daily drool, began attending rescue events and made some wonderful friends.    he was a great dog...I can't speak about his life before me, but once he landed in my place, my goofy, dr seuss bassetter loved life with total gusto! and led me into the world of bassets.
lois lemamr cooper (not a sir) who begat buster, sally, lowla & dexter  

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