My Favorite Dog Stories: Cooper #2

One day, my dog Cooper and I had gone out for a walk and my neighbor’s two pit bulls came rushing out of their house towards us.  Before I knew what was going on, Cooper had managed to back out of his collar and then come around in front of me to protect me.  He reared up causing one of the dogs to break off and turn around and the other decided to submit and dropped straight down to the ground.  When Cooper came down, he latched on to the scruff of the dog’s neck. I was able to get him off but noticed some blood.  My neighbor apologized for the dogs getting out and we checked for injuries.  There was blood but the blood was not from the other dog but from Cooper himself.  Upon inspecting inside his mouth, I noticed some type of growth on his gums.  The best way to describe it would be if you sliced an olive in half and then glued it on.  That’s what it looked like.  After taking him to the vet and getting it biopsied, I learned that it was the most aggressive form of cancer that a dog could get.  I was told that he might live another two months and just to give him as much love and treats as I could.  So, that is exactly what I did.  I was so proud to know that even with one eye, he was still ready to give his life to protect me from two other dogs.  I had to choose to end his suffering once he got to that point.  He will probably always be my favorite even though I have had dogs before him and after him.