Cooper with his scar from the past, waiting for his first hydrotherapy session
His very first lesson
Dogs of his age are typically frisky and difficult to get a handle on, but not Cooper. He’s calm, undemanding, and shows an almost uncanny understanding of the situation and acts accordingly. All this doesn’t mean he’s a dull dog though. If you ever have a chance to interact with him, you’ll see that Cooper is anything but boring. He has retained his puppy playfulness and gets on well with dogs of all sizes and people of course. Cooper absolutely loves people and the following is just an example of how much love and compassion he will bring to any family that’s willing to give him a forever home.
Cooper at Sentosa
Recently, we met a friend whose child has autism, a disorder that leads to impaired social interaction and communication. And Cooper surprised us all when he displayed very understanding behaviour – the child screamed and stamped his feet but Cooper was unfazed. He just walked about, looking at him and the child who usually had very little focus suddenly started observing Cooper too and knelt down to try and pat him. As if instinctively understanding the difference in the child, Cooper stayed absolutely still and allowed himself to be patted and touched. We were amazed by Cooper’s calm, matured and understanding behavior – some adult dogs would not even have tolerated more than a few minutes of touch but Cooper enjoyed the attention for almost an hour.
Sweet Cooper
The child then jumped onto the trampoline. We braced ourselves for Cooper’s startled reaction, expecting him to bark in fear or run for the nearest cover, but it never came. Even though it was his first time experiencing this, Cooper, instead of being startled like any other dog would be, simply walked away and laid down to observe the child. We were amazed by his calm reaction given how young he is.
Fiona has worked with special needs children for more than two decades, and she used to bring her dogs to school when they were younger. Over time, she realized that her dogs were making an impact on the kids – the children gradually changed from being selfish and self centred to become more thoughtful, empathetic and compassionate through their interaction with the dogs. Even the parents noticed that their kids had become nicer children.
As every parent should know, the way a child is brought up forms the foundation for the rest of his life. And nurturing a child to love animals from a young age is a good way to teach a child respect and compassion for all living things.
You can start with Cooper; a very special, special needs dog that understands special needs children. Drop us an email if you wish to meet Cooper.
fiona@hopedogrescue.org
Please note that Cooper cannot be taken for runs. Just short walks 3 times a day will make him a happy dog.
Written by Elissa Loi
