Cooper (formerly Horton)

We recently learned that our 2017 alumnus, Cooper (formerly Horton), crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2022. Cooper began his rescue journey as a senior, carrying more than his fair share of challenges. He suffered from arthritis in his elbow and shoulder - believed to be caused by an untreated developmental issue as a puppy - and he was also advanced heartworm positive. As if that weren’t enough, Cooper had a severe allergic reaction to his heartworm treatment, requiring a long and careful recovery process. But during that slow road to healing, something wonderful happened. Cooper fell in love with his foster family… and decided he was already home.  His mom, Jamy, shared this beautiful tribute to her beloved boy:

“We lost Cooper in November 2022. He was between 15–16 years old. Cooper was our first foster and our first foster fail! He came to us a little rough around the edges—severely heartworm positive and with a gimp leg. It took 15 months to get him heartworm free, and with time he became the most loving and loyal old man. He was very protective of his family and his home.

He spent his days chasing anything that moved in our yard and slept at the bottom of our bed every night. He’d let you know when he thought it was time for everyone to go to bed. He absolutely loved car rides and sometimes gave you no choice but to take him along.

Cooper was so loving and happy. With four GSPs in the house, he earned the nickname ‘King Cooper.’ My family always accused me of him being my favorite. We know nothing about Cooper’s earlier years, but we do know his last five were spent loved, adored, and safe. Letting him go absolutely broke our hearts. He is missed and talked about every day.”

Our hearts go out to the Dingler family. While Cooper has been gone for a few years now, we know grief doesn’t follow a timeline. We hope the memories of his happy, love-filled years bring comfort and smiles as they remember their sweet King Cooper.

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. —ANONYMOUS