Meet Cooper! He is a Lab mix owned by Jeff and Joyce Vivio of Monessen. Cooper came to us in March of 2012 after we lost our beloved Rocky, a Shepherd/Lab mix rescue. Jeff found Cooper’s picture on a local shelter site and within a few days he had his new home with us. We were told he was found wandering in a field and we are so grateful that they rescued him!
Cooper was one year old when we adopted him. He has always been a very happy and friendly dog, and life with Cooper has been wonderful, very interesting and entertaining! He experienced some severe separation anxiety when he first arrived, and while we thought keeping him out of the living room would help him, we’d come home to find he’d broken through whatever barrier we’d set up. He finally settled in after we realized that all he wanted was to look out the picture window while we were gone. Within a short time, he had his own bench in front of the window where he could either be on the lookout or nap. In fact, at one point Google’s street view captured him in the window! And if we were not at home during a thunderstorm, he would find increasingly new ways to work out his anxiety during the storm, including opening kitchen cabinets and the bottom freezer of our fridge and taking everything out! The retriever part of his heritage has always been a bit of a mystery to us as he never showed much interest in chasing balls or playing much with toys. But he loves other dogs, and always enjoys hanging out with his besties Casey and Albany and his cousin Rain, as well as making new friends on his walks.
In 2021, Cooper was honored to represent Mon Valley Paws when they donated a microchip scanner to the Monessen Police Department to help lost dogs get back home. Cooper is now 12 years old, and although he was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease in 2022, medication has enabled him to live a normal, happy life and he is doing very well and still enjoying his walks. We love him so much, and we are so thankful for both Mon Valley Paws and all the shelters who do so much to rescue, and help pets in need!
Mon Valley Paws 