Cooper

I've always been a bit of a sucker for big brown puppy-dog eyes. My dad was a dog person so we always had dogs around. My first real friend was Lady, a German Shepherd with a taste for rubber squeaky mice. Oh how she loved to gnaw on them until the squeak was gone. She was my playmate, confidant and protector.

As a child, I would have most likely identified with being a cat person. I couldn't wait until we moved to the farm to get a cat (or several - it was a farm, you need lots of barn cats, right?) But dogs were always present.

Now I would consider myself an animal person. I would have a menagerie if I could. In the meantime, I will love on the critters I meet.

That is how I got to go for a walk with my friend's Golden Retriever Cooper. I had gone to Cle Elum for a business meeting, staying in Michelle's vacation home at the Suncadia Resort. Cooper was there too, keeping his favorite human company.

While she worked on a few things before our meeting, I decided to go for a walk to stretch my legs after my drive. I coaxed Cooper to come with me. A little reluctant at first, he soon became enthusiastic for the adventure. He trotted off ahead of me on the trail, a very large doggy smile on his face.