Mia Teaches Her Owner To Fetch

Last Sunday I finally got the cone removed from my head. This Sunday my friend Mia got her cone removed. I know how it feels to be running around not being able to see and bumping into and knocking everything over so I told Mia to meet me at Urey Overlook trail and we could go hiking and celebrate. Check out how happy she was in the video.

It was great seeing Mia again.

While our owners looked for eagles we played until we were exhausted.
click to see the pictures better

Our owners didn't see any eagles and we were really thirsty so we went down to the river for a drink before we headed home. 

That's Holtwood Power Plant on the far end of the dam.

Fetching Sticks

Mia taught her owner how to fetch sticks! Most people collect things like rocks or leaves or coins or stamps or baseball cards. But her owner collects sticks. He must have fetched about 7 or 8 of them. He said he got them for himself and some for his family. Lucky them. At least he said he is going to dry them out first then maybe varnish them. He called them "walking sticks" but they don't walk. They just lay there. 

They must have had a really sad Christmas if he can only get them sticks. And Christmas is already over. Geee I got lots of neat presents. Maybe I should give Mia one of mine. So sad, giving out sticks you find along the river. Poor Mia. 

If you like to collect sticks I guess this is the place to go. 

Dog (park) Day Afternoon

Today was a sunny 57 degrees. A great winter day. So Dingo and I went to the dog park. We weren't the only ones with that idea. There must have been 50 other dogs there, which was fine because it is a very large park and the more the merrier.

I had a great time so I thought I would post some pictures to help me remember this day later in the winter when I can't get out so much.

Below is a picture when I first got there. Click on it to see if you can find all 16 dogs in it. Can you find Dingo and me? Can you find Dingo's owners and my mom and my college girl?

My first day in the Big Dog area. 

I don't think I was the first one to use this today.

Dingo and I would team up. Notice below Dingo is on the left and I am on the right. We were herding them up. We always like to stay on the outer perimeter and round things up. We are a good team.

A good day for Australia. Notice the Australian Sheep Dog and the Border Collie/Heeler mixed.

Here are some more pictures of other dogs at the park Dingo and I got to meet. 

Everybody is friendly at the park.

Hey, it is not a snack. It is just a camera. 

I am just having fun Dingo but nice to know you got my back!

Teamwork. Here we go again herding them up. Got em surrounded. 

The ride home. Relaxing in the back seat with Jannessa.

If we get another nice day this winter or early spring maybe my friends Mia or Storm or Zeke and Callie could meet me there. They would really like it. 

Christmas Party At My Vet's

I love going to my Vet. I had a great time there today. My owner guy told me they were having a Christmas party and I was invited. I got there early before they were even open. There were already a lot of other dogs in the back. The receptionist took my leash and I led her to the back room. I was so excited.

Jami - One of the cute nurses I got to hang out with.

But before I knew it the party was over. I must have overdone it on the eggnog or something because I don't remember a lot about it. I wish I could tell you more but everything is a little fuzzy. I think I had a great time though because as you can see in the photo I woke up with this lamp shade on my head! I bet I was the life of the party.

You can see I was a little hung over. I bet I had a good time. 

I am going to figure out how I got this lamp shade on my head and I will let you know more about the party later. As for now, I am going to tell mom I am starting to feel better and how about getting me something to eat! Then I think I will turn in for the night. 

Hey Mom, I am feeling better. Got anything to eat?
Can you get this lamp shade off my head? 

A Tree In The House

A Tree In The House.

What could this mean? There is a tree in the house. And it is all decorated with lights. I am not sure what this is all about but Jannessa sure had fun getting it ready. She decorated me!

A dog with lights. Very funny Jannessa. 

Everyone was involved in decorating this tree. Even my human brother who I finally got to meet for the first time came all the way from North Carolina to help. And guess what. He just got married yesterday so now I am a dog-in-law.

My human brother I just met and my new sis-in-law decorating the tree. 

I Figured It Out.

I finally figured out why they are all so excited about putting a tree in the house. Camden and Simba have litter boxes. So it must be that I am getting an indoor bathroom too! It will be so nice to have my own indoor bathroom this winter when it is so cold out. This is going to be great!

Hey guys, I am not allowed to mess with your litter box so stay away from my tree.

A White Thanksgiving

Dreaming Of A White Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving eve Jannessa took me for my first walk in the snow. I've seen snow before (the day after my dog park visit) but this was the first accumulation I got to see and play in.

These strange footprints seem to go everywhere I do.

It was Dingo's first real snow too. She put up a video on instragram and it looks like she was having fun too. You can watch it here. She really looks excited and likes to run. I really like to jump and catch it when Jannessa kicks it in the air. We did that for a long time but she got tired and wanted to go in. I could have stayed out for hours! Since my roots are in Australia I was pretending I was a kangaroo.

As you can see Dingo and I really like the snow. 

And Dingo, want to know a trick? I found out how to turn the snow yellow! You can draw pictures in it! 

Jannessa told me there will be parades on TV. I plan on watching them with mom!

Hey mom, is Snoopy going to be in the parade?

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Day! I am thankful for snow. What are you thankful for?

Watching Traffic

I like to watch traffic.

Here is a video of me doing what I do a lot. Just sitting around watching the Airville traffic. So if you watch it you will be watching a dog watching traffic.

If you get someone to video you watching it I will post it and then people can watch a person watch a dog watch traffic.

This blog is going into winter mode. Posts will be less frequent. On the off days please use the time you would have spent reading my posts wisely.

Dog Park

Wednesday I went along with Dingo to a dog park. It isn't called a dog park but that is what I call it. They call it "Canine Meadows - Off Leash Dog Area" and it is in John Rudy County Park. It has three fenced in areas so dogs can run free and play without worrying about falling off cliffs into a river or chasing a squirrel across a road and getting run over by a UPS truck. A real safe place to romp around. Dog Fancy magazine rated it #20 as one of the top dog parks in the nation. Click here to see the article. 

John Rudy must really like dogs. 

Since there isn't a creek or a river in the park they have installed watering stations for us dogs. They are shut down now for the year due to the cold but I bet they really come in handy in the summer. It is a really nice park with lots of benches for our owners to sit and watch us play with all the other dogs. They have a lot of rules. I found out the next day that I broke one of them. Can you guess which one?

I broke rule #9. I weighed myself the next day. I am 35 lbs now! 

The top area is for big dogs, like me. The bottom is for small dogs. 

One of the best things about the park is you get to meet new dogs. I didn't see any other Australian Blue Heelers, except for Dingo. But I did get to see lots of other dogs. Here are a few pictures of some of the other dogs I met.

Rusty. Boston Terrier/Beagle. He was really fast and never stopped running. 

This Beagle was Rusty's friend. The happiest dog I ever saw. He just ran around
with his nose to the ground all the time barking on the trail.

Molly. A Chinese Crested Short Hair and her friend Scrapper, a Shih Tzu

You can see how large area #3 is. Lots of room to run.

The picture above shows how big it is and that there weren't too many other dogs there during the week. I bet if I went on a weekend I could make lots of new friends. Thanks Dingo for showing me the dog park. 

If you want to go to a dog park but you don't live near John C Rudy park you can click here to find a park near you. Just click on your state. My state of PA has 25 of them listed. They are great places to meet new friends. 

Seeing Or Believing. Which Do You Trust?

A good start to the day

We headed to our favorite hiking spot at Urey Overlook. There are several different roads we take to get to the same place. This day we took the Rt 425 route near the Airville fire hall and headed down toward Indian Steps.  I was glad we chose this way today because part way down the hill toward the river I saw two of the prettiest birds I ever saw. They weren't flying. They were walking along the edge of the road. My owner guy told me they were Ring-necked Pheasants. I remember hearing them before when Dingo was with me but we didn't get to see them. Well, they sure look better than they sound. 

Ring-necked Pheasants. Zoomed in on the bottom for a closer look. 

Stuck in traffic

There was a drawback by going this way though. It had the typical Airville traffic problems. We got caught behind a slow moving tanker and had to follow it for awhile. It was moving so slow because it only had four horsepower. It finally did pull off the road and moved into a field and then we continued on our way. 

Typical Airville traffic. It pulled off the road and we continued on our way.

Safe Harbor Stolen!

When we arrived at the overlook I expected to see Safe Harbor dam and power plant like usual but it wasn't there! Somebody stole it! What happened to it? Where were the people that work there? How would we get electricity so I can watch TV? How would I be able to blog without electric? Does this mean 40 more power companies will be calling at all hours trying to scam us? I was highly upset. I was letting my imagination run away with me, causing me to panic. 

Top photo shows it missing. Bottom photo from same spot 2 weeks ago.

I wanted my owner guy to call 911 and report it missing but he told me to relax. That is was still there and I just couldn't see it today. I didn't believe him so he took me to another trail so we could get a closer look. He said it was just the fog and haze obscuring my vision and not to let what I couldn't see distress me but to remain confident with what I know to be true, even though I can't always see it. 

Owner guy was right. It is still there. 

And before we left the sun even came back out!

Today's Takeaway 

The sun is always shining (even at night!) even though we can't always see it. Don't panic. The night will turn to morning and the clouds will give way to the sun. As papa Duke always told us pups. We live by faith, not by sight. ( 2 Cor 5:7 )

Here We Go Heelers, Here We Go

For those of you who don't follow my sister Dingo on instagram (@dingo_the_blueheeler (click to see her site) I have managed to get a copy of the video she posted.

She is really good at not only catching the Frisbee but also at aggressively going right after it. Check the video and notice how she times her jump to go get it and not just wait for it to come down to her. I see a lot of talent. If the right scouts see this it could be her ticket to the pros. It inspired me to start practicing my skills too. I am going to get a Frisbee and start working out. Mostly I have been catching beef stick snacks and white cheddar Cheez-Its (click here to see) I like catching things you can eat.

I am considering starting a dog football team. One like the famous Pittsburgh Steelers. Only I would call my team the Airville Heelers.

So if any of you dogs out there think you have what it takes to play football send your statistics and a video of what you can do to the Airville Heelers via email to

airvillepa at yahoo dot com

Attn: Simba - General Manager, Talent Acquisition.

We will evaluate it and if we think you have potential we'll get back to you with details on tryout times .

(Cooper dreams about being a famous football coach)
Someday I'll have a street named after me just like Chuck!

I have always dreamed about being a famous football coach like Chuck Noll. I think we could field a championship team. If we win the championship maybe they would name a street in Airville after me. Maybe Treasa's Pizza and Subs would name a sandwich after me. The Cooper da ville! (short for Airville, or Collinsville, or Brogueville. We sure have a lot of villes around here).

I would like to especially encourage Mia, Max, Hank, Callie & Zeke to try out. And Storm, we might have a defensive coordinator coaching position for you.

And as for Dingo, "Bring your talents to Airville"!

New Cousin

I just found out that I have 2 cousins that live right up the Susquehanna River from me. Up in the Endless Mountain area. They are Callie and Zeke. And Zeke is my newest cousin. He is just a pup. A Bernese Mountain Dog. I was checking him out and he could grow to be up to 125 pounds! That is more than my human mom weighs!

I found some pictures of my cousins on facebook and I grabbed some for you to see.

Callie and Zeke (Ezekiel) 

Zeke. He could end up being 125 pounds! 

I bet everybody is having lots of fun up there in the Endless Mountains. I was thinking about going up to see them but found out that it would be about 182 miles up stream. It would probably be a lot easier for them to just raft downstream to come and see me. Dingo and I could show them some nice trails.

Don't they look like they would be good football players? 

Callie and Zeke. I can't wait to see you someday. And be sure to check out tomorrow's post. You guys might fit very well into some plans I am making.

I never met a Bernese Mountain Dog before but I have heard of them. One of the most famous is Hercules. He is Ben Roethlisberger's (the quarterback for the great Pittsburgh Steelers) dog that he brought back from Switzerland in 2006 when he was there finding out about his family's roots.

Hercules   --  Ben  --  Zeus
Click Picture to go to Ben's Service Dog Foundation Page

Today Is A Special Day

Happy Birthday Jennilyn

Today is my human sister Jennilyn's Birthday. She spent the afternoon with me yesterday. We celebrated by watching the Steelers on TV. We couldn't get the NFL to reshedule the game to today so we celebrated her birthday early. She even had another early birthday present this year. She went to Yankee Stadium to watch the Orioles beat the Yankees and eliminate them from the playoffs. We couldn't get MLB to reschedule that game to her birthday either. Those Pro Leagues aren't very flexible in their schedules. 

Check out her Orioles shirt. She likes good sports teams. 

Very Odd Behavior 

My human mom spent Saturday making a great smelling chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. It smelled so good. My owner guy even licked the icing bowl but I didn't get any at all. 

Well after the game it was finally time to eat the cake. But right before they were ready to eat it (I didn't get any cake either) the strangest thing happened. Everyone started yelling at exactly the same time saying the same thing. They called it singing Happy Birthday. It really freaked me out. I never saw or heard anything like that before. And it gets worse. 

Jennilyn Saves The Day

While everyone was singing the cake caught fire! It was actually burning up! Thank goodness Jennilyn wasn't singing and had her wits about her. She went to the cake and blew out the fire. I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't been there. She saved the day. 

Happy Birthday Jennilyn. Thanks for spending the afternoon with me. And thanks for saving the day! 

I won't tell her age but if you stare at the picture long enough you might see a clue.
Check out the Steeler shirt. Told ya she likes good teams. 

Help the Coopster wish her a Happy Birthday by leaving her a birthday wish in the comments below. 

How To Get A Degree

Sit and Stare

My human sister Jannessa spends most of her time sitting and staring at her computer. She says she is doing research and preparing presentations as she works toward her masters degree. I didn't know that you can earn a degree by sitting and staring. That is one of the things I do best. Maybe I should work toward a degree. I just love to stare at people. Especially when they are eating.

I could get a degree in mooching. Stare long enough and you get a cheez-it.

Learning to catch

My sister Dingo posted a video on instagram where she is catching a Frisbee. She does a great job running in the yard and catching it on the fly. She runs really fast and catches up to it and jumps up in the air and grabs it.

It looked like fun so I asked Jannessa to teach me to catch. She is really busy staring for her degree and doesn't have a lot of time to teach me. But she is smart and figured out a way to do her staring and helping me catch at the same time. She is starting me out by training me on cheez-its. I love the way she thinks!

I love catching cheez-its. It is a great way to practice. You get to eat what you catch and you don't have to run after it. All you have to do is sit there and stare. That's how you get a mooching degree.

Eagle Day

This Saturday is eagle day at Conowingo Dam.

As a service to my blog readers I went down to check out the situation yesterday. It was cloudy and it started to rain shortly after I arrived. I don't like rain so I didn't stay long. I stopped counting at 28 eagles at the upper part of the park.

Conowingo Dam. About 40 people were there with cameras. 

They weren't feeding while I was there so I didn't get to see much action. Mostly they were just sitting around in trees and on the rocks. So not much fishing action. You never know when they might start fishing. That is when it is really fun.

They like to sit in the trees beside the parking lot. 

If you go you will surely see lots of eagles, blue herons, and cormorants. And there will be lots of other birds on display. And it is all free (last year my owner guy even got a free hat). Don't forget your binoculars.

But, as a dog, I am not going. I don't like the "must be on a leash at all times" rule. You wouldn't either. If you go, I challenge you to walk around the whole time with a leash on you, and have someone tug on it everytime you want to stop to smell something.  It would put a real damper on your day. I like to hike where I can run free. And even though I saw 28 plus eagles it just seems more exciting seeing only 2 to 4 up at the Holtwood Dam or Urey Overlook.


Big News! ....oops! 

What!!??  Did I hear that right?

When we pulled into the lower parking lot to do a little hiking down the river my mom got a phone call. You can see the surprised look on my face. She had it on speaker phone and I couldn't believe what I heard. It was really good exciting news from......  uh, mom said not to blog it yet. Maybe she will let me tell next Tuesday. If you can't wait till my 4:00 AM Tuesday post call her. Maybe she will tell. Or look for my owner guy, maybe at Conowingo Eagle Day. He might tell you. If not, don't forget to tune in Tuesday.

20 Facts About Me (Part 2)

My human sister Jannessa recently was challenged to give 20 facts about me. Part 1 post is here. This is part 2 with facts 11 to 20.  My comments are in blue.

11. I like to sleep in. 

It is hard to get up when you have a Serta memory foam bed. 

Jannessa made this list? How would she know? I am always up earlier than she is. My owner guy always gets up early and makes me go outside (even in the rain! see fact#19). Then he does his morning thing reading for an hour or so but I always go back to bed. 

12. One of my jobs is to carry in the mail.

And sometimes I even deliver it to my grandma.

13. My main job though is being the official greeter of the house.

I love it when people come. Everybody is my best friend. I was out waiting for the mail one day and this person went by. I wanted to greet her but she didn't stop. I don't know who she was but I was glad my name wasn't Toto. Oh well, her loss. She could have had a big wet kiss.

14.       Everybody is my best friend, including you!

If you want proof come on down. I will give you a big wet kiss. See how I greet people here. 

15.       I’m very photogenic.

But sometimes I make faces

16.       I always bury my prized possessions. (such as my human sister’s homework)

Yes, that's true. I am not sure why I bury everything everywhere. In the flower beds. The corn field. Under the pine trees. Behind the TV. At grandama's house. Bones. Papers. Mail. Canning jar lids. I can't stop myself. Maybe it is because I love to dig. 

That's not my halo. It's a canning jar lid. See my dirty nose from burying stuff.

17.       My favorite place to think is by the river.

A great place to meditate. 

18.       I like to climb in the UPS truck when the guy comes.

I love it when this truck arrives. Sometimes it brings toys or treats for me. 

19.       I hate the rain.

This is what you do on a rainy day. Jump on Jannessa's bed. (see fact # 11)

20.   I have a blog! 

And you are reading it now. I just started this to keep a journal of my life but a lot of people found out about it and stop by to see what I write. I am glad to have you. Thanks for visiting and stop back anytime.