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My Dog Copper

The weekly Tornado siren tests

Even now it's been a few months since July 27th and I still miss Copper. The weekly Tornado siren tests always made Copper howl. I always think of him when they go off.

The Worst Day of my Life

Here's the story of his last day:

I woke up and took my dog, his name was Copper and he was a Cocker Spaniel and was copper colored, outside. I was waiting for him to bark but he didn’t. Around Noon I go outside and find him sitting there, I tell him to come in but he won’t. His back legs are not working, my parents were at the store so I rushed inside and called them and they rushed home. I was waiting outside for them and we went to the vet.

In April of 2002 he had a spinal disc problem and they treated it with medicine. Well this time it was back so they put him on medicine.

Well we picked up Gwenevere because she was ready to come home. We then spent the rest of the day setting up our deck furniture because they finished it! We then had a cookout with Jennifer and Derek, my sister and my brother-in-law. We’re having a good time and then they leave. Around 10 pm we get a call from the vet….

Copper has lost deep pain, meaning when they squeeze his toes he doesn’t feel it. He felt it earlier today but not now, he needs surgery soon. They say the surgery will make him all better. We then head off to the vet and pick him up and take him to MedVet. We wait till around 11:50-12 AM and finally the doctor comes in. He says Copper has a 5%-50% chance of walking again, but the surgery probably will not help. Copper would be miserable if he couldn’t walk, like he was earlier today.

We make the hardest decision of my life - he is put to sleep. I didn’t want to watch it, but the vet got his last paw prints on two pieces of paper. At 1:30 am Copper was dead. I was in tears, and I’m tearing up right now.

Tonight we bury him and Jennifer and Derek will be coming over for it. I had Copper for eight years. I had him ever since the August before first grade. I have so many memories of him now that I am a total wreck. I will always think of the good moments we had together.

I always was afraid of what it would be like when he died and now I’m experiencing it.

I’ve also found out that Cocker Spaniels commonly get this disc injury. A person I know, their parents had a Cocker Spaniel and it had this same problem - it was put to sleep.

Another person I know had a Cocker Spaniel who was eight years old, like Copper was, and it had the same problem. The guy had the surgery that we almost had done, and the dog was never the same and only lasted eight months.

I will miss The Greatest Dog in the World!