KoopersWorld.com

We finally got snow on January 19th, 2006. My humans were very excited, but I didn’t know what the commotion was all about until I went outside, and, oh my gosh…I had never experienced snow. There was this fluffy, cold, stuff falling from the sky. It kept hitting me on my nose and ears, then my back and tail. I started biting at it, but the fluffy cold stuff just kept coming and it was really falling fast. So, I barked and started running around the yard trying to get away, but it kept coming, I jumped in the air and tried to get the fluffy, cold stuff out of the air, but it kept coming. By now I was covered as were my sisters Kai and Sombra.

[windowsmedia]http://www.koopersworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/01/koopersfirstsnow001.avi[/windowsmedia]

Click the above image to watch me play in the snow

Then all of a sudden I stopped running around and felt something cold and wet under my paws…oh my gosh again, what was this? My humans explained to me that this was snow, or frozen water falling in from the sky. This winter has really been dry in Northern Arizona and they were really happy to get even a little bit of snow. Maybe next time it snows this winter there will be more than a foot of the fluffy white and cold stuff. Hope you stay warm wherever you are this winter.
Kooper

I would like to share a bit more about being a blind and deaf dog. Even though I am physically blind and deaf I don’t actually consider myself to be blind or deaf. I actually ‘see and hear’ with my other senses much better than a human can. I ask that you don’t feel sorry for me because dogs are different when it comes to our senses. Even thought I can’t see or hear I can smell things you can’t even imagine.

We are just dogs, like any other dog, but since we can’t see and hear like most dogs, we need some time and patience and lots of love. I am told I am very smart and use smell and touch to understand. My humans say there is so much I can teach others about helping to understand their blind and/or deaf dogs. So that’s why I’m here to help, so lots of people can learn about blind and deaf dogs and will understand more about us.

So far I have learned to sit (a double tap on my butt), lay down (a double tap between my shoulders), come (a run of the fingers under my chin from my chest up to my chin and toward my humans), and my mom is working with me on stay (which is a hand flat against my chest).

I think the coolest thing my humans have done with me is they have taught me to go for walks. They use a ‘Halti’ on me and I have learned how to stay right beside them so I don’t run into anything. Some times my big sisters are walking in front of me so I can smell them and I know I am not alone out in the big, big world. We go to all kinds of neat places like the park, the lake, and even this place they call Campbell Mesa. I get really tired toward the end of these walks and tell my humans by talking. They think it is cute because I am kinda yawing, moaning, and erring all at once so it is funny to hear me. I usually take a long nap when we get home because I am pooped. Then, I am off to play some more with my big sisters Sombra and Kailua.

Kooper