Cosmo came to us the first week of September, 1998. Mike and Jody were so sure of the match that they actually made us wait a week to meet him because they thought it would be a better match than any of the dogs they had (although we would have taken any of them too!). Mike picked up Cosmo on a Friday morning and we brought him to our house on Friday evening. Those first few weeks were very difficult. Cosmo would completely disobey commands one minute then look at you with those big brown eyes the next! So many times I called Jody in tears because Cosmo was clearly a "diamond-in-the-rough" and clearly my husband and I did not have what it took to train a dog! (Not that you can tell that in a week!) Jody still laughs about all that now. Cosmo? He is a very happy almost-2 year-old who just loves to be loved! A few weeks of obedience class for socialization was all it took (plus lots of exercise!). We take him to the beach, hiking, camping (he gets excited when the backpacks come out and knows exactly where "his" corner is in the tent!) and swimming at every possible opportunity! You have never seen a dog who says "THANK YOU" with his eyes every time he is off leash the way this dog does! He is an incredibly dedicated running partner as well (once I was in a "humans only" race and he stood on the corner with his dad holding a sign that said, "Do it for the poochie!"). All the other runners commented about having such a dedicated cheering section! I have no idea what we would have done without Cosmo or how we ever got along without him. Thank you Jody and Mike and thank you Norcal!! Cosmo and his family will be moving to New Hampshire in a few weeks (Cosmo is looking forward to 130 acres of leash-free living!). There, we are thinking of getting another dog from the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue. This summer, Cosmo would like to volunteer to help walk and socialize the dogs at a local shelter. Cosmo will wear his Norcal bandana with pride everywhere we go and when asked, he always says, "Yup, I was rescued and now I'm loved and it can happen to you too!" Of course, he says it in doggie-talk! |
