Coco brings a taste of the sweet life
“She broke into the pantry one day and chewed the top off the plastic container with the dog biscuits in. She had a rather extended tummy that night. But it seems whatever she eats she remains skinny — I am jealous.”
Coco was adopted from our Devonport Home in March. Her new human mum, Lynne, tells us what this “little bundle of energy” has brought to her family.
“Our first concern was for our very elderly Ridgeback, Mac,” she says. “Would she be too much for him? That has worked out fine. She might love him a bit too much and wants to be with him all the time — even standing on him sometimes — but I think we have cured that. I think he likes having her around.
“She certainly had some separation issues, which we were told about at the Home. She would definitely not have suited a family who worked all the time. She can jump straight onto our kitchen worktop from a standing position, and run like the wind.
Dog ownership isn’t always easy, but luckily Lynne is blessed with plenty of patience.
“We have to lock her inside if we go out and completely clear the kitchen and dining space,” she says. “The anxiety of us leaving causes her to be a bit naughty and no matter what obstacles I put on the kitchen bench, she still gets on. It’s amazing — she is too clever for her own good. She likes the car so sometimes it is just easier to take her with me and leave her in the car if I go somewhere.
“She broke into the pantry one day and chewed the top off the plastic container with the dog biscuits in. She had rather extended tummy that night. But it seems whatever she eats she remains skinny — I am jealous.”
Coco’s friendly nature helps her overcome a touch of shyness.
“She seems to like everyone,” Lynne says. “Although she’s a bit timid at first, her inquisitive nature doesn’t stop her saying hello. She’s great with other dogs and my grandchildren love her — now she is not jumping up at them so much!
“I am getting heaps of exercise as my daughter takes Mac for a slow in the morning and Coco and I have a long beach walk in the afternoon. She obviously hadn’t been on the beach before we got her — she walked very oddly when she followed the dogs into the water.”
Coco has even provided the occasional heart-stopping moment.
“We took her to the river at Pig Island and we thought we had drowned her,” Lynne says. “She jumped in the river after Mac and spotted a stick, grabbed the stick, and went under. She obviously refused to let go of the stick, but luckily Mac had the other end and pulled her in!
“She popped up, still holding on tightly to the stick. The next time we took her to the river we put a life jacket on her. She is learning to swim although she’s still a bit splashy.”
Training is an ongoing life journey for every dog, and Lynne has been doing her bit in that regard.
“We’ve been spending a fortune on treats for training,” she says. “Coco has learned very quickly to come when called and I feel confident letting her run on the beach. She will chase a ball and bring it back, and always sits nicely when getting a treat.
“Because her coat is so thin and she is so skinny she feels the cold and shivers when she has been in the water for a while. Luckily, I have a warm coat for her. I have to take a backpack with all her stuff in sometimes.
“She sleeps curled up tightly between a circle of pillows on a bed next to my daughter — there is not much room left for Mac.”
