I grew up with cats, and never thought that I would ever own a dog. When I first started dating my now husband, Valentin, I wasn’t totally excited that he had a dog… though, somehow I fell in love with that puppy just about as quickly as I fell in love with Valentin. I could not imagine my life without a Cooper now.
Cooper is our not-so little Goldendoodle, who is fluffy, adorable, and has an abundance of love to share. Valentin got Cooper with his at-the-time girlfriend, and the story goes that Cooper was the only car name that she would approve for the fluffy pup. I spent two years racing in MINI Coopers, and pre-kiddo a MINI was my daily driver. Cooper turned out to be the perfect name for our puppy – it fits perfectly into our world.
Coops is the greatest garage buddy out there. During the winter here in Phoenix, we tie him up in the driveway and he can supervise the car projects. In the summer, we keep him inside were it’s a tad cooler, but we use a baby-gate at the garage door so he can still be a part of the project. Cooper is always sad when we have to move him inside when we are grinding metal or welding. Cooper has been known to jump inside the car with us when we are working inside the M3. He just wants to be a part of everything!
Cooper is the perfect track dog, he loves hanging around underneath the easy up tent with his favorite toys, some shade, and lots of people around to give him head scratches. At first, I worried how he would handle the noise, but it doesn’t even phase him. He is even a good sport in the back of the truck during the long tows to the track. It’s going to be a challenge to see if Cooper or our infant Aleksander will be better behaved on road trips. Sorry Aleks, but I am thinking Cooper might take the prize on this one. He’s a champ!
Cooper is so much a part of our race team and our family, and I couldn’t imagine our lives without him. I have joked that I would make Cooper a Facebook page, but I’m afraid that he would have more friends than us! It amazes me how much Cooper has added to our race team and our lives. Dogs don’t trend with human drama. Cooper is always by our side and smiling – no matter how stressed we may get in the garage. He is our trusty friend who is just happy as long as he is with us. Cooper has taught me a lot about the things that really matter.
Happy National Dog Day Cooper!
