Cole'

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Sixteen years ago today, even though I knew nothing about it at the time, Cole’ (Co-lee) was born.  DH and I were trying to buy our current house which was a 35 mile commute to work for him as opposed to the 80 mile one way trip he was doing at the time.  This house is in the country and I wanted to have a large dog to keep me company during the day and the several times a year DH had to be away from home for a week at a time.

As time neared for the move I still had not found my companion.  I started going to the local SPCA every morning to find a puppy that had just been brought in.  Finally after a month of this routine I found him, a little black ball of fluff.  He and his littermate had been turned in that morning.  The one I chose was the livelier of the two and just 8 weeks old.  He was a Chow/Brittany Spaniel mix.

Cole’ went everywhere with me.  To the moving company to buy boxes, grocery store if I was to run in for only a minute.  Then the move came.  We had to stay in a friend’s house for a week between selling our house and the closing on the house in the country.  Cole’ was not house broken yet.  I knew nothing about crates but we went to the pet store and purchased one to keep Cole’ in at night or when he couldn’t be taken out. 

The closing came and we went straight from the closing to the house, Cole’ and me in the pickup and DH and Ollie (the cat) in the moving truck.  DH dropped off the truck and had to go to work.  Cole’ and I cleaned and sanitized the house which hadn’t been lived in for many years.  That night DH and I were having White Russians and one spilled on the floor.  Cole’ was on it before we could stop him!!!

Cole’ grew, first his head would grow then his body would get to long for his head.  At a year old he was 101 pounds and had to go on a diet which lasted his entire life.  He supplemented his kibble on his own, gleaning the fields after the harvest for peanuts, soy beans and corn.  He would eat the whole corn cobs discharged by the combine.  He had guts of steel!  We had to be very careful when the farmer planted peanuts.  Cole’ would eat seed peanuts if given a chance.  They have chemical on them which caused immediate drooling, vomiting and diarrhea.  Cole’s vet, who also was a peanut farmer , said we were lucky it didn’t kill him.  He also learned to crack pecans from the ancient tree in the yard and eat the meat out of the shell. He loved apples and all veggies and would pick his own.  We finally got Cole’s weight down to the ideal 75 pounds and kept it there.  The popping from his hips quit.

For those of you living in Richmond, VA, we often wondered if Cole’ was a son of the famous Black Dog.

Cole’ would go to town for the day with us.  He rode in the back of the pickup truck which had a white fiberglass shell with windows on it.  We would leave him in the truck and go antiquing, to lunch or whatever.  He was always ready to ride.  He would get in the back of the truck and just lay there when the tailgate was down.  As he got older arthritis set in and it became more difficult for him to jump up.  Every two weeks we would take him to vet (40 miles away) to get his nails trimmed as DH and I couldn’t do it ourselves at the time.  Cole’ had to be muzzled and DH held him while the vet tech cut his nails.  Finally the arthritis got so bad that the ride to the vet was hard on him so we got a muzzle and starting clipping Cole’s nails ourselves. 

The last year of Cole’s life he started getting sick and the long ride to the vet was too much for him.  DH also had to lift him into the truck as he couldn’t jump in any more.  We started using a vet much closer to our house. 

Cole’ was a good companion for almost 14 years.  He passed away in my arms December 30, 2008.  I still miss him and think of him often. 

Six months old

 

Cole' loved Christmas

A handsome boy

[Jean, Rylee and Cooper]

Just read your story on Cole'.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Pets are just so wonderful and you had such a special bond.  Wonderful story.

[Debby Bee]

Amazing! You were so blessed to have him in your life! Wow! <3

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Cole was just beautiful. We  love all of our dogs, but some are just one-of-a-kind special.

[Kyoko]

What a beautiful boy he was.....

[Christine & Shelby]

He will always be with you and forever in your heart.  Thanks for your sharing your story about Cole'!

[Dori & Rua]

Another post that needs a tissue rating.  Thank you for sharing your story.  Must still be hard to think about him gone.  I but you sure miss him.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Cole was a gorgeous dog, and he sounds like he was a very loyal, wonderful companion.

[Lorraine Bromley]

Isn't it great that you have such beautiful pictures and memories of him.  I am curious what possible famous big black dog where you referring to? I am Canadian maybe I wouldn't get it? Sorry for your loss. We were looking back at old pictures of my husbands family and they had a fuzzy picture or two of their family pets. The love they had when they talked about these farm dog pals was beautiful!

[Anna and Achilles]

You will always keep him in your heart, I too have a heart filled with my Houdini. A day doesn't go by when I don't think of him. Cole was a beautiful boy inside and out.

[ERIC A. NATER]

Cole was a beautiful dog.  He looks like a black Golden Retriever!  I am so glad he lived as long as he did, and it sounds like you gave him a great life.  It is so hard to lose a good dog like that. I know how you still think about him.  I lost my two Goldens in the last few years, one in 2006, and one last Summer, and think about them, and miss them, even when I am spending time with my current Dogs.  You will never forget Cole, and all the joy you brought to each other. Thank you for sharing this beautiful Dog