Cooper; we loved you, you were laid back, yet you made your intentions clear when they needed to be, you curled up, you stretched out, you ran, you walked, you watched football, basketball, or whatever we were watching. You didn't really care what was on T.V. or where you were, just as long as "your people were there". You patrolled with Sasha or Sabra and you trained another dog how to search for missing children. Oddly you didn't plan that career, or to be a service dog for me, you were a natural at it and so you were invited in ,no questions asked. You really did your thing. When you worked , man did you work, however when you "curled up" you "curled up" big time. When we moved to AZ. and found out where the others would be going we all had one last walk, this time just for fun, to say well done to a pack of five (no one had counted on that, it sort of happened.} Each of you were gifted with multi tasking, but at the same time had a certain specialty. Daddy and Mike and I were proud to have you as ours . As your handler I could just look at you and you knew what I needed, if I needed you more for "service" you knew that too, your instincts were trustworthy, your slurps and talks (in dog speak), your body language, those weird facial expressions were loved by all of us. When you got the first cancer tumor you beat it! A few years later Mommy began to notice your eyes were not as sparkling, later on I had to raise my voice or stomp the floor to get your attention, but it didn't annoy you, that's what scared me. It was as if it were at a normal sound level for you. Later on I noticed you were trying to "work" like always "you" never retired,. We told you when the medicine wasn't enough or you were just too tired and too much pain, let us know somehow and we would get your Vet. and stay with you 'till you went to Rainbow Bridge. We told you there were other dogs there that were your brothers & sisters and it would be a happy place. We cried when we told you, we cried when you went, we still do from time to time and Daisey couldn't figure out why you went away. She went over to where you had gotten so terribly ill that Sat. night (a bit later), got this sad look on her face ,came over & laid her head on my lap and just looked like "I understand now"& went with a sigh to her corner. You were so handsome with your shiny copper coat and proud stance, and you were always Alpha, without ???, Daddy even got you an official tag for your collar; "Me Alpha, You NOT". We still have that and a lot of happy memories. We respected your "telling us", "ENOUGH" the night you got so so ill I sat up with you and Daddy did as long as he could, you were strangely calm when you woke up and you were very calm and at peace, you looked at both of us and we knew, and we said O.K. , you leaned against us, slurped us and we spent that last Sun. in a sort of bittersweet peace. Your eyes looked better, you were relaxed, you just were the "Cooper". Thank you precious one for 15 years of love, happy times, "what are you doing? times", and times when the would be bad guy was happy to just walk away, times that you knew just what to do and did it, and even those now and then "stubborn" spell you could have. We still look for you, people do that when they miss "someone" they love and Sargent you were loved by us so much. The van windows in back still have slobber on them where you stuck your nose out! You have plenty of air and space to roam around and find all kinds of wonderful things where you are at Rainbow Bridge. Run free and happy and think of us fondly now and then, you're not in pain and for that we can be glad, but you are loved still and missed. God grant us all peace; love, Daddy, Mommy, Mike and Daisey