Cobber
Please Note: The dog in the accompanying photograph is the subject of the story, but the child or teenager pictured is probably not the patient in the story.Cobber is a 6 year old, 55 pound Australian Labradoodle, who looks like he weighs about 90 pounds (it’s all hair). Cobber is a fifth generation Labradoodle from Australia with hair, not fur, so he doesn’t shed, but he has the wonderful Labrador temperament.
Only 12 weeks old, Cobber made the 17 hour flight from Australia to Los Angeles in a crate. He cautiously came out of the crate and started wagging his tail and giving me kisses. I knew then that he was special and that he was meant to be something more than just the family pet.
When I found out about Love on 4 Paws, I knew this was for us. What could be better for Cobber than getting in bed with children and letting them pet him and give him treats? He took to the challenge full force. When he gets his vest on, he knows he gets to go do the work he loves.
One time when we were visiting a room at Childrens Hospital, the child in the first bed wasn’t feeling well and asked not to have a visit, but the child in the second bed wanted Cobber up on the bed with her. Well, there is a procedure we follow --- washing hands, putting sheets on the beds, and making sure Cobber doesn’t get into anything while I am doing all this. Of course I didn’t notice that there was a lunch tray at Cobber’s nose height, and it was within reach of the two-foot leash I was standing on to make sure he wouldn’t go somewhere he shouldn’t.
As I am getting everything ready, I hear the little girl in the first bed laughing. When I turned around, I noticed Cobber could just reach the white icing on the cake on the lunch tray. Cobber had white icing all over his face, and all the children in the room thought it was so funny. Of course this is definitely a NO NO, and I should have prevented it, but the laughter of the children, especially the little girl in the first bed, made it all worth it!
Of course, before we left that room, Cobber was lying on the first bed with the little girl who wasn’t feeling well, but she had a great smile on her face.
This is what we are all about --- seeing the children enjoy themselves and forget for a little while why they are there.
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