Today’s pet interview has a sad story with it. Once you read about Cooper Alexander, I hope you’ll want to support him and his author mom with his vet bills. If you do, you can donate via PayPal to casacieloediting@gmail.com. Now, on with the interview.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Cooper Alexander. I’m a six-year-old Border Collie mix. My mom calls me a Blabbie. I guess it’s ‘cos I’m mixed with Black Lab? I live in Tucson with my mom and dad, my human sisters, my human brother, and my three feline brothers. Two of the three kitties don’t like me much, but the other one, Frank, is my best friend. I like to chase him around the house and herd him while we’re both outside in the back yard. I love to run and go on walks with my family and ride in the car, especially when we go to a magical place called Sonic. I always get a dish of something that’s cold and sweet and delicious when we go there.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with an awful disease called Valley Fever. It’s caused by a fungus that lives in the dirt of Tucson. People and dogs and cats breathe the fungus in, and it sometimes makes us sick after it starts living and growing in our lungs. People usually get better, but it’s far more serious for dogs and cats. Sometimes it even kills us. Valley Fever is pretty easy to treat with super-expensive medicine and it goes away in about a year, but sometimes the fungus bypasses the lungs and starts growing in the spine instead. That’s what happened to me.
The fungus grew so much in my spine that it started pinching the nerves in my right rear leg. For a long time, my leg didn’t work at all. Mom and Dad had to help me walk, and they gave me massages and helped me with exercises to help my leg start working again. It got better soon after my Mom and Dad gave me the super-expensive medicine and all the extra love and attention. Now I can run and jump and chase Frank, but I limp and sometimes my leg hurts a lot. My mom and dad have medicine for times like that. When I’m shaking and panting and scared, they give me two pills they try to hide inside cheese. I know it’s there, but I also know that the medicine will help and don’t complain. After I take my pills, Mom cuddles me and pets me softly and sometimes she cries a lot. But after a little time has passed, my leg stops hurting and I go to sleep. When I wake up, I feel all the way better.
What is your favorite toy?
When my sister, Nessie, came to live with us a few months ago, she brought a big black bag full of soft stuffed toys with her. My mom picked three or four of them out for me. They’re all my favorites, even though I only get to play with one at a time. I like to take them in my teeth and shake them until I feel dizzy, then I like to rip their stuffing out and spread it all over the house! My mom always yells at me for doing that, though, so I try not to do it that often. Sometimes it’s hard to remember not to and I do it anyway. I can tell she’s not really mad because when I shake my stuffie, she laughs and tells me that I’m cute.
What is your favorite food?
Cheese. Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, queso quesadilla cheese, Munster cheese, even cream cheese. If it’s cheese, it’s my favorite.
Who is your author?
My author is my mom, Fiona Skye. She also writes under the name Juliet MacLeod. I guess this like when she calls me Stinkbutt, instead of Cooper.
What does your author write?
My mom writes stories about faeries and ghosts and TV reporters who change into jaguars and herbalists who solve crimes.
Where does your author write their stories?
She has a desk in our bedroom where she writes. My bed is right next to it. I sleep there when she’s working. I like the sound of the keyboard. Clickity-clackity-click. It’s soothing and helps me sleep.
What is the best thing about being an author pet?
I think the best part is when I show up in her books. She made me a super-important character in a book she hasn’t finished yet. I can’t wait until she publishes it and everyone can read about me!
What is the hardest thing about being an author pet?
The hardest thing is when she’s writing and forgets to play with me or pet me or give me cheese. I always remind her, though. Sometimes she’s annoyed and tells me to go lay down. And sometimes when I remind her, we go and cuddle on the couch and watch videos on YouTube about baby goats or other puppies.
Where should readers go to read your author’s work?
My mom has a website. I have no idea what a website is, but she told me to tell you this: http://fiona-skye.com Hopefully that means something to you. Oh, she told me to tell you about this, too: http://authorjulietmacleod.wordpress.com
What does a typical day in your author pet life look like?
My dad and my human siblings get up and have breakfast at six o’clock in the morning. Sometimes I join them, but mostly I stay in bed until 7:30, when my dad gets out of the shower. I have a super-important job then: I help him dry his feet.
Mom’s not a morning person, so Dad and I let her sleep until 8:00, which is when my human siblings leave for school and Dad goes to work. Once they’re gone, she and I have tea and cereal (we share the almond milk that’s left after she’s done with her Cheerios) and then we go for a walk around the neighborhood.
When we get home, I get my own breakfast, and she goes to the computer while I sleep in my bed. Then we have lunch and watch baby goats. Sometimes she does this complicated thing with balls of yarn and two pointy sticks. It’s like magic how she turns that stuff into sweaters and hats and scarves and blankets. After lunch, she does more work and I do more sleeping.
Dad and the kids come home at around 5:00, and Mom makes dinner. Then the kids go to their rooms to do something called Home Work, and Mom and Dad watch shows on TV. I usually don’t pay attention to those shows unless there’s goats or other puppies. Then Mom and Dad go to bed and complain about how I take up so much room on their bed.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Mom says I should say thanks to everyone who reads this and thanks to Whiskers for interviewing me!
Thanks so much for being on the blog today! If any readers want to support Cooper and his author mom with his vet bills, you can donate via PayPal to casacieloediting@gmail.com.
Comments
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This is so sad. I hate to hear about pets in pain, they can’t express how they feel like we can. I am so glad he has amazing owners who massage and help him. He is truly loved.