About V:
Growing up, the family dog was always treated like a member of our family. We didn’t necessarily set a place for them at the table, or dress them up in baby clothes (okay I may have been guilty of the latter in my earlier years), but they were always a huge part of our everyday lives. We had a few through years, ranging from a French Poodle to a British Bull Dog. When it came time for me to move out of the family home to attend CSU, Chico I was worried about the absence of this special friend. However, while visiting Chico two months before moving here, I met a friend who had recently adopted an eight week old Australian Shepherd puppy named “Aukilupo.” During my visit, her landlord became aware of the dog and informed her that pets were not allowed and therefore she had to get rid of her. I decided to take her home, and a couple months later we made the long trek back up to Chico. Aukilupo would prove to be both affectionate and protective, not to mention one heck of a Frisbee dog. A few years later, Aukilupo had a liter of five puppies on my roommate Andrew’s bedroom floor. I found homes for four of them, but decided to keep the shy loner, whom I had affectionately named “Cooper.” Although Mother and Son had completely opposite personalities, they were inseparable, until Aukilupo had to be put down at age 13 ½. This was a difficult time for me, especially since I had no way of explaining to Cooper why his Mother was never coming home. He stayed by the door for several days after we returned from the vet without her. Eventually he came around, but Cooper was never quite the same, and he eventually succumbed to a tumor inside his mouth on July 12, 2011, at 11 ½ years old. I was inconsolable for quite some time, and just now, as I look back at the comments my friends left on a picture I posted to Facebook that day, I still shed a few tears. At this point, considering the void left in my heart, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to have another dog again…
