The Great Dogs Behind Coop the Great

Coop the Great is a fictional story and Coop, the jaded dachshund and lead character, is fictional too.  I’ve never been the guardian of a dachshund, but I’ve been surrounded by dogs much of my life.  As I wrote the book, I felt that they were watching over my shoulder and guiding my hand. In many ways, they became the voice and heart of Coop, and many of the situations he faces are ones they did, too. 

Here are 7 special and very real dogs that influenced every facet of Coop the Great.  

  • Benji was our first dog. He was a terrier-mix and although just a pup he was full of energy and curious about everything especially the guy in the bathtub. Just what are you doing in there?

  • A poodle-terrier mix, as a pup, Bernie ran rampant about the house, chewing everything within reach – potted plants, covers off books, kitchen cabinet doors, and his very favourite delight – underwear stolen out of the laundry. Coop bears some of those same qualities and habits as Bernie, and I am pretty sure I was inspired by him.

  • Freckles, a cocker spaniel, came into our home because our kids – then about 4 and 8 years old – begged to have him. Freckles wormed his way into our hearts quickly, but he had a hair-trigger temper and a stubborn attitude. While Coop is nothing like Freckles in this regard, he encounters a few dogs like that in the story.

  • A rescue dog, Roxy was my daughter's dog but quickly became our adopted grand-dogger. Muscular and barrel-chested, she was part rottweiler and part lab but a sweetheart good with kids and adults alike. I let my imagination play out when writing Coop the Great and used Roxy’s backstory for Coop.

  • Lilah, a lab mix and rescue dog belongs to my son and his family. Lilah is gentle and soft, and perfect company for our granddaughter who loves to cuddle her. To my thinking, Lilah earns extra points on the perfect-pet scale because she tolerates the family’s two cats – Mittens and Maddy. In that regard, Lilah is not at all like Coop who resents all cats.

  • Molly (left) and Hayley belong to my daughter and her family. Molly is an Australian blue heeler. Blue heelers are hunting-herding dogs and Molly is proof of that. When writing Coop, I thought of Molly when I introduced a hunting dog named Butch.

    Part psychic, part wise sage, Hayley (right) is one of the most gentle and intuitive animals I’ve ever encountered. I swear that she can read minds – mine at least. Like Hayley, Coop is calm and pensive, a philosopher dog if ever there was one.