His most defining characteristic – Cooper was Stubborn until the very end. Noticing his rapid decline in health, Justin and I made an appointment to take him to the vet in Managua, the following morning, acutely aware that a very difficult decision might be upon us. But, true to character, Cooper, made the decision for us, passing quietly into the night on March 26, 2010. He was 12 years and 1 month. He was surrounded by friends, under a moon-lit sky as his spirit left us. We buried him on the hill above our house, wrapped in his favorite blanket and hugging his favorite stuffed black dog.
During the course of his lifetime, Cooper lived in 12 different houses, 2 countries, swam in two oceans, and flew on an airplane. He walked on snow and sand. He saw me thru breakups, depression, and illness. He was with me when I graduated from college, worked in my first job, met my husband, got married. He welcomed two nieces and a nephew to the clan. He had over 20 different dog sitters, from family to friends to neighbors. He had best dog friends like Bear and Gus and Nunez and Shaka and Birbo and best people friends like Justin and Mom and Dad and Paul and Diana and Tina and Jennie and Smem and Suyen and Gladis and Kim and Theresa and on… He is the most wonderful dog and I will miss him dearly. Rest in peace, my sweet, sweet pup, Cooper.
An Expat Life in Nicaragua 
Oh how very sad to read your blog about Cooper. I have tears of sorrow for you!
I found your blog today as I was researching our winter holiday for a long stay in San Juan.
You write well. I’ll come visit again.
I suppose you are also thinking of another dog since you experienced such joy with Cooper. Do so, it will heal the pain.
Hi Nanci,
Thanks for the sweet note. It was terribly difficult losing Cooper, but you are right that it opened our hearts to the possibility of adopting other pets in the future. Enjoy your San Juan vacation and let me know if you need any help in the planning process!
So sorry for your loss!
But it prompts me to ask… what is the quarantine time bringing animals/pets to the country?
Hi Penny,
Thanks for your thoughts. There is no quarantine for bringing dogs into Nicaragua. However, there are some limitations on the type of dogs that airlines will approve for flying. Pug nosed dogs are often rejected, as they have difficulty breathing and adjusting to in-flight atmospheric changes.
Good luck in your travels!
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just reading about life in nicaragua and saw your comments in another place about bringing dogs in and this link about your pup’s death and i work w/ rescues here in Texas… felt compelled to send virtual hugs (even though some time has passed).
Your good bye brought tears to my eyes. We will be moving to Nicaragua with in the next year, we have had dogs most of our 30 years of marrage, our current dog is the best dog we have ever had, so perfect in everyway. You can leave food on the table and or trash out and she will ever touch it.
My wife and mother in law (yes I get along with her) will be visiting in sometime over the next few months, can you give any advice and or be willing to meet with them? They will be looking for an area to live in, and for proberty.
Mark
This is really beautiful. I recently lost a best furry friend and can only say that although it hurts, it sounds as though Cooper had a beautiful and peaceful passing. I just came across this blog because I have a new puppy and am thinking about moving to Nica. It is nice to know that we are all, regardless of geography, in the same boat when it comes to our pup’s care. I have heard that ticks are an issue (they are here too in N.E.) but what I worry about most are other more exotic creatures. My brother lives in Nica and his kitty eats scorpions like they are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She is healthy. I know that my pup is curious and will most likely go after the scorps as well, just wondering if she might run into something that could harm her.
Hi Mimi,
Thanks for visiting! He definitely had a wonderful life here. My only regret is that my daughter, who adores dogs, never got to meet him!
We had a terrible time with ticks – especially in the rainy season. One year, I picked hundreds off of him daily. It was a tough run. With ticks, you have to be careful of Erlichea, which I believe is a blood disease that can cause major organ malfunction if not caught early. We never had problems with scorpions – I think Coop might have been stung once or twice and learned to avoid them after that. You do want to look out for frogs, as they can be deadly when licked. So if you plan on leaving near water (i.e. a pool), you might want to keep the dog indoors at night.