We adopted a pound puppy in July of 2009.  He was a mixed breed and about 4 months old at the time of adoption.  Within about a week of the adoption we knew something wasn’t right with his health and during a thorough exam by our vet, we found out he had congenital liver disease.

The vet told us he could live a week, a month, a year or 10 years.  We decided to take our chances.  The past 3 1/2 years were filled with great joy, great anguish and eventually broken hearts as we put him down on December 7 of this year.  His liver finally gave out.

I thought that when we made the decision to adopt him that we were saving his life because of our commitment to him but in reality, he saved my life.

He helped me get through several years of job issues, 2 long periods of unemployment, etc.  He was my best friend and my hero.  He never complained about how he felt, he was always trying to make me feel good, and I will never forget my pal Cooper.  He was an amazing blessing from God and my best friend during a very difficult time in my life.

— Kelly from Austin, TX