I Wish This Dog Could Talk....

....I am sure she would have a story to tell.

This is Coco.  She adopted us about 2 months ago.  She has a story, but unfortunately that story will remain a mystery for the rest of her life because she can't tell us.  But we know it exists. 

Coco was a stray near where my wife works.  She works between San Jose and Naco Arizona.  That is about two miles from the Mexico / Arizona border.  This is a pretty rural area that is mostly high desert. Someone abandoned Coco as a puppy.  We don't know how old she is, but the vet believes that she is probably around 8 months.  She currently weighs about 50lbs and definitely has the attitude of a puppy.  She loves to play. 

Coco was roaming around this area for about three months before my wife was finally able to collar her and bring her home.  She was friendly but a bit skittish at first.  According to the locals, the previous owner had simply walked away from their residence and left the dog behind to fend for herself.  Coco managed to find a way to eat, avoid the Javalinas, Coyotes and Mountain Lions in the area for over two months.  That is one resourceful dog. 

When we got her home, she didn't know what to make of us at first, but quickly warmed up to us and our three other dogs.  She especially likes to play with Max, our other high energy dog.  So much so, that she wears Max out and he hides from her when he has had enough. 

We took Coco in to be spayed about a month after taking her in and the vet gave her a pretty thorough check up.  There was nothing wrong with her, expect for the rod in her left front paw.  Rod in her front paw?It seems that she had broken her leg as small puppy and someone had paid a boat load of money to have it reset and a metal rod was placed against her bone to help it heal.  

The only problem is, the rod needs to come out.  It was never meant to be permanent and was going to become a problem as she grew.  So she is back at the vet today to have the rod removed, to the tune of $500+.  

We will have spent close to $1,000 on Coco by the end of this month.  That seems like a lot, but she is worth it.  We have reason to believe that she is a pure bred Chocolate Labrador.  (Why else would someone go to the expense of mending her leg?).  Regardless of that, she is a very sweet, very smart and very handsome dog.  I just know that she has secrets that we can't ever know.