He's Part of the Family

Ok ya'll, get ready for some photo overload with this one!

If you know me, you know that I love dogs, specifically big, fluffy, bear-looking dogs. My family has always had Golden Retrievers (I don't know, my dad's obsessed or something). So when I was about ten years old my family adopted an adorable little Golden puppy. I had just seen the movie "Brother Bear" and was DETERMINED that his name would be Koda. We came to the compromise of naming him Cota, after a WWII vet. So basically, I got what I wanted. HA! 

Cota meshed into our family instantly. It didn't take long to see that he had just as weird a personality as the rest of us. We adored him!

This is a pretty standard Cota face. Always smiling =)

When I went away to Salisbury, I didn't realize just how much I would miss him. It takes about two weeks...ok two days before I'm scrolling through my phone looking at pictures and texting my sister to send me videos of him. 

I mean seriously! Who wouldn't miss this?!

Cota isn't the most intelligent dog ever. He gets stuck a lot, runs a little crooked and really has about zero problem solving skills. But he is extremely entertaining to watch! If you sit on his toy he gets so confused that he just sits in front of you and makes whale noises. I'm not even kidding. He's Dory's long lost brother. 

He loves his family so much. No matter how much we embarrass him (dressed him up as a plane for halloween) he can't contain his joy when we each come home. 

He is the biggest sissy on the planet. Here's a few things he is scared of:

-thunder

-cats

-brooms

-vacuum cleaners

-New Year's Eve

-Motorcycles

-Laundry Baskets

-Men with facial hair

-Pots and pans 

-Bridges

-Mirrors

-Mail Trucks

He's a little bit OCD as well. When he gets a treat he can't eat it until he's circled the perimeter of the house a certain number of times. You should see him on Christmas morning with his new toy. Around and around right through the middle of the rest of the family opening presents. 

Such confusion going on inside his head. 

When you come home he greets you with his own special way. He MUST walk through your legs. Really you are stuck at the front door for an extra five minutes just trying to move with an 80lb dog underneath you. 

It's quite embarrassing when someone new comes to the house and Cota has no sense of privacy. He just plows his way through! 

If you are wearing a long skirt or dress, he'll get his head stuck. Nothing will stop him!

His funniest times are at the vet. His anxiety really gets the best of him! He paces and cries and tries to climb into your lap on a tiny waiting room chair. If you lift him, he pees all the way across the room. He huffs and puffs and deadweights so no one can move him. It takes three people to keep him on the table. As seen above, he gets so ridiculous they end up smooshing his face into the funniest expressions!

Cota is family. I love him to death and he is one of my favorite parts about going home! He is also one of my biggest stress relievers. He's been with me through it all and still loves me more than he loves himself. 

I have been dreaming of getting my own dog for a long time now but no dog will replace Cota! I can't wait until my next trip home so I can see him =)