RIP Kopper

Kruse VI Koppper Von Bettendorf   Kopper  21/10/1999 - 30/08/2014

Trails End     
                     
Well my friend your trail here with us has come to an end, a little shy of 16 years. You have been a loyal companion always greeting us with nose prints and happiness no matter what.
You came to us at 7 weeks old a toasty little Fur Ball. Afraid, being away from his Mom, Brothers and Sisters you slept with us. Cuddling in like a bug in a rug. We picked you out of that litter number 10 of 12 and loved you everyday till the end. With that you gave us back the same and so much more.
As you grew you became brave and strong. Always there for us standing guard. You stood in front of bears, cougars and a wolf pack out hiking the trails and around our home. And even the odd person that if you did not like, there was a reason.
You loved the truck rides and pouted if we had to go out without you. But always jumped in for a ride to anywhere.
You were a sailor learning instinctively to move to the high side when we tacked or turned about. Though you were not too happy when we were knocked down in a storm giving one of the WTH looks at me as you scrambled and braced as we went over and again when we uprighted. Your facial expressions were great. You were a fisherman loving the boat rides and the fish that came into the boat though not sure of the killer whales that surrounded us. Though canoe rides were more interesting as everything that moved had to be immediately investigated at the canoes expense. It was good we could all swim. You would excitedly watch out the back as the kids skied cutting across the wake. You loved the water though it took a pull to get you in the first time, it came to the point of you liking enough to going under water holding your breath and snorting water out of your nose when you came up the prize in you mouth. You were the most tactile in the water feeling for little things to move under your feet and churning up the bottom as you felt for more, but you were so tactile it made us laugh feeling things with your paws, including us. The first time you cliff jumped scared the life out of me. But nothing compared to your jumping out the barn doors from 14 feet up and running down the plywood leaning against the wall you crazy man, as long as I live I will never forget that goofy tail wagging and your butt wiggling as we yelled at you to stop, running to grap you,  and all you did was look back and I knew from that look you were going to do, and you did.  Your first snow fall was a mad house of biting the snow and running around like a mad man dropping onto your front legs, that stubby little tale wagging so hard your butt wiggled more than any twerker. Tobogganing was an excuse to run and slide beside or on top of everyone. You were a trail runner and loved to run beside us whether on a bike or our runners. You rode the back of a quad like a pro. I lowered you down on a rope off a cliff a few times and pulled you up. You were never passive about it and helped both up and down never questioning me as I would repel down to you or climb up and pull you up it was with a wagging tail and a bounce in your step at either the top or bottom. You would walk unquestioningly into a storm beside me braving anything at my side as you circled out in those amazing patterns that GSPs do, you always always made sure to come back and check on us, very seldom out of earshot.
You were polite and a joy to have as a companion loving everyone equally in our house whether human or spitting hissing kitten. Though the whole roast you ate made quite the ball in your belly.  If it was living in our house it was yours. If it was not but you wanted it, it was yours. If we put it down, it was yours. You were a quirk not liking to eat in front of us and would hide behind a bush to do his business.
Your hunting skills were second to none whether a little bird in a bush or Elk on the run. At point you held your ground looking to us for praise that you had found something, even though we may not at first see it there was always something in the bush.
You were Mr stoic and tough as nails. The curiosity you showed and the search for excitement was like nothing I have ever seen in an animal and I know you enjoyed it. You were a fighter for life.
You were a father and a good one having several families and multiple pups that are all over the place now with families of their own.
You loved the fire and would cuddle up to it near to cooking yourself.
Your pads and our boots have blazed many a long trail my brother and may your new journey be as exciting and full.