Bring on the Cats Dog of the Week: Coco

Hi everyone, I’d like to welcome you to my new weekly feature. I’ll be working in conjunction with the Riley County Humane Society to feature a new adoptable dog every week. I consider it my way of using the internet for good.

This week’s BOTC Dog of The Week is Coco

I’m a big fan of Coco because she lived at my house for a month when she first entered the foster program. Not to bury the lead, Coco is deaf. Honestly, it wasn’t a problem at my house. At the time I also had a resident deaf dog and a mostly blind dog, so she fit right into the pack. She’s somewhere between a year and 2 years old, and will most likely be a larger dog once she has finished growing. She is of unknown origin (there is probably some Akita somewhere in her family tree). She was a great walking partner. We probably put in 4 or 5 miles a day, and she loved every step. She was great with my dogs and quickly lost interest in the cats after she found out that they are sharp and don’t like to play.

Coco needs an owner that will continue to work on her sign language skills. She picks up on signs quickly especially if food is involved. She’s still young and has puppy energy, so an active household would be best. She’s a great walking/running/hiking buddy because she doesn’t get distracted by sounds. Ideally she would have a similar sized or larger buddy to play with because she can play a little rough at times. She can’t hear vocal cues, and other dogs will occasionally put her in her place. She did well with my 3 year old, and sleeps like a rock. She can be a little noisy (she has a high pitched whine b/c she can’t hear herself) in her crate at first, but settles in quickly.

My girl Sydney, the foster coordinator at Riley County, had this to say about Coco:

“Coco loves to cuddle and swim, she’s great with all other dogs, cats, and children. She enjoys being outdoors and loves to run and go on walks. She’s very smart and quickly picks up on sign language. She can have a stubborn streak and will occasionally hold out on her tricks until she’s offered a treat. She knows ‘sit,’ ‘down,’ ‘stay,’ and ‘come.’ She is always happy and has no temper. She’s a sweet dog.”

Player Comparison — Darren Sproles

Since this a K-State sports blog, I’m going to pair each dog with a K-State legend. Coco seems like a natural fit with Darren Sproles. Coco is overlooked because she can’t hear and Darren was overlooked because people thought he was too short.

Once the 5’7” phenom from Olathe settled in at K-State, he took college football by storm. In his four-year career he rushed for 4,979 yards and 45 touchdowns. He also caught 66 passes for 609 yards and 2 TDs. The Wildcats gave Sproles a chance, and he never looked back, parlaying his time in Manhattan into an NFL career that has stretched 13 seasons and included three Pro Bowl appearances.

I think Coco will have similar success once she is given a chance.

To get your application in on Coco, head over to http://www.rchsks.org/. All RCHS dogs come spayed/neutered and fully vaccinated. There is a small adoption fee that helps cover the cost of the dog’s medical treatment.