Cocó

The first year of her life Cocó went to work with me – I worked in Real Estate. she for that reason travelled all over the country and also spent time in meetingrooms of very big Internationals but also in the homes of private people who owned some real estate for their retirement fund. You can be assured that she loved it: all that attention.

Cocó is a very special lady, friends of mine once said: there is a human being in her”.

Cocó is a frail bitch – coloured in several shades of grey – and thanks to the jabberlanguage of my at that time one-year-old grandson, she is called Cocó. Cocó not only was succesfull in the Puppy-school (which by the way she found bóring) but she also got her certificates for Obedience I and II. After that – exactly on her 5th birthday- she passed the exams for the tough cyclingtest (which is over 20 km next to the bike with 2 x 10-minute-stops).

Cocó is a real lady, no doubt about it, and she does not want to get wet and/or dirty. She also is a real showgirl: she has no less than 34 titles to her credit. In 2003 our Schapendoesfamily – on Cocó’s fourth birthday – was increased for the first time: among others her son Archimède Hijo Van Hoefflaecken’s Cocó was born. At home he is also called Hijo (which is Spanish for “son”) or Mannetje.

In July 2006 once again we added a new member to the family: Hijo’s daughter Ke-sera de Cocó’s Hijo – also called princess – came to close ranks. From the first moment completely mad about her daddy and never to be found far away from him. Where daddy was, you saw his daughter. The two of them also had a striking resemblance.

And then, finally in February 2010 … we had to wait for it a very long time: the 4th generation was born. With the birth of Ròsa Ke-sera Van Hoefflaecken’s Cocó – also called little witch – I had my lucky “four-leaved-clover”.

But just when you think okay, that’s it….. you do get the chance to experience it.

For on Friday 13.09.’13 the 5th generation Cocódotjes was born. So very special, for to my great happiness our Cocó was still there to experience it. This made our majesty a great-greatgrandmother. These 5 generations are very special, for – I know there are many who have just as many or more generations – I know none who have them all in their own name and living in the same house. Yes, correct: in one name and living in the same house. Cocó has selected one little lady who is allowed to stay with us With I Besos di Ròsa – also called pequeña – added to the family, I now had “a hand full”.

Cocó 23.10.1999 – 17.11.2013 / 12.37 our

Curtains closed for this Grand Old Lady
Our Mater Familias.

After coming back from the Italian Schapendoes Club Match where madam – after already having done the same in 2011 – made Italian Veteran Club Winner 2013, Cocó all of a sudden got old. She was as good as blind, as good as deaf and her legs got less strong by the day. Her sleep got very deep and she slept more and more. Long walks were no longer for her. And her food she preferred that to be served to her spoon by spoon > no more than 3 pieces of dry food at the time. Did I put 4 on, she would spit out the 4th looking at me with a look saying “can’t you count.”. Even more she would like to be treated with chicken, beef, fish, cheese whatever treat you can think of. Always untill the last day she wanted to eat together standing between the others.

My Cocó, thé Cocódot, our majesty. As small as she was, the alpha of our pack. Don’t dare touch “her” family, for if one did the real Cocó came out. Every morning she would check her family and that was that. Cocó in whatever way you can think of left her pawprint in our pack, truely on everything what happened but she most of all made me very happy. From the day she was there – what a delight she was after all those years without a Schapendoes – she wás there, unmistakable.

During the first years of her life she acompanied me to work and doing so also made her miles driving all over The Netherlands for also then she always was with me. She managed to make a team of two totally different groups of employees, just by her being. That same way she enchanted family, friends, acquaintances, neighbours and many, many (breed)judges. And she pulled me through stormy times. The two of us – and later accompanied by her offspring – travelled over half the world and where-ever we came we heard “ oh, how beautifull and sweet she is / they are, and how alike they are”. She gave me her handsome son Hijo, who on his turn expanded our pack with his daughter Ke-sera de Cocó’s Hijo, she doing the same with her daughter Ròsa Ke-sera > generation after generation.

On 13.09.’13 Cocó to my great joy experienced the birth of the fifth generation Cocódotjes and as usual she also this time decided which one of the miracles was to be our new Cocódot: I Besos di Ròsa.

During the last two weekends of her life we – I can now say: glad we did – did what she liked doing most: driving in the car, traveling and being treated in hotels.

Somewhere at the end of that second weekend I noticed she got less well and we immediatly went home and after “wait and see” for one more night – with pain in our hearts – the vet was called.

And now – even though her offspring is frolicing around me– now it’s empty. On the couch, on my lap and in my arms she drifted away, with next to us on the couch her son Hijo and all the others on the floor close in front of and around us.

I to the second knew the moment she left us for then Hijo jumped of the couch and her beloved son Hijo together with her great-granddaughter Ròsa Ke-sera started rolling over the carpet, Rubí suddenly left the room and her granddaughter Ke-sera de ‘s Hijo ran around the coffee table barking very loud. Her great-greatgranddaughter little I Besos di Ròsa lay frozen at my feet. Even the vet was astonished at what he saw. For quiet a while I stayed liked that: sitting on the couch with her in my arms. Then I “made her pretty” again, and put her to rest in the middle of the livingroom in her doggybed.

It was só touching to see how all the other dogs stayed close to her, gave kisses and cuddles, Besos giving her her toys and Rubí – annoyed – immediatly taking them away again. And yes: we also took her with us to the bedroom for the night > not one moment did we leave her alone. The next day we – to the bewilderment of the people there – all together took her to the crematorium and also there all the doggies had time to say goodbye to her. We also all togeter went back the next day to bring her home again, doing so making the family complete again. She now has her own spot in our midst on the paino And every morning I still say hello to her, but … differently. Now there is no “goodmorning oldie, come with oldie” anymore: the way I used to greet her being “us oldies “ amongst all the younger ones. Now no more “last word” from Cocó when the dogs start barking when someones comes to the house / rings the doorbell and she, after the others stopped and I passed by “her chair” allways used to give a last soft bark. Now no more Cocó on the passenger-seat in the car > “her” seat. Now no more old lady to be carried up and down the staircase in the mornings and evenings.

There is so much more I could tell, but …
Now no more … Cocó.
We miss her só dearly.