COCO
Richard Evans
Hill Rise Field, Old Woodstock
45 x 70 cm
When we first moved to Old Woodstock in 2009, we were so pleased to have our family home. The children started their new school and as we looked out from our garden onto the fields of Old Woodstock, we realised that we needed one last addition.
Little did we know that a small brown puppy who was the last of the litter would be the perfect addition to our family.
We vividly remember the first week we got him and how our young girls got excited as the disastrous litter training ensued. And as Coco and the girls grew up, the bond between them became so important. Having a dog to look after, and share affection with, gave our girls a lovely experience and Coco calmed their nightmares and fears of the dark and he loved sleeping with his young siblings.
We enjoyed so many long and adventurous walks with him – from summer evening strolls to Wootton, snowy sledging afternoons at Blenheim or sitting in a Woodstock pub by a roaring fire sharing a pack of pork scratchings!
The fields behind Hill Rise with its wonderful community and unspoilt Oxfordshire countryside is the perfect place to have a dog. You only need to look at the many people walking their dogs amongst other neighbourhood activities. We have made some very good friends through walking Coco and Kobi, our two-year Lurcher.
The commitment we showed to Coco through walking, feeding and looking after him was repaid tenfold by his kind gentle demeanour, his loyalty and warm affectionate dog hugs and the wagging tail greet at the door every time we arrived home.
Coco was very gentle and shared a close resemblance to a brown bear. He loved everyone, even the little ones, and would often walk straight up to them, knocking them over as he tried to bury his head in their tummies for a cuddle. He was amazing with children, very patient and always loved the attention.
His favourite activity was eating. He went through a stage of stealing all sorts of food including a full-size pizza off the table! He also liked to steal morning toast off plates and then leaving the plate in perfect condition, making you second guess if you had made it or you were losing your mind. When it came to his evening meal, you would often find him laying down by his feeding bowl and it was so hard to forget to feed him.
Coco loved water, not to swim in which is what his breed is for but to paddle up to his tummy. He only swam twice in his life and both were when he accidentally fell in.
However, one of our fondest memories of Coco is when we were packing the car to go on holiday. Coco wasn’t coming with us, but he decided he was and jumped into the back seat and refused to get out. He completely ignored us when we asked him to jump out of the car and would not make eye contact with any of us. When we attempted to move his body, he lay down making it even more difficult to move him. He loved his car rides and his family – there was no leaving him behind!
Lockdown tails…
Having the dogs made a huge difference during lockdown and they helped with getting up and out of the house first thing in the morning, especially when lockdown dragged on. You would often run into other dog walkers and you could have a socially distanced conversation; this made a big difference as otherwise, you could go for days without speaking to anyone. Dogs give you a purpose to getting up and outside for exercise and fresh air, which is so important to wellbeing. I now start and end my day with the dogs and could not imagine starting the day without this and feeling the benefits from it.
Coco had a fantastic 12 and half years living at Hill Rise and he was known to all in the neighbourhood – his tail was always wagging! We were so very touched with the kindness we received when Coco passed away in May.
Kim Evans