Not only is it my 10-year anniversary working with Orange County Jewish Life magazine, it’s the 10-year anniversary of bringing this little girl home. Special Agent Dale Cooper, nerdily named after my favorite TV character, celebrated her 10th birthday this month with a new stuffed fox and a few extra biscuits. She is not my pet—she is my surrogate kid, my constant companion, my napping partner and my favorite photographic subject.
I’d never had my own dog before, and the amount of intelligence and character contained in one small creature continues to amaze me.
Happy birthday Cooper! I am so lucky to know you.
— Rachel Bellinsky