Information

Topper has a minion!

Jack the Isuik

Topper
Legacy Name: Topper

The

Custom Nostalgic Ruffie
Owner:

Balloon

Age: 9 years, 9 months, 3 weeks

Born: July 1st, 2014

Adopted: 9 years, 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Adopted: July 1st, 2014

Pet Spotlight Winner
December 28th, 2015

Statistics

Level: 50
Strength: 127
Defense: 125
Speed: 125
Health: 125
HP: 125/125
Intelligence: 116
Books Read: 97
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Head of Adoptions

profile, photos, and story by Balloon

Head of Adoptions for Adopt R Us

In the early 2000s, I adopted an adorable fuzz ball of a puppy from the city animal shelter. At first, we thought he would grow up to be a Saint Bernard, but instead, we ended up with a brilliantly intelligent-- and still mightily fluffy-- Australian Shepherd mix. My mom and I named him Cosmo Topper after the titular character in the old Topper books, movies, and TV series. Topper's legacy includes stories of incredible destruction when he was a puppy; his favorite activity was to pull books from our shelves and chew them to pieces. Fortunately, he outgrew that habit, but he never did stop shedding his long, white fur. I used to joke about learning to knit so I could make a Topper-fur afghan!

Of over a dozen dogs with whom I've shared my life, Topper was the smartest. He could understand a variety of verbal and gestured commands, and he enjoyed watching television (and barking at the dogs he saw there), while my other dogs never have paid it any attention. Cats were his greatest enemy (although he never got to know one-- just barked at them out the window). His life was a tribute to the wonderful dogs looking for homes at animal shelters around the world. Topper was smart and beautiful-- and he started out as a mixed breed puppy no one but us wanted. His death of a massive tumor in January, 2012, will always leave a hole in my heart.

However, I know Topper is waiting for me across the Rainbow Bridge, along with his guardian and another beloved dog, Jack. I grew up with Jack, a sweet black spaniel mix, and spent my childhood playing with him: "training" him and playing dog show, wheeling him around in an office chair, putting bows in his hair, and otherwise embarrassing the gentlemanly dog. Jack was infinitely patient with me and was my "sleeping partner," staying in my room with me at night, until his death at the age of 16. Now he and Topper rest peacefully and wait until the day I will see my handsome boys again.