He likes (fast) walks on the beach, tummy rubs and tennis balls but Canberra's most eligible rescue dog hasn't met his perfect match quite yet.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Cooper, the two-year-old bulldog boxer cross was the only pooch left in the RSPCA's Canberra shelter after it threw open its doors for a $29 adoption drive over the weekend.
Lines were out the door from 7am Friday and the shelter ran out of available kittens within the first two hours of opening, as more than 50 animals were adopted under the discount.
By Tuesday morning, there were just four animals left: a rooster, a pigeon, a rather fetching Chinese Silky Bantam - and Cooper.
An unusual silence had fallen over the Weston shelter but, among staff, the celebrations were continuing.
"I've never seen it this quiet, these cages were just filled with kittens, the kennels are all empty," a spokeswoman for RSPCA ACT said.
After putting himself out there, Cooper appeared to be drowning his disappointment in a game of tug-of-war in the yard.
It's the first time the RSPCA has held a national $29 adoption event, and some states such as NSW even honoured the discount for horses.
RSPCA ACT chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said numbers during the promotion were four times those of a typical weekend and twice as many as in the week leading up to Christmas.
But, while many people looked at Cooper, no one took him home.
Kennel team leader Vanessa Cundi says Cooper has the classic singles problem: he's too picky.
Surrendered to the shelter in November, the boisterous pooch has been learning from behavioural trainers and is now seeking a fellow fitness junkie, someone who can put him through his paces but is patient enough to keep him on track.
"He's a big sweetheart, but he doesn't know his own strength, he needs someone strong, who can hang onto that lead and keep training him," the team said.
During the adoption promotion, each animal was carefully matched as usual to a prospective family.
A spokeswoman said the RSPCA did not expect a spike in animals handed back after its record-breaking weekend.
"Our research suggests price doesn't really come into return rates," she said.
But, while Cooper might have struck out over the weekend, Nicki the eight kilo tabby did find a happy ending (depending on how you look at it).
Carried home in a special "reinforced" carrier, she's now been placed on a strict diet.
Exercise, after all, isn't for everyone.
