Holmes and Megan Cook are from Tuscaloosa and St. Louis, respectively. They met as undergraduates while attending Ole Miss and married in 2010. They are both are perusing advanced degrees at Ole Miss; Holmes is preparing for Law school, and Megan her Master’s in Archaeology.
Both grew up with dogs and while they were quite busy with their educational commitments, their hearts were empty without the pitter patter of puppy feet in their home. and the search began.
Hank, a handsome black lab now weighing in at 107 lbs, was the runt of his litter and the last of two puppies to be selected. He was waiting on his “pet parents” to find him! Once they did, he never wanted to leave their sides. This eventually turned into separation anxiety. He didn’t even want to leave them to take care of his personal business. Holmes and Megan decided maybe Hank needed a dog too! “…a dog who has his own dog!” and the search began….again.
Ruby, a native Georgia girl, joined the Cook family a few months later and Hank was a new man! They make quite a team indeed. But make no mistake about it; Ruby isn’t just Hank’s side-kick, she is her own girl with her own agenda. A few years ago, she decided she wanted to go to the grove too during an Ole Miss Football game. She heard all the excitement and “dug out”. Holmes and Megan returned home to find Hank alone….They were quick on their feet and after searching for her for hours, they printed up several hundred fliers and hit the streets. They got a tip and found themselves in The Grove. Sure enough Ms. Social Butterfly had joined a group of lovely ladies who were, thank goodness, looking out for her best interests. She was almost taken to Alabama with some fans from the opposing team. But the girls had a gut feeling and kept her safe. So much so that when Holmes and Megan were reunited with Ruby, the ladies made them prove her identity! They did so with their stack of fliers and Ruby was relinquished. We ladies have to stick together!
Hank and Ruby both know quite a few tricks. But perhaps the most impressive is Hank’s ‘play dead’ routine. Point a finger pistol and shout “bang” and Hank will fall over dead. Well, nearly dead, his tail never stops wagging! Ruby is all about food and will do just about anything for a treat but she has eaten a few unorthodox “treats”. Perhaps the most memorable though, was when she made a meal out of a toad. This made her appear drunk and gave her erratic eye movements ehich was quite a fright for Holmes and Megan. Head up folks, toads can be lethal to dogs. Ruby was one of the lucky ones.
Hank is a mommy’s boy and Ruby daddy’s girl. If Megan is out, Hank will sit at the door or sulk until she return. Holmes has called Megan about how silly her dog is acting in her absence! Hurry home mommy!
At the end of the day, Hank and Ruby are just like any other “kids”. They eat, play, snuggle and sleep. They like their sleep to be undisturbed too. If its nap time and the radio is too loud or they are speaking in a load voice, Hank and Ruby will moan or sigh as if they are annoyed and sometimes, they’d just leave the room and go to their beds! These two keep their parents entertained. There is so much personality in the Cook family it’s hard not to have a good time if you’re around them!