It has been seven years since Al Cooper first rescued Davos the pup from the local animal shelter – but the man says that it was mostly Davos who did the rescuing.
Cooper, who adopted Davos from the Humane Society in Albertville, Minnesota, had been getting over a battle with cancer when he adopted the little Bernese Mountain Dog. As they spent more time together, Cooper credits his furry companion as the reason he recovered so well after the disease. Their long walks through the park was an invaluable source of exercise and therapy – but then it eventually turned into something more.
Cooper started playing a game with Davos where he would hide a golf ball under one of three cups. After shuffling the cups around, he would give Davos a treat for successfully finding the ball.
Cooper then started taking him down to the Cedar Creek golf course so they could hunt through the weeds at the 13th hole and collect all the golf balls from failed shots.
RELATED: When Dog is Found 2,000 Miles Away From Home, 20 Different Strangers Bring Him Back
Finally, Cooper got an idea – what if he could use Davos’s love of golf balls to help other dogs like him?
The dynamic duo now collects the balls, cleans them off, and sells them for 25 cents a pop at the golf course. All of the money that they raise is donated to the Animal Humane Society. Collectively, they’ve sold about 2,400 balls for $600 bucks.
Even though their price tag is pretty low, Cooper says that he doesn’t want golfers to feel bad about missing their shots because their losses are helping local shelter animals instead – and he still loves wandering the green with Davos.
“It’s a blast,” Cooper told WCCO. “It’s kind of like going on an Easter egg hunt. I feel like a kid out there eternally with him.”
(WATCH the video below – or our international viewers can watch the video at the CBS News website)
Be Sure And Share This Tee-rific Story With Your Friends – Photo by WCCO