New BrunswickCopper the basset hound was feeling blue after his brother and sister died. Now the dogs in his Moncton neighbourhood stop by for a drink.Three-year old dog is the new hydration officer in his Moncton neighbourhoodRhythm Rathi · CBC News · Posted: Aug 31, 2025 2:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoCopper is a three-year old basset hound who is always looking to make new friends. (Nicole Labarge)Copper the basset hound was feeling blue after his brother and sister died. Now the dogs in his New Brunswick neighbourhood visit him for a drink.The three-year-old dog from north Moncton is very social, said owner Nicole Labarge. Two of her other dogs died from cancer last year.It takes about an hour to walk Copper around the neighbourhood because he stops at every house, remembering whoever had once pet him. So, Labarge decided to install a hydration station on her property to have some furry friends visit Copper instead.”We started to notice that he was very lonely and just didn’t have that camaraderie with other dogs because he was used to having another dog around him all the time,” Labarge said.”Copper loves to sit on the front porch, but nobody was kind of stopping to see him, so we came up with this idea.”Copper became lonely after his brother and sister died from cancer last year, said Nicole Labarge. (Nicole Labarge)She said her front yard has been very busy since June when Labarge filled a bowl with water with a sign beside it saying, “Water for your dog, courtesy of Copper.”She said people stop by to take pictures with the sign, to get hugs and cuddles from Copper on the front porch, and to introduce their dogs to Copper after their drink.Even when Copper is inside, his ears still remain focused on the slurps, she said.”He gets right up to the front window and he wants to see who it is, and see if he’s met them before, and he’ll give me the look, ‘OK, let me out, let me out, let me go meet them.'”We probably get four or five dogs and families stop every day,” she said.Labarge said the idea has helped improve Copper’s anxiety. She said she would love to host play dates if somebody wanted to let their dog spend a day with Copper.Beau, who is 10, stops by Copper’s place for a drink on every walk. (Shalyn Hicks)”It’s worked out quite well and he’s enjoying it.”Shalyn Hicks and her Labrador-mix, Beau, live a five-minute walk from Copper.She said Beau is almost 10 years old and appreciates a sip of water during every walk.”He is an older dog, so he tends to slow down a little bit, so it’s really nice to have a little break.” said Hicks. “One day we were out there and Copper was out there with his owner, so it was … a fun little time,” said Hicks.Copper sits on his front porch every day to meet new dogs and their owners. (Nicole Labarge)She said both dogs greeted each other with wagging tails, sharing a cute moment.ABOUT THE AUTHORRhythm Rathi is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick in Moncton. He was born and raised in India, and attended journalism school in Ontario. Send your story tips to rhythm.rathi@cbc.ca
Copper the basset hound invites new friends over for a drink
