Family behind popular Twitter account 'I've Pet That Dog' adopts new pup, Cookie

DES MOINES, Iowa – Five months after the loss of his beloved dog Walter, the 11-year-old boy behind the popular Twitter account I've Pet That Dog has found a new best friend. 

Cedar Falls' Gideon Kidd and his family adopted 3-year-old Cookie, formerly known as Don, from Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo on New Year's Eve. Cookie is a hound and beagle mix.

Kidd's mother, Rachel Braunigan, was hesitant at first because beagles tend to bark a lot, and she thought that might scare the family cats. But when they saw Cookie, they couldn't resist.

"He's really wrinkly," Kidd said.

When Kidd and Braunigan took Cookie into a separate room, the pup scampered into Kidd's lap before jumping out again. 

Cookie came to the shelter as a stray, Braunigan said, and is overcoming some pretty big fears. He won't walk on wood floors and doesn't want to go on a walk yet. For the first four days, he wouldn't eat, drink, or leave his dog bed.

Kidd wasn't deterred.

"Gideon would lie down with his blanket and his pillow and lie there next to him and pet him, and one night the dog just got up and started playing with him," she said.

For Kidd, Cookie is the perfect family dog. Cookie loves to play with his toys, which include Carrie the carrot, Eggy the eggplant and Miss Piggy the pig. He knows how to play fetch, but that usually results in a game of tug-of-war when he doesn't want to let the toy go.

Kidd doesn't mind.

He said his favorite thing about Cookie is his quirkiness.

"When he's really happy and wants to cuddle, he rubs his cheeks against me and the couch," he said.

Kidd, a self-professed dog person, said Cookie doesn't yet get along with the family's two cats, Cherry and Fred, but he's trying.

"They're just hissing and meowing at him," he said.

The family also has two gerbils, Buttercup and Nibbles.

Cookie is originally from Oklahoma and doesn't like the snow or cold, Kidd said, so he has to wear a sweater this winter. He doesn't like that either, though, and tries to chew off the knitted garb.

Even before the family began looking for a new pup, Kidd was a regular visitor to his local humane society to post pictures of adoptable dogs on Twitter. He uses his account to show people the dogs that he pets and to share stories from their caregivers. 

He says he's petted more than 1,100 dogs.

Kidd started the Twitter account about 1½ years ago and has close to 350,000 followers. Before that, he was posting the pictures on www.ivepetthatdog.com.

Des Moines residents might also know Kidd from last April's Beautiful Bulldog Contest at Drake University, where he was one of the judges.

Since he was 8 years old, Kidd has been traveling around Cedar Falls, and other Iowa towns, looking for dogs to pet. He said when he sees a dog, he asks the owner if he can pet it. He then asks these "caregivers" if he can take a picture with the dog and ask them questions about the pet.

Braunigan takes notes.

Kidd then gives them a slip with his Instagram and Twitter handle so they can see their pup get its 15 minutes of fame. When he gets home, he writes up their conversation on Twitter. The account is all Kidd, Braunigan said, but she monitors what he writes and who he replies to.

"Every single day he is writing up this little paragraph," she said. "He chooses to do this because he loves it, and I'm just so proud of him. He likes that it makes people happy and it makes him happy."