Coming to college is tough, but it’s even harder when you need to say goodbye to your best friends. You might think we mean your pals from elementary school, but really, we mean your loyal pets.

However, at Penn State’s Alpha Phi Delta fraternity, members are extremely lucky to have an extra brother in the house. Everyone, meet Cooper.

You see, Cooper is no normal brother. He has four legs, white fur, and a big heart. Our fluffy focus is a medium-sized Samoyed who has lived his best life in APD. You might have seen him in his iconic TikTok appearances. If you haven’t, we highly recommend checking out his on-screen appearances. Cooper is an official APD brother, proven directly from the fraternity’s latest composite photo.

APD’s motto is, “Make life better.” With Cooper around, he’s doing just that.

Cooper joined the fraternity a year and a half ago when his owner returned to State College. Cooper was only five or six months old when he first came to live at APD, so each brother knew that raising a puppy was going to take a lot of work. Little did they know how much joy Cooper would bring to the house.

Luke Collum, APD’s president, couldn’t believe how much Cooper bonded the fraternity’s brothers.

“Cooper brought to us another level of brotherhood,” Collum said. “It’s a lot to take care of a dog.”

Cooper kept the brothers on their toes and working together. Collum says that each day, the brothers would plan who would walk Cooper, when he would be fed, who would leave him out, and more. What each member recalls most is when the house would go on group walks with Cooper. For the house, it was a team effort.

“His palace was our fraternity house,” Collum said. “Cooper is first in everything we do.”

Even as full-time college students, each brother focused on giving Cooper the best Happy Valley experience. Even now, the student population knows Cooper as APD’s “most famous and well-known brother.”

“When we walk him on campus, most people know who he is,” Collum said. “If anyone comes over to our house, they always say, ‘Where’s Cooper? Can we see Cooper?'”

Cooper has made such a name for himself that when it comes time for APD to partake in any trips, he will find himself tagging along on those very same trips. Cooper is no stranger to livening up parties, dressing up for occassions, or even skateboarding around the fraternity’s house. The TikTok below, which has racked up more than 8.2 million views, sums things up nicely.

@budmud Cooper is probably the most active brother #psu #fyp #pov ♬ Pocketful of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield

“What separates [APD] from other fraternities is that everybody knows everybody. We’re all very close, and Cooper played a big part in that,” alumni chair Josh Portney said. “He brought us closer than we ever were.”

Collum says that Greek life can often have a separation between freshmen and seniors. Cooper was always with the upperclassmen, which then initiated younger folks to bond with every age, not just their class.

Even though Cooper has been a brother within the fraternity for a year and a half, his true owner is currently studying abroad this spring. Cooper is enjoying some time off and resting at home, but he’ll reunite with his APD brothers very soon.

In the meantime, APD will hold a “Puppies in the Pit” event on Sunday, January 23. Thanks to Cooper’s legacy, APD will host a THON fundraiser teaming up with organizations like Project: PAWS. Furry friends will be in attendance to help raise donations for THON at Alpha Phi Delta’s house.

At the end of the day, some parts of college are always bound to be stressful and worrisome. However, when you remember that Penn State’s got a fraternity dog like Cooper, things will never get too “ruff.”