Charlie

We lost our super 14 year old "puppy" Charlie two years ago, today. He was such a super dog that just loved the kids. He loved everyone! Charlie and his "sister" Rocky, our shy little kitty, were the best of friends and used to sleep next to each other on the guest bed. Every neighbor we had that had a dog he'd get them to run back and forth the length of the fence separating them. A well-worn path would be created on both sides!

One of his closest puppy friends was a dog named Candy. They were both the same breeds--Golden Retriever, Collie, and German Shepherd and were the same age. Candy was more orange and looked more like a Retriever while Charlie was darker and had Shepherd markings and a white Collie tipped tail. But he was his whole life what the shelter described him as: goofy!

We got him from the Hinsdale Humane Society in Hinsdale, IL. His family had just dropped him off and, unbeknownst to us, was it the "observation before adoption" section. When we went back there, Charlie picked out Don. I was "okay", but the doleful eyes, leaning into the fence, and plea went out to Don. I don't know if he knew that we were from the same pack, but he picked out Alpha!

Hard to believe from these pictures, he had short fur for the first three years of his life! Every year after that, he got fuzzier and fuzzier. Much later in life, he earned the title "Fuzzy One". When my parents would come to visit from NJ, my Dad would take him outside to brush him. They both loved it! They were best buddies from the very beginning.

When we started our family, I would know Charlie had totally accepted his "siblings" when he'd plop down on the floor next to them and chew his bone. With our oldest, he loved to very carefully trip her by purposefully and gently grabbing her leg with his paw. It was so funny to watch! His tail would start wagging as he'd smile and then kiss her. The older the kids got, the more he adored them and the more they loved him. It was really hard for all of us to lose Charlie. --LKR