Oh, Charlie!

deepest apologies

2010-07-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've been stuck on this for a few weeks now:

I've been stuck because I haven't had much time to read. I'm only on chapter 10 and most of the previous chapters were read either yesterday or today. I've been a bit busy - or as busy as one can be with summer break and not a lot to do.

I took a couple of days last week and headed north to my parents' house with Charlie. My mission was to clean out the boxes I had stashed in the basement years ago when I was in high school and college. Eight trash bags full of clothes, and 2/3 of dad's truck bed full of "stuff" went to donations. It's amazing how badly you NEED to buy something and ten years later, it's completely lost value and is being dumped at the local goodwill. Makes me think about the things I think I must have.....

Other than that, summer continues to be a great blessing. I've had lots of time to read, cook, nap, spend time with friends, etc. And I like having the capacity to invest in other people when I'm not stressed out about work or students or report cards, grades, tests, etc. It's nice to be home. I think I could get used to this. :) Just in time to head back in 4 weeks. My dear husband probably appreciates a more relaxed me as well....it's just been an all around nice summer. :)

1 year anniversary!

2010-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today is Charlie's one year anniversary of living at our home! Or, maybe it's our one year anniversary of having an incredibly adorable pup who has mom's heart wrapped around his little paw! It's been such a fun year with him, so I think I'll do a photo recap. We couldn't be happier about having him live here.

Helping Dad decorate the Christmas tree

Opening presents with mom- “Dogzilla” toys, which didn’t last a week. :(

Sleeping in Maddie’s bed at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

Celebrating my 5th birthday with my friend, Ann. Mom and dad threw a huge party for me and everyone brought presents. I was so loved!

Celebrating mom and dad’s anniversary with them. Family photo.
Giving kisses to my buddy, Addison.
Lovin’ on mom…
Rolling all over Grandma’s blow-up bed when they came to visit. Grandpa let me sleep with him in his bed all night!
Helping Grandma find some stuff in her bag.
Sitting with Uncle James in the front seat on the way to Mother’s Day at Grandma’s.

More pictures coming this afternoon…..

HUA

2010-01-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

Today on Facebook we're spreading the word about HUA and I thought it'd do it here too!!

Hearts United for Animals
www.hua.org
National no kill animal shelter specializing in long distance adoptions and puppy mill rescues. Dogs, dogs for adoption, animal shelter, dog rescue, animal sanctuary, puppy mill, pet stores, animal welfare organization, puppy rescue, cats for adoption.

This is where we found Charlie, and I'm so thankful for what they do. When the time comes in ten years or so, we'll definitly go back to HUA. These dogs need homes and deserve to have a great place to live after what they've gone through.

Our little Charlie was a breeder at a puppy mill in Missouri. I hate to think of where he would be today if HUA had not rescued him. We are so greatful!

CHRISTMAS!!!!!

2010-01-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

This year I celebrated my very first Christmas with my family. It was so much fun. We had a great giant storm and got snowed in for days and days. I loved it so much because mom and dad stayed home with me all the time and played games like Rummikub and Yahtzee. We also watched movies and mom baked and baked and baked.

We also opened presents. I got a cool "Dogzilla" package full of "indestructible" stuff. Guess what- I destroyed them all! I have the strongest jaws of anyone. That's what Grandpa M says, at least. Mom and Dad kept saying, "Charr-leeeeey!" Whenever I got a good bite. They said I'm not supposed to eat my Christmas toys. And now I don't get to play with them anymore because they took them away. Mom said it was bad for my stomach to eat thick red rubber, but I feel fine!

We finally went to visit all the Grandmas and Grandpas. First we went to the farm and celebrated there. I finally met Uncle Buster. He really liked the t-bone treats I got for him. And guess what?! I got some too!!! And I got some green toys, which I also destroyed.

When we were at Maddie's house, I found her leopard print super-soft bed and snuggled right in. I think it's the best bed I've ever slept in in my entire life. Maybe if I am really good, mom will make one for me just like Grandma made for Maddie. We'll see!

Charlie's first Christmas

2009-12-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

We're celebrating Charlie's first christmas here at home this year. We were supposed to drive north a couple of hours to my parents' house, but weather is not cooperating. :( Charlie's got a few presents under the tree and he bought a couple for Uncle Buster and Maddie dog who live out of town. I'm sure they're going to love the t-bone treats that he picked out for them!

I apologize for the lack of posting this year. Over the summer I was home full-time- the life of a teacher! Now that I'm working again, blogs are set on the back burners. Charlie is still doing well. We fall more and more in love with him all the time. He seems to worm his way deeper into our hearts by just being Charlie. We've got lots of pictures from the past few months- next post I'll get some up so you can see what he's been up to!

Much love and Merry Christmas!

October!!

2009-10-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

October is mom's FAVORITE month....she's been baking up a crazy storm in the kitchen since the cold weather set in.

I guess I'd better explain myself. Mom started school in August. Now she's not home with me ALL DAY like she used to be. She goes to work, Dad and I hang out for a while and then I go down to sleep in my bed. Then he comes back and we eat lunch together every day. Mom comes home early in the afternoon and we spend the rest of the evening doing family things. I just LOVE my fam....they're the best. :)

Last night mom and I baked "Maddie's Pea-MUTT-butter" treats. We cooked them up and made up treat bags for all the neighbor dogs. Then mom, dad and I went for a walk and delivered them to my friends. Tomorrow mom is taking more to her friends at work to give to their dogs. I think they'll really like them. MMMMM-mmmmm!!!!!

I can't even wait for this weekend. Mom and dad are taking me to Grandma and Grandpa E's FARM!!!!! I'm so excited and we'll take LOTS of pictures. I'll try to post again soon. Sorry it's taken so long- but I'm doing GREAT!!!

Love,
Charlie

P.S. Guess what else!? In a couple of weeks, mom and dad are letting me stay with Grandma and Grandpa M. again!!!!! They're my ALL TIME FAVORITE!!! (besides mom and dad) I love running with Maddie in the back yard. It'll be so aweseome!

Charlie and his 'maters

2009-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our tomato eating dog!

I'm still here!!!

2009-09-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted forever. Neither has my mom. Here's what happened: we've been SO BUSY!!! We had some friends staying with us from Japan for 2 weeks. They're good friends of mom and dad and they were back in the states visiting family and stocking up on goodies from home. I completely fell head over heels for them. 2 new bffs!

I also took over the gardening this summer for mom and dad. She took a few photos of me picking tomatoes. I never gathered enough to share. Somehow I always ate them all before I got back in the house. Here are a few pics.

Mom and I also took a few photos (again). She's crazy about me. Enough with the pictures!

So, for those of you who are still checking, I'm doing great. My eyes aren't as droopy as they used to be, and I'm just LOVING my family like crazy. We're very busy, but they keep me in the loop. I go with mom to run errands- return movies, buy stamps, drop stuff off at a friends house, you know....stuff like that. We go on family walks in the evenings and I always eat lunch with dad during the week. Life is good. :)

Movie Party!

2009-08-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

*Mother's Note: After getting to know Charlie, we're pretty sure that if he could speak, he would have a low voice and a slight speech impediment. In place of "s" sounds, we insert the "th". In order to make your blog reading more authentic, you may choose to insert the "th" sound wherever you see an "s". This will help you feel more like you're listening to Charlie, as well as provide a good chuckle.

Thanks,
Mom :)

Hey guys,

Monday, Monday. We had a pretty good weekend. I took lots of naps with my ball. And chewed on it a lot. And carried it almost everywhere I went. It's my favorite toy.

Mom and Dad let me go to Uncle Mike's house for a movie party on Friday night. We walked over and had pizza. We played outside for a long time- Uncle Mike loves throwing the ball for me. I'm really fast. When it was too dark to play outside, we went in and watched the movie, "Gran Torrino", which was awesome! I loved it becuase of the cool car. Mom and Dad loved the message of the movie.

Here are a couple of pictures of me and dad walking to Mike's. Mom and Dad make me stop at every corner and wait until they say "OK". Then we can cross the street. Mom said that Grandpa Mike and Maddie do that. That way she knows not to cross the street before he says OK. I guess that's what we're doing too.

Here's me and dad ringing the doorbell.

When we got there, Uncle Mike almost had the pizza done. He said it was Papa Murphy's pizza. I don't know who Papa M is, but he sure does know how to cook. That food smelled so good! I ate before we went, so I wasn't hungry. While the boys were getting supper ready, Mom and I took a picture. I showed you my best side.

Lazy Sunday

2009-07-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hey guys- it's me, Charlie. Another lazy Sunday, another day in paradise! I'm really starting to love it here! My parents are crazy about me- especially mom. She's kind of nuts, I think. She's always talking to me, even when dad isn't around. Silly lady...

Mom's family was in town this weekend and she took me over to Uncle James' house to visit. Everyone was there, including Maddie. It was fun to see them again. She and I are getting to be better friends. We watched a lot while James and Grandpa Mike worked in the basement. Mom calls it the "man den" that they're building. Lots of tools and pretty cool stuff. I made sure to stay out of the way, and mom made EXTRA sure I didn't get into anything I wasn't supposed to.

Today they did lots of cleaning, I took about 27 naps and barked at a few people passing by out front. I'm starting to relax a lot more. I know that when they move from room to room, I don't always have to follow anymore. I'm getting really good at sleeping through the bussling around the house.

Speaking of things I'm good at, Mom taught me how to sit. I'm awesome at it. It makes her so proud and I feel pretty good too. Did I already tell you about that? Maybe....but I'm really excited. Next thing is to "shake"...whatever that means.

Well, I'm off for another nap. Have a great rest of the weekend!!

from Charlie

2009-07-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. This is Charlie. I finally convinced mom that I'm smart enough to write on my own blog. We'll see how it goes. I think she's going to be pleasantly surprised!

I wanted to show you some pictures from my vacation in Norfolk. I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and we had a really fabulous time. They have a dog, Maddie. She was OK, I guess. I think she was jealous that I was taking attention from her people. We got along, but we won't be sending letters to each other anytime soon, I can tell you that!

This first picture is of me and my ball. I LOVE tennis balls. They are my all time favorite toy. What I really love is tearing the yellow fuzz off and eating it. Mom tries to get me to stop, but I don't. Mom and Dad gave me some stupid stuffed animals, but they're lame. I totally destroyed the first two. They got me a new squirrel and I tore the ears off as fast as I could to show them that I don't like it. Hopefully they'll get smart and realize I don't want them. If my friends knew I was playing with dolls, I'd be in deep trouble. Get a clue, mom and dad!

I got to watch lots of Animal Planet and Grandma and Grandpa's. They have the best channels and even leave them on just for me!

Here's a picture of me standing by some pretty flowers. I thought mom would like this one.

This is me and Grandma. She really likes me. She's one of my all-time favorite people. She really knows how to treat me! She's not as fussy as mom and she has the most amazing backyard ever! I can't wait to go back to visit. It's my favorite vacation spot ever!

Mom dropped me off and made me take a picture with Maddie. We look pretty good together. And she shared her water bowl with me. We shared a few toys and ate a little of each other's food. So, I guess she's OK.

Well, that's all for now. Mom's busy tearing an ugly angel border from the bathroom walls. I'd better go help and make sure she does it right. Hopefully she'll let me post more often. I think I'm better at it than she is.

Ta ta for now!

Va-cay!

2009-07-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Mr. Charlie is on vacation. He's visiting my parents for the next couple of days while I make a run down to Tulsa. I spent the day at my parents' with him and he was loving it! He and Maddie their golden retriever were able to co-exist in a civil manner, although they hadn't become BFF's quite yet. Charlie spent the afternoon exploring their backyard and chasing tennis balls. He LOVES my mother and is warming up to dad, so I think he'll be just fine.

If I said that I didn't cry when I left him, it would be a big fat lie.

Video shmideo

2009-07-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting since this morning for a video to upload onto the blog. For some reason, I don't think 7 hours of "uploading" is working. Ah well.

Charlie's fallen in love with his new bed- as you can see.

And we've gotten pretty good at taking pictures together. This was after an afternoon of laying out in the backyard. I read, Charlie explores the yard and sleeps in the shade. Summer in the life of a teacher and her dog- simply luxurious!

Update

2009-07-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with the vet. They said Charlie is recovering nicely and should be ready to go in about an hour. They have to send him home with an e-collar because he'll probably want to chew on his food. The vet said that the toenail had a pretty strong odor, so the infection was pretty bad. Good thing we had it taken care of! Other than that, everything went well. :)

I'm off to the grocery store and then to get my pup!

He broke a nail!

2009-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this, it's probably because you've taken an interest in our new furry friend, Charlie. Thanks. We love him. We love him like crazy. He's definitely spoiled rotten- so much that I'm concerned that I'm "babying him too much". I probably am.

In any case, Charlie got his hair cut last Wednesday, and has been a new dog ever since! He's running around like crazy and I've never seen him happier. He must feel like a brand new dog! We have noticed that he seems to be really itchy- scratching all over. I called the groomers and they had me bring him back in for another bath this morning. They used some special shampoo that was supposed to help his itchy skin. It could also be allergies, or the fact that he's never had his hair this short and simply isn't used to it. Either way, he's flea-free and feeling good!

Feeling PRETTY good.....he's also been chewing incessantly at his back left paw. Upon closer examination, we realized that he had a funny looking toenail and a hard nail-ish growth beside the bad one. I took him to the vet this morning and turns out, he broke his toenail! :( He probably broke it a long time ago, but no one noticed because his hair was so long. And now that it's shorter, Charlie was able to get at it and chew, chew, chew! So this afternoon the poor little guy is being sedated and having his toenail removed. The vet was very nice and said that the other growth was probably his foot trying to heal itself and could actually be the new nail coming in. Who knows. All I know is that Charlie is one expensive pup! Good thing we didn't buy that new patio furniture set- we're paying for a toenail instead! :)

Hopefully he'll be up and running by this evening. It was hard to leave him there, and I had to choke back tears as I walked out to the parking lot. If you know me, you're probably not the least bit surprised. If you don't already know, I've got a heart the size of Alaska, and I invest and cry, invest and cry. It's a vicious cycle!

Anyway, he'll be fine. He'll feel a lot better without a broken-falling-off-toenail. This is good for him. :)

a new man!

2009-07-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

He did it! Charlie went to the pet groomers! I took him to a really great place called "Precious Pets". They let the dogs wander around the shop and play with each other while they're waiting for their turn. It sounded like they'd work on a dog for a while, give him a break, work on another dog, give him a break, etc. The dogs get to socialize and become familiar with the people who are grooming them. Charlie walked right in and started making friends instantly- which was no surprise. He's such a social butterfly!

Here are the before and after photos!

He looks so much better now! Plus, he new shave will be a lot cooler for summer. His ears are soft and mat-free, which makes him very happy!

He was so happy running around in the backyard once he got home. My parents were down to visit and fell in love with him. He fell even harder for them! I'm disappointed I didn't get any photos of him with them. I thought about it a million times, but never got my camera out! :( We'll be making a trip to visit them for a week or so in July, so we'll be sure to get lots of photos then!

And at the end of the evening, he completely crashed! It must have been exhausting to socialize all afternoon!

Day 3

2009-06-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Charlie is shedding a lot more than we expected. (EEK!) He does have really long hair and he hasn't been groomed for quite some time, as far as I know. They did give him a bath Sunday morning and we've been brushing him a LOT- which has helped. We're getting him in Wednesday morning for a summer buzz. I hope that helps our issue- we thought a dog who needs to be groomed would shed very little....so hopefully we can get this under control!

He's getting used to things and is finding his favorite spots. He really likes the area under our deck- I'm sure it's nice and cool down there.

My parents are coming to visit tonight- they're driving 2 hours from the big N-town. I suppose they'll get here around supper time and we'll grill out with my brother tonight. None of them have met Charlie- so he's in for a treat. They all love dogs, so he'll have some new besties.

We have been going for walks and I can't get him to poop IN THE GRASS! (And yes, I always have my bags along, for those of you who are wondering). He doesn't know to step to the side to do his business, so he ends up making quite a mess on a person's sidewalk. I do my best to clean up, but good grief!! I know he doesn't know any better, coming from a puppy mill and his time at HUA, so we're really working on that with lots of praise when he does the right thing in our yard. It's only been a few days. He's a smarty and he'll catch on. I just wasn't prepared for sidewalk smearing!

I'll be updating with pictures of his new weave tomorrow! He's going to look like a completely different dog!

Welcome home!!!

2009-06-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

I thought ya'll might enjoy some photos from day 1 with our babe-a-labe. This first photo is at Hearts United when we were getting ready to leave with him. He looks terrified! :(

Charlie quickly warmed up to both of us, but seems to have chosen Nate to be his new BFF. He LOVES following him around and usually chooses to sit next to him when we're both around. I think it's incredibly cute since I'm more the "dog person". Nate's doing great though and, quite honestly, I think he's falling for Charlie as well! :)

Charlie- looking much happier after he warmed up to us and his new environment!

I think he's going to be just fine!

Day 1

2009-06-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Charlie made it home!

This morning Nate and I packed up and drove to HUA to pick up our little gentleman. We were so excited to see him again and to finally bring him home. We were greeted by the founder of HUA, a sweet little woman with an incredible vision. She went through "Dunstan's" (his HUA name) paperwork with us, gave us a bag of his dog food, a leash and harness, tags, etc. He was ready to go! She brought him in from his breakfast and morning bath- still a little damp from the shower. He said his good-byes to Carol and walked out the door with us. We loaded up, sat him on my lap, Nate took the wheel, and Charlie's curly hair filled our car with aroma of wet pup and we were off and on our way!

He's done incredibly well today. He was well-mannered, didn't make any messes in the house, played with his new toys, sat while we combed out his unruly tangles, and only barked at David Letterman on the TV. Other than that, he was a prince! We went for a walk this evening, sat in the freshly mowed lawn, played a little catch, and had lots of bonding time with Charlie. We understand the responsibility and are really excited for our new season!

Stay tuned for more adventures. We have lots of photos from yesterday that I'll have to post soon. He's also getting a summer haircut tomorrow- so he'll look completely different! We're just thrilled- and I have the summer off, so you'd better believe I'll be blogging!

I'm leaving you with a clip from my other blog heathereigsti.blogspot.com that gives you an idea of where Charlie came from:

Last weekend we went to Auburn to a rescue shelter for dogs. There were SO MANY there! :( HUA is a no-kill shelter and they bring in dogs from puppy mills, auctions, and sides of the highway, among other places, I'm sure.

The dog hunt has been an interesting one. Initially, Nate and I disagreed very much on what our family dog would look like. I grew up with a dog in our house since I was 3 years old. Nate grew up with zero dogs in the house. There was an occasional farm dog to help chase out tom cats, but no canines sleeping in his bed! Needless to say, the hunt for a happy medium was interesting, to say the least.

We both compromised and came up with a pretty good solution: a smaller-non-shedding-easy-to-be-around-kind-of-dog. (A dog in the house!) We went to HUA on Saturday after looking online at pups for weeks. A few times, we'd thought that we'd found the perfect little puppy in the classified ads, on craigslist or online- but then we'd realize they were heavy shedders or something else would fall through. So, off to HUA!

While we were there, we saw hundreds of dogs- young, old, fierce, timid, sad, shy, yippy, yappy, and beaten. We looked and looked. We walked through multiple complexes full of dogs waiting for their forever home. We'd found a few dogs that we thought might work, a few that were a little older, but who deserved a soft bed for the last remaining years. Then, there was one last stop. And that is where we found him.

The young man we were with walked up to the fenced in yard and hollered for "Dunston". He walked into the complex and came out with a happy little blond and white cocker spaniel on a blue leash with a big old smile on his face, tongue hanging and feet hopping out to meet us. Nate and I squatted down to greet him. He walked right up to Nate, stepped his big fat paws gently up Nate's lap and gave him a friendly sniff and, I'm pretty sure, a smile.

We've got a HUA volunteer coming today to talk with us about the breed and to do a home inspection. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to pick up our little guy on Sunday. I'm beyond excited. We did some "new pet" shopping last night, and I'll show you pictures as soon as I know it's a for-sure thing. I don't want to get TOO excited before we have the go-ahead.

We will be changing his name to Charles Widmore. For those of you who know who that is, congratulations! For the rest of you, Charlie will be what we call him. I hope that very soon I get to show you pictures of our new little prince. He might even have his own blog. And it may or may not already be created. :)