It's been a year - 365 days with Charlie the wonder dog and I just can't believe it. I could swear it was just a few weeks ago that Patty from North Star handed over the leash at the San Francisco airport and sent me on my way with her sage words of advice: "I think he has to pee." As luck would have it, there is actually a pet relief station at SFO and it was there that Charlie and I shared our first intimate moment. [This picture was taken in the parking lot at SFO just before we headed home to meet Tim for the first time.]
I don't think I'll ever forget that day - meeting Patty after years of waiting for our dog's birth, meeting Charlie as a 5 month old puppy, and introducing Charlie to Tim in the back of my car. What an exciting day it was. [This next pic is when Tim met Charlie.]
[Here he was trying out his bed for the first time on that fateful day.]
Of course, I also remember the anxiety of having another non-verbal member of the family. My first lesson in non-verbal canine communication came on that very first afternoon when I fed Charlie and then neglected to show him where the door to go outside was. That was the first and only time Chuck pooped in my house. (We're both quick learners.)
Over the course of the year we've had countless sessions with Wendy the Trainer, both privately and in her group classes, and we've even gotten within inches of the CGC brass ring. We've watched Charlie learn how to hike, how to walk on a leash, and how to swim like a fish. He even rides in the car without the nausea that plagued him as a young pup. (Thanks to Judy the Puppy Raiser for getting him over that unpleasant hump.) And we've watched him grow from gangly clumsy puppy to giant gangly clumsy dog.
[Look at him then ...]
[... and now.]
Charlie's come a long way for sure, but what is even more thrilling are the changes we've seen in Tim over the course of the year. The rational side of my brain (whatever is left of it) tells me that the countless therapies, treatments, and specialized schooling that Tim receives every day is explanation for Tim's tremendous strides. But my heart tells me that Charlie has played a huge role in Tim's development.
From day one Charlie's impact on Tim was evident as we found Tim curled up on the floor and talking to Charlie. Tim rarely spoke before Charlie arrived. Now not only does Tim talk to Charlie but Tim's spontaneous language has increased exponentially and it's increasing every week.
Language isn't the only change in Tim since the arrival of Charlie. Because we've made Tim responsible for the care and maintenance of Chuck (basically feeding and exercising him) he's learned a great lesson in responsibility. We've also gotten the empathy lesson from our recent trip to the vet when Charlie suffered from an embedded foxtail and consequent infection.
Charlie has become Tim's go-to guy for just about everything. When I pick him up from school his first question is inevitably "Where's Charlie?" At night he begs to let Charlie sleep on his bed. At home they play in the yard together, wrestle on the floor, and chase each other all over the house. The sounds of their companionship are nothing short of intoxicating.
Tim isn't the only one who's experienced the magic of Charlie. My husband has become the evening walker taking vigorous nightly walks with Chuck which makes both of them very happy and healthy. And me, ... well Charlie is as close to a second child as you can get without actually getting pregnant. I absolutely love this dog and all that he has given to my family.
Sure, there have been some occasional headaches because of Charlie: a few chewed up toys; some big yellow spots in the yard; the juice/soda/wine/coffee stains on the rug from an overzealous nose nudge; vet bills; the stain on the carpet underneath Charlie's crate. At one time or another these may have irritated me. But today, on this one year anniversary, I can barely remember any of them.
Thanks so much to North Star for sending Charlie to us. We're looking forward to many, many more dog years together!
