Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Best Dog


When Adam and I were dating and young and in love, we spent hours on the phone. Adam was doing an internship in DC and I had just started grad school. In the late hours as i was drifting off to sleep i used to make Adam tell me stories. Adam would tell me stories about Mrs. J and Mr. J and there many adventures as newlyweds. They had a beautiful golden retriever named Hunter. This dog became part of our future dreams. Part of our happily ever after. 



After we had been married awhile, I came home to a surprise. The sweetest golden puppy ever. I immediately fell in love and decided that this sweet puppy was a "Charlie" not "Hunter" . Adam had literally picked out the best dog ever. Over the years Charlie became a member of our family. 

Charlie loved babies. Especially my babies. He also loved sweets. Especially cookies and cupcakes and has stolen many behind our backs. He loved socks. He loved being outside. He loved to be close.he loved to eat balls. He loved his "chair".  He loved snow. 

The best part of Charlie was his enthusiastic unconditional love. There is nothing like a greeting from Charlie. He always made me feel special even when I didn't deserve it. He was loyal and loving and laid back. 


Tonight Charlie died. He had been sick for several days. And it kept getting worse. Medicine didn't seem to help. He was clearly much worse today and Adam took him back to the vet. His liver had failed and he was clearly in pain and beyond their help. 

Every night Before getting into bed at night Adam would get in the floor and pet Charlie and tell him he was our good friend. And that is what he told him tonight as he let him go. 


And Charlie was our good good friend. He was a symbol of our happily ever after. Our dream come true. We will miss him dearly. But we are thankful for the happy part he played in our life.

3 comments:

Robin said...

Oh Carrie, I am so sorry. What a blessing he was to your precious family! Hugs for you and the boys!

Mom said...

Sigh! Charlie was a good, good friend to the whole family. We will all miss him. Your post, with all the pictures and the memories will help.
Charlie also liked plastics Easter eggs, being allowed to jump up (and spread out ) on the bed...any bed, and chasing squirrels out of my garden. He could find his own toys where he had hidden them at my house even if he hadn't been here for months. He was an expert at knowing which chair to lay down under at the extended dining room table...just where all the best crumbs might fall. He especially liked highchairs, knowing there would be some extra treats available there.
I loved the way he used to be the first one down our driveway and at the front door when you all came to visit...well at least until Noah could undo his own seatbelt.
One of my favorite things he would do is lay his head on your feet when we were sitting around, like he wanted to be sure I - or whomever - wasn't going to get up and leave the room. He especially would do that with Adam. Charlie seemed to really love his whole family...but it was always clear that Adam was his BFF.
I know his last several days were so painful for both of you to watch. You loved him well. If he could have talked I think he would have told you that you were the best family ever!
May all the happy memories last forever.....happily ever after.

Anonymous said...

Charlie was a sweet dog and so loving and kind to Noah and Miller. He loved to roll around in our grass. When I got a chain to go for a walk he would go crazy,he loved it. Then when we would go out he loved to sprint then quickly stop and sniff around then sprint some more.Even during his AD weekend visit he went about a mile in our neighborhood, which was about a month a ago. He needed your touch. He loved his family and I know you all will miss him. Great memories of a sweet dog.
Love, Nana