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Charlie's story

This is a story of the dog that started this amazing journey

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A discarded and beat up boy who was found as a stray walking around downtown Compton, CA and brought into the East Valley Shelter.

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Charlie was a staff favorite; he was quick to wiggle and come to you with a smile and a slurp.  He was at the shelter for a while, and it was clear no one was coming for him. He was starting to lose that spark as he too knew he had been there too long in that cold kennel laying on the cement floor no bed just cement and bars to look through as people passed by him day after day.

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It was on his last week at the shelter that I saw just how badly shelter life had taken its toll on Charlie and how his once quick to wiggle and his eyes once full of hope had become like a wick and had burnt out. I made it my mission to save this precious boy and bring him to Washington State to stay with our pack. 

 

It was a difficult transport, he arrived filthy, and without much strength. The days and weeks that followed for Charlie were magical, he was the sweetest dog I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. My pack took him in, and he even befriended the resident cats especially grumpy Gadget (they became fast friends). 

 

As the external scars started to go away Charlie emerged as a beautiful and regal butterfly.  He loved long walks, laying in the grass, at my feet or with the girls, or on his favorite teak lounger in the courtyard. A simple boy who was not given enough time to enjoy everything I had wanted him to so badly experience for years to come.


Although the external scars were now just faded memories, he showed sudden onset signs of deeper trouble, and something that we were too late to help. So many animals are not spayed and neutered and sometimes the outcome for male dogs is prostate cancer. He had been neutered prior to traveling to Washington unfortunately if he had been neutered earlier in his life the outcome would not have been what it was.

Charlie Brown had advanced prostate cancer, no treatment would have helped, and his quality "reality" of life would have been wearing a catheter with a bag attached to empty multiple times a day.

It was with the heaviest of hearts that I made the toughest decision of my life to let my 'heart dog" go peacefully that day.

We enjoyed a bucket list day with a photo session, cheeseburgers, fries, chocolate milk shake, and a stroll at the dog park and laying around on the dock. He saw his first Blue Herron that day, as the Herron flew low over us and came back later again, circled a few times as if to say see you boy.

We said goodbye at home that evening on his favorite teak lounger with his harem, Boxers (Lola and Lilly) and his favorite feline, (Gadget). 

Our journey did not end there I made a promise and a vow to him that I would never forget him, and I would start a new beginning in his name.

Thank you, Charlie Brown, for teaching me that true love is forever no matter how short you have you have to love deeply and with your whole heart and soul.
 
I Love you to the moon and back, until we see each other again

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