Yesterday, I made the difficult decision to put Charlie down. He was suffering from dementia and was quite ill.
I got Charlie when he was much younger. He was quite energetic, loved to go on walks, and could be quite obstinate at times, which actually contributed to him being the perfect pet (for me, anyway.) He always did what he wanted and he really “ruled” the house, truth be told.
When I rescued him from the shelter in Austin, they told me that he was “about 4 or 5 years old.” I’ve had him 14 years almost to the day. (That would make him somewhere between 16 and 20, depending. He might have actually been 2 when I got him, since he had bad teeth. Either way, he was old enough to drive and possibly even vote.)
I learned a lot from Charlie. He used to never sit too long, he would always get up and stretch (I should do that too.) He used to always drink a lot of water. He always had the best appetite (even ate before going to the vet yesterday) but he would always “walk it off.” He loved to walk, and would walk for miles in his younger days. He was an excellent jumper and once caught a blue jay, in his mouth. He could hunt quite well but also loved to sleep when it was time for rest. He loved having his ears rubbed and appreciated a good pat on the head. He was like a little “energizer bunny” of a dog because, even in his old age, he just kept going and going.
He was a great dog and will be missed. I feel very honored and lucky to have shared my life with such a wonderful pet for so long.
Until next time…
