Tag Archives: Charlie

Welcome Home, Doggies!

I have really missed my dogs.  They’ve been at the doggie sitters’ since Christmas night.  Last night, I received a text message that Daisy is not eating well.  They were concerned that they are getting a little homesick.  I’m sure they were wondering what happened to us.  They’ve got another big adjustment to get used to.

When I first brought them home, they spent a long time running around from room to room sniffing and checking it out.  They really enjoyed the backyard.  I’m going to have to gain some confidence in trusting the fence.  They went out and marked their territory right away.

Read to the Reindeer

 

We took a break from packing to participate in the Stanislaus County Library’s “Read to the Reindeer” program.  This was a special holiday edition of their regular Read to the Dog program which Charlie and I started a year ago.  Children sign up for a 20 minute session to read to the dog.  It builds confidence in reading and develops social skills and animal appreciation.

Charlie wore his elf hat in and out, but I didn’t keep it on his head during the sessions.  He really didn’t like the hat, but he was a good sport.

Charlie’s Hint

I’ve been sick… this ear infection will not go away.  I’m spending a lot more time sitting still at home lately… and Charlie has taken notice.  He is by my side whenever I am home… but around 4:30-5:00 every evening, he tries very hard to get my attention to remind me that it’s dinner time.    This is how I was woken up from a nap this afternoon.  He rested his head on the chair and stared at me until I woke up.  (He does this in the mornings too when it’s time to get up.)

Doggie Swimming Lessons

After a long couple of days, it was a real treat to just hang out at Anne’s pool all day.  Charlie didn’t stop the whole time.  He was in and out of the pool constantly.  It has been so much fun to watch his confidence grow as he spend more and more time out there.  Each time we go, he goes a bit further out in the pool and today he started getting in and out from different locations.  By the end of summer, I hope to have him jumping in from the edge.

Exhaustion

I took the dogs with me to go swimming at Anne’s today.  The predicted high for the day is over 100 F so the pool was very inviting.  The entire time we were there, Charlie was in and out of the pool.  He chased kids and balls and even tried jumping (carefully) off of the steps.  He had a great time.  I’m sure he was smiling, but he was panting so hard it was difficult to tell.  He didn’t stop the whole time we were there.

When we got home, he crashed in the middle of the dining room floor and didn’t move for the rest of the night.  He was exhausted.  He wasn’t even particularly interested in eating dinner… but he did manage to muster enough energy to eat and climb the stairs to his bed where he slept soundly all night long.

Balloon Release

Today was the final session of the grief support group that Charlie and I have been working with through Optimal Hospice.  The children planned a memorial service for today’s meeting and invited family and friends to participate.  One of the things they wanted to do was a balloon release.  Participants tied a note to their loved on to a balloon.  We went to an open area, read a poem, listened to the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and then the balloons were released.  We were able to watch them for quite a while before they disappeared.
It was truly a privilege to work with this program and to hear the stories of the loved ones that these children have lost.  They are certainly gone, but not forgotten.  I leave this having a sense that I know these people who have passed along.  Through the stories and emotions that have been shared, they have become familiar to me even though we have never met.  That truly is the measure of someone’s character.  When you have such a profound impact on those you love that your life continues to go on through them… you have really left your mark.

Grief Group


Today was our first assignment with Optimal Hospice.  Charlie and I are volunteering with a children’s grief support group. My job is to co-facilitate and Charlie’s job is to just be welcoming and adorable and he was perfect.  I took him to doggie daycare on my way to work this morning so he was thouroughly exhausted when I picked him up.  He slept through most of the session, but he was completely pet-able and kind when engaged.

Charlie’s Accident

I’ve been writing a lot about my preparations to volunteer with a hospice organization with Charlie.  I’ve completed all of the necessary steps for myself, the only thing left to do was Charlie’s physical exam and fecal test.  I took both dogs into the vet today for a nail trim and exam.  Dr. Baker will complete all of the necessary forms for me and then we’ll be good to go.  On the way home, I stopped in at the Hospice office for the Volunteer Coordinator to meet Charlie.  She had invited a visit several times before and this was a perfect opportunity since we were going right by the office. I left Daisy in the car and took Charlie in. He sniffed around and greeted everyone and was excited for the new experience.  We went into the Coordinator’s office and shut the door.  She had water in there for Charlie.  I let him off the leash to sniff around and check things out while we visited.

Not long after we were in there, Charlie did the unthinkable.  He urinated right there in the office on her carpet.  I was dumbfounded!  I screamed when I realized what he was doing.  How embarrassing!  The Coordinator immediately jumped up to begin cleaning up and trying to calm me down by saying that it was OK and that accidents happen.  I was in shock.  I began apologizing as I drug him out the door to finish what he had started.  This was not acceptable behavior.  The first requirement for a visiting therapy dog is that they are at least HOUSEBROKEN!  How could he do this?  I was so upset.  When I took Charlie outside and told him to go potty, he finished in an appropriate place.  By the time I got back inside, the Coordinator had his mess cleaned up.  I offered my apologies again and she reassured me that accidents will happen and that I’ll be prepared in case it happens on a visit.  She was very nice and tried to console me, but I really felt like he flunked his first job interview.

Sick Charlie

Poor Charlie has been sick all weekend long.  He started throwing up Sunday morning and hasn’t stopped.  I’ve kept him out in the kennel (he doesn’t know how to barf in the toilet yet) and he thinks he’s in trouble.  I fed him a little bit this morning and he had thrown it up by the time Steel got home from school.  A quick call to the vet and we decided to try giving him another small meal in the afternoon.  He kept that down along with some water so we’ll see how he does for the rest of the night.