SPECIAL SECTION I OUR PETS
My Life With Charlie …
Written By J. Chris Mickartz
T
hey say a dog is a man's best friend. And, although I
never questioned that thought, I certainly was not a
big supporter of it. Truth be known, I was a little luke
warm when it came to dogs. They just seemed needy and
problematic to me. I've always been a cat person. I suppose
I liked their sense of independence. With a cat, you just feed
them and clean their cat box and you're good to go. They
require very little of your time and are usually fine, whether
they get any affection or not.
That all changed a little over two years ago when my
husband, Larry, and I picked up Charlie from a breeder in
Grass Valley. I had purchased Charlie (a name provided by
our granddaughters) for Larry. I won't go into the background
story except to say that Larry, not I, really wanted a dog. Not
just any dog, but a big dog. I had many reservations since I
had never experienced a puppy. It didn't take long for me to
realize, however, that I was missing out on a ton of fun.
From the day Charlie came home with us I have been
head over heels in love with him. He's almost like having a
child…that unconditional love is just a given.
So, over the last two years, we've dealt with many of the
normal issues of puppyhood. First we had the tearing up
of just about everything in sight and, of course, the leaving
of remembrances just about everywhere in sight. Then we
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Charlie at three months.
Above Charlie today at
85 pounds.
moved on to the search and rescue stage… let's share every-
thing with mom and dad!
Although Charlie is calming down, somewhat, he still
gets way too excited when someone comes to visit. He has
the crazy idea that they have come to play with him and
insists they do so. I've been told that this will pass but then
someone also told me that the puppy stage would only last
one year. That is so not true.
Today, I woke up really early. Charlie no longer wakes us
up but is always happy to say good morning and start his
day. This morning, however, Charlie didn't greet me at the
bottom of the stairs. I found him in the TV room fast asleep
on our sofa. So, I slipped in beside him and put my arm
around him. He looked up at me calmly and then put his
head in my lap and fell back to sleep.
My life with Charlie just keeps getting better.
february/march 2019
gmhtoday.com
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