We Love You Sir Charles!

Last week, we said goodbye to this sweet boy.

Charlie was so much more than just a pet, or even just a member of our family. He was both company and security on lonely nights when Justin was working second shift and during all my quiet days working alone at home. He was a foot warmer on cold days and a fuzzy pillow to cry on when I was sad.

He helped keep our floors clean and taught us to only eat at the table and never leave our food unattended. He did his level best to teach the kids to pick up their LEGOs, stuffed animals, and dirty socks. He was my (frequently frustrating) walking buddy who excelled at sniffing and peeing on all. the. things. and very rarely barked.

He loved rolling around on the floor with the kids, lived for pets and belly rubs, treated every second of mealtime like it was a race, and (with the exception of mushrooms and wilted salad greens) never met a type of food he didn’t like.

We often joked that he was part cat because of his extreme dedication to napping in the sun and grooming himself.

He patiently endured being forced to wear capes, socks, hats, and sunglasses and thoroughly enjoyed both forts and our pop-up camper. Pretty much any snuggly space surrounded by family was his absolute jam.

He was somewhat scared of the water, tried to eat waves like he thought they were fish, and was completely un-phased by heights of any kind. We called him our mountain goat and I was often afraid that he would accidentally fall to his death when we were hiking near cliffs and bluffs.

He was both the best and most expensive thing we’ve ever gotten for free.

When we found him through a Craigslist ad 10 years ago, he was 2 or 3. Potty trained and patient with children, but too skinny with bald patches, tummy troubles, and a fear of small spaces, rolled up newspapers, and being left alone outside. He could jump straight up in the air like a kangaroo, foamed at the mouth when he was worked up (he was a drooly boy!), and was used to being walked with a choke collar. We taught him to sit, stay, lay down, and (sometimes) heel. Over the years, he mellowed out and learned about unconditional love, and safety, and security.

He was the best dog a family could ever ask for (although I imagine we’ll be finding piles and piles of dog hair around our house for years to come). We love and we miss our sweet, wrinkly, soft, special Sir Charles Barkley more than words can ever say!