Charlie's life
started like that of
so many
shelter/rescue dogs.
As an adorable
puppy he was dumped
at the shelter,
then adopted by a
woman who later
returned him to the
shelter. The reason
may have been that
his "Type
A" personality was
emerging. Yes,
Charlie was
becoming the sort of
dog who needs a
stimulating
environment and a
job to do -- not
surprising due to
his breed. We
suspect his adopter
was not interested
in meeting the
challenge. Luckily,
one of our shelter
contacts
called about Charlie
and asked us to take
him. We found
Charlie to be funny,
a bit of a handful,
inquisitive, and
highly intelligent.
His glossy black
coat made him a
stunner. Not long
after we took
Charlie in, he was
adopted. We said
good-bye to Charlie,
hoping that his life
had finally taken
off.
Charlie was back
several months
later. Charlie's
adopter said he bit
her while she
medicating him.
Medicating him? When
we saw Charlie, we
were shocked. He was
in terrible
condition and in
pain. Sores and
patchy fur were all
that remained
of Charlie's
gorgeous coat. He
was listless, his
eyes were blank, and
he clearly was in
serious trouble.
What
was wrong with
Charlie? After all,
he was just one year
old. The diagnosis:
immune-mediated
hemolytic anemia.
It was critical to
stabilize Charlie,
if he could be
stabilized. It took
many months of
care at our animal
hospital and huge
doses of drugs to
get Charlie to
"level out." At one
point, we feared
that Charlie had
very little time
left, so one of our
volunteers took
Charlie home to give
him some quality
time. We believe
that the power
of our volunteer's
love and her
understanding
of Charlie's complex
soul helped to get
him to a relatively
healthy
"plateau" where he
continues to be
today.
You
wouldn't know
Charlie has anything
wrong with him
because of his
sassy,
happy demeanor. However,
Charlie needs
monthly blood tests
and
multiple medications
to keep his anemia
in check. The
combination
of Charlie's medical
needs and
personality are not
suited to even the
most special
adopter. So we have
designated Charlie
as a virtual
adoption, meaning
that our devoted
volunteer will
continue to care for
him, and DAWG will
cover his medical
expenses, for the
rest of his life.
Charlie's condition
took a turn for the
worse in early 2006,
but he rebounded. We
know that he will be
on a tightrope of
sorts for the rest
of his life. How
long will that be?
No one can guess.
Luckily, Charlie's
caretaker is willing
to include him in
her life and will be
with him when he
takes his last
breath. Amazingly,
she speaks of
nothing but
the joy Charlie
brings her. Charlie
has found his home,
and his life is the
best it can be.
Click here to see
Charlie on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftz9D_XcOac
If you
can help us provide
for Charlie's
medical treatments,
please send a
contribution to:
Best DAWG Rescue, PO
Box 34213, Bethesda,
MD 20827. By doing
so, you will help
Charlie live the
life he deserves!
