I once had a dog named Charlie. (1723 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.62 on 60 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Axolotl (View user info) at 2007-12-06 17:18:57 EST
I once had a dog named Charlie.
Charlie was a purebred golden retriever from a breeder out in Kansas City. I got him in May, 1999, when I was in third grade, and I remember the Saturday morning when my cousin flew out with him and surprised me in the morning with a brand-new puppy clambering onto my bed. That summer of 1999 we did everything together, discovering every novelty of owning a new dog. I brought him to school sometimes, ran with him through sprinklers, threw snowballs at him, and a million other things that my memory has lost.
Charlie was a family dog, and he loved his family, and his family loved him. My mom got a stocking for him for Christmastime; when my dad got home from work at 4 o'clock every morning, he would always take Charlie outside for a run down our block. Me and my little brother took him for walks, gorged him on treats, and in return, Charlie gave us unquestionable loyalty.
He was my dog. He was an obedient dog. He was one of the most intelligent dogs I've ever encountered. Training came naturally to him, and as he got older, he developed something of a nobility, just a way he carried himself that could convey pride and stature. His expressive eyes could tell you exactly how he was feeling, when nuzzling and long, angsty sighs weren't getting the message across.
He was stoic. He felt no pain, or at least never let you know he was feeling any.
He loved us, and he also loved his little sister-in-spirit Casey, a female golden we got on Valentine's Day weekend, 2004.
He loved his family, and he loved people. He was so comfortable around crowds that even in the midst of all the commotion on Christmas Eve, he could stretch out on the living room floor and lie down, taking in all the happiness around him. He loved being outside, whether just lying in the shade of our front yard, or trying to play with belligerent Canadian geese in the park. He loved humans, and he always showed affection to everyone around him. His tail never stopped wagging.
He loved humans, but most of all, he loved me. He slept on the floor of my room every day, getting up when I got up. Even when it was the weekend and I slept in, he would stay either on my floor or on the threshold of my door, waiting for me to get up. Maybe it was a guarding instinct, but he always binded himself to me, and chose to be with me out of everyone lese in the family.
Charlie was a stoic, and he felt no pain. He started limping around last Christmas, and for a while it wasn't too bad. He was getting a little older, and by the time of his 8th birthday, he wasn't a young puppy anymore. He looked older too, with a shaggier coat, greying patches, and drooping eyes. By the end of the summer, the limp was worse. Dysplasia is common in goldens, so we took him to the animal hospital, where we were told he must have sprained his ankle.
September went by, and the limp got worse. His front left paw couldn't stand a lot of weight, and Charlie couldn't and wouldn't jump anymore. He stopped eating, and only went outside to go to the bathroom. We took him back to the vet.
Charlie was a stoic, but Charlie had a tumor, and Charlie had eight months to live. He came home from the veterinarian's medicated after his biopsy, and for the first time I realized that this animal that was so loyal to me, that I had come to love, hadn't a long time left.
It was a rollercoaster for the next month, with our vet and Charlie. At first she said it was operable, and with surgery the tumor could be excised. She said it was concentrated in a spot in his shoulder, and most likely benign. The surgery was done in early October, and Charlie was out of it and medicated every day. He had parts of him shaven and shorn, and the limp was even worse. He could barely walk, barely drink any water, and he wasn't eating. He didn't have the energy to come upstairs and sleep in my room anymore, so I went down and slept with him. I looked at his ugly patches of shaved bald skin with the open surgical wound on it on his shoulder and paws, and promised him that it would grow back again, and he would be beautiful and golden once more.
By mid-October, the vet reversed her decision again, and said that Charlie had maybe a month. We made the decision to take him off medication. She gave us a week. I wanted to be there.
It was Sunday night, late October, and Charlie slept in my room one last time. The next day he returned to the bed we had set up for him downstairs, where we kept a bowl of water and pillows on hand. He lay there all day, in pain, unable to close his eyes. I spent a lot of time with him, trying to say goodbye. I touched the spots where he had been shaved, and knew that this coat would never grow back. His expressive eyes turned on me, and I didn't know if he wanted to be saved, or to just let go.
Tuesday was his last evening with us. We helped carry him outside, where he lay out on the front lawn with us for the last few hours of his last sunset. After the loyalty and love he had given us, it was only fair to him that we just let go, and not keep him in his pain.
I've seen people keep dogs around for selfish reasons. People who say they would die without their dear dog, and who couldn't imagine putting them to sleep. People like that can't see the pain of the animal, or choose not to. It was Wednesday that I got home early from school to spend a last half-hour with Charlie before his death. At 3:30 we drove up to the animal hospital, my mom, little brother, and uncle, with Charlie sitting next to me, excitedly looking out the window. The hardest part was seeing him make these small recoveries, these periods when he was lucid and happy, and trying to hope beyond hope that maybe he was coming back. But they never were, and this was his last car ride, and his last time outside as we walked up the steps to the vet's.
The same vet who had misdiagnosed and misdiagnosed now made us lift Charlie up onto the elevated table and hold him down. He was shaking and whimpering, and he gave me his paw. We all held him when the nurse injected the drug into his left forearm, and watched his head slowly lower. He gave one long, tired, regretful sigh, a moan that he knew he couldn't be alive with us anymore, and he lowered his head onto the table. It took maybe thirty slow seconds for Charlie to die, and I cried into his shaven fur, trying to close his dead, unseeing eyes.
The same warm body that had stayed with me almost every night for eight years, that had nuzzled close when the thunder burst over our town, and had never harmed a creature in its life, lay on the table as we left it there. Charlie was dead, and he would never again run down the block with me and my dad in the early morning, or stretch out on the bed, taking up as much as he could, or let us hear his soft murmurs of contentment as he lay down in a room full of his family.
I've seen more people die than most people my age, and a lot of my friends. Letting go of Charley and looking at one another as he died was hard, but I knew it had to happen. I'm glad I was there for him, to encourage him as he hit the finish line, so to say. Someone's going to be in the room with all of us when we all die, and you can only wish that it's quick, and that you're surrounded by people who love you.
Charlie, was loyal to his last seconds, and the stoic noble model of a perfect dog. People said that they had never seen an animal so well-behaved, so affectionate and obedient. He was something else though. He was a dog that had never been more loved. And I miss him.
User Reviews
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2007-12-11 11:47:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
huh, never rated this when i read it before.
it's always sad to lose one of your pals. sorry about all that, kid.
Submitted by BeforeEmily (user info) at 2007-12-11 11:16:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
BTW that Case sure is gorgie!
Submitted by rob_berg (user info) at 2007-12-10 20:23:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry about yer dog.
You grumpy little fucker you.
Submitted by AsshOly (user info) at 2007-12-10 20:22:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I've told you before, but I swear, Casey and my dog, Flicka, are exact clones. Maybe Flicka is a little lighter in color because she's old now, but they look exactly alike. Beautiful dog.
Also, my dog has been getting worse lately, too. When I came back from school last summer, her hind legs were noticeably weaker than last I'd seen her. I'm worried about what I'll find when I go home in a couple days. I'm afraid there's not a whole lot of time left for her and I hardly get to see her anymore.
I used to have another golden, Petra. Petra lived a long time, but she got old all of a sudden and by the time we brought her in to the vet, she could hardly walk. She would just get tired and fall down. Getting up and down the stairs was out of the question, which was a problem because she slept upstairs and obviously had to get downstairs to shit and piss. We cleaned up a lot of dog dirt upstairs over the last month of her life.
But the last couple days before we had to bring her in, Flicka and Petra were inseparable. I'd only ever seen the two dogs so close when Flicka was a puppy and wouldn't leave the older dog alone. They were like night and day. Petra was so well behaved, but she didnt like everybody and she barked a lot, especially when she was old and senile and she saw a squirrel through the window or something stupid like that. Flicka is a moron and doesnt follow directions, but she doesnt bark and she likes everybody. If there's ever a robber in the house she'll lick him to death. I wish Petra would have taught her to play catch because Flicka doesn't get it.
Submitted by BeforeEmily (user info) at 2007-12-10 18:52:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Poor big guy.
oh, and
...
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:48:44 PST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry bout Charlie but ehm Casey has already forgotten him.
Dogs are blessed in that way too.
...
that's not true.
Submitted by Maddog (user info) at 2007-12-10 12:32:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
My condolences. I had to put down one of my dogs a few years back and it sucks. I feel for ya.
Submitted by LongestPants (user info) at 2007-12-09 09:20:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sucks.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2007-12-08 23:03:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/51838
Submitted by McBain (user info) at 2007-12-08 19:24:35 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
ant one last time just cause i hate you.
Submitted by McBain (user info) at 2007-12-08 19:24:05 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-2 again for trying to get sympathy, faggot.
Submitted by McBain (user info) at 2007-12-08 19:23:13 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-2 cause:
dog is ugly
animals don't go to heaven
you are fat
crappy lawn chairs
also, tl;dr.. what did you cut the dog shaving him?
Submitted by shmack92 (user info) at 2007-12-07 17:59:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
although I may not agree with you on euthanasia, the pain people feel when something like that happens is universal.
Submitted by triangle_man (user info) at 2007-12-07 13:55:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by RyuFu (user info) at 2007-12-07 12:44:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2007-12-07 10:48:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry bout Charlie but ehm Casey has already forgotten him.
Dogs are blessed in that way too.
Submitted by therealgeddylee (user info) at 2007-12-07 10:48:03 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn man, that brought a tear to my eye. +2, because that's a hard thing to do.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-12-07 10:39:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
:(
don't be too hard on the vet. veterinary medicine is extremely difficult. you can only go on what tests and radiographs tell you instead of having the patient tell you where it hurts, when it started and how they feel.
i'm sorry you lost your dog.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2007-12-07 10:08:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by sadie73 (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:38:06 CST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:09:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I once had a dog name of Charlie
Who rode on the back of my Harley
When I braked for the red
He flew over my head
And that was the end of old Charlie
____________
I knew an old shit named Uniter,
They told me he was a fighter.
I stomped on his balls,
They splattered the walls
The old British fuck was a Blighter.
=====================================
Holy fuck I can't stop laughing.
Which is a good thing, considering that the post itself was so depressing. Peace, Ax.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2007-12-07 09:19:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by FALLEN (user info) at 2007-12-07 08:30:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I have a golden.
I want to go home and see him now.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:34:17 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Dog fuckers below.
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:31:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:28:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Cultural deviants all below.
--
Nothing deviant about me chum! Well nothing that they have a name for yet.
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:28:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Cultural deviants all below.
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2007-12-07 07:28:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Christ I feel a lump in my throat. I hate it when you loose a family pet. I would probably rather let some of the people in my life die rather than loose a lovely family dog.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-12-07 06:32:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I don't see the issue with deviants marrying animals. Old ladies have already set the precedent of leaving money and property to their pets so what possible problem could anyone have with it?
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2007-12-07 06:12:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-12-07 04:40:10 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:15:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:04:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Animals are like people only better.
----
*Applies to 95% of animals and 99.999999% of people.
---------------------------
You people are all tools. Why don't you marry a bleeding labrador if you think animals are so great.
GO OUTSIDE INTO NATURE! CONFRONT THE MOOSE! THE MOOSE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND! THE MOOSE IS NO-ONE'S FRIEND!
AND NO MORE FUCKING 'ma dawg up an died on me' POSTS!
-----
We can't marry Labradors in America, bleeding or otherwise. At least not now. According to several right wing christian groups, we will be able to marry Labradors and in fact animals of all kinds, even your unfriendly moose, shortly after gay marriage is made legal. So we'll have to wait. Until then, I'll watch coverage of the Great Canadian Cannibal Moose Murderfest on CNN. Oh, yeah, forgot, moose don't do that kind of thing. Nevermind.
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-12-07 04:41:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2007-12-07 09:20:20 GMT (#)
Ranking: 0
WHAT THE FUCK IS IT WITH EVERY CUNTS DOG DIEING AROUND HERE LATELY?
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-12-07 04:40:10 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:15:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:04:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Animals are like people only better.
----
*Applies to 95% of animals and 99.999999% of people.
---------------------------
You people are all tools. Why don't you marry a bleeding labrador if you think animals are so great.
GO OUTSIDE INTO NATURE! CONFRONT THE MOOSE! THE MOOSE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND! THE MOOSE IS NO-ONE'S FRIEND!
AND NO MORE FUCKING 'ma dawg up an died on me' POSTS!
Submitted by d_prime (user info) at 2007-12-07 03:14:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I think you should be more worried about your dad's face... it's turned into black bars similar to the ones you can use in MSPaint...
Submitted by Spuzzum (user info) at 2007-12-07 01:37:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very well written, this teared me up.
Reminded my quite a bit of my childhood dog Arnold. I loved that dog, however if there is a doggie hell he is there because unlike your dog Charlie, Arnold was a murderer and cannibal. He killed at least 3 other neighbor dogs that I know of and ate a large amount of one of them.
Submitted by HotWillie (user info) at 2007-12-07 01:28:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I drove right by your crib last week.
Submitted by Sphagnum (user info) at 2007-12-06 23:20:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Dogs are cool. So is contradicting one's self.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2007-12-06 23:17:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
this made me cry
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2007-12-06 23:15:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2007-12-06 23:05:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Usually, dog posts get straight +2s
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2007-12-06 22:18:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Flack: I live in Jersey, but he came from KC because that's where the puppy farm was where we had connections. The dog shelters around here just aren't as good as places wide out in the country.
This happened a while ago, and like I said I've been sitting on this post a while. I'm still not over it totally, but i've been a lot better, thanks for the care.
Submitted by sadie73 (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:38:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:09:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I once had a dog name of Charlie
Who rode on the back of my Harley
When I braked for the red
He flew over my head
And that was the end of old Charlie
____________
I knew an old shit named Uniter,
They told me he was a fighter.
I stomped on his balls,
They splattered the walls
The old British fuck was a Blighter.
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:15:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:04:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Animals are like people only better.
----
*Applies to 95% of animals and 99.999999% of people.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-12-06 21:09:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I once had a dog name of Charlie
Who rode on the back of my Harley
When I braked for the red
He flew over my head
And that was the end of old Charlie
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:57:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I've put down THREE old doggies in just the last 8 years.
But at least they got to live in SC for a while.
Submitted by sadie73 (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:53:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thank the Gods of the universe that I have never had to put a pet to sleep. I've had a few die of natural causes, but there was minimal pain. Most of the pain was my own. Axolotl, my prayers are with you. Thank you for the story.
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:35:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Fungah (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:09:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
...........
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:04:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Animals are like people only better.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-12-06 20:04:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2007-12-06 19:58:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I teared up.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2007-12-06 19:57:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Lib (user info) at 2007-12-06 19:30:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Only time I ever had to put an animal down It was the dam cancer : (
sorry for your loss.
Submitted by rorrim (user info) at 2007-12-06 19:03:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry man.
Submitted by haikumikoo (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:59:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Lame.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:53:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/113364 Sympathy...sorry, bro.
Submitted by DudeThatsBOSH (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:50:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
this will make you feel better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzysbFcCYS8
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:25:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
worse day of my life when i was a kid was when the malamute i grew up with died.
Submitted by PioneerBill (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:21:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sorry
Submitted by Lambchop (user info) at 2007-12-06 18:11:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Flak (user info) at 2007-12-06 17:56:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I have a Yellow Lab that must have a similar demeanor. She's only about 4 years old.
I grew up with a black lab. She was blind with cataracts but would walk my sisters to school and sleep in the back of the classroom every day. This, I'm sure, would never be possible today but back in the early eighties in a small town cool things could still happen. She eventually became covered in large tumors and had to be put down.
You still near KC? I grew up near there but live in Columbia now.
Submitted by vexx (user info) at 2007-12-06 17:33:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
He's not dead you retard. He just went to Candy Mountain:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_yJCNNwHUOE
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2007-12-06 17:22:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Touching.
Sounded like an awesome dog.
Submitted by Leonore (user info) at 2007-12-06 17:21:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn.
Hold tight, man.
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2007-12-06 17:19:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Had this post in mind for a while. Finally put it together.