Best. Dog. Ever.

This is Charlie. Or, as I've always called him, Charlie Bear.

We found Charlie underneath my Mom's car Thanksgiving Day of 1998. He was the tiniest, most adorable little guy. We brought him in the house and he promptly ate two large bowls of food so fast that his little belly became swollen with air.

I took Charlie home with me. He was such a sweet puppy. You absolutely could not allow him to become bored because then he became destructive. My old couch can attest to this. He drove my boyfriend at the time crazy because each time he came over, Charlie would jump up and land right between his legs! :lol: And the vacuum cleaner? Forget it. It was despised like no other object in my apartment.



Charlie was a snuggler, too. His absolute favorite game was to push his toys under the couch and bark until you retrieved them. Then, the game of fetch was on and never-ending.



As he grew older, and learned more manners, he did his very best to please. However, he absolutely hated living in an apartment. So, my Mom offered to take him in since she lives on 4.5 acres. After moving him back home, Charlie was free to roam as he pleased. He did this all the time when he was younger, but not as much once he got older. He liked to stay in with his people.

I called him a Benedict Arnold after he began living with my Mom, because he immediately became her dog, too. Although, whenever I came home he was right at my feet ready to be loved on. He really liked having all his people in the same room, where he could watch over all of us at the same time. He hated having his picture taken and almost always would turn away when the camera was on him. He ignored me every single time I began to load up my car to drive back home, until I was just about to leave. Only then did I receive attention.



Over the last 6 weeks or so, Charlie's health began to decline. Although the vet couldn't give a definite diagnosis, we knew it didn't look good. Finally, this week, he was diagnosed with cancer and took a turn for the worse almost immediately. Today, my Mom and StepDad made the decision to put him to sleep. I'm thankful that I was home for a visit not long ago and had the chance to spend some time with my sweet boy before he passed away.

He was loved as much as a dog could be loved, and will be missed terribly. He was without a doubt, for me, the best dog ever.