Yes, "our youngest" as Gary calls her her is turning five:
It really does not seem so long ago. We were living in Norway and Gary had been on a camping trip with the young men in the ward and one of the boys picked up a dog his parents had brought down to the church building with them.He discovered she was available for purchase - being the pick of the litter for the male dogs owner - who decided not to take her. Gary thought she was cute, so took a couple of shots of her with his camera:
I immediately said yes ...
I was SOLD. It was the ginormous puppy paws! Not the best approach for picking out a dog - but it worked SPLENDIDLY!
Yeah, I know - her name is a problem: Charlie. Everyone thinks she is a boy. Her name is: 'kjærlighet' the word for 'love' in Norwegian. Why? Well, I was sleeping in the library / office the first night she was at our house so Gary would get some sleep upstairs and she wouldn't fall down the stairs. I dreamed I called her Charlie all night - so when I woke up and she was sitting there looking at me with that tilt to her head - I said 'Hi Charlie' and it just fit.
What didn't fit was we had got her in Norway and I felt she needed a Norwegian name - so I came up with the closest word I could. It is pronounced: shar-lee-het - thus Charlie is a pretty good nickname.
A round about way to be named ....
She loved to sit in the big picture window in our family room - just right on the window sill:
What didn't fit was we had got her in Norway and I felt she needed a Norwegian name - so I came up with the closest word I could. It is pronounced: shar-lee-het - thus Charlie is a pretty good nickname.
A round about way to be named ....
She loved to sit in the big picture window in our family room - just right on the window sill:
Take in a sunset:
We discussed this one with her mothers owner - she ate sticks. Big sticks. Chewed them right up. She told us this was normal. Weird thing - none of our 'American' dogs did this and she stopped sometime after we moved back. She does not eat ginormous sticks any more - it may be a supply and demand type of thing, though - not living in a forest any more ...
She USED to love snow. She now won't go outside on it to pee.
This snow drift on the stairs stumped her for a few days - then one day she just jumped on it and broke free!
She would beg Gary to throw sticks in the winter:
She would then come inside and melt! Very annoying while Charlie defrosted:
She caught Frisbees in the summer / spring: 
I noticed in my photos when we moved back into the States - that she was in every photo I had taken to show my mom the new house - she is not camera shy: 
She made new friends:
Continues to beg for a Frisbee fix whenever Gary is in town:
Some times is very shaggy (she needs to see the groomer this month):
Perfects her technique on sucking up to Gary:
And her secret to perpetual youth?
The girl knows how to relax:
Lykkelig bursdag mine kjærlighet!
6 comments:
She was one big puppy when you got her. I guess you guys like big dogs - I remember your boxers. She is very cute, talented, and photogenic.
Happy Birthday, Charlie!!
Lori, pets hold that special place in our hearts that people seldom are allowed to enter. Secrets can be shared without fear of anyone else finding out. We have two pets and just went through a bout of pancreatitis with one of them. She seems to have pulled through. You would have thought it was one of my children as I agonized over what was going to be our financial limit. Apparently that limit is some where over two thousand dollars!
Seeing the photos of your Charlie tell me how special she is to you and your family, Happy Birthday Charlie, a wish for a long and healthy life to you and your owners.
Yes, AJ - pets do hold a special place in our hearts. They really do for me. A place that no human could replace. They love unconditionally, bring so much joy to our homes and lives, want so much to please, and are just plain comforting and fun.
Now, I have not had to make that $2000 decision as of yet ...
We had a dog, a boxer Chance who was a great dog. When I was pregnant with Rachael, I discovered 4 months along that she had two rare chromosomal defects and a lethal heart condition. She was going to die once she was born. It was a very difficult time for me to say the least. I could not sleep and dealing with feelings I have never had to deal with up until that time of my life. And Chance was there through it all. So were my husband and mother. But they each filled a special need for me at that time. Chance would stay up with me all night and lay by me and let me cry into his fur. He seemed to know I just needed his companionship to help me get through the nights - when everyone else was sleeping. He was a good companion through some long, dark, terrifying nights.
It was hard to say goodbye to Chance - he was a nobel dog, with an 'old soul'. And we can never bring up Chance with out saying "Chance was a good dog" - so I had to write it.
Now, Charlie - I love her just as much. But she is so different than Chance or our other two boxers Aggie and Logan. She had a knack of getting anyone who meets her to fall in love with her. She is fun loving, seems to love life and every one in it, and is just plain nutty! I don't believe I have ever met a dog with a better personality or as weird!
I love that all our dogs have had different personalities. I could never live without dogs in my life - they add so much. I am sort of glad I don't have to pay for their college, though.
Well past that $2000 limit if you count college! Pets do fill a niche in our lives- we have just done the cat thing, not the dog thing, but they make us laugh and comfort us when sad.
Kay, Cherri - you probably won't come back and see this. But, I am confused - you DID pay for college for your pets?
I grew up with no pets and now we have 2 giant dogs. They are frequently annoying but always lovable. I'm glad you have Charlie!
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