Bruno and Charlie

                               

The sweet-natured Charlie

This is Charlie, a poodle-mix and he belongs to Jon and Kylee who rescued him when he was two years old. Charlie is a product of the puppy mill. I cannot imagine the sufferings he went through before his rescue by a team of dog-lovers called  Hope Dog Rescue. For over a year, Charlie could not be sold. He was kept in a pet shop but each time someone came in to buy a puppy, he was side-tracked, perhaps because there were other puppies 'cuter' than him. As he grew, his cage where he was kept could hardly contain him. He had to lie bent on his two front legs in the cramped cage, which explains the rough callouses we now see on the elbows of his front legs. As a male dog, he had no space to  naturally lift up his leg to urinate, so he has to bend down to urinate. 

By the time he was adopted by Jon and Kylee, he was a frightened, nervous dog, frightened of strangers, of noises, of any movement made around him. He would stay under the dining table, his place of refuge and needs constant coaxing to come out, to be touched, to be caressed and for us to win his trust. It took him almost a year to gain his confidence, and to know that this is now his home and that he is well-loved.

The adorable Bruno

Incidentally, it was Bruno who actually saved Charlie. Bruno is a Schnauzer, Jon and Kylee's first pet dog, given to them by a friend when he was a puppy. When he was a year old, Bruno did not like to be left alone too long in the house, when Jon and Kylee go to work. He would tear the newspapers to pieces, nibble at the TV remote control, just to show them that he was lonely.That prompted Kylee to search the internet to adopt a companion for Bruno. When Charlie came in, the two dogs were an instant hit. They get along well, both are of the same size and weight. The Vet gave him a clean bill of health, except for his persistent allergy problem, which when it gets bad, needs to be treated with antibiotics and short term steroids. Fortunately  this does not occur often since he is on a special diet. Charlie is quite happy to allow Bruno to be the 'leader-of-the-pack' and the two loves to 'spar' with one another, with each learning new techniques from the other. The only sad thing I noticed is that Charlie does not know how to 'play' with us - whether it is chasing after a ball, or a friendly tug-of-war with a rope. He was never engaged in play when he was a puppy. Poor Charlie! He has lost his puppy-hood being locked up in a cage, abused, ignored and unloved.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened to Charlie if he had not been rescued? I was told that in the puppy mill business, when the puppies are not sold, and as they grow bigger and need more food for sustenance, they become a liability. So to minimize costs, many of them are 'put away' and the easiest, cheapest way is to drown them! Do you condone such cruel, inhuman act? Would you support the puppy mill business if you know the misery, the torment, the pain and agony those "cute" dogs and their mummies go through?  Very often they are taken away from their mothers before they are weaned, hence they lack the immune support system, so vital to keep them alive and healthy. Many suffer abuse, malnutrition, and are psychologically scarred by the time someone buys them. They are sad to say, prisoners of man's greed. We should never support such commercial activities. There are many abandoned dogs in Dog Shelters in your home- town that need a home and someone to love them; they are just waiting for that kind "mummy" or "daddy" to come along and adopt them.   

Somehow rescued dogs know instinctively that they have been given a second chance to live, as in Charlie's case. He is quiet, has a mild temperament and easy to handle on his daily walks. I like that tender look in his eyes when he lifts up his head to look at us - it is as though he is telling us that he is grateful and that he loves us.  

Bruno and Charlie - now the best of friends

                               
                 
                 Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance  
                 and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He 
                 taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods,
                 a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew 
                 old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity.
                 Mostly he taught me about friendship and selflessness and 
                 above all else, unwavering loyalty.

                                                      John Grogan, Marley and me.