August 2014 Articles

Archives by Months

Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels,
I don’t know if I know anyone in this world who hasn’t, at some point in his or her life, wanted a puppy. I know that I’ve always wanted a puppy. Pretty much every time I’ve seen a puppy my initial reaction was to want it. I decided last summer that I wanted a puppy for real though. I wasn’t sure what my living arrangements would be the next year, if I’d be living a lone or what, and so I liked the idea of having someone there to keep me company or to protect me. I wanted a medium to large sized dog, preferably large. I’d grown up having larger dogs at our house and if I wanted a dog that could protect me, the obvious choice would be a big dog. Also, I really wanted a dog that could go running with me, running for a few miles even. That, again, pointed to a large dog. However, perhaps my biggest reason for wanting a large dog was because I wanted a dog that I could cuddle with, who I could grab and just hug whenever I wanted to.
For years I had debated on what breed of dog I would get when I did decide to get one. I had thought about a Labrador retriever, a Golden retriever, a Corgi. I had considered a German shepherd, a Blue heeler, or some type of mix between some of these breeds. After thinking about it for a while though, I decided that there was no way I was going to spend a few hundred dollars to purchase a purebred dog. I also decided that I wanted to adopt from a Shelter because I wanted to give some puppy a home that otherwise may never get one. And so my research began. I liked the West Ouachita Animal Shelter’s page on Facebook and began to see picture after picture of dogs on my Facebook newsfeed. I would look through the dogs constantly, searching for one that fit my criteria. One day last July I came across a picture of an absolutely adorable puppy named Rebel. He was around 4 months old and he was a Border Collie mix. He had the happiest little face and I found myself falling in love through the computer screen. I rushed to the living room to get my parents so I could show them his picture and tell them about him. It didn’t take too much work until they both agreed that he looked like he’d make a good pet for me so mom said she would go with me the next day to pick him up.
The next day at work I was completely anxious and excited. I couldn’t wait to go to the shelter in a couple of hours to get my puppy. I decided to look up the dogs at the shelter one more time on my phone while I waited to get off work. As I was scrolling through the pictures, a photo caught my attention that had just been posted that day. It was a picture of what looked to be a black lab mix puppy. Its ears were pushed back against its head and it had a sweet, but sad looking face. I read the information listed below the picture and it said that the puppy was a male and that he had just been picked up in Monroe. It said that he would be at the shelter for his required 7 day hold to see if someone claimed him, but then there was a possibility of euthanasia. I was heartbroken. This puppy was so cute (I’ve always been a sucker for lab type dogs) and he was the only dog on the page who’s information even mentioned a possibility of euthanasia. My heart was torn. I was so excited about Rebel, but there was something about this puppy and his possible predicament that I couldn’t shake.
When we got to the shelter that afternoon, I went and saw Rebel. He was sweet and very playful, just an all-around adorable puppy. I told my mom that I really liked him. But then I asked the lady working there if I could see the little black puppy. She took me to the back pens and pointed him out. As I walked up to his pen, he jumped up on the fence, so happy to see me, licking my fingers through the fence. The lady told me I could go in with him so I unlatched the gate and went and sat down on a box in the pen. The puppy immediately crawled up beside me and pushed himself close to me. It completely melted my heart. I was so torn as to what to do. I loved Rebel, but there was something about this little guy. So I asked the lady, “Which one is less likely to get adopted?” She replied, “Rebel has already had all of his shots and is placed in the front aisle where visitors can see him. He’s had a temperament check and has been given a name. He has a very high likelihood of getting adopted. This little black puppy, well, I don’t know. Black dogs are the hardest to adopt out. People don’t want black dogs. It’s like this all across the nation. Majority of people, if given the choice of a yellow, chocolate or black lab, they are going to pick the black dog last. I don’t know what this guy’s chances will be. But you never know. But I’ll tell you what. People will come here to pick out a dog to adopt, but honestly, sometimes one of them will pick you.” This conversation sealed the deal for me. And there couldn’t have been a truer statement than what she had just said. I didn’t pick Charlie; Charlie picked me.
I had to wait seven days before I was allowed to adopt Charlie from the shelter. On the seventh day, Daddy took me to the shelter as soon as it opened to go and pick him up. From the moment the man placed him in my arms, I was already so in love. The first day of having Charlie was like a dream. He was sweet, playful, and absolutely beautiful. Day two didn’t start out so well though. Charlie got sick the very second day of me owning him. He was vomiting and not eating or drinking. He was listless and just so sad. We called the vet and were told that he needed to have a penicillin shot every day and shots of fluid every 2 hours. The diagnosis wasn’t completely clear, but we knew it was either Canine Distemper or Parvo virus. It really didn’t matter which disease Charlie had, we knew that they were both very fatal with not much treatment. Charlie was sick for around 2 weeks. Mom and I would take care of him every two hours. His crying broke my heart, but after two weeks, he seemed better. I was thrilled! However, in the middle of the night, he began to have a very deep cough. The fight for his life started again. That month with Charlie was one of the hardest times of my life. I started to question my decision to get a puppy. I didn’t want him to die, but I couldn’t help think that maybe it would be for the best. He wouldn’t be hurting or suffering. I wouldn’t be about to die from loss of sleep. I wouldn’t have to be responsible, responsible for another life. Things could just back to normal. I could take the easy way out. Despite what everyone said though, Charlie made a full recovery. I had spent so many nights crying and to finally see him well again made my heart so happy. As much as this little guy wore me out and as hard as it was to be a responsible pet owner, Charlie made it all worth it. It’s true. I definitely questioned my decision when I could never get sleep because Charlie would wake me up at 5 every morning and because he never wanted to nap during the day. Or when I would be constantly cleaning up after his accidents in the house. But I finally realized how blessed I was when I sat down and really thought about the fact that I had someone in my life who was my responsibility, who I could love with everything I had. And when I realized that I had someone who would love me unconditionally for as long as he lived. I knew I had made the right decision; that Charlie was a blessing from God. I knew I had made a difference in this puppy’s life, but I never dreamed how much of a difference he would make in mine.
Charlie will be 15 months old on August 10th. He’s around 70 or so pounds and he’s tall and lanky. We think he’s a mix between a lab and a wieneriener I call him my giant puppy, because, well, he’s giant. Since the first day I got him, his fur has always been the softest and glossiest black fur I’ve ever seen on a dog. He’s so black that you can’t see him in the dark and he has the softest, kindest, big brown eyes. He has mastered the sad and pitiful face, as well as the big, happy, smiling face. If I were to describe him in three or four words it would be energetic, goofy, intelligent and loveable. Charlie has not been an easy puppy to raise, I’ll tell you that. From being so full of energy that he would jump up on everyone he met, to being very vocal when he wouldn’t get his way, to eating everything in sight (and I don’t just mean dog food). For the longest time I couldn’t even let him out of my sight for a second. He’s torn up my room numerous times, stolen over half my socks, dug up our whole front and back yard and gotten dog hair all over everything I own, not to mention stolen so many precious hours of sleep from me. However, the amount of chaos this giant puppy has caused does not even begin to compare to the amount of good he has brought into my life, and into the lives of all those who know him. People laugh and say it’s funny how my dog and I have similar personalities and traits. Charlie is super tall and I’m tall. Charlie is a total goober and goofball and that describes me pretty accurately. Charlie is sweet and likes everyone he meets and I’m pretty much the same way. However, the way I love others does not even come close to how much Charlie loves others. I’ve said before, if people loved each other even half as much as Charlie loves every single person he meets, then the world would be a much better place. Charlie teaches me about love and loyalty every single day that I spend with him. He’s the most loyal friend I’ve ever had, in fact, he usually hates to leave my side. When he sleeps with me, he likes to be cuddled close enough that some part of him is touching me, I’m assuming so he feels close to me and knows I’m not going anywhere. When I walk around the house, he follows me from room to room. If I decide to go take a nap, then he goes and takes one with me, even if he’s not really that tired. When I sit down at the bar to eat a meal, he comes and lays below the table at my feet. When I leave the house he is running to the door and jumping up on it so he can watch me out of the window. When he sees me putting things in my car, he throws a fit to be outside and goes and jumps in the car to make sure I don’t leave him. When I’ve been sick before, Charlie stays right by my side the whole time, making sure I’m okay. When I sit on the couch, my giant puppy crawls up in my lap. As loveable as Charlie is, when he thinks someone is seriously hurting me or going to hurt me, he puts himself between us and changes the tone of his bark. Charlie has shown me what true loyalty is. He has shown me what it means to be selfless, to put another’s wants or needs before your own. Josh Billings put it extremely well when he said that “a dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself”. This quotation is so true, especially for Charlie. My giant puppy doesn’t think constantly of himself, but instead yearns to be near me and to love me. He yearns to please me and receive my love. I wake up every morning to my sweet puppy looking up at me with his big brown eyes and I can’t help but be in a good mood. The happiness with which Charlie lives his whole life is often contagious. For how is it possible for me to be angry or annoyed when my sweet buddy is always smiling? The love Charlie shows everyone, and especially me, is a love like I’ve never experienced before and probably never will from something of this world. He doesn’t love like humans love, for as much as humans are capable of loving and loving passionately, we also can’t help but to be selfish or to be judgmental. John Grogan describes the nature of dogs beautifully in his book Marley and Me. He writes, “A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.” I don’t know if I could have described Charlie any better than the way John Grogan described a typical dog. It’s true. Charlie never cares how rough I look in the mornings or how much money I have. He never stops loving me even when I don’t have time to take him on a walk or play with him. Even if I scold him, he always comes back to me, offering his love. Charlie doesn’t care if I’m popular, if I’m making good grades in school. He doesn’t care if I make mistakes or sometimes get emotional. He just loves me. It’s as simple as that. Like John Grogan said, “Give him your heart and he will give you his”. Except with Charlie, I truly believe he would give me his heart even if I didn’t offer mine back to him. That’s the kind of pure being he is. He is truly the purest, most loyal and most loving creature I have ever had the privilege of knowing or caring for. Charlie has taught me so much about friendship and about having simple fun. He’s taught me about loyalty and love. God definitely blessed me when he brought Charlie into my life. My parents often tell me how lucky Charlie is and they tell me, “Dana, he loves you so much. You really saved his life.” But the truth is, through his friendship and unconditional love for me…Charlie actually saved mine. Every single day, he saves mine.
I would like to encourage anyone and everyone who is considering getting a dog or puppy one day to adopt. They seriously make the very best pets and friends. Charlie is the perfect example. These dogs need homes and need someone to love and to love them. So don’t just go buy another purebred dog when you can adopt. I guarantee these pound puppies will be just as good, if not better, pets. Also, please really think before you breed any of your dogs. There are already so many dogs that are euthanized every single day because they don’t get adopted. The dog population is way too high now. We don’t need more puppies being born. We need more puppies and dogs being adopted. This is a matter that I am extremely passionate about. There is another dog like Charlie out there just waiting for his forever home. So please consider adoption and please reconsider breeding. You can change a dog’s life for the better and in the process, he or she may just change yours too. Dana