charlie has 13571 views
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| Pet Name: | charlie | | Age: | 3 years | | Gender: | Male | | Breed: | Beagle | | Weight: | 20-30 lb | | Funny Story: | I would say the funniest moment I've had with this little character was when he was a puppy. I started his training right away. Teaching him to sit, stay, come (we're STILL working on that... heh... he can be a bit stubborn at times!) and just basic obedience. I used pieces of his food to teach him the things I wanted him to learn. I put a little handful of it on the wooden chair that was sitting next to us and I turned around to do something. When I turned back around Charlie had disappeared. Lo and behold the little bugger was trying to climb up the side of this wooden chair to get to the pot 'o gold at the top! He was just a wee thing at the time so it was rather hilarious! What a little stinker he is! | | Sleeping quarters: | Next to me in bed,He's a bed hog. No doubt about it. | | Bio: | I worked at a camp when I got him so while I had lots of time to spend with Charlie I was not able to take him out and socialize him very often. So he has always been timid around people he doesn't know. He's a very kind and gentle dog. I couldn't have asked for a better companion. He is faithful, true, smart as a whip, and very loving. He's lonely though. He really wants a playmate, which is on the list of things to get when I get a little more financially secure. Until then though we go for frequent walks, and he's even learned to run along side my bike while I'm riding. | | Tricks: | Fetch,Sit,Stay,Play dead, roll over, dance, and wave. Will work for food. |
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| Likes: | Running around,playing with a ball,playing in the water,Loves every animal on the planet. Thinks they're all his best friend! | | Dislikes: | Loud Noises,He's a little timid around new people too. | | Toys: | A little football that bounces so he can pounce on it. | | Favorite Food: | Anything that IS food. | | How the dog was born: | Charlie had kind of a rough start in life. He was born to hunt. That's not an environment I cherish. When I got him he was held up in a kennel in the back yard with cement floors and electric fence around the bottom of the kennel to keep the puppies from trying to climb out. All of the puppies were very timid and afraid of people. When I stepped in to pick one they all ran and hid behind the little bed they all had to share. The way I see it is that I rescued him. | | Nick Names: | Chuck, chuckeroni, chuckster. |
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He likes to bury himself in clean cloths and sleep if they aren't put up right away. I caught him again! Kitty trick # 1 Silly boy.
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I made a short trip to NV last year with Charlie. This was his friend Junior. A deer that had been hand raised because his mom was killed by a car. Junior fell in love with my dog. So much so that if we weren't out in the yard before he got there, he wandered around the whole house peeking in the windows to see if Charlie could come out to play! He'd chase him all over the yard, but played very gentle so as to not hurt Charlie.
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Born and raised in FL... poor Charlie had a hard time adjusting to the weather in CT. We were up there for six months. This is Kitty trick #2. He wouldn't even go out the door without a sweater or jacket if it was below 40! Yeah... he's spoiled rotten I know!
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Me and Charlie. He is my baby. I love him to death. I can't imagine my life without him or his good friend Petie the cat. She's the one who taught him all his kitty tricks when he was pup. I'm surprised she didn't teach him how to meow too! LOL
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Do dogs grieve?
7/10/2007 1:45:16 PM
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I'm supposing they do. I got to thinking last night. Of course I was suppose to be sleeping while my mind was running away with me... *sigh* So anyway, my dog has always been a bed hog. Sometimes I think he'd like the whole bed to himself actually. However, over the last few months a couple of his behaviors have changed quite a bit.
The first one is the sleeping in the bed thing. He used to always sleep close... but on his side with his paws towards me. This was more of an advantage to him because while I was sleeping he could just push out those legs and scoot me over without me even realizing it... until I woke up in the morning practically hanging off the bed.
Now though he sleeps on his side right up next to me. I mean pressing against me kind of next to me. He doesn't try to push me off the bed anymore, but he has to be pressed up against me. So no matter where I lay, I'm still in the same position in the morning and he's still pressed right up against me. I thought that was rather curious when I realized it.
Then the second behavior that has changed is his diet. Ahem... let me be more specific... Since he was a pup he's eaten his poop. Gross I know, but I won't punish him for it. It's his natural instinct from what I've read about it. I've taken him to the vet several times. I've changed his diet four times and he is now eating THE premium of premium dog foods.
I've tried different training techniques as well as different "cure all's" that I've heard about and that the vet suggested. All to no avail. So I follow behind with a baggy. It's the only solution that I found works. But it wasn't a every day thing until the last few months. Suddenly he's eating it almost as fast as he's pooping it. *gag*
If I go inside for just a minute to get more coffee in the morning, surely as soon as I come out... he's licking his chops. He's not only pooped while I was gone... he's eaten it as well. As a matter a fact, Charlie's on to me now and I'll tell you... he's intentionally waiting to poop until I go inside and I've also caught him pooping in abnormal places (like behind bushes where I can't see what he's doing) then kind of casually walking back there a few minutes later.
I'm at my wits end here. It's like a game with him. Last night when I was thinking about it along with everything I've read about this, I came to the conclusion that I think he's really lonely and I think he may be grieving. My father passed away two months ago. I've lived with my parents for a year now and my dog was pretty close to my dad.
When my father died we took Charlie in and let him sniff him. Hoping that it would give him some kind of closure. We did the same with the cats and they seem to be doing alright, but Charlie... I don't know. I've noticed significant changes in his behaviors since my dad died. I don't know what to do for the little guy right now. I'm spending as much free time with him as I have and I just can't afford to get another dog right now.
I'm sad for my dog. I wish I could help him. Comfort him somehow. I know he's lonely. He gets unbelievably excited just at the site of another dog... let alone actually getting to play with one at the park! I'm trying desperately to get my finances straitened out so I can rescue a beagle. I've found several close by that I would like to go look at... but I know... it's just not the time.
Another month or two and I should be good to go... but not right now. Unfortunately I have no way to make Charlie understand that. So I feel bad... and sad for him because I know he's sad too. I know he misses grandpa. I miss him too. I think that's one of the hardest things I've come across in owning pets. There's just no way to help them understand things sometimes and that's tough.
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