January 7, 2015

There really are no words. This type of neglect is incomprehensible to most of us. But here is poor old Charlie…his entire body severely matted, horrendous teeth, tumours in his mouth, a growth over his eye, infected ears, overgrown nails…the list goes on.

Charlie showed up at Hamilton Animal Control as a stray on New Year’s Eve day. We are pretty sure he’s not a stray, as he has a hard time walking because of all the mats in his fur. A lot of animals are brought to shelters under false pretence though. Charlie belonged to someone, and if he is indeed a stray, that someone never came looking for him. Considering the horrible condition that person left him in, it is best that they didn’t.

So…here was Charlie in a kennel at HAC, looking sad and forlorn when we saw him for the first time yesterday. This was one of those cases where we couldn’t walk away. Our hearts break into a million pieces to see any animal in that type of condition, and we knew we couldn’t leave Charlie in that kennel. Charlie has a lot of issues we can see, and likely a lot that we can’t, but we had to give him a chance. We rescued him from HAC today and took him straight to the vet. He’ll be assessed in hopes that he can eventually be treated for his issues, and placed into a foster home. We don’t know his prognosis yet, but we are hopeful.

Charlie…we’re gonna do our best for you buddy.

 

January 8, 2015

Hello Charlie! We can’t even begin to imagine how much better Charlie is feeling now without all those painful mats. Turns out he had a bad case of lice too. Poor guy.
Charlie had blood tests and xrays today. Surprisingly, the blood work came back pretty normal considering the condition of his teeth. He does have a heart murmur, but it’s not severe enough that he can’t have surgery. So, his dental surgery is scheduled for tomorrow if all goes well. Please send Charlie your happy thoughts!

Big thank you to Foxcreek Animal Hospital for taking such good care of Charlie, and for giving him a lovely new sweater so he can keep warm!

January 9th, 2015

Surgery today was a success. Charlie’s teeth were so bad, the vet had to remove every last one of them. The infection was so advanced, it was going up into his nose. Poor guy must have been in a lot of pain for a long time! While he was under, the vet neutered him and removed the growth over his eye. It was a tough surgery, but he’s recovering well. He’ll stay at the clinic for a few days to be sure everything is okay. The staff also discovered that Charlie is stone cold deaf. As if he didn’t have enough problems!

January 13th, 2015

An update from Charlie’s foster home:

Hello Ladies, 
Thought you might like to know how our first 24 hours went.  

Charlie is the epitome of that grumpy old man you can’t help but to love!  Upon arrival yesterday, he walked in just like he owned the place.  For a dog of his age to adjust so easily is really something!  He knows his life is better and he knows that he is loved.  

He is interested in our Chihuahua but can’t catch him to have a good sniff.  We’re doing slow introductions with our large dogs because, true to the Schnauzer disposition, through body language he’s letting all of the cats know that he’s the boss!!   He’s never unfriendly to the cats but will chase them (to the best of his ability) and send them off with a few bossy woofs before strutting back to his bed. 

Despite not being neutered until well into his senior years, Charlie does not mark and has asked to go out when he needs to.  (and asks to come back in when he’s done even though I’m outside with him)

While it was obvious upon Charlie’s arrival that he was not provided with the standard of care we’d all like to see he has at some point known the ‘kindness’ of being fed from the table and during meals provides the most attentive of companionship!  😉  At least this makes it easy to hide his medications into small pieces of cheese.  

It was originally thought that Charlie might be deaf but he is responding well when being called and comes running into the kitchen at the sound of food wrappers so perhaps he’s just an extra deep sleeper who feels that his advanced age has earned him the right to pay attention only when he feels like it..  He is also showing some opinions as to how he would like to be handled.  Whether he was grabbed by the collar too roughly in the past and is intimidated, or if he is just being clear about what he does and does not want to do, he does make a small attempt to let you know when he does not want to be moved or taken by his collar.  We are working on this and I’m sure with his love of food that he’ll come along quickly.  

For a senior fella, Charlie is still active and follows me around the house wherever I go.  He’ll trot around making sure I’m never too far out of site and does his routine patrols to ensure that all of the cats are behaving and abiding by the rules that he’s begun to lay out.  He loves attention and and wiggles and trots in circles when you sweet talk him.  

We crated Charlie last night as we already share our bedroom with three dogs and he is familiar with it for sure.  He walked right in for a treat and snuggled down in his bed.  We didn’t hear a peep out of him all night and he was clean and still just waking up when I came down into the kitchen this morning.  I’m sure he would be fine if we left him loose, but he wants to climb stairs and is not so sure footed coming down so we thought it best for his safety to crate him.  We leave the door open when he’s out and he will nap in it throughout the day but is most often found in the cat bed under the coffee table at my feet.  

 I’ve attached a photo of Charlie in the kitchen anticipating his coconut oil nose treatment.  I’ll have to try to get a video of him gumming at the old pastry brush I use to apply it to his poor cracked nose.  This is just one of his many treatments that he thinks is rather wonderful and does not want to share with the cats.  

<Have a great week and we’ll talk to you soon.  

I’ll send pics and videos as I get them.  

Jen”

 

January 18th, 2015

An update from Charlie’s foster home:

“Hello Ladies, I hope you’ve enjoyed your week as Mr.Charlie Burns sure has!! 

Throughout the week I could swear that this little man has gotten younger by the day!!  Charlie’s foster dad was away for the week, so it was just he and I and the rest of the fur kids.  He’s continuing to take his medications very well, though there are just a couple of different kinds that he’s taking now.  He finished his pain medication a few days ago and is feeling wonderful! His mobility is much better than it was.  The damage caused by years of his nails being so overgrown is healing and the muscles and tendons in his legs and feet are getting stronger from finally being able to walk properly.   We’ve introduced him to the dremel in an attempt to shorten his nails further to a more normal length.  It allows us to take his nails much shorter without any danger of cutting the quick (the fleshy part that bleeds inside his nail).  With regular nail care, the quick will recede and his nails will be able to be returned to a completely normal length in time.  He’s a little unsure of the dremel but is food motivated enough that he’s taking it well.  We’re taking our time and letting him get used to it.  We haven’t actually touched a nail yet but are just feeding some tasty treats with the dremel on while we touch his feet.  He thinks it’s an awesome way to spend a few minutes here and there throughout the day.   

Charlie spent most of the beginning of the week healing and getting to know his Chihuahua foster brother.  They’re still not besties, but Mr. Darcy the Chihuahua is getting more comfortable and starting to follow Charlie around rather than doing his best to pretend he’s not there.  We’ve chosen to hold off on a direct meeting with the big dogs in the house until he has healed further and they’ve had a chance to get to know each other a little better through gates and crates.  I don’t think Charlie has had much exposure to bigger dogs and he doesn’t really think he’s as small as he is….he’s a little quick to get a bit bossy and needs some time to learn a few manners.  
Charlie was so happy when his foster dad returned on Friday.  Despite that they only spent 24 hours together before his ‘dad’s’ trip, Charlie wiggled and barked for him and didn’t leave his side the rest of the night.  

Charlie is a wonderful sous chef and helped his foster dad make pancakes on Saturday morning.  We may have made him a tiny dog sized one of his own, but no butter or syrup for him as he’s watching his figure and needs to look his best as he’s hoping soon to be meeting a forever family.  

After breakfast, we dressed Charlie up in his new coat that makes him look every bit the proper gentleman that he is, and with Mr. Darcy in tow hit all of the pet stores in town for some nice indoor walking and socializing.  (He’s still a little bald to really enjoy an outdoor walk.)  Charlie charmed everyone he met and offered some good sound advice (to chill out!) to a young and over excited German Shepherd in the store.  This boy’s confidence never wavers, and with a few woofs from the end of the isle told the young buck that he did not approve of his excitement, and that that was no way to conduct himself in public!  With a few stern words, Charlie was back to enjoying his outing and having a good sniff about the store.  He loved every minute of his walk and was very busy stopping only for some scratches and treats from other families and staff in the stores.   

His warm coconut oil nose treatments are working wonders!!  Where before his nose was cracked and crusted over with nearly three quarters of an inch of extra skin, it’s now just a little cracked but back to looking like a completely kissable normal dog nose!!  

I’ve attached some pictures of our adventures this week and will continue to enjoy having this special little man around.  

Charlie is a really wonderful old soul, and for someone looking for a companion who is ever attentive without being needy, spunky without being over active, and ever motivated to let you know that you’re the best thing that ever happened to him….Charlie will be waiting here to change your life and his forever.  

Until next week…..

Jen & Charlie”

January 25th, 2015

An update from Charlie’s foster home:

“Hello Ladies, 
Another week we’ve loved spending with Sir Chuckles D Knuckles…..Yes…in this house, every animal develops a myriad of nick names.  I like to assume that this is a habit in all pet homes and I’d love to know some of yours!!

It was a big week for Charlie this week.  We had our re check at his veterinarian!  To see how happy the staff and doctor were to see Charlie’s progress was truly heart warming.  Not only does it speak volumes about what a special dog Charlie is, but that an incredible staff and veterinarian were responsible for bringing this dog back from the brink of death.  Charlie strutted proudly (and quickly) into the clinic.  Where just a couple of short weeks ago it took him forever to cross the lobby, it only took a few seconds for him to investigate the whole front office and land in the lap of a very excited staff member.  As all of us have been, the staff and doctor were in awe at the changes in Charlie in such a short period of time.

Two weeks ago, he was far too sick to have his vaccines.  Where his first visit was purely emergency care, I’m happy to report that this visit was all routine and Charlie received his vaccines (with moral support from his ‘friend’), had his mouth checked, and we took home a dewormer and flea treatment to be given this Wednesday.  He is a very healthy 22lbs and his mouth is healing well. The vet thinks in a couple of weeks time he’ll be completely healed.  We’ve been given the OK to begin feeding softened kibble.

I think this is a good time to bring up our tendency as humans to want to believe that dogs who have been through something like Charlie has to be affected forever from what they’ve been through….Living with Charlie it’s obvious that his past trauma is forgotten.  He’s a dog who lives in the moment and loves every second of it!!!

After his visit to the vet, we visited my parents house for dinner where Charlie did not disappoint and charmed the whole family.  He let everyone know that no food would go to waste and he was a perfectly polite and housebroken house guest.

For his safety, we have continued to crate Charlie at night but we’re happy to report that he is beginning to spend time with all of the dogs in the house.  Our slow introductions are paying off and I’ll be honest and say that Charlie would rather be the centre of attention but is tolerating the other dogs well.  This morning Charlie and our Rottweiler Bruce spent some time together begging for yogourt and bananas and were each rewarded for their good behaviour by being allowed to ‘rinse’ the bowl before it went in the dishwasher.  Charlie and our super bossy spayed female Giant Schnauzer are politely getting to know each other better and while Charlie’s body language is still a little on edge at the big dogs he corrects easily by voice and moves on to the next cat that requires his attention.

Today is the first day that we actually touched Charlie’s nail with the dremel and it didn’t phase him a bit.  He was much more interested in the treats he was so eagerly gumming out of his foster dad’s fingers.  So sorry that we didn’t get any video of this but with two hands to dremel and one super slobbery hand feeding treats with the other on his collar, we didn’t have the manpower to be able to capture it for you.  We still have work to do on his toes and will continue to try to get some video to be able to show you how well this is going for a dog who had zero toe maintenance in his previous life.

The last little tidbit I have for you this week is that Charlie is actually a couch dog.  He can’t get up on his own and his pride takes a small exception to having to be lifted up but once he’s up, he nests a bit and snuggles in quickly like he’s been here his whole life.  In our home, couch life is typically earned through time and obedience but we make the exception for Charlie because his age and experiences have earned him more than just a little spoiling.  As I write this to all of you, Charlie is snuggled down between us, watching every word I write and waiting for his special someone to see his story and his pictures and to know that they just can’t go another day without being the one who gets to spend every day with this one of a kind little dog.

A quick aside…..Charlie LOVES kisses.  We spend time every day on the floor together where Charlie is ever excited to be the victim of my squeaky pet voice and he’d kill me for telling you this but he’s a huge fan of some rough pets and a little light bottom spanking!!

*blushing* until next week……

Jen & Charlie.”

February 2, 2015

An update from Charlie’s foster home:

“Hello Ladies,

Charlie’s week has been full of new experiences!  Some of them he loved, and some others…..not so much but being the mostly agreeable little gent that he is he took the good with the bad.This week, we started Charlie on softened dry food.  We found a super low sodium, good quality dog food for him at Global Pets that is very reasonably priced and will be good for his heart.  Charlie’s love of food made the change really easy for him and us!  He’s happy with the new kibble but is impatient and doesn’t see any reason why he should have to wait for it to soften up in hot water.  I’m sure he’d chow down on hard kibble if it were up to him but with his mouth still needing a little more time to heal, he’ll just have to be patient for a little while longer. 

On fish tank cleaning day this week, we felt that Charlie was getting along well enough with all the other dogs that we let him join all of us down in the basement.  Our household routine is that every other fish tank week is also toenail day.  Charlie’s foster dad cleans the tanks while I clip 150 cat nails and dremel usually just 54 dog toes but this week we did 10 more!  We got all of Charlie’s front toes done as short as his quicks will allow!!  Big deal for Mr. Chuckles and while he wasn’t completely his usual polite self, he didn’t hold a grudge at all and enjoyed the rest of the madness while everyone else got their mani/pedi done.  He even provided a little moral support to his Rottweiler foster brother who is not a big fan of toenail day either.

In addition to getting a little toe maintenance this week, Charlie also had a bath.  The condition of his coat was so terrible when his Angels pulled him from HAC that his skin is still recovering.  In spots where his coat was more severely matted, his skin is still a bit dry, flaky, and itchy.  We picked up some soothing oatmeal shampoo to condition his skin and help with some of the itch.  He was a real trooper for his bath, and like most dogs, LOVED being dried off!  His bath left him smelling wonderful and his short little coat was almost fluffy!!  From his super short do when he got here, his coat is coming in quickly and evenly (which is not always the case in dogs matted as severely as Charlie).  It won’t be that long before Charlie can visit a groomer and have a proper schnauzer cut.

As he gets used to his routine and having a real home life, Charlie is continuing to blossom.  He is learning to share space on the couch with the cats rather than feeling the need to snuggle in a cat free space (near impossible in this house!) and while he will still chase them when he’s feeling feisty in the mornings, our cats who don’t take him too seriously and stand their ground are teaching him that his shenanigans will not be tolerated and he gives up easily.

As someone who really likes to cook and will spend hours in the kitchen, I’m really enjoying Charlie’s dedication to observe everything I do and his enthusiasm to help to clean up any scraps.  He’s learning to be more patient but will still remind me he’s there once in a while by giving a woof or two and pawing at the back of my leg.  While it’s really cute and makes me laugh every time, we are not encouraging this behaviour and teaching him that only a patient dog gets a taste.

To help break the begging habit, we’ve introduced Charlie to a Kong stuffed with a bit of natural peanut butter and then frozen.  He thinks that this might be the best thing that has ever happened to him.  He’s more than happy to take all the time in the world to make sure he gets every bit of nutty goodness out of the Kong. We move his bed into the kitchen where he can still be a part of what’s going on but his Kong keeps him happy and busy with something more appropriate.

We’ve heard a rumour that Charlie may be ready to be made available for adoption soon!  I’ll be honest and say that when Charlie first arrived, I thought it would be a really long road to recovery and was prepared if the worst should happen.  Boy was I wrong!!  I’ll be sad to see Charlie move onto his next adventure but have no doubt that Charlie will transition easily and he really is a perfect pet!  He can be a bit bossy with other dogs but would do well with a housemate who is mature enough to not be in his face all the time.  He will also do well with cats who are accustomed to dogs and don’t mind a game of chase every now and again.

We will continue to enjoy our part of Charlie’s journey and will keep sharing all of our adventures with you.  Charlie will be waiting to find out who will continue his story and be the last stop where he can hang his hat for good!

Until next week…..

Charlie & Jen”

 

February 23, 2015
Hello Ladies,

It’s been a couple of weeks since our last update and boy oh boy have we been busy!!  Charlie has continued to enjoy the good life, and was even treated to a professional photography shoot as all celebrities of his status should be!!  Uncle Mike came over, fed him lots of treats, and told him how handsome he is!  It didn’t take too long before Charlie figured out that the road to treats only required that he sat on the white mat and smiled!!  Banzai the Devon groupie was ever present doing his best to photo bomb to no avail.

We had a family birthday this week and Charlie was of course invited to the party at the in laws.  There was a new cat and so many people!  As per his usual good manners, Charlie was an excellent house guest and charmed everyone there.  He even re-learned an old skill.  The stairs were split sets and carpeted and he was unstoppable!!  With shorter runs of steps and the added traction of the carpet, Charlie gained enough confidence that he’s even going up and down our 12 carpeted basement steps without issue.  He avoids the wood steps still which is probably for the best as we don’t want him to slip and fall.  At the party, Charlie helped prepare dinner, was a wonderful karaoke audience and was happy to lean into any guest for a bit of a scratch.  At the end of the night, Charlie settled down in a travel crate just like he was at home!  He’s a fantastic travelling dog!

In light of his brand new adoption announcement, it is time to pass along some of his most predominant likes and dislikes……

Charlie is a lover of all kinds of pats and cuddles.  He’s a tiny bit hand shy and flinches a bit at quick movements….sadly, I think he may have been struck in the past but he’s learning that no touch will ever harm him again.  Whoever is lucky enough to have him forever will never be alone in the kitchen ever again!  Whenever I’m cooking, Charlie is there to clean up anything that falls on the floor and is treated for patience and good behaviour with small vegetable trimmings and the odd bit of fruit.  Some of his favourites are carrot peels (he likes to slurp them down like noodles) and blueberries.  Any offerings to Charlie are always soft or cut into pieces small enough for him to manage because he has no idea his teeth are gone.  He follows me everywhere still and has no shame when it comes to letting me know it’s been a half hour since I’ve last touched him.

As many wonderful things that Charlie is, his past has left it’s mark.  Wherever Charlie came from, while they didn’t care for him, they also didn’t teach him much outside of housebreaking and likely crate training.  He has some issues when it comes to being handled in ways he deems inappropriate.  Having had all his teeth removed, it’s not a super dangerous issue, but Charlie will bite if he is handled in a way he does not want to be.  The primary examples are when it’s time to have anything done with his feet and when he needs to be picked up.  He’s gotten much better since his arrival here but a permanent home would need to continue to work with him to teach him that while he may not approve, that some things are necessary and that no one is going to hurt him.

Charlie gets along fine with our dogs but could give or take whether they are there or not.  Our dogs don’t really bother with him either which is just fine with him.  If Charlie were to have a canine companion in his forever home, I’d suggest that it be one who isn’t going to pester to play and one who is mature enough not to bowl him over.  When we’re out, he seeks out our chihuahua to know he’s there and I think he really enjoys him as a companion.  Mr. Darcy is a young but shy and very soft tempered little dog who is always with Charlie but never all over him.  When it comes to cats it’ll take a pretty confident cat to put up with Charlie’s management skills.  He takes great pleasure at chasing our cats who will run from him at every opportunity…..even when it seems like he’s dead asleep.  We’ve taken to confining the cats in the morning when Charlie is the most energetic as his traction isn’t great on the tile floors and we’ve had a couple of near roll overs on tight turns.  Charlie will still charge our more confident cats but loses steam pretty quick when they don’t run from him.

Given Charlie’s age, I wouldn’t expect him to enjoy the company of small children.  We haven’t exposed him to young kids but he’s met many kids 12 and older on our trips into town and thinks they’re equal to the task to give him all the attention he requires.  The most important thing to be understood by children though is that Charlie is an older fellow who is not to be picked up.

I tell Charlie every day that there is a forever home out there for him.  Someone who will continue to show Charlie that his days as an underdog are over and that he is loved.  Adopting a senior dog is not something that many people consider doing but I can tell you first hand, watching a dog blossom and learn what it’s like to experience love and kindness is equally gratifying if not more so than watching a young dog experience things for the first time.  If his pep, determination, and zest for his new life have anything to do with it, I’m sure Charlie will make someone so happy for years to come.

We will continue our updates as Charlie has come to love his celebrity status but he’ll be waiting for the family who wants to love him forever.

Until next week,

Charlie & Jen