Charlie

We got Charlie when he was 6 years old from a family who was forced to get rid of him because he had badly bitten their toddler grandchild, who had gotten too close to Charlie’s food. Charlie was a puppy mill animal. He was cute and affectionate, but, as a corgipoo, aggressive, and he had terrible separation anxiety. Maybe he realized that I hadn’t wanted a dog, but acquiesced to my partner at the time who had never had a dog of his own. Charlie’s favorite trick was to roll around on the ground and sneeze when he was trying to impress strangers. But we had to get a doggie gate because he would run away. He thought it was a great game. Once, when I wasn’t home, he got out and was hit by a car. Everyone in the neighborhood was looking for him. I had a karate class, but came home to help and heard his bark in the next block. I called his name and we saw each other from a block away, like lovers. He came running and I got him home in time to go to class. He was unhurt. He rarely ran far after that. Once, into a neighbor’s house. Much later, he found a weak board in the backyard and would be brought back by strangers.

As much as Charlie could be charming, he could also be scary. He wasn’t a dog that could be disciplined. He would bare his teeth and I have a few scars from bites. He started out sleeping on the bed and sometimes, when I would come out of the bathroom at night ready for bed, he would attack me–not biting but barking and snarling. I think he thought he was protecting my Significant Other. A dog trainer suggested we not let him sleep in bed and that helped.

These last few years, Charlie has had trouble walking. His corgi long body was a problem, probably. He moved slower and slower, but he still was excited to go for a walk and he still got aggressive with other dogs, though our new toy poodle kept him in his place. He was also very hard to medicate. He caught onto pill pockets right away. Hiding pills in lunch meat worked for a long time. Grinding it into a canned food with gravy also worked for awhile, but it often took awhile for him to eat his food.
I miss Charlie and his loving side. He was very smart. He used to go to the sink and bark when he was thirsty, or go to the door and bark if he need to go potty in the backyard.

A donation was made in Charlie's memory and the memorial was created on July 14, 2020.