Charlie by Josh Winegard / Josh

Today, our family has a heavy and hurting heart. A member has passed away. Charlie was a miniature Dachshund, with fur that had a reddish sheen that was radiant in the sunlight. He was always good about staying on our property, or at least only going into the farm field behind our property. On the rare occasion, he would check out the fence line in front of our house, next to the road, to look for ‘calling cards’ left by other passing dogs. Today he wondered across the paved secondary road into the two foot tall grass and weeds along the edge on the opposite side. Charlie only stood about a foot tall from the ground to the top of his head, and when he turned around to travel back across the road, he walked in front of a car. The driver never saw him until he stepped out of the high foliage and into the road. She didn’t have time to react. It was not her fault. To her credit, she did come to the house to tell us what had happened.
So, I buried him in the upper field behind our house under a big oak tree. He is buried next to Chance, our big black Lab that was also killed by a car in that same road, two years ago next month.

It is rare to find a pet that is smart, has a personality, and is pure love. Charlie was all that. He asked for nothing and gave us his all. He never judged or grudged. Our son adored this dog to the point that my wife and I would joke he thought more of Charlie than he did of us. He had plenty of nicknames for him: Fluffles, Charles, etc. Today is not a good day for my son.
Charlie was an ‘inside’ dog. He slept on the couch from where he could keep an eye through the dining room window so as to inform us when a deer had wandered on to our property. He felt chasing rabbits and squirrels out of our yard were one of his sworn duties. He was a ‘one dog’ welcoming committee for anyone who walked in our door. If you came to our house often, he was doubly excited to see you again.

Charlie loved to play with his toys. He had a stuffed Hedgehog animal that my son named Hedgie. Charlie would thrash Hedgie back and forth like he had captured his prey, and throw the toy up in the air. Inevitably, Hedgie lost both ears, both arms, both legs, and his tail. There was actually nothing left but a lump. But he loved that toy. His tennis ball was another favorite. Charlie was always up to chasing the thrown ball and would love to keep it away from us, holding it in his mouth and raising one paw off the ground as if taunting us. My son and I would sometimes play a game of ‘tennis ball soccer’ trying to keep the ball from Charlie…but he was fast and would usually get it.

Charlie found a large snapping turtle in the field behind the house and challenged it. Of course, the turtle retreated into his shell while Charlie nipped at his hind side. When Charlie ran barking around to the front side of the shell, the turtle stretched out and latched on to Charlie’s nose; much to his yelping surprise. He always had a hump
on his nose after that.

Chance, our black lab, was an ‘outside’ dog that we kept in a kennel in the field behind our house. One of my son’s chores was to feed and water Chance each evening. When water was drawn from a hydrant adjacent to the kennel, a check valve in the water line in our cellar would make an audible clang when the hydrant was closed. Charlie learned that sound and whenever he heard it, no matter where he was in the house, he would run to the kitchen door to be let outside. He knew that, during feeding and watering, my son would let Chance have some run time outside of the kennel….and Charlie loved to run with the big dog. Often when he was let outside, he would run up to the kennel, stand on his hind legs at the kennel door, and bark at Chance. He would then run around the kennel and back to the door and repeat the process over and over. He finally wore a path down to the dirt in the grass around the kennel. Charlie continued to go up to the kennel after Chance died. I honestly believe he wondered where Chance went.
He learned when he heard the squealing brakes of a school bus in the afternoon that my son was home and he would go to the front door and patiently wait for him to come up the long driveway to the house.
After all, my son was his main bud.

Charlie would often sit underneath the chair at our computer stand when my wife was using the computer and look around. It was like he felt safe.
He was so small.

I built a second bathroom in our house where one had not existed before. I had cut an access hole in the master bedroom directly behind the bath tub faucets to allow access to the valves. One day, while sitting on the floor of this new bathroom and putting in those water lines and valves, Charlie wandered into the bedroom and curiosity made him stick his long nose through the hole-in-the-wall to see what I was doing…….scared the bejeebers out of me.
Charlie loved to love and loved to be loved. He would often attack any of us, when we came home from work or school and sat down, digging into our chests to get to our faces for a good face licking. He could be demanding, too. If you gave him an ear scratch and stopped, he would try to raise your hand back up with his nose for more…..or would roll over, belly side up, and use his nose to encourage your hand for a belly scratch.

Once, my wife let Charlie outside to patrol the property. He always scratched at the back deck storm door when he was ready to come back in the house. On this day, when my wife let him in, Charlie walked up to her and dropped a dead mole at her feet and looked up at her. I never figured out whether he was showing her the great hunter he was or if he was offering her a gift.
Charlie legs were so short and his nose was so long that when he sneezed he would bounce his nose off the floor. One time I was sitting in the Lazy Boy chair with the footrest up. Charlie was napping between my legs, facing me, when he suddenly sneezed and bounced his nose off my …..well,
let me say it was painful.

I always said that Charlie loved my wife, adored my son, and tolerated me. Whenever I was asked if I loved Charlie, I would usually say I ‘tolerate’ him. I had my own nicknames for him like ‘Fart Head’ and ‘Rat Dog’….but that was just me playing. I don’t think there was ever a moment’s doubt in Charlie’s mind that he was loved by us all. I think God graced us with a beautiful gift when he led Charlie into our lives, and we are all richer for having had the experience. I would like to think we will see him again one day. I don’t know if dogs have souls; but if they know love, how can they not?
Charlie went home today. I buried him in his camouflaged ‘Top Dog’ tank top that he got for Christmas.

 

With Love,