Charles (Charlie), the bucket of love.

Having been raised with Airedales and loving their comic ways, I always planned to live my life with them. Colin and I adopted our first Airedale, Lucy, from Rose and it was love at first sight. Lucy was so lovable that Colin agreed we should get a 2nd Airedale. That is when we headed south to Tucson for Charlie. He set an exciting tone from the moment we picked him up. Our first stop was to meet one of his grandmas and he decided to pee on her indoor plant. Whoops! Then we got him home and he ran right out the door and I thought it was the end for all of us. Within 2 hours master terrier wrangler, Kim Baer, of Now Who’s the Boss was at our house and Charlie knew his name (when we picked him up he was Jake Thomas) and not to cross the door without permission. Phew, a perfect Airedale…

We did have a couple of challenges, but then every challenge was an opportunity for me to have more fun with Charlie! Walking on a leash was an adventure, we tried every type of leash, corrective collars, double leashes, and back packs; Charlie even learned to carry a toy in his mouth for miles. Now only 10 years later we can get by any dog or human with barely a glance – 96% of the time!

Charlie did agility for a while. It was a lot of fun for us. He received multiple treat jackpots and I learned how to point my feet and shoulders in the proper direction. There were times when he chose to walk around the jumps rather than over them, but that is certainly an Airedale’s prerogative. Later we switched to Canine Nose Work; this provided even more treats and the extra fun of using his nose. Charlie doesn’t get agitated about too many things but waiting his turn to play while his sister gets to have fun drives him batty!!! This picture was taken the day he became certified in all three scents (birch, anise, and clove.) Zoe on the right passed too.

Charlie has always had a huge prey drive and immense amounts of patience to wait out the vermin. When we lived in Phoenix he made sure our yard was vermin free. We would see the soil get lifted and Charlie would get to work. He also loved our trips up north to run in the forest. Plus, that had a bonus of another of his favorite activities - the extra long car ride.

A few years ago, Colin needed to pursue better opportunities in California. Charlie missed his buddy and it was a happy reunion when we joined him in Santa Monica.

After moving to Santa Monica our activities have changed. We miss all our Airedale buddies (we have a met a few out here, but certainly no Frankie) and fun times with Kim and all the special people who do nose work, training, and just hang out!

We visit the ocean and sit in our shady tent.

There is also the chess park.

Sonoma visits to all the tasting rooms. See the wine in the box; yum.

And even a couple trips to Disneyland! Charlie and Zoe are straddling our brick.

Most weekends we take at least one trip out with the dog bike so Charlie and Zoe get to enjoy the breeze and head to our favorite coffee shop where there is air conditioning and a cement floor. Not to downplay lots of admiration and treats!

Charlie and Zoe are also well known in the neighborhood. Despite having a very large backyard they prefer the shady front yard where they can “meet” all the neighbors and people who happen to pass by. It gives them lots to see throughout the day. I fear our neighbors won’t understand their need to protect the yard, but I am told on our daily walks how cute they are and despite their voicing of opinions they seem to capture many hearts. Charlie likes to stay near the fence in his foxholes. I think he might have a sick sense of humor and a love of scaring people!

Charlie is so very special to us and to his sister, Zoe. She has some challenges, but he is a great calming brother for her. She will often seek him out and he is very patient with her.

Unfortunately this bit about Charlie never made it out for our 10th Gotch Ya Anniversary. Then in what was a very hard year, Charlie was diagnosed with nasal cancer and suffered from both the side effects of cancer and neurological issues. He was brave and worked hard to hide the pain. Charlie and I spent much time together at physical therapy, acupuncture and our in house doing our “homework.” While not economically great, I cannot tell you how much our time at CA Animal Rehab helped. Plus, the time we spent together was so precious to me. He represented Airedales with aplomb and gained many new fans.

A little over a year later and our sweet boy is now with his best fur-buddies Lucy, Frankie and Jezzy across the rainbow bridge. Zoe, Colin and I miss him so much. The memories of over 11 wonderful years are deeply imbedded in our hearts and I treasure all the pictures that bring back daily moments and special times.

2005

2016

Charlie Pictures