Charlie Starbucks

He's an urban dog, and something of a metrosexual. He walks on the sidewalk, not the grass, likes his gourmet treats as well as his monthly grooming, and wouldn't be caught dead drinking just any beverage. Yes, Charlie is quite the suave sophisticate and will even occasionally indulge the paparazzi.*

* Photo courtesy of Sherry Rings, SRDK Photography www.srdkphotography.com, and a lovely gift from Dr. Kirsten Marshall of Bridges Animal Hospital of Ada Village, www.bridgesanimalhosp.com

Charlie is a rescue dog. Typically that means that the dog (or other animal) was rescued by some kind-hearted animal lover. While that's technically correct, the real truth of the matter is these rescue animals more often than not rescue us humans, and such was the case with Charlie. We had lost our two old dogs within just weeks of each other and we were heartbroken. Although we had agreed that we would take a brief respite from the responsibilities of having a companion animal, it was only a matter of days before I was *just looking* through PetFinder listings. About 3 days in, my husband says that when he happened past and noticed the PetFinder logo on my computer screen, he knew immediately that we were about to get another dog.

We agreed that we would go as old as 8 since our old dogs, at nearly 17, made anything 8 and under seem like a pup. Sure enough, Charlie, 8 yrs and 2 months, popped up in our search and I think you can fill in the rest of the story. I don't think our grief would have healed like it did without Charlie, and certainly not as soon.

This past Monday, June 14, we celebrated Charlie's 13th birthday with some extra treats (but no coffee this time, sorry, Charlie) and with the removal of a few staples from some minor cosmetic work he had done. ;) Happy birthday, Charlie, you little chunky monkey. Thanks for rescuing us.