charlie

one of the few times i saw my husband cry was when his beloved parakeet, peepers, drowned in the toilet. yes, this grown man loved a bird so much he was devastated. we headed out the next day for another bird & came home with a sweet cock-a-poo we named charlie. what a joy he was, a typical puppy full of energy and adventure. oh the things he would do to make us laugh. charlie was a wonderful companion that enjoyed being with us all the time, traveling and moving to three different states. when charlie was 15, we adopted george just before being put to sleep. the three years they spent together gave charlie a new lease on life. but at 18, his body was weakening & he had no appetite. the doctors said charlie had cancer. i didn't want to put him through biopsies & be poked and prodded by strangers. but we weren't ready to let him go either. i prayed to God for a sign from charlie & the next morning while i was making breakfast, i looked down at him, staring at me from the floor by my feet. it was a look i'd never seen before & his eyes were telling me he was tired & didn't want to be in pain. so i made an appointment for late the next afternoon. i laid on the couch with charlie on my lap until it was time. we all wanted to be with charlie to say goodbye. it was the first time i'd ever experienced life ending in front of me. i knew when charlie's body went limp, that we made the right decision. he was not in pain and on his way to the rainbow bridge.