CHARLIE 2020
The Charlie Fund
February 2014 to 2020
Charlie was born in rural South Carolina in February of 2014. He, along with his siblings, was taken in by a rescue that brought dogs from South Carolina to New York to be put up for adoption. Thankfully, Charlie never made it that far and was adopted by his new family in Richmond, Virginia after falling in love with his picture online.
Charlie quickly discovered a love of humans, who often praised him for his soft fur and handsome face. He became a master of the “give me a treat” face - and never once failed to get what he wanted. He enjoyed playing outside, going to the dog park, and taking daily walks with his grandparents.
Just before his first birthday, Charlie became very ill and was behaving strangely. Upon extensive examination, it was determined that he had a portosystemic liver shunt which was bypassing his liver function and causing neurological symptoms. Charlie underwent surgery to close the shunt and returned to his happy and healthy state.
Charlie developed a love for the outdoors, and took several trips with his family to go camping and (Charlie’s favorite) swimming in a lake or river. Charlie was a gifted swimmer and loved to try and drink whatever body of water he was swimming in, much to the chagrin of his parents. He loved water in all its forms, and was beyond excited when he got to experience his first snow storm. Though he would prove to be a sub-par sled dog, it certainly did not stop him from trying.
In 2018, Charlie and his parents moved from Richmond to Dallas, TX and he spent the entire 19 hour drive in the front seat with his mother. Later that year, Charlie picked out an adoptive brother for his family from a local shelter. He and his brother, Inigo Montoya, quickly became close and loved to play together - especially tug of war, which was Charlie’s favorite. He discovered that if he paid attention to his parents, his brother would become jealous and play with him instead. Charlie and Inigo would go together to doggie daycare, though Charlie preferred to sit up front with his mother to greet the customers and other dogs as they came in. He quickly became a favorite of the other employees and customers
In 2020, at the age of 6, Charlie became ill once again. The symptoms from his liver shunt returned, and his condition quickly worsened. After fighting bravely through seizures, comas, and all manner of tests, he ultimately lost his battle and passed away. Charlie’s parents were able to leave no stone unturned in trying to save him, a luxury that many families do not have. In his honor, his parents have decided to support the Brown Dog Foundation and other animal-related charities to help other families afford live-saving care.
