Daily, I kiss his head and whisper “Thanks for being my dog.” I want to get some thoughts down and reminisce over photos while he is still laying by my side. It’s a little easier this way. I can momentarily slip back into my delusion that he can be with me forever. We beat the odds. The average lifespan of a Golden Retriever is 10-12 years. Charlie is 14 years, 5 and a half months old. This week we found out he has bone cancer. Fuck.
We will manage his pain while he still has his wonderful, happy-go-lucky, food-focused personality…constantly going over the quality of life checklist. But, it won’t be long before we say good bye.
He was 8 weeks old when I picked him up – Memorial Day Weekend, 1999. Yep, last century. And he has been my constant companion ever since.
He was named Scooby for a few hours. Luckily, my Dad stepped in and renamed him. Maybe that’s the reason Charlie loves him so much.
The two of us moved from Maryland to Miami Beach at the end of summer 1999. I bought a condo a few blocks from the beach. It was an awesome 1940s Art Deco Building. We had our routine. I’d let him out in the courtyard early every morning and then we’d go back to sleep for another hour or so. One day I woke up to him standing over me, his face swollen to twice its normal size. Super cute, but super scary. I was too distraught to think to take a picture of it. Some tropical bug bit him. A big Benadryl shot and he was back to normal in a few hours.
Many weekends I’d pack up the car and we would make the 3 hour drive down to the Florida keys to visit my two Aunts and Uncles. We’d head out on the boat all day, fish and hang out at the beach on Marvin Key (it magically appears during low tide… in the middle of nowhere.) We had a tradition of frying up whatever we caught for dinner. While we were cooking, Charlie would hang out in the shallow water behind the house and keep himself busy digging at the rocks.
We got lucky and met Brian in December 2001.
Brian flew down in the spring of 2002 and helped us move to Chicago. We’ve been a family ever since. Rosie the ferret was with us for a few years. And, the lovely Isabella. Mica and Bennie moved in too. Now, Charlotte.
My favorite description of Charlie is by Brian’s dad: “That Charlie, he’s a peach.”
Every summer we make the long drive to the East Coast to spend some time with my family. First, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia at my parent’s shore house.
My parents sold that house and we started the tradition of spending time in late August at Deep Creek Lake… So nice of everyone to agree to a pet-friendly rental. Boating and swimming are Charlie’s favorite things (besides eating).
I’ll miss all of that of course. But, the thing I’m dreading the most is not having him there for the normal routine of the day.
For a little while longer… I will lean down, kiss his head and say “Thanks for being my dog.”
