It took a little convincing, but in the summer of 2007 Ben succeeded in talking me into getting a dog. We bought a dachshund, as Ben had some experience with the breed, and they're just so cute.
We visited a farm in Leitchfield, Kentucky where we fell in love with this little guy, and called him Charlie.
Charlie loved to chew on bones, toys, carpet, tubes of mascara, cell phones...pretty much whatever we left laying around.
Charlie loved to be outside, no matter the weather...
...and especially loved his back yard when we bought a house. I know dogs can't technically smile, but he clearly is smiling in this picture.
He was always easy to spot in the yard as his super long tail nearly always made a "C" above his back (C for Charlie of course...he was a smart dog)
Charlie loved the CATS and got excited when we got excited watching the games.
But he didn't particularly care for this cat :)
Charlie was an excellent buddy and enjoyed swinging on the back porch (really he did...we'd look out the window and find him just chillin' on the swing)
He was an excellent nap buddy...
...when he wasn't in his preferred napping spot, on the floor in the sun.
Charlie loved to have visitors, and often expressed his excitement by peeing on people's feet as they came in. Such a sweet way to show his affection, I know.
Charlie liked to be silly and play...
...and liked to burrow under blankets, pillows, my sweater (which would then be completely covered in dog hair). He wasn't picky.
He was always a gentle companion (this is one of my all time favorite pictures...ever)
And a faithful sidekick to Ben
He was an excellent watch dog and always let us know if someone was walking down the sidewalk in front of our house, when our neighbors got home, if there was a suspicious noise outside, or if there was another dog halfway across the neighborhood who wanted to have a barking conversation. He kept me company and gave me a sense of security when Ben wasn't home. Clearly he was a ferocious guard dog who was completely capable of barking an intruder to death, and then peeing on them just for good measure.
We've had 5 good years with Charlie, and sadly we had to say goodbye this morning.
For a few days Charlie had been acting a little off. We attributed it to the new baby, as Dachshunds have a tendency to be a little dramatic and emotional. However, yesterday after a visit to the vet we learned Charlie had developed a common problem with his breed, a slipped disk or similar back problem that essentially left his back end paralyzed. We had to make a difficult decision as the prognosis was poor. We're thankful it was a short illness and he didn't suffer. And we're thankful for all the fun memories.
Goodbye, good dog, you will be dearly missed.
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