All Dogs Go To Heaven

Charlie dressed as a princess for Halloween 2006. 

Playing in the snow.  Jan. 2008

Charlie the Princess Halloween 2006

Charlie, the Deimler family dog, passed away today.  Even though she was getting really old, and was sick, it was still a bit of a shock.  My parents got her at the pound when I went away to Ohio to be a nanny...I guess they were trying to fill the vast void I left in the house, and decided a dog was the best choice.  She was so well behaved and trained, and we always said that whatever family had lost her must have been devastated.  I only lived at home for a couple years while my family had Charlie, but she was still a big part of my life.  I loved the way she used to sneak in my bed in the morning, keeping my toes warm and cuddling with me until I got up.  I loved the way she would nudge you over and over with her chin until you would scratch her belly.  She was such a good puppy, always begging and wanting to play, and letting us dress her up in funny dog clothes.  She used to love going for car rides so much...I remember when I lived at home I used to take her with me on all my errands.  She would drive you crazy begging for a cookie, but you could never resist and in the end she always got one or two...or three.  She used to wait up for me when I was coming home late from a date, always so excited to see me come home and then would trot off with me to bed (even though she was not allowed to sleep with us).  I remember when my Mom told me how she waited up until 3:00am the night I got married and went off on my honeymoon, it broke my heart thinking she was waiting for me to come home all night.  I think my whole family has a cute Charlie waiting up for us on the stairs story...she kind of watched us grow up and leave one by one.  She loved my Dad the most...she was always so excited when he got home from work, and she loved to go to the garden or farm with him.  Always begging him for loves and scratches.  She wouldn't rest until Papa let her up to sit in the big chair with him, snuggled up, being scratched and loved.

And in the end that was how she went, with her Papa, snuggled up, being loved.  I couldn't imagine a better way.  We will sure miss our little Charlie dog.