REMEMBERING CHARLOTTE

by Kristin Antons

During that Summer and early Fall there were not too many small dogs that were available, but in October 2001, there was a doggy bust in Mariposa County. A woman with an expired breeding license had 119 Shih-Tzus & Lhasa Apsos at her home, and 50 cats. Loree, from the Toy Breed Rescue called to let me know that they would have some doggies for me to choose from in a couple of weeks.

I searched the internet, and found a few articles about the Mariposa doggy rescue. There were so many dogs to be saved. Luckily, all of the dogs survived, and were placed in homes.

Early November, the Toy Breed Rescue selected 3 dogs from rescue that suited my requirements. 2 of the dogs were very timid, and I felt I did not have the knowledge at the time to take care of them. The 3rd dog that they showed me was a 2 year old shih-tzu named “Cookie”. The Rescue named her “Cookie”, but when I first saw her, I knew she was to be my Charlotte.

Charlotte was so excited to see me. Loree & her staff were surprised to see how positively she reacted to me. I put her leash on, and we went for a short walk. She was so excited, and eager to show me that she was a good doggie who was smart enough to do her business on command!

My decision was made. As soon as we returned from the walk, I asked Loree what the next steps were to bring this sweet doggy home.

I brought Charlotte home on Monday, November 26th. The night before, I prepared my home for her arrival. I set up a doggy bed, food & water bowls, a few toys & treats. Even some ribbons for her hair. After work on Monday, I drove straight to the Toy Breed Rescue, to pick up my new BFF.

The first few days were pretty rough. My sweet Charlotte who took care of business on command just days before, came into her new home, and proceeded to “mark” her new territory. She was very clingy, and whiny. She wanted to be held A LOT.

I remember calling my girlfriends Karlene & Melissa to tell them my dilemma. I didn’t know how to sooth her, and I was afraid she would hurt herself while I was at work. Charlotte calmed down a bit over time, but not completely.

Some of her most daring acts were:

• Scratching through the screen window on the 2nd floor bedroom, and greeting me on the 1st floor when I came home.
   
• Scratching through the other 2nd floor window and escaping to a neighbors home, only to be brought back to the Toy Breed Rescue to be picked up.

She was not much of a guard dog either. One evening, I opened my back door to get something on the patio. There was a snake slithering along the door jam. I screamed, and slammed the door shut! Charlotte, the “non” guard dog, ran as fast as she could through the living room, and up the stairs, then hid under the bed. Yeah, she did not help me solve the snake problem. I called my dad in San Diego instead. He laughed at me, and told me to call Joe.

This is around the time where our lives changed for the better. Joe was slowly but surely becoming a part of our family. She didn’t quite like him at first, and she was sure to let him know by biting his forehead when he was trying to play with her. She didn’t break skin, but she made it aware that she meant business.

Luckily, it all worked out, and we became a family of 3. A couple of years after we got married, we adopted Sophia. She was just a few months old when we adopted her, and by this time, Charlotte was 8. She wasn’t very welcoming of Sophia, just as she was not welcoming of Joe. In time, she learned to love her, and realized that she could not live w/out her.

When Charlotte was 11, she was diagnosed with Glaucoma in her left eye. We tried to treat it with medicine, but after a while, it was evident, that her quality of life would greatly improve if we had it removed. After her surgery, it was an adjustment for all of us. Especially Sophia. Sophia was used to following Charlotte’s lead, but once Charlotte’s vision was diminished, Sophia was needed to help guide her Alpha. Sophia stepped up to the plate, and took on the responsibility. The bond between Charlotte & Sophia grew even stronger.

Fast forward to the Spring of 2012. Charlotte had just turned 13. One Saturday morning, Charlotte was digging in her bed, and all of a sudden seized up and yelped. I ran over to her, and soothed her. The whole event lasted less than a minute, and she was very tired after the seizure. We took her to the vet, and they diagnosed her w/ Congestive Heart Failure. Since this was her first seizure, the vet advised us to keep track of them, and if they were frequent, we could put her on medicine. Charlotte remained stable for the whole year.

In the Summer of 2013, Charlotte was now 14, and we took her in for her bi-annual senior exam. The vet advised us that her kidneys were starting to slow down. They did not have a recommended treatment, other than to monitor, and come back if her health changes drastically.

By this time, she was having 1 seizure/month, which we decided at the beginning of 2013 to treat with medicine. She leaned on Sophia much more, and Sophia helped to navigate her through our home. Sophia also made sure that when they were out walking, she always made sure Charlotte was stable before walking ahead.

As the rest of the year went by, and now looking back to our 2013, we realize that Charlotte was slowly slowing down. She cuddled with Sophia more, played less w/ her toys. We drove down to Temecula for Thanksgiving, and she was happy to be in the car with us. She was especially happy when Grandma drove back home with us, and stayed until we drove back to Temecula for Christmas.

We drove back home on New Year’s Eve, and the ride was not too comfortable for Charlotte. She cried a little bit, so I held her in my lap for a few hours. After she had settled down, and I moved her to the car seat with Sophia. Sophia again took on the job of making sure Charlotte was ok.

The first week of the New Year was normal. On Thursday, Jan 9th, we did not know at the time, but Charlotte ate her last meal. She did not want her kibble, even if I heated it up w/ warm water, and made a little gravy. She also did not want to drink any more water. We noticed that she had lost a little more weight too.

I cooked her a special dinner of ground turkey with peas & carrots. Tita Missy cooked her some ground turkey at Christmas, and she loved it. I was hoping that my same recipe would make my sweet Charlotte eat. She was not hungry, nor was she thirsty.

The next morning, we took her to the vet. They examined her, and her temperature was low, and her heartbeat was low. They poked and prodded, but she did not cry. Our sweet Charlotte was just getting tired.

The vet advised that we could bring her home, and make her comfortable. They advised that she would pass within the next few days.

We spent the day making sure she was comfortable and warm. I ran a few errands, so that Joe could have some time alone with her. By evening, she was letting us know that she was ready. We soothed her, and let her know that it was ok to go. We told her that we would miss her, but that we would be ok, and that it is her time to rest. We took a final car ride to the emergency vet. Sophia sat w/ her on the table, and made sure that Charlotte knew she was there.

We shared our last moments with her, and hugged her as we said good night to our sweet Charlotte.

It has been a week, since she has gone to find Pappy. It has been a very sad week, and the house is very quiet. Sophia is learning to be the Alpha, although she still looks for Charlotte when Joe gets the leashes ready for their walk.

Charlotte was always the one to catch our tears when we cried. We miss her so much. We are grateful that she was our doggy. We are grateful that she was here to sooth us during our sad times. And now, as we learn to be a family without her, we are trying to be strong, knowing that she is in heaven catching our tears from above.

Rest In Peace sweet Charlotte. We will see you again soon. Xo

Kristin Antons