MY PAL CHARLIE

Back in March 2011 I fostered Pal for a week before he as adopted (and renamed Charlie).  Recently he has been developing some issues which his family felt were beyond their ability to fix.  They feared that to keep him it might make things worse for Charlie.  To me it seems he became fearful and nervous in different situations and aggressive behaviors were born out of this.  He had bonded with the family's second dog and looked to him for security but when the dog suffered a fatal accident Charlie began to change.  He has bitten some family members when they visited his home and he had been growling at people on the neighbouring property.  This was not normal behavior for Charlie.  He was well behaved and friendly when out and about, but could not be trusted with guests any more and with a large family of kids and grandkids they didn't want to take any more chances.

Since I picked Charlie up on Friday we have been working on relaxing and feeling safe and secure.  We haven't done anything very challenging as even my hardwood floors being different than the ones he was used to at home were cause for fear.  He remained on leash for the first couple of days so he could be nearby and know that I was watching out for him.  He was pulling quite a bit on leash on the first day but quickly relaxed on a looser leash on Saturday. 

On Saturday we went for a walk around Coquitlam with friends and they were respectful of his space.  When Charlie leaned up against my friend to solicit attention we knew he was comfortable with them.  He is good about passing other dogs and doesn't get too excited.  Saturday night included a long walk along the beach and meeting a few dogs along the way.  Mostly we stuck to ourselves though, so he could adjust to me more.  He was mostly calm throughout the day on Saturday, and I was glad to see him relax more.


Charlie on Saturday



Trotting back to me after I called him.


On Sunday we met with foster mom Gloria and her two dogs and two fosters.  We met at the beach and Charlie was happy to be part of a pack.  He remained on leash and I was pleasantly surprised that he was okay without being able to run with all the other dogs.  He got along well with other dogs we met, and I supervised him closely.  He received a few compliments from some people down on the beach and he was fine with being petted. 

Towards the end of our time at the beach....
Charlie started to look a little tired

He is a friendly dog who unfortunately ended up in a situation where he felt insecure and needed to take matters into his own control.  With the right leadership I feel he will be completely fine.  He needs to build more confidence with people in different situations, especially in more confined social settings.  He's a great size (approx 33 lbs) and has such a pretty and healthy coat.  Apart from not knowing how to cope with the issues that had arisen with Charlie, the couple that had adopted him had nothing but good things to say about Charlie and were very sad to have him leave as the other 95% of the time he was the best buddy to take everywhere.   


In the truck on the way home.  He propped
his head up and tried to fight off sleeping.

And as a bonus...here's a puppy-fix.  Such cuteness should be illegal.  If ever I was going to adopt two dogs at a time, these two would be it.  As Gloria says they're a couple of flying monkeys.  So much fun!

Milah (black/tan) and Mitchell (Blonde)