Charlotte

I got Charlotte before the life I have now. She was a bridge in a way between single Claudia and married with a kid Claudia. She was there for both worlds. I was in my late 20s and very sad after ending a relationship that wasn’t quite right. My dear friends during that season, JJ and Leslie, got me through those tough days by basically adopting me. They had me over to their house for dinner multiple times a week and they just took care of me. They had a bichon poodle named Grace Darling... and Grace Darling somehow knew I was sad. She would sit by me and put her head in my lap and she made me feel better. That’s when I realized that life might be better with a dog. 

So I decided to get a bichon poodle of my own. 

I found Charlotte on the internet from a breeder in Missouri and I knew when I saw her pictures that she was my dog. Her original name was Angel and I changed it to Charlotte after my beloved hometown, but she sure was an angel too.

A puppy is hard work and having never had a pet growing up, I had no idea what I was doing. On the 2nd night I had her, I gave her away to JJ and Leslie because she would not stop whining in her crate. They graciously kept her for the night so I could sleep and told me they would keep her if I decided I didn't want her. (They later told me that they absolutely knew I would keep her.)

I had lots of friends to help me- like my friend Rachel Bower who helped me train her and properly groom her, and Leslie who went to the first vet appointment with me. I met my neighbors because of Charlotte. I got out of my apartment several times a day because of Charlotte. I stopped being so sad because of Charlotte. 

A few months later it became me and Charlotte and Stephen and then a few years later Hannah. This little pup that seemed at first to be a somewhat rash decision was an integral part of my family for 14 years and absolutely one of the greatest decisions I have ever made in my life. She’s in the background of every home video bouncing around, adding life and joy to the scene. She was the sweetest pup and also the most high maintenance, anxious, quirky little thing. She would freak out on hard floors she’d never walked on and we would have to bring towels for her to walk on anytime we stayed at a house she wasn't familiar with. She would lose it at the vet and spike a fever because she would get so nervous. She was a handful sometimes but it just added to her personality. 

She loved cuddling with Stephen and laying on the couch by him while he watched football and she was always sweet and gentle with Hannah. She loved playing tug-o-war and she loved naps. In her younger days she would have what we called 'bichon bursts' and spontaneously start running circles around the house at high speeds. And best of all, she was always so excited to see us any time we would come home. She really brought us so much joy.

Over the last few years she started slowly going downhill until it was clear that it was time to let her go. We said goodbye to our sweet puppy girl on January 31 and to say we were devastated is an understatement. We were all three completely heartbroken to lose her, but we also knew it was time. 

Hannah prays for her still at night and it goes something like this: "God I hope you had a good day with Char and that she had a nice lunch with Moses and fun playing with Paw-Paw and Chase (Stephen’s childhood dog)." I love to think of her running around and having energy again and being her spunky joyful self and not being scared of the floors anymore. We will miss you always sweet Char-Char.