I'd kinda forgotten I even had a brother, and then he left a comment on my blog... and sent a picture... and... there he IS! That's HIM! THAT'S MY BRO!!
The last time I saw him, we called him Chief and me Bailey, and he looked like this:
He's in the blue collar; I'm snoozing next to him in red. We did a lot of snoozing in those days.
Sometimes we'd hang with our sister Sophie (in the pink collar on the left). She was always a real live wire -- No, seriously, no one could mix it up like Sophie! That's her chewing on... I think it's Jake! Thanks for stopping by, Bro, and come back again. We may be older, but we're still two wild and crazy guys!
Gabbie has become so much bigger and stronger than Charlie, that she easily strips the ball from him. Right out of his mouth. Consequently, he is having to learn to play smarter. And, seeing as how Indiana is the "Land of Basketball" and is where Charlie was born, he seems to have adopted some basketball moves - namely dribbling, picks, and spins.
The dribble is Charlie's tease -- he takes the "ball" (usually a Cuz) near Gabbie and briefly drops it and retrieves it. If he's lucky, it bounces and he catches it. In any case, it causes Gabbie to lunge for it.
Then there is the pick. A basketball "pick" is a screen -- one player plants himself in place and his teammate with the ball cuts past him so closely that a pursuer has to break off chase to avoid running into the (planted) player. I don't set a pick intentionally, Charlie just treats me as a permanent one. He grabs the ball and whooshes right past me, Gabbie hurtling after. To avoid running into me (which, fortunately, she does), she has to veer off. This gives him a little breathing room... for a little bit.
But, by far, Charlie's best go-to move is the spin. Ball in mouth, he pivots around her, blocking Gabbie with his body. This is almost always successful, almost always good for keeping Gabbie at bay awhile... at least until he gets dizzy.
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?
We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?
You must work, we all must work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
As a puppy, Charlie was a truly devilish little angel. He was perfect in so many ways - never had accidents, never rarely chewed on anything in the house except his own toys and beds. Yet he had razor-sharp puppy teeth and reveled in using them... inside on toys and dog beds, outside on plants and sticks... and anytime on his people. And he had a stubborn streak that, when combined with those teeth, was formidable! "Charlie won't let himself be toweled dry? No problem, wet dog sounds fine with me. Charlie won't go any farther on his walk? Hey, guess we'll just sit here a while."
The only thing that got us through those early days (and, frankly, some of the later ones) was food. Any food, any time. Want dinner in peace? Time for a rawhide chew. Want to clip his nails? No problem with a helper to feed him tidbits. Want him back in the house? "Puppy treats! Come get a puppy treat!"
Now that he's growing up, Charlie is mellowing a bit. He'll allow himself to be toweled without chewing on the toweler. I can sometimes almost clip his nails myself. And he rarely tries to play doggy-rough with me anymore. But to get him back in the house... well, fortunately that "Puppy treats!" trick still works. Usually.
Happy Birthday, Charlie -- it's still fun working out who rules whom!
Charlie at 10 days
1 month old
2 months old
Charlie at 3 months
4 months
Catching treats at 5 months
6 months
Charlie at 1 year
Charlie at 2 years
Charlie on his 3rd birthday
Happy Birthday Big Guy! We love you!
And, p.s. Happy Birthday to Charlie's sister Sophie in Indiana, too!
That means "Thanks Thor," and I say it because my friend Thor, who lives in Brazil and just turned one year old, gave me this:
He's a golden retriever, just like me... and his birthday is in October, just like me... and he barks Portuguese, just like... well with Babelfish I can read Portuguese. So maybe we're not quite twins... 'cause he's only 1 year old and I'm almost 3. But we're good friends!
A couple of weeks ago I reported how Charlie demands to sing every night. After dinner, he climbs up on my lap to signal it's time. Then he joins in a rousing family sing, the "woooos" being his favorite part. Tonight we caught him on video:
Yesterday, Gabbie came over to play and brought her favorite squirrel toy. The thing is like a fishing pole with a stuffed squirrel tied to the end of the line, and it's really awe-inspiring to watch Gabbie play with it. She's faster than any dog her size could imaginably be!
At first Charlie was afraid of the toy and wouldn't go anywhere near it. But he gradually warmed up to it and began chasing it, too. Then Gabbie joined in and it became a tug-of-squirrel game.
I know when it happened, but I'm not quite sure how. We had been watching the British series "Upstairs Downstairs," and I guess started singing "What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur," but of course changed to "What are we going to do with Baby Charlie." And the next thing we knew, Charlie was singing along. Every night. Like clockwork.
Well, now we've finished "Upstairs Downstairs." And "The Forsyte Saga." And "I Claudius." And "The Duchess of Duke Street." And now we're on "The Jewel in the Crown." So the songs change, but one thing remains the same. At the end of each episode, Charlie still demands we sing.
Summer is beginning to wind down, and it's been cool and drizzly the past couple of days. Makes me want to stay indoors and read, but not Charlie and Gabbie. It really revs them up and makes them want to PLAY!
Ok, that's a joke. Charlie isn't really a water dog, yet. Mea culpa, since most of our water opportunities come on vacation, where there's no good way to clean him up. And when he's stinky and wet, I don't really want him inside the RV.
So this is Charlie's biggest water experience to-date, and I think it went well. He was a little shy at first (because that's how he is about everything), but pretty quickly he waded in and seemed to have fun walking around, sniffing rocks and water plants. Even more so when I went wading with him.
I guess he was proud of himself, too, because even when he went in just enough to barely get his feet wet, he'd come back up on shore and shake like he'd been totally soaked. What a goof ball!
Pretty tame stuff next to some of you swimming pups. But I guess you've gotta start somewhere.
He's in the blue collar; I'm snoozing next to him in red. We did a lot of snoozing in those days.
No, seriously, no one could mix it up like Sophie! That's her chewing on... I think it's Jake!
