Life with Charlie! Age 1... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

OHMYGOSH WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO ME??? hee hee... Fred left a gift for Charlie's birthday... he opened it this morning... a birthday hat!! He was so excited... uh... not to wear it as much as to want to disassemble it! I got a picture of him (wasn't easy) it's not the best, and he looks a little annoyed, ha ha... but he enjoyed the treat that came along with the hat! We'll have to put this hat on him each year!


It's also cousin Ajaxx's birthday today, I believe he's 6! They had a great time playing and taking a dip in Ajaxx's pool... that was inspiration for Charlie's other birthday gift... his very own swimming pool! He's very excited.

We have hit the one year mark, woohoo! 

Charlie is a sweet beast. Although very much a beast at times he HAS calmed down a little bit, and like I've always said, he's an angel when he's sleeping, ha ha... I think it's now time to consolidate the LIFE WITH CHARLIE blog into our ALMOST DAILY PIC blog. For those who haven't visited that website, we think you'll find it entertaining! Please visit us at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com (link above)- we look forward to seeing you there!

THANK YOU for being part of our lives listening to the Charlie stories since November, it's been so much fun!

Happy Birthday Eve crazy Charlie!!

Well, it's the eve of Charlie's first birthday... has he calmed down any? HA HA... that would be a resounding... N-O! But is he having a good time? Ohhhhh yeah! No doubt about it... This picture is his grandma (Sheila, my mom) attempting to water the flowers, ha ha... Charlie is 'helping'... you judge for yourself... always a laugh! Can't believe the little critter is going to be one year old tomorrow!

the lounger... charlie!

Charlie is pooped after a long morning walk... he's relaxing on the back of a chaise... the life of riley? ahhhh yeah! everyone have a good day!

Happy 11 month birthday Charlie!

This past weekend was Charlie's 11th (month) birthday! Boy does time ever fly! It doesn't seem like he's grown an inch (well, until you go to pick him up, ohmygosh!), but the pictures clearly show that he has indeed grown. He started out so afraid of everything, noise, people, dogs, ugh... going to the dog park has helped him so much, he loves nothing more than to visit with other dogs! He's so gentle and sweet, never unkind, but he does stick up for himself, so don't mess with him, ha ha... He had a birthday weekend of the dog park each day, so today he is quite exhausted! Tomorrow is a pedicure, then Wednesday Dolittles gets more antlers in, woohoooo! A very busy week indeed! This picture was taken when we first went to pick him up, it's the first we had held him and he was very skittish, to think how he was and how he is now, wow, it's a great feeling! In this picture he was a little over three months old - here's wishing you have a wonderful week!

Stay cool my friend!

Whew! With a heat index of 110 today and a heat advisory from noon till 8PM we hope you find a way to stay cool! Charlie does, ha ha... Nothing like a sprinkler unless you're in the water at the dog park! Stay cool and have a great weekend!

Just hangin' out!

Well Charlie has mellowed a great deal in his old age... if he's not curled up in a ball sleeping, he's humped over the sofa arm just hangin' out... there is some construction going on in the neighborhood and that provides him ample entertainment, after all, he's just trying to keep me safe, ha ha... growl......
He does help around the house, he knows how I feel about bugs, inside or out, so he picks them up (and occasionally comes at me with them, omg!), he went to the garage with me today (omg SPIDERS, I swear there is a tarantula living out there somewhere!)... he's very brave. I am... NOT. I hope you get a chance to just hang out today as well! We're going to keep up Charlie's blog until 6/26/10 when he officially becomes a year old. At that time I will incorporate him into my (almost) every day blog... (http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com/) It's been fun! But don't go yet, we still have a little over a month left! Happy trails to you... until we meet again...

Nice day to relax!

Charlie sure has done a lot of growing up since we first got him in November! He used to stay awake ALL DAY, boy have things changed! Now he likes to nap during the day and stay awake at night (heavy sigh)! Today I made Charlie a pillow... he was trying to nap, but with nearby construction, he just had to keep an eye on things... now he's just waiting for Fred to come home... basically, that's what he does for 12+ hours each day... he'll be so happy in a few hours!

A collection of my favorite things...

I discovered the other day, while in the studio trying to paint, that Charlie is a collector... I put his bed out there with me, and one by one he brought his favorite things... his blue chewy from Dolittles, his green doughnut from Hairy Winston, the remains of his bully stick and two antlers... it keeps him very busy... yippeeee!

Happy Memorial Day!

We wish you all a very Happy Memorial Day! Remember what it's all about. Thank you to those who have given their lives (and those who still continue to do so), as well as all the other people who work daily to make this a great place to live!
Life is good... especially if you're Charlie... a picture from James Island County Park dog park, his favorite place... hee hee

The green doughnut!

We went to this waaaaay cool dog store called HAIRY WINSTON in Mt P Town Center. OMG, it was like a kids toy store. Staff had great recommendations including this green doughnut looking thing. It has a guarantee, if it gets chewed through to the red (it's green, inside is red) the company will replace it! AND they will analyze the chewing pattern; if a certain pattern is seen they replace it with their ultra tough one. Though, so far, this owner has not seen one be returned yet! Charlie is working hard to become the first, he LOVES a challenge! After all, he went through a Kong and an Extreme Kong in one day, both about 10 minutes... This was a pricy toy, but if it will be replaced, it's worth it!

OMG he really is part human??

Charlie went on a field trip to Camp Bow Wow... he spent the day there and then Fred and I picked him up... he was very excited to see us. By the time he got to the car (a few steps away), he was utterly exhuasted! He didn't have his normal naps throughout the day (no possible way!)... Later that night we were sitting in the library and I got a photo of Charlie sitting up like a human. Fred was also sitting on the loveseat. He had propped himself up like a human and sat there for a good long while. It was a crazy sight, ha ha... I think he was exhausted and couldn't remember if he was a dog or a human. He is the best entertainment!

Charlie goes to the Farmer's Market...

Here we are last Saturday, well, I should say here are Fred and Charlie... Charlie hasn't been to the Farmer's Market before, and let me say... HE LOVED IT! There were so many people, and it seemed that most had dogs. It got a little tough to navigate through that many people trying to hold the dog, the many bags of good stuff (i.e. strawberries, fresh pasta and sauces, corn, radishes, cucumbers, etc etc... ) He had an absolute blast. We'll have to make another run on Saturday morning... here's hoping we get up a little earlier! Have a good (almost) weekend and if you get a chance on Saturday head to the Farmer's Market downtown!

Life is good when your name is Charlie!

The past few weeks we've decided to see how Charlie does on his own while we're gone... 'on his own' as in not in the sunroom... Hmmmm... first try, we left him and walked to EarthFare... we were gone about 30 minutes... there he was sitting on the arm of the couch looking out the window. I think he thought maybe we forgot to put him in the sunroom... he did great. Nothing wrong at all.. Then each time we left we'd be gone a little longer, so far A-OK! WOOHOO! I did Meals On Wheels yesterday was gone about 2 hours and yipeeeeee the beast did great! So good for Charlie! Today was a trip to Whole Foods, I told him if he was good I would take him shopping... so I did. We walked over to Dolittles and I got him another toy (egads, not cheap, but more durable so hopefully will last a little longer than most toys). He's been trying to put a dent in it since we got back, he is now asleep on the floor. Woohoo, this toy is so worth it! Have a happy day!

Happy Birthday Charlie! Nine months old today...

HAPPY NINE MONTHS CHARLIE! Another picture from the beach, we haven't made it back yet, but soon we will! Starting May 1 no dogs on the beach from 10AM until 6PM, so we'll have to see how the tides work out. High tide no beach at all on Folly, so we need to go closer to low tide... I expect we'll have a happy day filled with walks, chewies, playing in the yard and maybe even with the hose, ha ha... Hope you all have a great day! Treat every day like it's your birthday... celebrate!

Charlie is a star!!

Picture taken by Dolittles pet store in South Windermere and posted on their Facebook page, ha ha... (www.facebook/dolittles), it's hilarious... He loves his new water bottle cruncher toy, brilliant!! Very cool photo btw!

Carrots and ice cubes, carrots and ice cubes...

Another carefree image of Charlie and his trip to the beach. He had the best time! He loved the retractable leash, good for the beach! On our walk today he started with his beasty ways... biting on the leash stopping and trying to drag me towards Doolittles (dog store w/treats)... jumping up and biting at my sleeve... I said CARROTS AND ICE CUBES and woohoo... it's like magic, I told him, when we go home we'll have CARROTS AND ICE CUBES and darn if he didn't start walking like a park horse! With all his big hair he gets hot easy (hence, the ice cubes) and the dog loves carrots! Instead of treats each time he goes out and does his thing, we give him carrots or frozen haricot verts (thin green beans), once in a while he gets a cookie, but runs to the fridge because he prefers a carrot! Ha ha... Have a good day and come back to visit us soon!

Charlie's first trip to a beach... Folly Beach, SC

Ahhhh, Charlie's first footsteps on the beach! We took him to Folly Beach which is closest to our house. He had the best time ever. We weren't sure how he'd react to the water, at first he was hesitant and then SPLLLOOOOOOOOOSH, he plunged right in! He especially liked the tidal pools, warmer for one thing and most aren't deep, there was one that was over his head... he wasn't big on that, but it was good, it let him know that all water you can't touch the bottom (i.e. the pool!)...

He was really lovin it at this point! It was a great day! Was cooler at the beach, just below 70. Low tide was 5:30'ish last night, so that was sweet! We got there a little before 5... came home, gave the dog a bath, the bread had just come out of the bread machine, threw some fresh shrimp in a pot of boiling water and tada... DINNER! Too good! Hope you had a great weekend as well!

Helping to water the yard??!! I LOVE IT!

Hi everyone, this is Charlie... the coolest thing happened today... big daddy put out this thing called a SPRINKLER... and whooooaaaa did I ever want a piece of it! I tried with all my might to take it down but it just WOULD NOT GIVE UP... It made me crazy! I ran around the yard like I was nuts trying to gain a little more oomph to come back and try to take it... finally it gave in HA... I love this crazy thing called a sprinkler! And to me, there is nothing better than helping to water the yard... one way or another hee hee...
Have a good weekend everyone... charlie!

Temptation...

Charlie has taught us to pick up after ourselves... so what prompted me to put my slippers right at his reach I'm not really sure... this was temptation to say the very least... The 'leave it' command only lasts so long... It lasts long enough for me to forget what I said 'leave it' to... then I hear a weird noise, where I know he has something he shouldn't... Surprised? Hmmmmm, nope, not at all... ha ha


Charlie had a blast shaking that slipper running all over the house with it... I finally did get it back, it was very wet, but I got it back... Next time will I put my slippers on that little shelf under the table? Absolutely not... Thanks for the lesson Charlie, ha ha...

The beast is growing up!

This picture was taken the day my mom and dad left... Hmmmmm, so little attention now... When Charlie was young I couldn't get two minutes to myself in a full day... now he sleeps, plays, and is wonderful during the day... I would say he's a 'night dog'... I'm up early, 5AM, Charlie gets up with me then goes back to sleep on the ottoman... but come bed time... the beast is wound up tight! I can no longer read with the light on when we go to bed... if I turn the lamp on he stands on me and stares at it until I turn it off, ha ha... I turn it off, wait 2 minutes and he's fast asleep. Too funny!

The beast meets Bobo!

Well, Charlie finally met grandpa (aka Bobo, a name given by his human grandson)... at first he was hesitant, as he is with everyone... but I can tell you this dog has been pouting since they left! It was a great time seeing my mom and dad, and Charlie had a big time with their socks, clothes, pens and about anything else he could get to... He loved Bobo chasing him, and I think he misses the constant attention (WHAT??!! I guess I am not exciting enough!). I think he's still waiting for them to come back, like they went to the store or something... Come back soon you guys! The beast misses you!

No sissy dogs down he'yah!

I swear you can't be a sissy dog and go to a park in Charleston! When I first saw this sign I thought OH NO... I'm not taking my beast in there... shoot, he'll go after an alligator in a second, just wanting to play and then *GULP*... oh, I would miss the beast waaaaay too much. So I talked to other people, they said the alligators don't really come up that far... hmmmm, ok, but I'm keeping my eye out anyway, and I'm prepared to run like a robber in a zig zag pattern and hop that fence WITH the beast and WITH Fred! Yikes! Otherwise, James Island Dog Park... VERY NICE!!

Happy 8 months Charlie!

Happy Birthday Charlie! You're 8 months old! Woo hoo! Hmmmm, should have ordered a cake! hee hee Charlie is definitely growing up! He's much calmer during the day... he still has his moments in the morning after he finally wakes up around 8-8:30, likes to find things and drag them to you... socks, shoes, blankets, pillows, he's not picky... then he calms back down. He is thrilled that Fred is working from home today, maybe I won't talk so much ha ha... I think I'm driving him crazy... Maybe I'll walk him over to Doolittle's and let him pick out a toy! He does love to shop!
Have a good weekend everyone!

The beast plays basketball!

Ok, so the beast plays WITH a basketball... he had the time of his life! While Fred and his dad were powerwashing the teak patio furniture, I had to find a way to keep Charlie busy, I found an old partially deflated basketball in the garage, he loved how he could grab onto it and carry it around. It was a hit! It's a delight to see simple pleasures enjoyed so much... a lesson us humans should take, hee hee...

What? You think I was digging in mud? Why???

Gotta love a rainy day... the rain part is fine it's the mud that gets tiresome... The beasty one loves to play in the mud, dig up rocks, worms and who knows what else... When he comes to the door, if you just open it and he's muddy he'll come rushing in, mud flying, having a big time... you have to catch him, it's quite a skill, ha ha... then it's time in the sink to rinse the body the face, ugh... I was just thinking to myself yesterday, I need to start doing more weight exercises... well, helllllooooooooooo this pretty much covers it, he's a 16# beastyball that I lift so many times a day, hey... next... iron-woman competition, hee hee!!!

Hey everyone, meet Rue, Charlie's BFF!

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned Rue, Charlie's friend from Kinderpuppy class? Well Polly has sent me some wonderful pictures of Rue... however, at this time Kodak is preventing me from saving any of them EXCEPT the first one... so above is a sweet picture of Rue (she looks used to getting her picture taken, ha ha)... there were so many great pictures (THANKS POLLY!)Rue is a sweetie!

THE ANTLER

I know! I know! It looks like a tooth gone bad... a wicked fang that just kept growing... but rest assured... it's only an antler, the hot new thing for dogs to chew on... at $2.55/ounce I was really hoping he was going to love it! He's had it around for a while, and chews on it periodically. Nothing beats a bully or a flossie but he loves his antler nonetheless! It's going to be a beautiful day, so I think we'll head out to sit the pool later today! hee hee...

Well, it really happened, THE BEAST GRADUATED!

Well last night Charlie received his diploma from Susan Marett (Purely Positive Dog Training) and he received and EXCELLENCE AWARD! (OK, so everyone received an excellence award, but everyone deserved it). The night was bittersweet, he played with his friends Rue and Higgins, and after the class said GOODBYE... hopefully he will have another opportunity to play with those two in the future. They got along well! Everyone in the class did a great job. Charlie has come such a long way since he first came to that class timid and shy, afraid to walk up to Susan. He ended by not only running up to Rue and Higgins, but also to their owners, Polly and Elizabeth! Towards the end of the night he ran up to Susan, he's just becoming a different dog! It's great! Sure, there are things that we will work on, and maybe work on forever (i.e. LEAVE IT, DROP IT, COME) but the more we do it the better he will become! We'll definetly take another class in the future, maybe not at 7:30 (makes getting up at 4:45 pretty hard)... but an earlier class for sure!
Highlights of the evening included receiving a stuffed toy, that he was so thrilled with he couldn't get his mind off of... as well as me spilling the container of treats all over the floor (ugh)... I forgot my camera (OMG)and didn't realize until we were almost there, so pictures were taken last night when we got home. Hey, Polly, Elizabeth, if you happen to be reading this, please send me a picture of your dog one day, so I can include them in this blog! (can send to bstroud1@gmail.com)
So GOOD JOB Charlie and THANK YOU to Susan, and KEEP IN TOUCH to Elizabeth (Higgins),Polly (Rue) & Susan!

Charlie graduates tonight! Woohoooooooo Charlie!

Charlie graduates from Kinderpuppy classes this evening! Way to go Charlie! There are a few things that we'll continue to work on, but he's learned alot, he's been a willing participant and he's much more interactive with other dogs/people. He's come such a long way! I'll have to get a picture tonight... yep, that's me the crazy dog owner taking pictures at kinderpuppy graduation, ha ha... oh well... it's a big deal for him!

Dog Park: on the way, while we're there and on the way home

One of charlie's favorite things in the world to do... go to the dogpark... we've only been to the one on east bay st downtown... nice water view one way, rainbow row the other way, and close to waterfront park... it gets a little dusty, but overall, a really nice place. when we arrived... NO DOGS... ruh roh... there were several big dogs in the ball park next door to the dog park, but hmmmm, there are ways to get out, and i think it's safe to say that charlie will never go over to the other side! all of a sudden dog after dog after dog, he played hard and was a gentleman. he's not afraid of the big dogs, he puts them in his place. he's cautious but plays really hard. he loves it when people are standing outside the park watching, he runs by them all to see what comments he can receive... it's too funny to watch. he had his head hanging out the window on the way there and on the way home... we thought he would be worn out, all this hard play was in addition to the four miles we had already walked, but nope, still full of energy, omg...

Charlie's birthday gift!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE! Charlie turns 7 months old today! To celebrate this milestone birthday (hee hee) we bought him a nice gate to the sunroom. One that he shouldn't be able to climb over (yet to be determined)! It's nice, stands 41" tall and has a gate for walking through... It seems to have pretty big gaps on each side, but when we tested it last night (I spied on Charlie through the bedroom window that looks onto the sunroom), he attempted to fit through, couldn't... walked away, came back and just sat and waited... so this evening we'll give it a test, maybe walk to EarthFare and back and see if he's still contained (oh pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)...

Fred and Charlie... working from home...

Fred is working from home today and Charlie thought he would provide a little assistance... he loves when Fred is home... now to just occupy him so that Fred can get his work done! Come on beast! Off we go...!

Crazy Tuesday! Temporary insanity maybe?

Well the beasty one was pretty good all day, we put the gate up and went out in the sunroom and attempted to paint... worked on it for a bit but the phone kept ringing so we ran out of time to paint... maybe one day soon? Charlie seemed perfectly content to sit in the sunroom with me out there... so that's good to know! He especially liked that the sunroom windows had the screens and were opened. We had the6th puppy class last night, he did pretty good, learned more about 'come' using a lead line from a tack shop, so we'll need to try that one day, running up and down the greenway! Got home from class and he temporarily lost his mind, he ran around and around like he was crazy. He got to play with Higgins and Rue and a new dog named Porche/Porcia? So overall he had a big time and was pretty full of himself, then he jumped up on Fred's lap and instantly fell asleep! Thank goodness!

Puppy class #6 this eve!

Well, we hit puppy class number six this evening... one more to go after that and the beast graduates! Will have to take my camera for that one, ha ha... He's done pretty good, and at least we know what to do to get him to do what we want. LEAVE IT has been a big one... I couldn't believe my eyes when we were at the dog park the other day and he had a plastic bottle cap in his mouth, with people around (gutsy of me, oh yeah!) i said LEAVE IT (in my I MEAN IT tone) and he dropped it... I almost fell over, ha ha... Yipeeeeeeee, the beast done good!

Clean-line-Charlie... the yard has had another makeover...

Sweet picture of the beast, right? Until you look closely and you see banana tree juice all over his face. For some reason he's had it in for the banana plants since we brought him home. He likes to shred them with his teeth and pull big strips off... well, he got further along than we realized... we decided to go with his suggestion for clean lines and cut them all down this past weekend... drippy creepy and large they were... they're fine unless the layers of 'skin' are peeled off then they drip juice which was all over his face. The result was much nicer, a nice big wild palm has been growing and is quite nice!

I looooooove Friday!

Charlie is thrilled that it's Friday! This picture was taken last Friday, and he looks like he's laughing... ha ha... Well, we got another load of wood delivered and 20 bales of pine straw so I think we'll be busy... so the big plans for Saturday... get up, have a fire, drink our coffee, then head out to the yard, where we'll load the wood in the garage and work in the yard, get it nice, put out the 20 bales of pine straw so the beast doesn't get muddy every time he goes out in the rain... oh... then a birthday party in Goose Creek... whew... then home, start a fire and no doubt fall asleep! Looking so forward to the weekend!

Morning is all about reflection... from charlie...

Hey there, this is charlie... i'm having a hard time getting going this morning... i'm trying to meditate, after all, morning is all about reflection... i'm trying to take it easy today, that puppy class wore me out last night... and all that playing... whew... then i came home and felt really energized so i ran so many laps around the house that i fell over from exhaustion into a deep sleep... then these people wake me up moving around at 4:45AM... what's the matter with them anyhow? Can't they see that i'm trying to get my rest? The lights are on, they make noise, they TALK TO ME... good grief... I'm trying to SLEEP! My motto is: If it's dark out... leave me alone, I'm getting my beauty rest! Then the one tries to put eye drops in my eyes this morning... yeah, that was fun... crazy broad... no I don't want your treats this early and I don't want you putting drops in my eyes! Hmmmm, I'm sounding a little grumpy... back to sleep for a bit... I run to the bed and jump in and it's so comfy (they finally put an ottoman next to it so I can get in and out, that only took 3 months, jeez!), but then I have to run back to my perch on the sofa so I can see what's going on outside... my next to favorite time of the day is watching people leave for school/work... it's big fun... my favorite time of day is when Fred comes home! I LOVE WHEN HE COMES HOME! He doesn't play like a sissy like some other people we know... she tries, she throws the ball for me (you guessed it, she throws like a girl, but at least she tries!)... I'm happy that it's already Wednesday! Two more days and I can be sitting in front of the fire relaxing! WOOHOO!
Have a good day!

Another wonderful weekend!

We had another wonderful weekend, spent mostly in front of the fire... Thanks Fred for such a good time! I mean whew... we had cake/cookies for the beast, a trip to the grand opening of Petco which was such big fun (and included a photo shoot for charlie!), wonderful food, many long walks and an overall great relaxing time! WOOHOO looking forward to the weekend again! hee hee... Above is a picture of charlie with his very best friend! He is so thrilled when Fred is home!

Charlie does Meals on Wheels...

I really wanted these photos to show Fred and Charlie... they're the troopers that helped me do Meals on Wheels today, the nice lady I usually do it with was under the weather. Fred was off today for President's Day, so we packed up the beast and off we went... I don't believe I mentioned WHY we had to bring Charlie...? We were about to leave after putting him in the sunroom with treats, his Kong with peanut butter, carrots, etc. etc. and he looked at us and climbed the gate... we both stood there with our mouth open, absolutely couldn't believe our eyes! So now we need to get hardware to put the gate Fred's dad made us back up, one that can't be climbed, or so we hope! So the three of us delivered meals... Charlie was great! He stayed in the backseat without whining... Fred knew the route because he always does Meals on Wheels with me whenever he has a day off. Charlie was very excited! ha ha...

Happy Valentine's Day Charlie!

Happy Valentine's Day to Charlie! We had a wonderful Valentine's Day... spent it in front of the fire all day and most of the night! We did take a break to swing by Sugar Bakeshop for a caramel cake (for us) and for a few specially baked treats for Charlie! What a delight! You see him sniff it first... hmmm, not sure what this weird smell is (ginger molasses), then he was crazy playing with it, swatting it around, licking it half to death until finally... he ate it! It was too funny to watch! He makes everything so much fun, no matter how trivial... I think we should learn a lesson from dogs... they're happy, no matter what you do or say, they love you... be happy and love unconditionally... our motto for this Valentine's Day! Hope your Valentine's Day was happy too!