Meet Mr. Charlie!!
I'm alive!!
I am MISTER Charlie now - Mister "2000 mile Charlie"...
with all the privileges and treats pertaining thereto!!
August 30, 2009! Dear Charlie has recovered from his heartworm treatments and even more important from his post traumatic stress! He is living the life he always deserved - he wants for nothing and is secure in the love of his Mom & Dad, Mary & John and all his new pals at the Special Needs Animal Sanctuary! Success is so sweet!! Thank you Mary and we wish Charlie the best always!! We salute Charlie as a beautiful Poster Boy for all SNDobes and what is possible when good people join together to help a Dobe to a better life!! Hip Hip Hooray for Charlie!!
Mister Charlie is a seven year DobeGuy whose awful daily existence - you wouldn't
call it a life fit for a dog - much less a beautiful DobeGuy, almost came to
an end when he bloated and nearly lost his life. Ironic that this brush with
death would result in being reborn into a life fit for a DobeKing after his
chance encounter with Mary of Special Needs Animal Sanctuary! She saved his
life but the threat was not over when it was later discovered, after repeated
negative heartworm tests, that he indeed was heartworm positive. The gastropexy
at $1100 and subsequent illness leading up to heartworm treatment added another
$800 to the bill for making Charlie well - every cent worth it of course!
Mary has run a sanctuary for special needs animals - especially Dobermans and their operation was doing pretty well - Mary makes crafts to sell to support her activities. Then the economy hit their family too and funds are just not there to provide for all the extra expenses involved in saving Mr. Charlie. Mary and her husband have done their magic over 27 years helping the chronically ill, old, disabled and discarded creatures that seem to be affected most severely because of their physical state.
Mary's
Story:
"We provided food for him and his owner through our Gretta's Wish program.
His owner got a ride to our house and said that Charlie was very sick. I rushed
to Charlie and he was bloated. I told him it was not good and he went to his
knees crying. I grabbed up Charlie and rushed him to the emergency center. It
was $1,100 and we paid it. A couple of months went past and I noticed him losing
weight. I asked if we could take him and get a heart worm test done and he agreed.
It was negative so I bought some wormer. Charlie continued to lose weight and
began coughing. I asked again if we could take him to another vet for a test.
He agreed. Once again it was negative. By this time I was really concerned that
Charlie was not going to make it. Charlie's owner was also very sickly and I
sat down one day and spent some time with him. I then realized that while it
seemed he loved him very much, he was dishonorably discharged from the military
due to bad conduct. As we were talking he smacked Charlie really hard for getting
up and not staying seated beside him. I bit my tongue. He then told me of how
he would shoot a pistol beside Charlie's head to make him listen. I couldn't
take this any longer. The poor dog stood like a zombie.
I went home and called my vet up in Delaware and asked if we drove up there would they give him a once over. I was out of funds and knew they would bill me. I asked the man if he would let us take him and he agreed. We drove 540 miles one way to find out that Charlie was heart worm positive and had them really bad. They were in his lungs. Dr. Dee said that she did not feel he would make it through the treatment and we should break it up into two treatments a month apart. We decided that I would bring him home and keep him to get some needed weight on. Charlie came to our home with no spirit, no happiness, no sense of how to move without being told. He stood perfectly still. John and I would sit with him for hours and rub him. After a week, when I stopped rubbing him, he nuzzled me with his nose. We did it!!!! Charlie picked up his first toy the other day and help it so proud. We both cried looking at him. He successfully went through both treatments and has two weeks of confinement left. We call him "2000 mile Charlie" after two trips to Delaware. He follows us everywhere we go and sleeps right in between us with his head on my pillow. I went to talk with his owner and he was gone. Nobody knows where he went. A part of me is so glad because Charlie is a dog now, not a robot! His other Dober brother and sisters love him and he has just fit in so well."
Mary tells us that Charlie was owned by a homeless man and what she saw inspired her to tell Charlie's story in his own voice based on her actual interactions with this person. It is a most touching story... If you can't read it with a dry eye, please consider making a donation to Charlie's Fund so we can be sure that Mary is able to continue to help such beautiful creatures as dear Charlie - she gave him a chance - she knew 'he' was in there somewhere... and she was rewarded as you will see!
Charlie's
Story:
"My name is Charlie and I am a seven year old sweet Dober boy. I was owned
by a man who served in Afghanistan and was dishonorably discharged due to bad
conduct. Once home he began suffering with severe mental issues and most of
the time I was his target.
We lost our home in New York four years ago and we packed everything up we owned
and went on the road. We lived in a Ford truck. My Dad sold stuff to make money
for us to eat and for gas. Once all of our things were sold, food was hard to
come by. We would go days without eating. Somehow we ended up in North Carolina
and went to a homeless shelter. They said my Dad could stay but I would have
to leave, so we left in search of food and a place to stay. Our truck broke
down and we were forced to live in a secluded section of the woods.
My Dad and I were walking towards town one day and this lady stopped and asked
if I might need some dog food. My Dad said no at first and then he gave in.
The lady said she would be right back after she picked up the food. As soon
as she drove off, my Dad made us go into the woods so she could not see us.
I'm so glad the lady was smart enough to leave the food where she had seen us.
There was all kinds of good things for me and my Dad. She actually bought him
food too. I had a big bone and fluffy toy, but he would not let me have it and
left it there. Each week the lady would stop and leave food for both of us.
One week my dad was not feeling well and the lady actually came into the woods
and found us. She had a nice long talk with my Dad and it was then she saw how
he really treated me. I was made to sit perfectly still and could not get up
for hours. I was so happy to see her and when I stood up, he hit me really hard.
The lady was really upset. He told her that dogs should be forced to behave
themselves at all times and you should always be in control. He even shot a
pistol beside my head to make me stand still.
Three days after the visit, my tummy started hurting really bad and began swelling.
My dad walked two miles to the lady and asked for help. They rushed back to
me and I heard the lady say that I was bloated and it was not good. Although
my Dad was mean to me most of the time, he did love me and fell to his knees
crying. The lady grabbed me up and rushed me to the emergency clinic and saved
my life. After my surgery, I went home with the lady so I could get better.
They didn't even know I was there. I stood perfectly still and never made a
peep. I had my very own room and big bed. They would come in and sit for hours
rubbing on me. I even got lots of kisses. I just didn't know how to respond
to this. One day when the lady stopped rubbing me, I took my nose and gently
nuzzled her leg. She looked me in the eyes and knew I had so much love to give.
I began following them around and just picked up a toy for the first time. They
both cried. Today, I am a dog! I can get up or lay down when I want to, I can
move without being hit, I have learned that hands are for petting and giving
hugs, guns are for hunting and not making me stand still, I can have a toy and
a bone, and most of all I can push one of them out of bed and not get in trouble.
Just as my life was looking up, I started losing weight and coughing really
bad. My new Mom took me two times to be tested for heart worms and I was negative.
My condition kept getting worse. My new Dad loaded me up in the van and headed
540 miles to Delaware at their old veterinarians office. I tested positive for
heart worms. I needed to have two treatments because they feared I could not
make it through back to back shots.
I got my first shot and left. A month later I got to go again with my Dad and
my Uncle Bill. I even got to stay at a motel and got treats from the front desk.
They call me 2000 mile Charlie and I am feeling much better. I found out that
my old Dad left town without me and I am glad because today I have learned to
be a silly Dober kid!"
Now Mary comes to you, our SND Family, with a plea for help with Charlie's expenses so she can continue to be there... for the next Charlie! If you admire her work, and which DobeLover among us doesn't? Please help Charlie and his new loving Foster Forever Mom & Dad by sending in a tax-deductible donation online by using the PayPal button below, or by mailing one in. No donation is too small; every little bit will help to defray the cost of saving dear Mr. Charlie. Charlie, his new Family and all of us here at SND greatly appreciate your generosity and support!
