September 29, 2008 - April 22, 2014

Today I held Charley, my sweet angel in my arms as Rocky Mount Pet Funeral & Cremation Services opened up and welcomed her there. Tonight I will look for that bright star that will light up the sky and know that my Charley Girl is now safe; pain free and no doubt lovingly welcomed by Sprocket, Teddy, Othello, Stuffy and Mopsy. My sweet sweet soul; your time with us was far too short, but you left us knowing that you were loved... and more importantly, that your life mattered. You left us all with precious paw prints on our hearts and we will never be the same because of you ..... I pictured her first summer in her own backyard, safe and happy in the sunshine … but that was not to be. Our Charley Boo Boo was diagnosed with cancer in both kidneys just last Tuesday and she quickly lost her battle. Our sweet girl was only five or six years old. We are devastated, my heart is broken and Molly for the first time in her life is without a buddy and will now celebrate her 12th birthday on Wednesday without her Charley. I guess we will struggle through, cry buckets of tears, look at our pictures hundreds of times and just cherish the moments and memories of our family together … and then figure out what to do next, like everyone does. We brought Charley home to share our lives just this past September 29th. From the moment I looked into those deep pools of brown I knew I was her Mommy. I thank God she came into our lives when she did. She bonded instantly with Sprocket and Molly and only 25 days later we lost our magnificent boy Sprocket. Charley came to us from the Fredericton SPCA, a rescue dog indeed. But who rescued who? She needed attention and love and so did we, Molly needed a friend so she wasn’t alone, Charley needed someone to teach her how to be a dog and learn how to play. We all needed rescuing after Sprocket was gone; and we all helped each other. You would be hard pressed to ever find a soul like this girl had. Whoever had her before she was part of us and let her go has no idea what they lost out on, but thank God they did! She added so much to our family, that it seems like she has always been here by our sides. She loved everyone and everyone loved her. She loved to lay with her head on your lap with her paw in your hand and fall asleep. She had that rottie grumble which we know means love and we will miss that terribly. We almost called her Velcro because when anyone came near her she would press her head to your leg and keep it there, even as you walked. She needed that much love. I like to think we gave her everything she could ever need but the way my heart feels right now, I know she gave me so much more. I want to thank Debbie Sewell and Brad of the City Animal Hospital came here while Chris & I hugged and kissed Charley on her own bed with all her dignity until she was gone. Debbie’s compassion, understanding and friendship are what got us through, again. I want to thank Debrah Moore and The Pet Funeral Home, for your warmth, kindness and respect when we really needed it, you made today just that much more bearable, again. I definitely know I could never be this brave for my girl without having any of you involved. I also want to thank Hallie, Jack, Calloway and Bailey for being Charley’s friends for the past eight months; Charley loved going on her play date walks with you. And thank you to all my family and friends, who have called, emailed, texted and sent messages knowing how broken I am right now, I am so grateful I am surrounded by so many people who care. I realize I am sometimes the crazy dog lady, but my pets are my family too and today another piece is missing. Now please step away from your computer and go spend some quality time loving your FURbabies OR your children, that’s all they ever ask for. Sweet Charley Girl you opened our hearts, we love you forever and ever.