Charlie

Please don’t let Charlie’s large gruff exterior deter you, inside he’s as sweet as candy! His loving eyes hold a gaze like no other. Sure, he has a huge head, controlled by a bigger heart. Charlie wants nothing more than to be close to his people….and I mean really close! Personal space means nothing to him – you can take things out of his mouth or move him when he’s asleep. If you look up Velcro in the dictionary, imagine Charlie – stuck to you, leaning so hard you could topple over if you don’t steady yourself. Where you go, he will follow.

Mornings can be rather interesting, especially in cooler weather. He has a burst of energy and will “race” around the house literally bouncing off furniture and playing with his housemates – it’s typically his prep to go out to potty. This can be problematic at our house because all his friends are at least 30 lbs lighter than him. Charlie doesn’t really have a concept of his size, at all. For this reason, we believe he will do best in a house with sturdy human and canine companions.

Charlie enjoys being outside watching for squirrels and other critters, or lounging in the sun. His potty habits are impeccable, and pretty predictable. When he starts to get crazy excited (ok, annoying), then it’s probably time to go out.

High on his list of favorites – treats (which he takes ever so gently), any couch or bed (even the people bed), going for a car ride, barking at strangers out the window, toys (squeaky, crinkly, Benebones and balls), and playing fetch. He has been known to unstuff some stuffies and enjoy playing with the “carcass”.

Things that make Charlie nervous or agitated – thunder, dogs barking on the other side of a fence on a walk, and random events on a walk that make him want to sled-dog home. We learned to never pull him by his collar, always use a leash to redirect him. That must have been a trigger in his original home.

When we’re out of the house Charlie is crated. We needed to do that during his heartworm treatment and determined it’s best for all involved to crate him still. He happily goes in to get his treats. And boy howdy, he gets SUPER excited when we come home to let him out. We can hear him barking with excitement from the garage. We make sure to open the back door before we open the crate…then stand back for the rush.

When left to roam, Charlie has been known to find things that aren’t his…let’s say he can have a voracious “appetite” for books. From a decorating perspective, you’ll want to move any table or desk away from in front of a window. Charlie will jump on furniture to look outside.

Charlie never met a couch or dog bed that he didn’t like. When we’re watching TV in the evening, he wants your undivided attention while he gets comfortable so he can snuggle up with his giant (heavy) head on your lap. OK, sometimes it takes a while, with lots of head butts and moving around before he finally settles for a nice long nap. In order for everyone to get sleep, and avoid midnight meandering around the house, we broke the cardinal rule and let Charlie sleep in the people bed with us. He does take up a lot of the bed and eventually settles around our feet quietly for the night. He’ll wake up when you do and happily starts the day.

The ideal home for Charlie will have a yard, people to adore/follow/use as pillows, yummy treats, comfortable beds and a couch big enough for everyone. He’s wonderful with his housemates, likes to be brushed, comes when called, crates well for up to 6 hours and is an epic love bug. If you don’t mind your personal space invaded by an 85 lb Irish Wolfhound/Mastiff mix – Charlie’s your guy.