By Julia Brewer of Crunchies Natural Pet Foods
In 2008 our lives changed forever. While house hunting in South County a small beagle came out of the woods and starting walking down the deserted road. We both saw him at the same time and just looked at each other and knew immediately. We pulled over, he stopped walking and sat down. We ran down the road and picked him up. He was covered in fleas and ticks and looked so worn down it oke our hearts.
He went back to Crunchies with us and we called the vet. After trying to clean him up we put him in a crate on a bed until his appointment. When it was time to go we pulled him out and he didn’t wake up. We thought he had passed away. He was just so exhausted from his travels and probably had never had a soft spot to sleep.
Turns out he was quite sick with many health problems including Lyme disease, heartworm, lots of buckshot throughout his body, and a stomach that was filled with bones from eating whatever he could find. This in turn tore up his whole digestive tract. The vet was not sure he was going to survive and warned us not to get too attached. It took only a few weeks of lots of love, lots of medications and good food to get him healthy enough to be neutered to help prevent the pre-cancerous prostate cells that showed up.
Charlie had very bad separation anxiety at first and never left our side for a few years. So he came to work with us every day, trade shows, business events, all family events and many stores. When we got married he walked me down the aisle and was the belle of the ball for the whole weekend. People have gotten to know Charlie at Crunchies and he would sleep in my office and every time someone came in and asked about him he would come out to visit and get a treat – too many times a day.
He has been with us for 9 years now. Now that he knows that we would never abandon him his separation anxiety is much better. I work from home most days he is now semi retired and enjoys every minute of it!
His gray hair may show his age (around 15) but you would never know it. He has a holistic vet, Dr. Alison Key that gives him acupuncture every month and he also sees a chiropractor every month. Even some months he has a cold laser & massage treatment. He sleeps on a memory foam bed with and likes to have clean sheets and his bed made up every day. His Grandmother even bought him a silk pillow to lay his head on! From an ex hunting dog that was shot and left in the woods to silk pillows and clean sheets his life has changed quite a bit too!
As it turns out that trip to South County was the best thing that ever happened to us.
