It’s been nearly four months since I came home to find Sadie and Charlie scuttling around our home with my dog, Lucy, on the evening of November 6.
That night, I’d been at a concert when Patti texted me the news about Sue and Kehau, our neighbors who I’d known for 19 years. I cried in the car. When I got home, there were two Burbank police officers parked outside our house, awaiting the coroner's report. Patti was inside, still in shock. But thanks to her quick thinking she had accepted custody of Sadie and Charlie to prevent the officers from taking the dogs to the pound.
It took a while for things to calm down. I spent the first two nights on the sofa with Charlie curled in my arms, because that was the only way we could get him to sleep, with his little body pressed into my arms or the crook of my knees.
Eventually, we worked out how they liked to sleep — Sadie curled inside her ‘burrito’ bed, like a Hot Pocket, and Charlie cuddled in a pile of blankets like the Princess and the Pea. Feeding them was also tricky because it took detective work to discern what they liked to eat from the dogs’ behavior and remnants of their belongings in our neighbors’ home. But we put all the pieces together, the dogs taught us their routines, and we had a lovely Christmas with our new visitors.
It’s Charles in charge, as he is the smallest, with the biggest personality. He loves to play with his sister, rolling on a blanket, and they both love to cuddle. Charlie, aka ‘the cylinder,’ also has an endearing party trick of dabbing with his paw to get our attention and then slowly sitting back on his little haunches to balance vertically with his paws curled. We believe it’s, ‘Look how cute I am,’ or perhaps a trick that his mommy or daddy taught him. Sadie is more stoic but likes to bookend us with her brother on the sofa. They were clearly adored.
Everyone gets excited in the morning when it’s time for walks. I learned to put a little harness on Sadie and Charlie as their cylindrical nature makes it easy for them to slip out of their collars. They both bounce about like Tigger until they get their little jackets fitted, and then they are ready to race out to greet the world. Don’t forget the poo bags. Squirrels, crows, cats, and a neighbor’s tortoise are their friends. Charles can be bossy when he greets another dog (he’s a little Jimmy Cagney) but with people and little children, both he and Sadie are always cute-cute-cute.
Sadie is not fond of the gardeners, and Charlie does not like the mailman. It requires a stern authoritative ‘no,’ to stop that barking. But they are otherwise good around the house, perfectly house-trained with doggy-door navigation skills. I have all their papers, medical records, beds, harnesses, and toys. Plus, we have been blessed that our neighbors and friends of the deceased kindly donated food and supplements, so we have a stash of those ready to go when the day of their adoption arrives.
We will most certainly miss them. Charlie’s face is usually the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning, his little body planted on my chest. We taught them not to sleep on top of us, but they normally hop up to greet the day — come on, time for walks, and breakfast!
My dog, Lucy, has been an angel, sharing Patti, me, her toys, and bones with her little friends from next door. She’s known Sadie, and then Charlie, since she was a puppy. I’m sure she’ll miss them, too. But we do need to make sure these two find a new and loving forever home. We can’t afford their upkeep or to permanently rely on the kindness of friends.
It’s a big responsibility to be a dog owner. Both Patti and I have been blessed with that before. And we are so grateful to have found help with the adoption agency, Angels With Me. One thing’s for sure, Sadie and Charlie will be an instant love injection for anyone who takes them. They are a bonded pair, and for their new family all that love and affection will be returned tenfold.
Update: Sadie and Charlie have found their forever home! Huge thanks to Angels, and to all who've helped us with kindness and support. Read on for update here.
For more info:
Adoptapet: to adopt, click here.
Photos: for more cuteness, click here.
