Christensen Animal Hospital

Jenn, our Client Service Manager, tells the story of how she and Charlie met and his introduction to the rest of the family. Charlie had a rough beginning, but from rough beginnings often comes the strongest bonds…

I met this little man back in July of 2010. We had our beagle, Rocky, and were looking to adopt a fellow pup. We came across “Stallone”, as he had been named, at a local shelter. He was estimated to be about a year and a half old. I initially went by myself to the shelter to visit. And I brought my family back later. Rocky and he met and got along great! We came to find out “Stallone” was diagnosed with kennel cough, so after our adoption application was approved (we were 1 of 21 families who applied!) he stayed the week for treatment. Once that was completed, he was neutered and came home! He now goes by Charlie.

Charlie is such a character! He is goofy, fun, smart, and bullheaded all in one little body. He is my son’s very best dog, and the bond they share is unbreakable. Charlie simply loves him. He also is very protective of our family. He is not a huge fan of the mailman, the UPS man, or any person who walks through our yard without permission! But if he’s with us and we introduce them, he’s fine. He’s quite the guard dog for only being 20 pounds.

Every night, about 8pm, he goes through a crazy phase. He begins to roll like an alligator while trying to “bite lick” my husband or me! He is totally playing around and doesn’t bite anyone, but it’s his way to get our girls to play with him and they immediately join! His favorite toy to play with is Jewels, our whippet.

He has added a whole lot of love and laughter to our lives. Our days wouldn’t be the same without him and I’m SO glad the shelter chose us to be his furever family. We love you, Charles Barkley.

Thomas – The day was just too much for him.

We often hear about the bond between humans and animals. There is a certain connection we all share with animals and especially our own pets. I’ve heard some say, “We had an instant bond”, or “It was love at first sight”. One of my own experiences involving my now 10-year-old cat, Tom, was very similar. I was working late at the clinic, and I looked up to see a team member in my office telling me, “You absolutely have to meet this kitten”. Well, I wasn’t terribly fond of cats at the time so I reluctantly followed her over to the front lobby. I watched as this very young kitten, probably about 6 weeks old was being passed from team member to team member and back to the officer who brought him to us.

This little black disheveled kitten was screaming its little head off, all four legs and paws stretched out in distress and seemingly shouting, “Leave me alone! Put me down! Where is my mom!?”. He was pretty cute I had to admit and suddenly the thing was passed to me! I’d never held something so little, and he was already so angry and scared that I was sure he was going to bite me. So, what do I do? Of course, I accepted him into my hands and honestly thought I was going to drop him. He ran up my blouse and hid under my hair. He became quiet, so quiet I thought something happened to him on the journey up my blouse. As we stood around listening to the officer tell us how he found him, the kitten rested on my shoulder, under my hair. Our conversation with the officer and side conversations distracted from the kitten for about five minutes. Then, one of the gals on duty that night lifted my hair and saw he was fast asleep.

“Looks like he found a mom”, one of them said.

…and so, he had.

Thomas is no longer the desperate, distraught, and disheveled itty-bitty soul he was; in fact, he is an avid defender of all things tidy, very demanding, and right where he was meant to be. I was never a cat lover. “Was” is the operative word in that sentence. The bond Thomas and I share is unlike any bond I’ve experienced, and as pet owners, we know every pet is unique and the relationship, unique to us.

Over the next several months we’ll be exploring stories about the bond each of us shares with our pets and how each of those bonds is unique, compelling, and everlasting. In addition to our “The Bond” series, we’ll also be posting other series, articles, and snippets along the way.

Enjoy!

Linn
Practice Manager

The Bond: Jenn & Charlie

The Bond: Linn & Thomas