CHARLIE – 3 Legs of Love

April 24, 2014

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In honor of the phenomenon they call, “Throwback Thursday”, I’m dedicating today to my 3 legged foster beagle named, Charlie!

Back in February, Priceless Pets asked me to foster Charlie. He was a senior beagle with 3 legs. He had spent most of his life with neglectful owners. He was kept outside most of the time and was hardly paid attention to. He had lost his leg when he got it stuck under a fence and ended up getting it amputated. Apparently, this was enough for the owners to decide they did not want him anymore and went to dump him at a high kill shelter.

Before he even made it there, he was rescued by a woman that kept him for 7 months. From there, Charlie went and stayed with another Priceless Pets foster before finally making his way to my house. Once again, this was a new experience for me. I knew NOTHING about beagles. Let alone, a 3 legged one who needed to be on a special diet. All I know is I had the room and Kurtis was starting to get better so instead of asking myself, “why”, I decided to ask myself, “why not?”.

The first day I brought Charlie home, he made himself right at home. I thought I had Penny and Elvis in another room. Well, I was wrong and all 3 met each other at the door. Charlie walked right past them like he owned the place. It was the funniest thing ever. He walked right past them and made his way to the backyard. Penny and Elvis looked at me like, “Who did you bring home, now?” This is what I love about Penny and Elvis; they could really care less what dog comes in here.

I only had Charlie for 7 days before he got adopted but that 7 days was so much fun. I realized walking a beagle is nothing like walking my bullies. These dogs catch a scent and they’re gone. And even though Charlie was missing a leg, he did not let that hold him back. We would all be walking and out of nowhere this senior beagle with 3 legs would change direction and pull me, Penny and Elvis wherever he wanted us to go!

On top of that, he figured out how to go through the doggie door in a few days. Keep in mind, Penny and Elvis have never even bothered to figure out what it was especially since it’s had a cover on it since before I got Penny. Well, Charlie figured out how to lift the cover and get through there. Penny and Elvis would look at him like he was a magician. For a minute, I thought he was too! One day I was taking the dogs out and I got halfway down the street and I turn around to see Charlie following us down the street. I took him back to my house and made sure I shut the door, I go back down the street, turn around, and there he is again! I literally double checked his lone front leg for a hidden thumb. So I put him back in the house but this time I wait….and sure enough our little “Houdini” figured out the doggie door!

During my “Beagle 101” training, I get an instagram message from an old friend from high school. The message read, “Thanks to you and your pictures, my wife is making me drive 500 miles to come adopt Charlie.” I seriously thought he was kidding but he wasn’t because they had submitted an application for him that day. They had a senior Great Dane and an adult Chihuahua already. They both fell in love with Charlie’s pictures and his story! They were the perfect home for him because they were exactly the OPPOSITE of his previous owners. He would be inside all the time. The only time he wouldn’t be was when he would go on walks or laying out by the pool. It took Charlie 7 years and one leg but he FINALLY was going to the home he should have had when he was born.

These days, Charlie’s name is now Sammy. Sammy was his original name growing up and he actually responds to it much better than Charlie. He’s living the life! Once again, Priceless Pets stepped up and saved this guy’s life. And once again, the power of social media found Sammy his forever home! I’m telling’ you, if you think sharing a post doesn’t make a difference, I have a 3 legged beagle who had a family drive 500 miles to get him because of a picture they saw on Instagram.