CHARLIE’S PAGE

This page is  a tribute to Charlie , (Alaqadar Marsha) born on 12/07/2006 and died 28/02/2016. She was a beautiful, intelligent Afghan Hound, promised to Jill and I two days before she was born.

When she was 10 weeks old we met Charlie for the first time. Charlie’s mother  had returned to her owners with the only other pup from the litter leaving Rosie, an older female Afghan to do the mentoring/rearing/teaching etc.

The next meeting with Charlie at her kennel was when she was seven months old. That is George behind her, the male leader of the pack comprising anything between 6- 10 Afghans depending on circumstances. Charlie took many liberties with George, fortunately for her he seemed to allow much license to misbehave. And believe me a seven month old Afghan can play up.

Charlie came home with us at Easter 2007, a nine month old young lady with a jest for life. She had never been inside a house yet it took only about ten days to house train her. In five minutes she learnt to open the front fly-screen door and not much longer to open internal doors, cupboards etc.

I showed Charlie the couch her predecessor  Kara had used as a bed and  explained that this was her bed and no other furniture was to used. She always obeyed this request, EXCEPT for our bed in severe thunderstorms and when she had phantom pregnancies. That was not up for negotiation. We became used to the occasional night with Charlie lying between us with her head sharing a pillow OR lying across one of us. Thirty kilos of dog draped over you at night !!!!

Charlie quickly became a seasoned traveller to Bendigo

and Castlemaine

and Halls Gap

and Westernport Bay

and Port Fairy

And as far as Adelaide.

Charlie collected many objects  such as gloves, shoes, furry toys, soccer balls, cricket balls etc and proudly looked after them.

She had a cute habit of crossing her legs

She guarded her beds and items

And our houses.

She was free with her kisses

But loved most to be trusted off lead in the Bendigo bush and

at Long Hollow

Charlie had a huge fan club of old and young. I sign off on her tribute to share the first haiku I wrote for Charlie, inspired out in her beloved Bendigo bushland

                                              a scent in the air
                                     there are many choices
                                                 enjoy the sun