[Dailydrool] Young Charlie's birthday

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

Young Charlie turned six years old on December 11.

I cannot believe he's so old. Can we really have had him a little  
over five years? All that time?

When I look at him I can see that the white in his face is creeping  
into the red, that the perfect red mask on his face is disappearing.  
I can also see that he has an adult body and mature dog's energy  
level. But I also see the lithe, slender puppy he once physically was  
and continues to be in his heart. It's a strange thing to look at one  
dog and instead see two, a young one superimposed over a mature one.

We had a dog-friendly cake for him with six carrot stick candles on  
the top. We sang "Happy Birthday" and took photos. We cuddled him and  
told him we hope he gets many more birthdays. I even told him I hope  
he continues to meet his self-imposed quota of one naughty act a day  
because the merry twinkle in his eyes when he's standing in front of  
me with a magazine in his mouth, asking me to chase him, makes me laugh.

The decision to change Charlie's status from foster dog to *our* dog  
was Ken's birthday gift to me. I told him that's all I wanted that  
year, and how lucky for him that it'd be a gift he wouldn't even have  
to shop for or wrap. I'm not sure Ken thought it was all that lucky,  
but he acquiesced with good grace. Charlie has, without a doubt, been  
the best birthday gift I've ever had and ever will.

Happy Birthday, Young Charlie!

Elizabeth