Tribute to Charlie

Charlie was a 6-7 year old rescued basset we fostered for a short time. He'd spent his life as a junk yard guard dog, and his owner discarded him when his body could no longer handle being tied outside all the time. He was taken in by Basset Hound Rescue Quebec and placed in an excellent kennel. The hope was that he might be placed in a foster home where he could learn to be around people and have a chance at a real life.

Charlie was a 6-7 year old rescued basset we fostered for a short time. He'd spent his life as a junk yard guard dog, and his owner discarded him when his body could no longer handle being tied outside all the time. He suffered from severe arthritis in his hind legs, deformed front legs and malnutrition. He also weighed about 100 pounds, and almost none of it was fat! This is gigantic for a basset.

He was taken in by Basset Hound Rescue Quebec and placed in an excellent kennel. The hope was that he might be placed in a foster home where he could learn to be around people again and have a chance at a real life. We agreed to foster him and give him that chance.

It was rough going at first, with a couple of biting incidents and other aggressive behaviour. But within a couple of days, we were freely petting Charlie and he'd become a part of our family. He had his own bed, his own eating area, and he was completely housetrained.

Unfortunately. his aggressive behaviour slowly returned. Not towards me, but towards anyone who came between himself and I. His attachment to me became so strong, he saw anyone who came between us as an obstacle, and he dealt with obstacles with mounting aggressiveness. It got to the point where he was outright attacking Otto to chase him away from me. And he did everything he could to prevent Otto from eating. Eventually, he started showing aggressive behaviour towards Tiffany too.

Charlie was unresponsive to firm commands. A stern "no" would get anyone growled at, even myself. Having been bitten (to bleeding) by Charlie before, I was not keen on suffering the same fate again. I grew afraid for the safety of Otto and Tiffany. A consultation with a dog trainer who deals specifically in aggressive behaviour confirmed our worst fears; Charlie was probably better off put to sleep before he injured someone.

On July 24th at 12:30pm, Charlie went to that great big basset meadow in the sky. We had it done in our home, the best home he's ever known. We find comfort in the fact that we were able to make him the happiest he's ever been during his short stay with us. But it seems unfair that he had to go just because he loved me too much. I miss him terribly. This page stands as a tribute to Charlie, who was a part of our family we'll always love and remember.