While perusing social media the other day, I ran across an animation featuring a dog.
A voice asked the dog, “How did you get here?”
“I don’t know.” The dog answered. “My owner just hugged me and then here I was.”
The scene then changed to show the owner hugging his dog who was sitting on a table. Another person was at the table. It was a veterinarian holding a syringe.
I shuddered when I saw that. I flashed back to April 20, 2018 when I was in a similar situation with the TharpSter Pit Bull.
At the same time, I flashed forward to a time in the near future where I may have to do that again.
In recent months, Charlie (aka Mag-B the SLab) has endured declining health. She had developed inoperable, cancerous nodules around her mammary glands. All we could do is treat that issue with pharmaceuticals which we hoped would slow the spread of the cancer.
She also started losing control of the back half of her body. This is typical in breeds of her size and age.
Whereas I used to take her on two to three walks a day, those stopped a few days ago when she refused to even leave the house.
Charlie came to us with that name.
I don’t know the reason behind it. When we adopted her, we decided to leave her name intact. She had recently been abandoned in a backyard somewhere, and we didn’t want to introduce anymore chaos into her life with teaching her a new call-sign.
We adopted her on September 11, 2021.
That was three years, six months, and three days ago.
363.
This morning at 5 am, Charlie had a seizure. Afterwards she couldn’t stand or do anything else.
At 9 am, she had another seizure. It didn’t last as long as the earlier event, but it was a signal that things weren’t going to get any better. With that, and the animation from a few days ago in mind, we took the steps to get Charlie the care she needed.
An hour later, Charlie joined Faith, Hope, Sunny, Ginger, Chowsky, and Dodger in her rightful place among the bestest, and most beloved friends I ever had.

I thank her for joining us three and half years ago, and my only regret is that I didn’t have more time with her.
I’m going to miss you Charlie.
You were and are a Magnificent Beast.
