Charlie passed at the age of almost 8 years & Jesse/Charlie came back in a new body to give me the next 6 years Charlie could not.

The Miracle of Charlie (aka “Chuck”)

August 26, 1996 – October 27, 2004

It was the fall of 2004 when, suddenly, my wonderful dog and companion, Charlie (da Chow Chow), was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had just turned eight years old. The specialists gave him two weeks to two months.

Charlie and I were truly blessed with time to say our goodbyes—for now. The Great Universe gave us almost that full two months. We had special times—home-cooked meals, lots of walks and rides, and heartfelt one-on-one chats.In late October, Charlie let me know it was time as I looked into his big brown eyes—the awesome gateway to his soul. When I gave him his medicine that day, I promised him it would be the last medicine he’d ever have to take. I don’t know if I could have gone through with it if I hadn’t made that promise to him.

Charlie and I went for our last walk of the season at the park until he tuckered out. The drive to the vet was about 20 miles but seemed like 10,000. He wind-surfed all the way there—he loved to ride!

After the deed was done, I stayed with him for about an hour at the vet’s office. I talked to him and told him to go to the light—to go visit with his family waiting for him. Just as I said that, the lights in the room started flickering. I asked, “Charlie Bear, did you do that?” and they flickered again.

 

As I sat there with his head in my lap, I told Charlie he must make it VERY CLEAR to me which Chow Chow body he would come back to me in. My only stipulation was that he had to be the red-headed female.

When I came home that night, a friend had left a message saying he had bred his female Chow earlier that same day and had puppies in the oven for me. (He knew Charlie was sick but had no idea what had happened that day.) He also mentioned that another litter from the same father (different mom, of course) was due two weeks earlier.

As it turned out, the father of both possible litters was named Charlie, and the man who owned Charlie was named Chuck. That was a pretty awesome sign that my boy was on his way back to me! Then, I found out that Papa Charlie was actually my other dog Bubba’s littermate from five years ago!

Okay—definitely my boy/girl was on the way back to me! That’s Jessie at 26 days old 12.16.04 ~ 8-18-11

 

 

 

Then, of course, the committee in my head started: Oh great—two litters, and they will all be red-headed females!

I began making a list of possible names for my new arrival. On December 22, I was speaking to my girlfriend when she politely told her daughter, “Jesse, get off the phone!” And bingo—that was it. Her name would be Jesse.

Later that night, the phone rang. The puppies were born today. There were three males, two females, and only one red-headed girl—the one I had been waiting for. (The second litter never came to be.)

A couple of weeks later, a friend looked up the meaning of the name Jesse—it meant God’s Grace. Oh yes, God is GREAT!

At 26 days old, I finally got to meet my Jesse girl. What a doll! I whispered to her, “Charlie Bear, you came back to me.” She put her little nose behind my ear and nuzzled. My baby was home.