Thanks for all the emails! The suggestions about what we should look for in a new “Charles” were awesome, and the stories about your own puppies kept me laughing. So, let me give you an update.
As you know, the pups are all healthy and growing so fast. They are running around and chewing everything in sight, including the walls. Remember that scene from Bambi when he is learning to walk and keeps falling? We have lived that here daily over and over again. Sometimes I feel so bad for the little guys trying to walk, but other times we can’t stop laughing as they all trip over each other and then end up rolling around biting each other. It’s like WWF for puppies here. They are so cute.
When it came down to the picking of our puppy, well it was really hard. Everyone had opinion who should be our next Charlie, which also means picking the one pup we are keeping. All the others pups will leave, but the one we chose as Charlie – that one stays with us forever. I took a liking to one pup right away. She is one of the yellow puppies and is really sweet and quite. But as sweet as she is, she is just not a Charlie. Then I started to call this pup Kimmy and it stuck. So Kimmy is not our Charlie, but I can’t let her go!
So we started to think – which one is the best Charlie? Charles, our original dog, is so stately and serious. That is how he got his name. Years ago my parents saw this puppy that was so well behaved and regal and had to give him a proper name – Charles Lafitte. Then when they started the foundation they thought he would be a great fit our family foundation’s name. A little different, but that’s us, a little different but a lot of fun!
Then it hit us – for our next Charlie we should look for a puppy that is more like us. We brainstormed on who we are and who we want to be: friendly, fun, loving, driven, smart, spunky, spirited, and, yes, even a bit quirky. This made the search a lot fun and, in the end, really easy. Charlie stood right out from the other pups. She is playful, energetic, smart and always ready for adventure. When we made the decision my dad picked her and she climbed right on him and licked him. The decision was sealed – sealed with a kiss!
But, great news, my mom said I can keep Kimmy too! She is so sweet and Charlie needs a playmate. We have two perfect pups that are officially staying. The rest leave next week and I will be so sad to see them leave. They are all going to really great families, but I will miss them.
So Charlie has a lot of work in front of her. She gets to be the apprentice to Charles and learn everything about being the face for the foundation. I am confident that she will do great – she has the cutest face!