Tag: dog

Update on Charlie Bones

Posted on by Staci Mauney

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)

In my last blog post, I wrote about how Charlie Bones played so hard that he ran into a doorframe, gave himself a concussion, and had to spend the night in the puppy ICU. (You can read that post here.) Five days after that, he started having symptoms again—wobbliness, lethargy, and sensitivity to touch. He hadn’t hit his head again, but we had gone for a short walk. I worried that I’d allowed him to do too much too soon, and back we went to the hospital for more tests. Continue reading “Update on Charlie Bones” →

Charlie Bones and the Puppy ICU

Posted on by Staci Mauney
Charlie Bones on the way home from the animal hospital

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:9)

Last night, I took Charlie Bones, my Yorkie-schnauzer mix puppy, for a walk late in the afternoon. As usual, when we got home, he wanted to keep playing—the walk never wears him out and only seems to give him more energy. He brought his favorite squeaky ball to me to throw so he could play fetch, which we did numerous times. My house is small, and I was in my office, so I threw the ball into the living room. Charlie would chase it down and run back to me at full speed. On one return trip, he either misjudged the opening to the doorway or his paws slipped—whatever caused it, the result was that he crashed headfirst into the doorframe. He looked stunned for a moment, but then he resumed playing as if nothing had happened.

But within an hour, he began wobbling and having trouble walking, and when I approached him, he flinched and backed away. Something was wrong, so I loaded him into my car and drove him to the emergency animal hospital. That was only my second trip to the emergency hospital ever—the first trip was almost a year ago, on March 30, when I rushed my Yorkie, Lilly, there after she started having breathing problems. Continue reading “Charlie Bones and the Puppy ICU” →

Connecting with a Stranger

Posted on by Staci Mauney

And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)

A recent trip to JCPenney provided an unexpected opportunity to connect with a stranger. When I was checking out, I noticed that the employee was wearing a sparkly necklace in the shape of a paw print. I hesitated to say anything. My shyness still comes out sometimes in these situations, but I felt a nudge, then thought, Why not? What could it hurt? Almost everyone appreciates a compliment, right?

So I complimented her on the necklace, and she told me that she’s a dog mom. She mentioned that she doesn’t have any kids of her own, but her dog is her baby. I told her that I’m the same way—and then I showed her a picture of Charlie I pulled up on my phone. She, in turn, showed me a picture of her dog. We talked about how spoiled they are and laughed, knowing exactly what the other meant. Continue reading “Connecting with a Stranger” →

Charlie Gets a Nickname

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“For we are God’s handiwork…” (Ephesians 2:10)

My new puppy, Charlie, met my parents for the first time last week. I had warned my dad that I was expecting him to come up with a nickname for the little guy. He had nicknamed my Yorkie, Lilly, “Lilly Doggins,” and people still ask me about her and call her by her full name.

My dad did not disappoint me—Charlie is now “Charlie Bones,” so named because he loves to chew on his bone-shaped chew toys. One evening, my dad stared calling him “Mr. Charlie Bones-Jangles” after the song, “Mr. Bojangles.” It’s a bit of a mouthful though, so we quickly shortened his nickname back to “Mr. Charlie Bones.” Continue reading “Charlie Gets a Nickname” →

Introducing Charlie

Posted on by Staci Mauney

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10)

Meet Charlie! Charlie is a three-month-old Yorkie schnauzer mix (a schnorkie) who came into my life at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, September 10, 2022. His previous owner is a handyman who has fixed a number of things around my house over the years. When working at my house recently, he asked about Lilly, my Yorkie companion, since he didn’t see her running around or hear her barking. I told him that she had passed away in March, and a little while later, he asked if I would be interested in another dog. He told me about Charlie and that he couldn’t keep him because he is gone for work so much, and he showed me a video of Charlie running and playing. He set up a time to bring Charlie to meet me, and I adopted Charlie on the spot. Continue reading “Introducing Charlie” →