Let me explain...
When Mark and I adopted Charlie 3 years ago, they told us he was "about 2". This number was based on the veterinarian's assessment. Because of the amount of plaque on his teeth, which there wasn't much of, it seemed that he was a younger dog - a puppy still.
So since I've never celebrated his birthday, I took tomorrow off from work and have a day of fun planned for us! The day will be all about him.
- We will goto Devou Park, where he can traipse around off-leash.
- I will clip his toenails, trim the hair growing between his paws - which he actually does not enjoy. so I will have to do this in a few sessions because he gets annoyed with me touching his paws when he knows I have an ulterior motive.
- And we will enjoy a dog-friendly birthday cake, which my lovely, dog-loving friend sent me the link to (http://www.mnn.com/food/recipes/stories/how-to-make-a-dog-birthday-cake)
I'm reeeeally looking forward to paying extra special attention to Chuck tomorrow. Since we moved, he's not allowed up on the couch or the bed - which he's totally fine with - but it gives me less down-time with him. So I've been inviting him up on the bed a few nights a week for some cuddles before sleep - which I actually think is a bad idea because now I find him sleeping at the foot of the bed a few nights a week.
Which brings me to my next topic. Since I last wrote, Charlie and I have moved a total of FOUR times!
- Mark and I broke up in 2013, which prompted my move from the Bronx back down to Brooklyn. I found a lovely roommate on craigslist (of all places!!) who loved Charlie (she called him Muffin <---it makes my heart burst! I still call him that sometimes). Charlie and I happily lived in that beautiful apartment for about 9 months... But I was unhappy living in New York City. I wanted more space, fresher air, more privacy, more opportunities for Charlie to run around, less commuting back and forth to work and everywhere in between.
- So we packed up and moved to Columbus, Ohio. We moved into the basement of a house my sister and her two roommates and their two dogs were renting. Charlie was welcomed with open arms. He got along so well with the other two dogs (who I'm pretty sure taught him bad habits - like getting into the garbage, and going to the bathroom in the house). He had a fenced-in backyard to run around in (and escape from). We had our first bon fire together. But it was crowded.
- So we packed up (not much to pack, since I didn't really UNpack) and moved to a lovely, safe, and quiet neighborhood (read: BORING) called Westerville, Ohio. It really was lovely there, but a bit disconnected from a bustling city (funny, I moved away from NYC to find that I missed the hustle and bustle). Not only that, but it was difficult to get around, to get to the action. I didn't have a car - just a bike - and public transportation is positively a nightmare to try to get to downtown Columbus.
- So after 11 months there, and much convincing from my boyfriend, we moved to the lovely Covington, KY. I love it here. Our apartment is fabulous, and our family has expanded by exactly 4 k-9 legs (my boyfriend's dog). We walk and/or bike nearly everywhere. We are 5 blocks from the Ohio River (to the North), and no less than 5 bridges to quickly get us across the river to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio! We cross the bridges multiple times a day. There is SO MUCH to do here! So many beautiful historic neighborhoods. SO MUCH opportunity to start our business. SO MANY places to walk the dogs! We have a lovely side yard, plants, a fire pit, a balcony with a beautiful view of the Cincinnati skyline, and the dogs have lots of new places to smell and walk to!
Charlie is doing very well. He's come so far from where he was. He's still very attached to me, and he LOVES living with another dog. This other dog is a BIG dog. But Charlie bosses him around, in an annoying little brother kind of way.
I'm making a #chatbooks book of photos of him. It's almost complete but it won't be here in time for his birthday, so I'll post pics of him with that once we get it in a week or two.
It's good to be back on the blog!!
