Our Beloved Good Time Charlie

We have so many happy memories and stories of Charlie. One I recall so vividly.

One thanksgiving day some years ago, turkey roasting slowly in the oven, table already set, we took our traditional family hike around Lake Hodges to help build up our appetites for the feast to follow. My youngest son Roger had recently acquired a beautiful black lab. You might wonder why a son of a boxer breeder would get a completely different breed. Well being a surfer and a typical year round shorts and flip flop kinda California kid, Roger wanted a dog that was great in the water. He wanted one he could take surfing and out to the river on his boat. Well, we all know that Labs are the very best dog for just that, don’t’ we?

As we slowly walked the path out to the lake with a couple of our boxers and our son and his black Lab Ashley, Roger proceeded to brag about how wonderful his black lab was, especially around water and retrieving thrown objects. “That's why I decided to get a lab”, he proceeded to say, “watch this”, as he wound up the rubber kong on a rope and threw it blindly down into the brush of the canyon. Off went all three dogs after the Kong, leaving us in their dust. Moments later, who should return first with the Kong in his mouth....Charlie! Well, our Roger was not going to give up yet. He insisted on showing us how capable and so much more superior his lab was over Moms boxers. Embarrassingly for Roger, that performance was repeated several times, with Charlie always finding and retrieving the Kong. As the lake came into view, Rogers eyes lit up as he saw his chance to show us how his dog would excel in water over our boxers . We had no doubt on this score, as we did not believe Charlie could swim, or even like the water for that matter.

My dear son Roger was so happy with anticipation as he began to wind up the Kong in readiness to throw it a great distance into the lake. He was determined to show us how his water friendly breed was so superior. Sure enough, his lab took off from the shore, swimming out to retrieve the toy. All of a sudden, there came this great splash from off a boulder beside the lake! Charlie had launched himself into the fathoms of the unknown. With his eye on the prize, he swam like a lab out to the Kong, retrieved it, and passed the bewildered lab, Ashley, on his way back into shore. Again, this performance was repeated. We were in awe of Charlie, as he continued to swim out into the lake with his new Labrador friend, chasing coots and entertaining us.

We made amends with our son later that day when we all sat down to a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Mom’s cooking has a healing effect. My son is married now with three wonderful children, and yes, he still has his sweet, old dog Ashley who really turned out to be the best water dog and family companion.

It’s great to recall some of the many fond, family memories of a truly special boxer, our lovely sweet boy......Good Time Charlie 

Hope you enjoy it too.

Jennifer and Gene