We say goodbye to a much loved member of our team...

On November 25, 2016, we said goodbye to Charger who was a  Course Content Contributor for many of my examples in the Walks ‘N’ Wags Pet First Aid Course that I teach.

We adopted Charger on March 16, 2015 at the age of 9 from Golden Rescue, where he was being fostered in Manitoulin Island. We knew he would be hard to adopt out because he was a Senior with a number of health issues. He stole our hearts the moment we met him. Molly and Emma, our other two Goldens, welcomed him with wagging tails.

Charger was a big Golden with a gentle soul who loved everyone. Those who met Charger instantly fell in love with him. He would want everyone he came across to stop and say hi. He lived every day to its fullest and slowed our walks down to a crawl teaching us to slow down and smell the roses, the trees, the grass and anything else of interest. He would greet us when we got home with his happy barking song. It's one of the things I miss most about Charger.

He loved to swim and especially loved his water therapy sessions at Dog Paddle K9 Aquatics in Bowmanville (www.dogpaddlek9aquatics.com) which helped rebuild the muscles in his back end. ​He also sufferred from year round allergies, which resulted in severe skin infections, as well as lung issues and pancreatitis.

To all of those at Pickering Animal Hospital (www.pickeringanimalhospital.ca), Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Scarborough (www.tveh.ca) and Dermatology Department at 404 Veterinary Emergency and Referral Hospital in Newmarket (www.404vet.com), we can’t thank you enough for all the amazing care you provided to Charger over the short time he was with us.
 
Charger crossed the Rainbow Bridge on his 11th birthday from a massive blood clot, and although his loss has left us with heavy hearts, we are comforted by the fact that he made his final journey knowing he was loved.  RIP sweet boy.
 
Here is a short video of Charger celebrating life.