A week ago, we were delighted to have our poodle “nephew”, Charlie Brown, visit us for a few days. Charlie and Angel celebrated his 14th birthday with party hats and extra treats on the “cookie rug” 
followed by a good nap. 
As he aged, Charlie lost most of his eyesight and hearing, so it took him a day to get his bearings. He took to following his beloved Angel around the garden.
They’ve been best friends since they were pups and play non-stop on their visits with each other. 
Last year, they celebrated a snowstorm with their antics – what fun! (click on any photo in the mosaic to see a larger image)
A few days after his delightful visit last week, Charlie Brown passed away in his sleep, in his own home with his human Mom and sister Madison nearby. A sweet funny boy who was smart, gentle, and unfailingly loving, he will be deeply missed. We count ourselves lucky that we had a few last precious days with him. You are such a good boy, sweet Charlie Brown. Safe journey.
Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace. ~Milan Kundera
All text and photos ©2019 Lynn Emberg Purse except where noted.
composerinthegarden 
An honored friend he was, that’s easy to see. You’ve crafted a very nice memorial to Angel’s pal and a being who obviously lit up quite a few lives along his way. The visit was good timing! Hugs to you!
Thanks, Lynn – he was an honored friend. Hugs to you too!
I’m delighted to stumble across your blog tonight while visiting Pauline over at the Contented Crafter. I’m sorry for the loss of your nephew dog, Charlie Brown. He was such a gorgeous boy and I particularly loved the photos of the two dogs playing the snow. I live in Sydney, Australia and there’s no snow here. However, I love reading about dogs in the snow. Sounds like fun.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thank you, Rowena. Yes, Charlie was a darling and we will miss him. Angel especially, since they were such great playmates. I like snow so much better since Angel came into our lives – she absolutely loves playing in it and gets very excited on the first snowfall of the season.
A very moving story about your dog/companion. My condolences.
Thank you Jason; he deserved his story for sure 🙂
Awwww. I’m sorry for your loss of your poodle nephew. It’s so, so, so hard to say goodbye to a beloved furry friend and family member. Dogs bring such joy and unconditional love to our lives.
It is hard, Robin, Charlie was such a cheerful soul that we were so lucky to know. His family is taking it hard but that is because he was such a big presence in their lives. He will be missed. Thank you for stopping by and commenting – greatly appreciated.
Always hard to say that final ‘goodbye’ to beloved pets. Sounds like CB had a great life. May he RIP.
Thank you Eliza. Yes, Charlie had a wonderful life with a great family; we were lucky to have him stay with us for “vacations” from time to time, a beloved member of our extended family 🙂
Ah, so happy Charlie had that lovely time in your garden with his Angel to send him off into Love.
I’ve worked with a dog rescue for the past 3 years. 5 fosters have stayed with us and our (now) 3 cats, but many more have found their way to loving homes…I know every family that opens it heart to this yes will have it broken, eventually, by this loss, but I know, too, that the days and years in-between will be filled with priceless companionship and gratitude, that allows all lives involved sacred time in the garden of love that life invites us to share, while we can…
Great and gentle peace to those who gave comfort, love, meaning, and joy to Charlie’s life, and received his many gifts in return.
Kitty, I still remember your many posts about your pups. How wonderful that you are fostering dogs now – it takes a patient and generous heart to be that bridge between a dog and their family-to-be. Thank you for your kind words; as always, you go to the heart of the matter. Peace.
A beautiful memorial post. They leave their footprints in our hearts forever and that is just how it should be. How special that he had those last days visiting with you and his best pal – such a lovely farewell!
Footprints in our hearts – a lovely way to put that, Pauline. Yes, we were so lucky to have some fun time with him. Thank you.
A truly bittersweet post. It sounds as though he was “your dog” in spirit, even if he wasn’t technically. My sincerest condolences, Lynn. I’ve been through this sort of thing more times than I care to count (more frequently with cats than dogs, admittedly), I have an inkling of how this feels.
RIP Charlie Brown.
Kerry, we took care of puppy Charlie Brown for a few days when he first came to the family as a Christmas Eve surprise for my nieces. I fell in love with him immediately and we got Angel a few months later, inspired by our connection with Charlie. The two of them have been life long friends with frequent stay overs at each other’s house and both have had the advantage of being well loved by two families 🙂 I had cats growing up and yes, the bond can be as deep and the goodbyes difficult. Thank you for your kind words, Kerry.