Charlie
 

     Hi, my name is Cheryl Bonham.
     My husband and I couldn't have children. It just devastated me.
     Then one day I picked up a book "The World of the Golden Retriever: A Dog for All Seasons," written by Nona Kilgore Bauer. I had wanted a Golden Retriever for quite some time prior to reading her book. But what she said about having an empty nest and finding satisfaction caring for her Goldens really hit home to me that getting a Golden would fill my never-filled nest.
     After fourteen years of marriage, we finally bought a house of our own. The first thing I wanted to do was to go out and get a Golden. I found an ad for a seven-month-old Golden female. We drove quite a distance to see her, but she was worth it. She was beautiful, at least I thought. But my hubby didn't care for her overshot lower jaw. We found out which breeder her owner got her from and gave her a call.
     The breeder had a five-week-old litter of 12 Golden pups. We told her that we were looking for a very affectionate pup. My hubby wanted a male, so we looked at the six boys. None were sold yet.
     The breeder knew exactly which pup would suit us. We sat down on the ground with the pups, and the pup the breeder recommended climbed in our laps and gave us all kinds of puppy kisses. I knew he was the one, the little pup with red fur on his muzzle.
     I watched the pup interact with his littermates. He was a happy pup, very sociable. We took the breeder's advice and chose him to be our puppy boy. We named him "Charlie." I loved that name.
     All my life since the age of puberty, I had very irregular periods. I suffered terribly with weeks and weeks of premenstrual syndrome and painful cramps. But after we brought Charlie home, for the first time in my life I started to have regular cycles. I guess only a woman could understand what a miracle or blessing something like this would be to a woman.
     Having Charlie has helped fulfill the longing to be a mother. It never completely takes away the loss of human children, but having him has greatly eased my sorrow. I thank G-d for Charlie.
     Ever since Charlie was a pup, I believed he was meant to be more than just our beloved doggie. He has this specialness about him. He has depth, if a dog can have that, and such a loving nature. We went through pet therapy training recently, and now Charlie is on his way to being a certified therapy dog. We just started our visits, and so far we both love it!