“This is what love looks like.”

September 17, 2016 5:20 PM

Charlie Bear, a 15-year-old black lab mix with a brain tumor, lived to see his person happily married. (SL Washington Post)

(Alternate link for non-subscribers)
Photographer's Facebook page

posted by Johnny Wallflower (32 comments total)

It is dusty in here. 🐶
posted by k8t at 5:33 PM on September 17, 2016 [3 favorites]

Yes, so very very dusty.
posted by killy willy at 5:34 PM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Well, that just made me get up from my computer and go cuddle my yellow lab for a few minutes. I got the WTF look at first, but then there were ear scritches, and there's always room for ear scritches.
posted by Chanther at 5:37 PM on September 17, 2016 [7 favorites]

Ahh, that was lovely. Thanks for posting, Johnny Wallflower.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:45 PM on September 17, 2016

Shit.

I lost my beautiful black cat to a brain tumour in 2010. Now I'm happy about this story and yet my heart tears apart again.

There is nothing you can do and it is so quick. So damn quick.

Thank you. I guess?
posted by Kitteh at 6:06 PM on September 17, 2016 [5 favorites]

TT___TT

.
posted by Deoridhe at 6:07 PM on September 17, 2016

.
posted by evilDoug at 6:12 PM on September 17, 2016

Good dog, Charlie. Good boy.

::cries::
posted by Archer25 at 6:14 PM on September 17, 2016 [4 favorites]

I am grateful to say that members of my own family would do the same thing. These are wonderful people, people with their priorities straight.

So glad that the moment was shared. Charlie Bear smiled.

Okay, allergies are acting up now, where are the damned tissues...
posted by kinnakeet at 6:21 PM on September 17, 2016

I'm going to go snuggle my cats now and hope that I have a long time yet with them.
posted by bile and syntax at 6:34 PM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

I can't look at this right now. I just had my dear cat of 12 years, Tipper, put down 10 days ago due to an aggressive cancer. Tissues are never very far away right now.
posted by michswiss at 6:54 PM on September 17, 2016 [8 favorites]

I'm sorry you lost your friend, michswiss. It's so hard to have to put our beloved pets down even when you know it's the compassionate thing.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:42 PM on September 17, 2016 [5 favorites]

I saw the link, and thought, "That's going to make me cry." And I clicked the link anyway, and it made me cry.

My last cat was apparently sick for years. She saw me through a divorce, a cross-country move to stay with family while I sorted my shit out, another cross-country move once I had my shit sorted, and my move into my new place. Three or four days after I moved in, she got so sick that I had to have her euthanized. While I try hard not to ascribe human or human-centered motives to animals, it very much felt like she wanted to make sure I arrived in a good place before she exited my life.

RIP Charlie. You were a good dog.
posted by lazuli at 8:00 PM on September 17, 2016 [17 favorites]

What a great story. What a happy smile in that picture!

Run free at the Bridge, Charlie. You have a heck of a story to tell!
posted by SisterHavana at 8:15 PM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

bawling
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:55 PM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]

I cried. My big girl heard me say, "Oh, puppy!" and she got up to check on me, and now she's staring at me with her big brown eyes. I'm okay.
posted by suelac at 8:57 PM on September 17, 2016 [8 favorites]

This story got me up for TREATS AND WALKIES! And an extra treat in honor of Charlie Bear, who is a very good boy.
posted by mochapickle at 9:19 PM on September 17, 2016 [4 favorites]

Animals are so very important.
posted by eggkeeper at 9:49 PM on September 17, 2016 [4 favorites]

What a good boy. What good humans. Treats and walks for all!
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:12 PM on September 17, 2016

Oh, Charlie.

I am flat-out sobbing right now because my beautiful, wonderful black lab, my best friend for the past 7+ years, went to live with my ex yesterday. (I'm moving back to the US, and my ex didn't want me to take him, and I didn't have the energy to fight yet another thing when the past year has been full of fighting things. I will regret this to the end of my life, I know. I love you, Rufus, and I am so sorry.)

Please hug your pets for me, folks. Thanks.
posted by minsies at 12:01 AM on September 18, 2016 [20 favorites]

Aw, minsies, hugs for you, too.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:03 AM on September 18, 2016 [3 favorites]

Hugs, minsies. So sorry you had to do this.
posted by kinnakeet at 4:43 AM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Oh minsies, I feel you. I had to leave my beloved Thalia behind when I divorced my ex. I was also moving to another country, plus there was just no way I could break his heart and take our dog as well. So I gave her up but I never gave up on loving her. This was many years ago now and she's passed away, but she was loved by my ex (and me from afar) to the end. Big hug to you.
posted by widdershins at 7:40 AM on September 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

Widdershins, it does make me feel better to know I'm not the only one who has been in this situation. (I did have the double whammy of the ex deciding to divorce me and then deciding that I couldn't take Rufus with me, too, so, yeah, my heart has thoroughly been broken.)

Still, Rufus knew and (I'm hopeful!) knows that I love him, wherever I happen to be.
posted by minsies at 9:11 AM on September 18, 2016

Minsies, widdershin, they know! They always know you love them.
posted by mochapickle at 10:57 AM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

This made me cry and cry, but in a good way. What a beautiful Lab he was, especially with the flowers about his chest and head in those wedding photos, they really popped against his black coat. There's nothing like a faithful dog's love.
posted by Pocahontas at 11:32 AM on September 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

All my dogs just got squished cause they deserve it.
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:37 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

WHY ARE DOGS ALLOWED TO DIE WHY

Excuse me, I need to squish a German shepherd now.
posted by corb at 2:39 PM on September 18, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yep, saw, the first pic in the article and started to tear up. Was full on bawling by the end.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:39 PM on September 18, 2016

Imma be glad that I hit the WaPo 10 articles paywall and still walk away sniffling just from the comments in the thread. Hugs to all pets and all of you.
posted by misskaz at 3:55 PM on September 18, 2016

What a lovely story. There are truly no better friends in this world or that than our animal pals. Must go smooch my dear, sweet calico, and then my pugnacious black cat with her heart of gold.
posted by but no cigar at 5:36 PM on September 18, 2016

So lovely. My current DogMonsters are a Boxer/Husky/GSD mix and a Pibble, but I have a huge soft spot for Labradorks. My Jack was Lab/Pibble. Murphy was Lab/Aussie. Nicky, my first dog, was an AKC registered black Lab. They are sweet and loving and loyal. And dorky.

Good boy, Charlie. Rest easy.
posted by MissySedai at 10:59 AM on September 19, 2016