Guess what sweet little gherkin on wheels has made her way to the available page. It’s Charlie! Charlie was surrendered to FBRN after she sustained a back injury resulting in hind-end paralysis, and her family was unable to afford the care she needed to manage her Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).

Charlie has been nothing less than – you guessed it – an angel while in foster care. Sweet as sugar and fast as lightening, she lives with multiple resident dogs, from a Chihuahua to an English bulldog, and a Frenchie foster sibling who also has her own set of wheels. She has met children and is very well behaved around them. If she does go home to a family with kids, they should be old enough to understand Charlie shouldn’t be roughly handled or picked up. Otherwise, there isn’t a person or canine Charlie has met that she didn’t like and vice versa.

While Charlie has undergone extensive treatment (physical therapy, water treadmill, cold laser and acupuncture), her therapist does not believe she will regain use of her back legs. That doesn’t stop Charlie from scooting around the house in her drag bag (protects her previous back legs from friction sores) or racing her Frenchie foster sis around the neighborhood in their carts! With Charlie’s hind-end paralysis comes urinary and fecal incontinence. Charlie is on a strict bladder expression schedule five times a day (6a, 10a, 2p, 6p, 10p) to manually empty the urine from her bladder. If you are not familiar with the technique, it can be a little tricky at first but most people can become proficient and comfortable with some practice. Her consistent schedule also helps Charlie to keep her bowels empty (potentially) but, since she has no control, there will be unexpected poop from time to time so an understanding household without much, or any, carpet may be best.

Charlie is used to having someone around quite often. Consistency with her schedule is key and she has not been left alone for more than 3 hours at a time while in foster care. Applicants who work from home or have a flexible in-office schedule will be prioritized. We’re absolutely sure that Charlie would be great for employee morale, if not productivity. One of Charlie’s favorite things is the one-on-one human time she gets during her at-home exercise sessions but she also love toys and playing fetch in the yard while in her cart.

Foster mom says, “Charlie is such a pretty, well-behaved lady. She loves to be where the action is. If she hears a car door shut, she scoots into the front room to see what is going on. She is comfortable being in her crate if her humans have to go somewhere. She has not let her hind-end paralysis get her down. She can scoot across the floor to greet you or to check out what the neighbors are doing. Such a happy girl who deserves a family that will help her live life to the fullest!”.

Charlie is petite enough to fit in an under-the-seat carrier inside the cabin of a plane, or if you’re up for a road trip, so is she; she travels really well in a car! Whether by plane, train or automobile, if you are chosen, plan to head to Southern California to pick up this happy little nugget because FBRN does not ship dogs as cargo; adopters are expected to pick up their dogs from their foster family.

FBRN dogs are in foster care in people’s private homes. For the foster families’ safety, we do not disclose specific locations, and we don’t set up meet and greets prior to applications. For detailed information about the dogs in our care, please read the extensive bios on each dog.