Charley Brown

I may sound like a psycho, but I love my dog. He is so much like a child to me- not that I put clothes on him or anything... but he understands me so well *when he wants to listen to me* that sometimes I have to spell out words like "g-o", "p-a-r-k" or "o-u-t-s-i-d-e" or he'll go nuts thinking we are going to leave. He understands who "Daddy" is and anytime I say that, he'll run to the door to see if Casey is here, even though he's been gone for 6 months. I love the 'kid' and I am obsessed of taking pictures of and with him. He's got this hilarious personality that makes me think he's human sometimes. I love that if I have a good or bad day at work, he is always so happy to see me walk through the door. Then we go through his little butt-wiggle-dance that he does to greet you. (It has been said that he could get a part-time job to be a greeter at Walmart... if people didn't mind him licking, I think that would be a good fit for him.) I guess that leads me to 'the tongue thing'. He does this weird thing where he licks the air. The theory is that his nasal passages are small so maybe it helps him breathe better. Either way, it looks like he's so excited that he's trying to talk to you. Inevitably, he licks so much that he gets little pools of slobber on the sides of his face, and if I don't wipe it away quickly, it'll end up on someone's pants or worse, on someone's face. (My roommate has experienced that numerous times!)
Charley is one of those dogs that is scared of everything. He is very submissive and wants to be friends with everyone and everything. People are terrified of him when they first see him sometimes (at least in South Carolina) because they always think he's mean. He has the constant pout on his face, and I guess he might look intimidating sometimes, but he wouldn't hurt a fly... on purpose. Oh, speaking of bugs, he LOVES them. I guess I shouldn't say "wouldn't hurt a fly" because he likes to chase bugs and play with them until they are dead. He comes running if I come across a Palmetto bug and let out a squeal. He's always there to kill/play with whatever is causing me grief.
He is very cuddly and can often be found napping next to me on the couch while I watch TV. Sometimes he hears noises or music that interests him and he gets up and cocks his head sideways at the TV. I think he understands when I say, "It's okay, buddy, it's just on TV," because normally he'll leave it alone.
He never sits at his bowl to eat his food. He takes a few pieces out of the bowl at a time, walks into another room, and eats it there. Then he'll do it all over again. And when it comes to treats, he has learned that the Kong (plastic cone to put treats in) is a good way to manipulate me into giving him a treat- he will take the empty one in his mouth and either put it in my lap, or throw it at me. He knows if I have it in my hand, I am more likely to fill it up.
I could go on and on about the dog, but I guess that's enough for now. He's pouting right now because it's raining o-u-t-s-i-d-e and we can't go to the p-a-r-k today. :( Lord knows that whenever we go somewhere on a walk, he's basically walking me instead. :)