Cats are well known for having nine lives, but for dogs it is less clear how many times they are able to cheat death.
The Guthrie family’s dog, Charlie, has marked two chances off his board, but in his 14th year the spoodle is still living to tell the tale.
A spoodle is a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle, and his current owners, Phil and Jayne Guthrie and their children, Darcie and Ollie, adopted him from another family when he was two years old.
Charlie’s previous family were moving into a house where having a dog was not possible, so if the Guthrie family did not take Charlie, he would have been put down.
This was Charlie’s first survival story.
Charlie’s second near-death experience, and one of the only times the family was concerned with his health and feared he was on his death bed, occurred last year.
Old age has left Charlie with a bad hip, so a dog groomer recommended a special powder to increase his mobility.
However, after the powder was added to his food, Charlie became extremely ill.
“He was vomiting, had gastro, and he wasn’t eating for days,” Darcie said.
Charlie started showing signs of recovery after Jayne put his food on the table, and after a while, they found Charlie on the table eating it.
Charlie has a few favourite toys, notably his blue ball and football, which he enjoys burying and digging up.
Charlie also has a lust for adventure. Darcie recalls the time her father, Phil, chased Charlie down Wyndham St, Shepparton after he found a way out of the backyard of their previous house.
“He’s given us a few scares,” she said.
Charlie is an active dog and enjoys his daily morning walks with Phil.
“He’s great company,” Phil said.
“I walk him every morning, and he gets me going.”
Charlie also loves his Saturday sausages and Sunday morning pancakes.
The family has a barbecue every Saturday night, and Charlie gets a special sausage.
Sunday morning is pancake morning, and Charlie always has one reserved.
“He loves pancakes and sausages,” Darcie said.
“We always buy extra sausages and extra food for him.”
When asked what Charlie meant to them, all four said that they loved having Charlie around.
“Charlie is literally part of the family. When we write birthday cards, it’s from Phil, Jayne, Darcie, Ollie and Charlie,” Darcie said.
“He’s just not a normal dog. You wouldn’t get another dog like him. He’s just funny, like just the stuff he does — he’s just a funny dog.”
Ollie said he loved Charlie’s presence and the joy he brought to the family’s lives.
“I think Charlie made us more of a family,” Jayne said.
“I think the kids loved him. They would dress him up. They would put him in the pram when he was little. He was very patient with them.”
Phil ended by saying that Charlie always puts a smile on his face.
“He’s easy maintenance, very happy, very loyal, very loving,” he said.