We first met Charley on Saturday, August 15, 2009, and from the moment we met him we knew that he was meant to be part of our lives. Charley's given name was "Reyker the Viking" and he used to live with his brother and their owners in an apartment. Reyker's owners turned to Miniature Schnauzer Rescue after they lost their jobs and could no longer afford to care for the two Schnauzer boys.

Reyker's "foster mom" invited us to her home to meet the little boy, hear his story, find out his needs, challenges, and habits, and even go on a walk together. She brought Reyker to our home on Sunday, August 16, and we welcomed him into our family and gave him a new name, "Charley." We introduced him to our parents, our friends, our neighbors, and the neighborhood Scottie dog . . . all in the first day!

We both grew up with Miniature Schnauzers and love the breed's loyalty, intelligence, curiosity, and confidence. Charley is certainly loyal, intelligent, curious, and confident. In addition, he is extremely affectionate and playful. At first, Charley wasn't interested in playing with toys. He didn't quite seem to know how to play or what to do. Eventually, he warmed up to the idea and now loves playing with his various squeaky toys (hedgehog, raccoon, squirrel, and football). He also loves to chase the birds that visit our bird feeder and the neighborhood cats that try to enter our backyard.

In the beginning, Charley attempted to take us for a walk by pulling on his leash and barking at every dog, cat, or small child we met. This was extremely frustrating because it felt like every step was a small battle. However, we knew that we had to teach Charley how to master the walk and to acknowledge us as his true "pack leaders." We are happy to report that he is doing much better on his walks and will often look up at us with a toothy smile as if to say, "Thank you . . . I know you love me."

We have also enrolled Charley in a basic dog obedience class which has provided new opportunities for socialization with other dogs as well as a chance for us to learn how to best work with Charley and teach him how to overcome his fears.

Charley has brought so much joy to our lives, our marriage, and our home. We love coming home to his wagging tail every night after work and love to have him greet us at the side of our bed every morning. We can't imagine our lives without him, and sometimes feel like he has always been with us. He is a huge blessing!

We would like to say "Thank You" to Miniature Schnauzer Rescue and to Karen, his foster mom, for matching us with Charley, our special little schnauzer boy.

Warmly,

Brian & Beth
Salem, Oregon