Waterlooville man releases book on beloved rescue dog who he saved from verge of death

But in 2009, on visiting the house of the dopey-eyed Labrador and greyhound cross he’d spotted while flicking through the paper, it was clear that this was not going to be as straightforward as he first imagined.

Now, 13 years on, Roy has put pen to paper and released a book on the extraordinary life of the community dog who was once inches away from a life destined for misery, inescapable hunger and suspected beatings.

Roy, 73 and his wife, Teresa, 68, from Waterlooville had long dreamt of having a loving canine companion by their side, after losing their previous dog 10 years previously.

And having just retired, Roy felt it was the perfect time to move on to the next chapter of his life and give his full attention to a pet he knew he could spend quality time with.

However, on entering the house for the dog advertised it became blatantly clear to Ray that this pooch had gone through suffering and neglect.

‘When we went to the house in Poole the poor thing looked like a skeleton and I couldn't believe what I was seeing,’ says Roy.

‘We were in complete shock.’

Roy and his wife were beside themselves trying to come to terms with the fact any animal could be treated that way.

They knew then that it was up to them to be the heroes of the hour, coming to Charlie's aide and saving him from a family who couldn’t give him a happy life.

Speaking about the time Roy first saw Charlie, he says: ‘He was extremely thin. He had all of his ribs sticking out and you could see the bone in his head. ‘[Charlie] was also very narrow on his hind quarters.

‘I asked what he’d been fed on, and they said he'd only eat the odd scraps when they were available.

‘But from looking at him, it didn’t look like he’d had many "scraps” at all.

‘I was angry inside but I didn't show the anger because I thought the owners might show us the door if I showed anger.

‘I should have reported them really but I was more concerned about getting the dog away from them.

‘On the way home, after we'd bought him, the first thing I did was visit a pet shop in a precinct and I bought him some biscuits.

‘He nearly bit my hand off because he was absolutely starving,’ he says.

Aged about two when the couple rescued him, Roy learned that Charlie had been bought by their first owners on a whim after their son came back with him one day.

The family quickly grew bored and said they were unable to care for him any longer.

On asking for the owners to provide certification for Charlie’s vaccinations, Roy says they ‘told him they’d got lost’ and they couldn’t provide a name or address for the vet they had supposedly taken him to.

At this point it was a no-brainer.

Charlie had to be taken into Roy and Teresa’s care where they could not only restore him back to health, but show him what real love was again and restore his faith in humanity.

‘It took about two or three months for Charlie to trust us,’ says Roy.

‘He was very timid and scared when we first rescued him.

‘If I took my belt off my trousers he would run into the other room so it was obvious he’d been cruelly treated.

‘He would never go in the kitchen. He would hold back and refuse to go in.

‘I think this was because his previous owners starved him.

‘When he found food in the kitchen he probably went in there and they’d beat him.

‘I think that’s why he’d never go in the kitchen again.

‘He wouldn’t like to go near other people but eventually we got him over all of that and he made friends with the locals.

‘It took a time but once he came round he was a happy dog and he showed us a lot of love and we gave a lot of love.

‘My neighbour felt such a strong love towards him that they went all the way back to the flat and walked up three flights of stairs just to get a treat to satisfy Charlie.

In Roy’s book on Charlie’s life called For the love of Charlie, Roy goes through the different stages of his life in each chapter.

It starts with his early life, the middle years, the late years and the twilight years which Roy says were the closing stages of his life.

It depicts the devastation as dog owners of losing a dog that became their child and how Charlie’s life lives on through the hearts of Roy and Teresa’s neighbours in their tight knit community at Crookhorn.

An extract from his book shows how Charlie became a friend to many with his inspirational tale: Our neighbours Kevin and Tracy always brought Charlie a treat.

But on one occasion they forgot to bring out his treat and just walked past his gate and they were hoping he wouldn’t notice.

But no such luck. He was having none of it. He would howl at them as they passed. He just would not stop until he got his way.

By now Kevin and Tracy were in fits of laughter so they walked back to Charlie's gate and Kevin stayed there while Tracy walked up three flights of stairs just to get Charlie his daily treat.

Throughout the 12 strong years that Roy and Teresa watched Charlie develop into a bounding, characterful bundle of joy, they shared holidays and faced tragic experiences, one during a walk on Portsdown Hill when he became trapped in barbed wire while snooping around in the bushes.

‘He nearly died then from loss of blood,’ says Roy.

Despite Charlie being larger than life and often finding himself in trouble, he was the perfect balance for Roy and Teresa who spoilt him with long walks, toys, treats and bundles of love.

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After his death on March 2, 2021 the couple set up a memorial for Charlie which includes a statue of him and a plaque on their front gate which reads: ‘This garden was Charlie’s garden. A wonderful dog, now in God's Garden.’

In Charlie’s final chapter of life, written through the words of Roy in his book, Roy speaks of the last time he got to see Charlie before he had to be put to sleep.

With his little face looking across to me with those big, loving brown eyes, his eyes glazed over and he just drifted away and he was gone.​​​​​​

At that moment, I could feel my world had been split apart, but Charlie was so much more to us, he was a child we never had. We brought him from a cruel existence from one of happiness and joy.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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