Charleston Chew is an older dog who lives in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and his owner is Sharla Wilson.
Sharla recently moved to a new apartment, and like any good dog mom, she brought her pup along with her. However, when you get older, life changes get harder and harder – even when you’re a dog. That was certainly the case for Charleston. Not only did he have to get used to his environment, but he also had one big problem: He had cataracts and could no longer see.
Though Sharla had gotten Charleston when he was only a puppy, he moved into his new apartment when he was already 11 years old, and that’s pretty old for a dog.
Since Charleston and his mom are so close, he likes to know where she is at all times.
When he was a puppy, that was never a problem. He could see properly and was easily able to follow her wherever she went. However, now that he is older, he was having a harder time. Charleston didn’t know his way around his new apartment, and his eyesight was worse than ever. That means that it was very difficult for him to find his mom at times.
When Charleston Chew couldn’t find Sharla, he would start to howl.
The sound he would make was very loud and grating, and Sharla was afraid that he would soon start to annoy her new neighbors. Of course, she wanted her dog to feel comfortable and to be able to find her, but she also didn’t want her new neighbors to hate her. Her plan? She put up a hilarious and friendly sign that let her neighbors what was going on.
The sign started out with, “My name is Charleston Chew and I’m very sorry for my howling.” It went on to explain why Charleston was howling and asking the neighbors to please forgive the sound. It was funny, heartfelt, and surely assuaged some of Sharla’s new neighbors.
One of those neighbors was 23-year-old Megan Jones.
She didn’t live on the same floor as Sharla, but she accidentally took the elevator there one day. And when she did, she saw the sign that Sharla had posted on her door. She thought it was sweet and hilarious, so she decided to take to the internet to show her support for Charleston Chew.
Her story went viral, and people from all over the world shared their support for Charleston.
It just so happens that this behavior is relatively common for some animals, as making a sound is one of the easiest ways to determine where they are and who they are around when they start to go blind.
But the funniest part? According to Megan, Sharla didn’t even have an account on Twitter, so she didn’t know that pictures of her dog were circulating the internet. However, once she found out, she made a Twitter account right away, so Charleston Chew’s fans could see more pictures of him.
Sharla shared what it was like to care for her aging furry friend: “He’s been my friend. He’s been everything. It’s heartbreaking to see him struggle, but I’m doing my best to accommodate him. It’s absolutely worth it. He’s been one of the greatest joys of my life.”
Sharla and Charleston Chew’s bond is close, and their relationship is inspiring.
While getting older is hard no matter who you are, it helps to have a loved on giving you a helping hand along the way. Charleston knows that he can count on his mom for support, and that’s what really matters.
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You howl all you want Charleston, honey pic.twitter.com/Cv5bLk0ogh
— ☾ (@jegan__mones) April 30, 2018
