Charlie is a dog who has had a rough go of things during the early stages of his life. When he and Mackenzie first met, it seemed as if the dog had all but given up on the prospect of finding his own forever home. He was 7 years old at the time and struggled to make eye contact with any of the other dogs or people that passed by. All he could do was stare at the wall in his kennel.

He was residing at New Jersey’s Associated Humane Tinton Falls. While he had been able to find a home initially, the people who took him in were forced to bring him back. His inability to make it up and down the stairs was not something that they wanted to deal with. His owner simply did not have the ability to bend down and pick him up each time so it was back to the shelter for Charlie.

Mackenzie wanted to change Charlie’s life, though. She knew that this dog was a much friendlier animal than he appeared to be. His exterior might be skittish but on the inside? There was a happy pup just waiting to come out. Since he had a funny way of walking and was not as friendly as the younger dogs, Mackenzie believed that his potential was hidden away from the rest of the world.

She asked to take Charlie outside to spend some time with him. He remained withdrawn at first. When she brought her own dog Baxter into the yard, Charlie’s whole demeanor shifted. The two dogs hit it off right away. The shelter workers told her that she could come back the next day and bring Charlie home with her. Mackenzie was very excited, of course.

He was examined and it was determined that his strange walk was caused by a back injury. While he still cannot ascend a flight of stairs, he makes do. He is a very good dog and he causes no trouble. Mackenzie and her boyfriend love to take him on shorter walks and they are sure to carry him whenever they end up encountering a flight of stairs.

If you would like to help out other dogs who are in Charlie’s predicament, contact the Associated Humane Services in order to find out more. We are glad to see that Charlie is so happy. Thanks to Mackenzie’s ability to see past his exterior, he will now be living out the rest of his days in the home that he has always deserved.