In late May of last year, along with a kennel mate named Perfect, a young, frightened foxhound puppy named Charter ran away from his Florida-based Live Oak Hounds kennel handlers two days before the Virginia Foxhound Show at Morven Park. Perfect was caught a couple weeks later, but Charter continued his dangerous journey south to Middleburg, settling in the shady trees on Skyland Farm a month later. After hundreds of sightings and postings throughout the summer by a vigilant, caring group on social media, a month of daily feedings, trail camera watching, waiting for a hog trap from Texas to arrive, the elusive hound was finally caught on September 17, 118 days on the lam.

Emaciated, suffering from multiple tick diseases, and missing half his tongue and a handful of teeth, the biggest challenge for the veterinarians at Blue Ridge Veterinary Hospital was reconstructing Charter's broken lower jaw, injuries likely sustained from the kick of a horse during a night of wandering the neighborhood. It was a horrific injury to endure for the two weeks before he was caught, but the hound's will to eat and survive supported his owners' desire to see Charter healthy and happy again, if at all possible.

After much consideration, it was decided that Charter would not be returned to the pack. Once well enough, he would be adopted by the hospital's veterinary tech Tyler Robic. According to the staff, Charter bonded with Tyler from the first day he was admitted. A match made in doggy heaven on earth as they say.

Now a first year pre-veterinary student at St. George's University School of Veterinary Medicine in Barbados, West Indies, Tyler sent me an update. The story of Charter's misadventure appeared in the September/October issue last year. Here is his letter.

Dear Miss Kleck,

Sorry that I never got back to you this summer, but I had so much to do and the time seemed to just fly by. I'm actually down in Grenada currently, an official St. George's Veterinary student!

I can tell you that Charter is in good hands with my parents currently. They give me updates on a daily basis and send me pictures. Mom said that he has taken to laying by my car and watching down the driveway for me to come home. My mother has also left my bedroom door open and Charter still goes up at night and sleeps in my bed. Anyhow I'm getting ahead of myself I'll give you some history about how the past year went.

Charter had the last of his dental work done by Dr. Wendy Behm. This included many extractions during a first dental, an abscess repair, then a final dental with more extractions. Charter is eating dry Kirkland salmon and sweet potato dog food.

Our routine is to put his two cups of food outside and allow him 5 minutes to eat before the other dogs are let out to clean up what he spilled. He can eat Milk bones, loves empty peanut butter containers and bone marrow. The week before I left for school Charter actually managed to catch and kill a groundhog, a testament to how well his jaw healed.

Charter has grown on my family and my family on him since he came home. He enjoys lots of scratches in the morning while all the grownups are having coffee and sitting in the kitchen. He often goes from person to person getting loved on.

My father works from home and Charter has taken to laying upon the sofa in dad's office during the day. He also loves to lay and watch television with my younger brothers. Outside Charter enjoys wandering the yard sniffing out scents, rolling in the grass, trampling the garden, and standing in the pool. He gets plenty of exercise on his own running and wrestling with my boxer Mo.

Charter has learned the first part of the game fetch, to go get the jolly ball or Frisbee but as of yet he runs past me on his return and then wants to play tag. He has become better with stressful situations and has grown to become more accepting of strangers.

The house constantly is having work done on it so electricians, plumbers, painters are dropping by in strange cars carrying oddly shaped objects. He is standoffish for the first day, getting within 15 feet and then howling and running away. We always know when someone has arrived at the house because the howling does not stop for at least a couple of minutes.

I spent a lot of time this past year with Charter. We ran together, 8 mile loops couldn't wear him out, and we hiked together. He always ran to the Prius when I started walking towards the blacktop and my drivers side door has sustained lots of scratching because of his excitement.

He has also been known to jump into my car if any of the windows are down. I took him to Maryland Heights, the Blue Ridge Center, Great Falls National Park, and the Appalachian trail. Charter got hikes at least 3 days a week when I was home and 2 runs a week.

During my last month before school I took Charter on a hike every day and a run every other. I know that my mother will be taking him on hikes at least once a week while I am away and my uncle will continue to play in the yard with Charter.

He has a very happy life and though we will miss each other while I am away at school he will have a better quality of life back in Virginia. Life down here would be stressful, cramped, and I would not have the time to devote to him that he deserves.

Back home he has many people to love on him, other dogs to interact and play with, and the safety of the familiar. I have the ability to transfer to Virginia Tech after my first semester so fingers crossed because then I would be able to visit him on a more regular basis.

That's all the updates that I have about Charter and myself. (Attached are a dozen photos of Charter and his new life.)

-Tyler Robic

Addendum: According to Daphne Wood of Live Oak Hounds, in hind sight, Charter is a genetically "shy" hound, as is one of his brothers from the same litter. Although that sibling is now hunting well in the pack, he would not come out of the kennel for the show.