When South Carolina resident Adam Stipe’s golden retriever, Charlie, was diagnosed with glaucoma in 2016, his family decided to have one of his eyes removed as it was causing the poor pup a lot of pain. Sadly, a year later, the other eye had to be removed as well. However, that didn’t get Charlie down. The 11-year-old was as happy as ever, especially since he had his own seeing-eye dog in the form of his little brother Maverick.
This is Charlie and Maverick. Charlie had his eyes removed due to glaucoma, but then Maverick came along as his little helper. Now they’re doing amazing. Both 14/10 pic.twitter.com/qjkhYLihEO
— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) March 18, 2019
- Stipe has had Charlie since he was only a puppy. That’s why, according to his wife Chelsea, they didn’t mind spending money for multiple surgeries to keep Charlie happy and healthy. “For us it was a no-brainer, empty our retirement plan to care for this dog because he makes us happy,” she told NBC 10.
- Maverick came into Charlie’s and the Stipes’ life on New Year’s Day in 2019. The couple was expecting a baby and though Charlie might like a little extra company of his own. He wasn’t necessarily meant to be of particular service to Charlie, but that’s what ended up happening.
- Charlie didn’t exactly like Maverick at first. It took the older dog a little while to warm up to his rambunctious younger brother, but when he did, they became best of friends. Plus, when Maverick realized Charlie had misplaced a toy or something, he always brought it back to his big brother so they could keep playing together. Not only that, but they even walk together side by side. “They’re both pretty crazy and special. They’re definitely our entertainment,” Chelsea said.
- Dogs truly are a blessing. We have such a small amount of time with them, relatively speaking, but in those years, they become massive parts of our family, offering us love and happiness and laughs without expecting anything in return. Their love is unconditional and they’re so special. Charlie and Mav are not only lucky to have each other but the Stipes are lucky to have them too.
