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Dog lovers often talk about that one dog who passes through their lives and changes every- thing. Charlie Man was that dog for Lara Warn. She had adopted him from the SPCA Tampa Bay in 2006. He was just eight weeks old. At the time, Lara was a 26-year-old manag-
ing her demons and alcoholism through fake smiles, good paying jobs and whatever else she could use to numb out reality. On the outside, it appeared that Lara had it together. “When I brought Charlie home, I
remember we just looked at each other like, ‘what now?’ But, we figured it out,” said Lara. “He helped me get into a routine.”
Left: Lara and Johnny Long Boy. They began doing everything together.
Charlie Man had saved Lara’s life what seemed like a million times in their 12 years together.
Life is like a game of cards. The hand we are dealt is determinism; the way we play it is free will. And, Charlie Man had one more hand to play.
The Hope Dealer by Anna Cooke 68 THE NEW BARKER
They ran and swam together. They traveled across the United States camping and climbing mountains. They went to weddings and birthday parties together. They hung out at the local bars together. He was a bar dog. Wherever Lara went, there was Charlie Man. He was the dog who helped Lara survive
heartbreak and loss, depression and anxiety. He helped her get sober. They helped each other beat cancer. “No matter what I was facing, Charlie Man helped me to navigate,” said Lara. “And I was there for him, always.” On August 28, 2014, Lara found herself in
the darkest place she had ever been. “It was so dark it felt as if I had fallen into a hole with no means of scraping my way out,” she said. Leaving Charlie at home, she took a drive, just to get the demons out of her head. The drive took her south to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. At the approach, she slowed down and thought, “I don’t have to feel this way anymore. I don’t have to continue.”
www.TheNewBarker.com
Above: Charlie Man.
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