Rocket and Charlee have a “love-hate” relationship…well, maybe it would be more accurate to say that Charlee has a “love-hate” relationship with Rocket. Rocket LOVES Charlee! Charlee is my seven-year-old granddaughter; she has almost as much energy as Rocket. Charlee has been in the family longer than Rocket, so she was one of the first people that Rocket met when he became part of our family. Right away, Rocket became fast friends with Charlee, and almost everyone in our family. He loves company and he loves attention. Charlee also loves attention, and she doesn’t particularly like to share it with Rocket!
When Charlee arrives at our house, Rocket gets super excited and begins barking. He watches her through the front window as she exits the car and approaches the front door. As soon as she comes through the door, Rocket bolts to the stairs to greet Charlee. While Charlee is trying to climb the stairs to the living room, Rocket is jumping on her and wanting her attention. Charlee wants Rocket to stop, so she immediately starts giving her command, “quit it Rocket!” She very quickly becomes agitated with him, and understandably so. A little training for Rocket and how he greets family at the door should be a bigger priority, but it’s one battle that we haven’t tackled yet.
Charlee has a bedroom in our house, so she likes to play in her room. When Charlee goes to her bedroom, so does Rocket. Sometimes, he wants attention and will try to grab her toys or other items. Charlee tolerates this behavior for a very short time before she will escort him to the door and push him through it then promptly shut the door so that he cannot return! Charlee also likes to pretend that Rocket is a monster, so “the floor is Lava” is one of her favorite games, and Rocket plays this game perfectly. Every single time we go to another room or walk around the house, we must never touch bare floor. Luckily for us, Frank has issues with walking on bare floor, so I have lots of rugs on the floor. Charlee insists that we stay on the rugs and never touch the bare floor, all the while keeping one step ahead of the Lava Monster, aka Rocket. Other times, when Rocket is content to just lay beside her and be close to her, she voices her approval and tells him that he is a good boy as she strokes his fur. Charlee also enjoys playing with Rocket outside. Watching him run, chasing him, and throwing balls for him to fetch are all activities that Charlee and Rocket enjoy doing together. Charlee will laugh and giggle while chasing Rocket. Seeing them have so much fun makes me happy, and it also means that when we are done playing outside that Grandma gets a little reprieve from these two sweet balls of energy, at least for a little while!
Charlee is a good helper, too. She will often fill up Rocket’s water and food bowls. If I need her to let him outside for a potty break, she will do that, too. Rocket, Frank, and Hoppy all behave well for Charlee and they listen to her commands, most of the time.
When Charlee leaves, Rocket is ready for a rest. Keeping up with Charlee is work, and Rocket takes this job seriously. One of Rocket’s favorite places to rest is Charlee’s room. We will often find him on her bed when we leave the house or when we return home. A day with Rocket and Charlee is exhausting, but it is also one of my favorite ways to spend the day!!! (Frank included, of course!!!)