Doc was no ordinary dog. The 100-lb. Doberman became part of the Williams family as a five-day-old puppy. From that day on, he and Charlie Williams formed a lasting bond. “He was still nursing at the time,” remembers Charlie, “so I was using a bottle to feed him, getting up several times each night. He slept in a basket right next to my bed.”

Their friendship continued to blossom from there, recalls Charlie’s son, Jody. “Everywhere my dad went, there was Doc.” Charlie’s sales job required him to do a lot of traveling, and Doc was right there in the passenger seat of the truck. “He would sleep in my lap while I was driving,” says Charlie. “He also liked to put his chest on my lap so he could look out the window.”

Charlie’s friendship with Doc isn’t so surprising. He’s been very involved in advocating for animals throughout his life. He was instrumental in starting what’s now the SPCA of Southwest Michigan and sits on the Animal Welfare Advisory Board.

Still, there’s no arguing that he and Doc shared an extraordinary relationship. “Doc was a sweet, tender dog,” explains Charlie. “He was a lover of people — a very gentle soul.”

Charlie and his wife live on a lake where Doc took advantage of all the amenities. “He loved to chase frogs,” says Charlie. “But he never hurt them. He’d just play with them.”

When Doc passed away a few years ago, Charlie was pretty devastated. “Doc was my buddy in life.” Jody and his family were living on the east coast at the time, but he knew his father’s pain and wanted to reach out to him. A skilled illustrator and painter, Jody used his talent to produce a memorable portrait — one that captured the soul of that gentle dog. “It was a gift for my father,” says Jody. A gift that certainly holds a special place in Charlie’s heart.

Contact Jody Williams

Article by Lori Harrison-Smith