Charlie when he was very young indeed

Say hello to the puppy you've sponsored! Hello Charlie!

He's absolutely full of beans right now, living with his Volunteer Puppy Trainers Tamsin and Tunja. They'll be bringing little Charlie up, teaching him how to behave like a nice little dog, and training him to alert deaf people to important sounds. They'll also make sure he's confident and loving, attentive and fun, like all dogs should be - and in particular, hearing dogs that will help deaf people to feel less lonely by being their fantastic furry friend.

Charlie came to live with Tamsin and Tunja at eight weeks of age, which is just right for a puppy's development, to move to a loving, domestic home. We'll be showing you all his life and times as he progresses along his training journey, but let's take a quick look back at Charlie when he was young.

How about... two weeks old?

All together now: "Awwwwwww!"

Here he is with all his brothers and sisters, with mum looking after them all so well.

And after feeding time, it's sleepy time! Which, when you're a very small puppy, means sleeping on, under or next to everyone else.

Let's skip forward a bit now, to five weeks of age. Already you can see that Charlie's growing!

He's getting stronger and more inquisitive about the world around him. His ears are alert, and he has that look about him that just tells us he's going to be a fabulous hearing dog, who will transform a deaf person's life.

Talking of alert...

He's already becoming something of a model for the camera. And he's so brown! He's Charlie Brown!

At seven weeks he's starting to explore his surroundings a bit more.

He also doesn't quite seem to know how brown he wants to be. Sometimes he's Charlie Very Brown...

... while at others, just Charlie Quite Brown. 

Perhaps it's the light? Maybe it's just how he feels on the day, and he can change colour at will? Who knows what colour he'll really turn out to be?

Sometimes our puppies change quite a lot, especially in their early months. They grow in stature, and in character, but occasionally their first trim will see a completely new puppy emerge from under the fluffy puppy fur! Whatever happens, we know Charlie will be extremely cute and very cuddly.

And finally, what did we say about playing to the camera?

The 'head tilt' is by far the most popular pose our puppies pull (try saying that quickly). There's something about the head to one side and the big eyes that says 'cuddle me'.

Charlie seems to know this. So, he can do it both sides! Left and right, they're both as adorable.

And if you're not quite sure, then he'll even give you a look, which also says 'cuddle me' but a bit more directly.

He's a lovely little boy, and we all adore him. We hope you do too, because you're going to find out a lot more about him over the coming months!

We can't wait to show and tell you all about Charlie, but one thing we can definitely tell you now is that we're very grateful for your support. Charlie is too! Until next time, thank you so very much for sponsoring him.