05 Mar 2024 Pet of the Month: Charlie Bravo

Posted at 7:49 PMh in Neighbors by

By Kelli Reep

Bret Winingar knew exactly what life had in store for him–until he didn’t. A former outside sales professional for the trucking industry, Winingar loved to be outdoors, traveling the world on his Honda CB motorcycle. 

On one such jaunt, he and his son, Zach, were riding the mountainous trails in Mena (Polk County) when Winangar had what he thought at the time was a minor accident: flying over the handlebars and hitting a tree stump stomach-first. Miles from anywhere, Zach left to get help. Winangar watched his taillights fade into the distance.

That was 2014, and while the accident was not minor (Winangar sustained a ruptured colon), neither was the fallout from it. Sunk in a depression, Zach asked Winangar to go on another motorcycle ride to try to cheer him up. 

Winangar agreed, and as he describes it, they drove around Sweet Home and Wrightsville (Pulaski County) on a brutally cold, raw January day, discovering a dog crate that had been tossed on the side of the road.

Bret Winingar found Charlie Bravo (CB) abandoned in a crate and in terrible shape. After she recuperated and felt completely loved by his family, Bret built a seat for her on the back of his motorcycle and traveled the U.S. The pair have been inspirational speakers to many adult groups. Bret believes we all have a crate at some point in life—it may be a job, a bad relationship or an addiction. He said you must show people (and pets) that there is a better way to live so they are motivated to leave the crate. On a blog written regularly from CB’s perspective, Bret encourages readers. Learn more at thecharliebravostory.com. Photo by Mike Kemp.

“We were way out in the Arkansas River bottoms,” he said. “There’s nothing out there—no houses for probably five or 10 miles in any direction, and I saw her crammed in that crate on the side of the road.”

Winangar said as he and his son passed the crate, he remembered what it was like to watch Zach’s taillights recede into the horizon. It made him think about what the dog in that crate must be thinking. The two turned around and went back to the crate, finding a black, female, half-pit bull, half-labrador retriever cramped inside. When they opened the crate, she was hesitant to come out. Her claws were so long that they curled back into the pads of her paws, causing her pain every time she tried to take a step; her crate was full of her own filth, and it was scratched and had holes where she tried to chew her way out.

However, Wininger also discovered a sparkly pink collar from Martha Stewart in the crate with her. That’s when he knew that, in spite of her appalling current condition, this dog would be a diva someday.

“We knew we weren’t going to leave her there,” Winangar said. “But, being on motorcycles, we had no way to get her back. I went back, got my son’s truck and some dog food, and when I pulled up where the crate was, she had gone back inside it. Even though it was filthy, even though it was what had kept her trapped, it was all she knew. She went back into the box because it was familiar to her. That made a huge impression on me and made me wonder, ‘What boxes do we go back to knowing they aren’t good for us?’ Could be a stressful job, failing marriage, addiction—anything that doesn’t help us live well.”

Wininger pondered on what his box was as he brought the dog home to feed, bathe and take to the vet for care. He named her Charlie Bravo, using the initials on the Honda CB motorcycles he and Zach were riding,

“She was in such rough shape,” he said. “We didn’t know if she would make it. But, the vet worked with us, and CB got better.”

Inspired by her determination, Winangar wanted to use CB’s story to encourage and inspire others to break free from their own “box.” With a huge response to a Facebook campaign that went viral about CB’s story and TV coverage from a Little Rock news station, CB and Winangar began “The Charlie Bravo Motorcycle Rescue Dog Story” blog, where CB tells her story from her point of view.

Bret Winingar rescued Charlie Bravo (CB) seven years ago after she was abandoned in a crate many miles from any houses. Her story of recovery is chronicled in both a children’s book and a book for adults. Additionally, Winingar has traveled the U.S. with CB safely tucked into a special seat on the back of his motorcycle. Winingar has spoken to many crowds with his beloved dog at his side, inspiring them to abandon their “crate” and choose a better life.

“Her story isn’t really about a dog. It’s a people story,” Winangar said. “I want people to see that she was, literally, about to die when we found her, but she didn’t give up. In fact, when Zach and I went back to get her, she growled at us from inside that crate. I knew then that if she had the strength to growl, she had the strength to pull through. People are the same way. I had to come back from that accident, found myself in debt because of it, and couldn’t go back to the job I’d had for 30 years. CB showed me that was my box, and she was the reason I started seeing I had put myself there, and I could get myself out. We want others to know they can get out of their boxes, no matter what it is, and have a great life.” 

To learn more about CB, her motorcycle adventures, and the family she reigns, visit thecharliebravostory.com.