Funny, brilliant, silly, sweet, watchful, and so much more. In some ways it’s hard to believe my furry boy is ten years old. In other ways, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t always been with me. Rowan takes his job seriously– to watch over me and remind me to take care of myself. If I am late for a meal, he comes to me, snorting loudly, to tell me I need to attend to something. If I don’t figure out what he’s talking about (or I ignore him), he’ll bark to let me know it’s important. As soon as I “get it” and walk into the kitchen, he lies down and goes to sleep, knowing that he’s done his job and communicated successfully with me.
I know Rowan can’t read, but one time I came into the room to find him lying with this pillow leaning up against him. It had been on the chair when I left the room, and no one else was home at the time. I don’t know how he knew I needed that message that day, but he made sure I couldn’t miss it.
Rowan also watches over the other animals in our home and runs to check them if they yelp or start throwing up or suddenly start to limp, and often has then run to me and led me to the animal who needs my attention. When I was visiting a friend a few months ago, he alerted her to her blood sugar being too high. I call him my EMT dog– he’s a first responder here in our family.
Life isn’t serious all the time, though. Rowan loves to play, whether with a toy or a an empty flower pot. When I’m gardening he hovers, waiting for me to get the plant out of the pot, then he grabs the flower pot and runs, cavorting like a puppy, sometimes with the flower pot covering his whole face.
Happy Birthday, Rowan, my wonderful boy, and may you have many more! I am blessed to have you in my life.
Please toss him a nice big juicy soup bone from his Tennessee admirers!
What a beautiful boy and a fabulous portrait. Happy birthday, Rowan.