Earlier I showed you a photo of my new special place from the inside. This is what I look like from the outside
You can see that Lindy hung up my golden star so that everyone who walks by will know how special and wonderful I am. If you have a golden star, that means you're real great. That's how I got mine.

I have been enjoying my time indoors. For one thing, I never realized what kinds of treasurers were waiting for me in those round things called trash cans. Oh my woofing baby, there's anything but trash in there. You can find chicken bones, interesting packaging, things with sacuy residue that you can lick off. It's great.

The other really great thing I've been doing is jumping up onto the kitchen counter. It's really not that high and you can not imagine what the humans keep up there! Most interesting are the little jars filled with "spices." They smell amazing and are fun to play with. Plus, there's all kinds of equipment to explore.

Also, did you dogs realize that it is possible to poop indoors? It is. You do it just like the humans. First, pick out a place you like and then you can poop way. It sure got Lindy's attention when I learned how to do that, I'll tell you what. I think she's real impressed!

So, you see, my time of quarantine is not so bad after all since I am finding all kinds of new and fun things to do inside!

I hope you are having fun times too.

Love,

Rowan

The Count...

At midnight tonight... only

35 More Days

until I have a big fun time outside with my dog friends.

My Fun Day of St. Francis

Once upon a time there was a very great dog named Saint Francis. He was true and good and he obeyed everything his guardian told him. That is why all us dogs get to have a special day of fun to honor his obedience.

I am glad that my fun day of celebrating the life of Saint Francis came before the time of my unfortunate quarantinement. This was one of the very last big times I had before my exile. Now that I'm grounded I am glad to have made the very most of all my fun days.

In this photo I am in my car, just waiting for Lindy.


Of course, one of the very first things I did on my great day of St. Francis was I climbed some trees.

In this series of photos you can see the ducks that I had to chase away from my lake area. In this first one you can see that they are starting to go away from me because they don't want to be caught by me.


I am really gaining on them in this shot.
See how scared they are?


And after it was all over, I shook the water out of my fur. There's something I love about a good shake. It's so great that I usually try to get up real close to Lindy before I do it so she can share in my joy. It's just one of the nice things I like to do to show her how much I love her.


Here are a couple of great shots of me at my great day. These are just miscellaneous shots. miscellaneous means that Lindy likes it but it doesn't mean anything.

One of the nice things about being a dog is if you are swimming along and you suddenly get thristy...

Hey, just stick out your tongue.
Works every time.

At the end of the day Lindy wrapped me in my car towel because I was wet and muddy. On the plus side, I smelled like dead fish.

In this shot Lindy is about to take me back home for a nap and some treats. It was a really swell Feast Day of St Francis, I'll tell you what. I hope you had a good time too.

Love,

Rowan

For those of you who are counting the days with me, my quarantine ends on November 22.

37 More Days.

A Dog Poem

"Sad Dog, Not Bad Dog"

It's hard to be a Dog
When you haven't done Anything Wrong
Rowan is a Noble Dog
I would Lick him if I Could
-- Grendel the Dog

I hope that Grendel will accept the very high and yet also dubious honor of being It's A Dog's Life Poet Laureate. Poets are real swell, and dogs are real swell too. Put them together... It could only be Grendel.

My Special Place

Now that I've been grounded for awhile me and good old Lindy have been trying to think of fun things we can do while we are inside.

Even though Lindy is not quarantined it's just no fun for her to go out without me. It's understandable. All her friends ever want to do is sit around and drink coffee and talk in human speak. None of them climb trees. It's pretty sad. I guess I am about her best and most interesting friend. And I am loads of fun, of course.



So, anyway, Lindy set up a special place where I can look out the window and see what is going on outside. It's real comfortable. You can't see it but there's a little mat under my blanket. And Lindy put a pillow on there too. Plus, I am going to have a talk with her about printing out a photo of my parton saint, Laika. Laika is so pretty. And she made dog-like sacrifices for the humans. She is a real good saint, I'll tell you what.

I can go to this special place whenever I want and Lindy even lets me take toys up there and she doesn't move them back to the toy box either. It is totally my own space. It's not as good as being outside. But, it's still pretty swell.

I hope you have a special place where you can keep your toys.

Love,

Rowan

I'm Grounded

Dear Friends,

I have some very bad news. I won't be able to go outside and play for awhile. No swimming, no tree climbing, no fast running either. I am grounded for 45 days on account of my recent rabies exposure.

How it happened is that a few days ago a rabid bat had the temerity to fly into my apartment, right where me and Lindy live! I tried real hard to tell Lindy what was going on but she was doing her addiction of working and didn't pay attention to me. Eventually I persuaded her to move a piece of furniture out of my way so I could catch the bat.

I laid the bat right at Lindy's feet. She was characteristically unimpressed with my greatness but I felt real proud about it. The bat was all flappy and dopey I guess because it was not used to being awake in the middle of the day and also because it turned out to be sick. The little bat had rabies.

For me, I get to go see my very great and fun vet and get a booster shot and some treats from Doctor K and Laurie who love me very much. And I also have to stay inside and not be around my friends.

So, to my dog friends in Austin, you may see me around the yard. Don't be alarmed by the big stylish muzzle I am wearing. It is mainly for looks but also for protection. And, you can't come up to me and I won't go up to you either. Not even for a quick butt sniff.

And to my human friends, if you want to come over to my house be sure to call Lindy first so she can fluff the pillows in my kennel for me because that's where I'll be. No petting. Not even sugar. But, I do still love you all a lot and I'll make up for the kisses at the end of my 45 days.

Lindy gets to go to her vet too but she told me that they don't have treats there and she hardly gets petted at all. Man, am I ever glad to be a dog!

I hope everybody had a fun 45 days and I'll see you after I am cleared by the vet.

Love,

Rowan

The Meaning of Life... For Dogs, Of Course

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure.They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him.

What came out of his mouth next stunned me.I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently. Be always grateful for each new day.