So, January 1st, 2026 is Rowdy's and my Anniversary. We have been together now for 16 years. In his condition, I wasn't sure he was going to make it, but he did. This did my heart good.
Over the years, I never much thought of our anniversaries. It was just always New Years Day and a day lost in the human celebrations. However this year, with his cancer and declining health, my mind has brought it to the forefront. It has also brought back memories of when he was still just a pup, that showed up on the family farm one day.
I had not thought of getting a dog, as I had never lived in a location that was suited for pets. Even though I may had been able to made it work, in most cases it was not worth the risk. However, when Rowdy came along, I now had a decent place with a fenced yard, so I could actually get and properly take care of a pet.
Showing up as a stray, we could only guess at when he was born, probably in February or March of 2009. I don't remember when he first showed up, but I was thinking around the end of June of that year. My father always had a soft spot for strays and he took Rowdy in. Based on his looks, he named him Short Stop. When I took him to be mine, I changed his name to Rowdy, reflecting his personality.
Rowdy had such an ingratiating personality, that I quickly fell in love with him. I was at the farm almost every weekend at the time, only skipping one here and there. Rowdy would run up to greet me with such happiness and enthusiasm, whenever I would clap my hands, whistle and yell out, “Hot Dog” when he came running. Since at the time, I though he was part Dachshund or wiener dog, he was my little Hot Dog. I was usually pulling a small trailer, hauling things back and forth from the farm, and he would run jump on the trailer and put his paws up on the rail, to elevate himself closer to me. These were very fond memories of his early days.
So I made the decision to bring him home with me on January 1st of 2010, to start our life together, which is also when I started this blog. Happy Anniversary little buddy!
