Some of you have posted stories recently about dogs you've had so I thought I'd post about old Rowdy. Rowdy was three months older than I, he was born in June of 1943 and died in March of 1959, and my constant companion from birth until I was almost 16. He was a mutt, looked scruffy and only weighed about 40 pounds but he would have given his life in a heartbeat to protect any member of our family.<center><img src="http://jb-ms.com/images/Other/rowdyandme.jpg"></center>On the left is Rowdy and I when I was three years old, on the right I was almost 10. I never took a step from the time I learned to walk until he got so feeble he couldn't get around that he wasn't with me. He kept me safe when I was rambling the woods and fields, more than once he killed a snake I would have walked close to, or possibly right over, and would attack a dog 3 times his size if it tried to get near me. Twice he was bitten by poisonous snakes he killed when we were rambling and almost died, one was a big rattlesnake he caught only five feet from me in a soybean field we were walking through, but he never backed away from anything he thought might harm me.
Rowdy love chasing cars, he never got out in the road but he when he heard one coming he would run out to the road and run down the road on the edge of the ditch until it was way ahead of him. All the roads were gravel and a lot of folks still drove old cars back to the models A's so they didn't go very fast. Rowdy would sometimes stay almost even with one for a half mile or so before he tired. He chased cars as long as he could, and when he wasn't able to run he would still try. The last few months before he died he would try to run to the road when he heard one coming but he would have a seizure and pass out about halfway between the house and road. Sometimes he would stay out for 15-20 minutes but as soon as he heard another car he would try again. He also barked at everyone who came to our house, no way was he going to let anyone get close without letting us know. The last few weeks of his life he was so weak he would lean against one of the concrete blocks that supported the porch and bark, or sit and lean against one. Rowdy was what every country boy needed, a loyal companion that never complained or questioned and was always there when needed. I've had other dogs, many were bigger or smarter but none of them measured up to Rowdy. It's been almost 47 years since he died and I still miss him.
Rowdy love chasing cars, he never got out in the road but he when he heard one coming he would run out to the road and run down the road on the edge of the ditch until it was way ahead of him. All the roads were gravel and a lot of folks still drove old cars back to the models A's so they didn't go very fast. Rowdy would sometimes stay almost even with one for a half mile or so before he tired. He chased cars as long as he could, and when he wasn't able to run he would still try. The last few months before he died he would try to run to the road when he heard one coming but he would have a seizure and pass out about halfway between the house and road. Sometimes he would stay out for 15-20 minutes but as soon as he heard another car he would try again. He also barked at everyone who came to our house, no way was he going to let anyone get close without letting us know. The last few weeks of his life he was so weak he would lean against one of the concrete blocks that supported the porch and bark, or sit and lean against one. Rowdy was what every country boy needed, a loyal companion that never complained or questioned and was always there when needed. I've had other dogs, many were bigger or smarter but none of them measured up to Rowdy. It's been almost 47 years since he died and I still miss him.
