Today, I had a photo shoot with a new-born baby -- a human baby. This was the second child of a couple for whom I've been photographing their first child for more than a year. This baby, Alexander, was born 3 weeks ago and is Jaiden's brother who is now 18 months old.

As we were finishing the shoot, Ashley, the mom, asked if Rowdy was OK. We had put all the dogs into places where they would not make too much noise and frighten the new baby. We said that Rowdy was just fine. She asked if it was OK to introduce him to Alex. We told her that Rowdy would really enjoy it.

The last time I published photos of Rowdy with a baby, I got some heat from folks who don't think that a Rottweiler should ever be put in close proximity to a child. I explained that Rowdy has been close to children his entire life and he truly loves them. And, at 11 1/2 years of age, Rowdy is more trustworthy now than he has ever been. And in terms of trustworthiness, he's been impeccable.

So, we brought Rowdy out of the back bedroom and introduced him to Alex. Rowdy gave him very sweet puppy kisses on the cheek. For the photos, we put Rowdy in a down/stay and mom put Alex on a pillow next to him with his body leaning against Mr. R. Here's a pic of that.



The baby just layed there calmly while we clicked off several dozen frames and Rowdy just held his position so he wouldn't disturb the baby. It was cute and it was poignant. Rowdy now has a new baby to love. He is very happy.

Jim

Awww.

I don't know who gave you flack, but that's just another example of how folks just don't get it.

Rowdy looks like a pretty good "uncle" to me

Rowdy is a good boy

Jim,
thanks. He has definitely adopted Alex as one of his own.

Julie,
yes, he is. I watch him very closely now. At 11 1/2, Rowdy is into Rottie old age and he's showing it at times. He is more fragile and not quite as strong physically as he was a year ago. But his mind and heart are as strong as ever and you can see in his eyes how very much alive he is and how every moment with us and with new experiences is still a joy for him.

Watching him with the baby was almost surreal: he let the baby be laid next to him and just held him there making sure the baby didn't fall off of the pillow. He clearly loved this new member of the Rowdy fan club. And he loved the fact that we included him in the shoot. Once again, he was "the guy".

Ashley and Raffi (the parents) gave Mr. R a lot of hugs and he felt very, very special. His eyes sparkled. Of course, the Milk Bones didn't hurt either . I've promised him an adventure every day of his life. I have to plan what we'll do tomorrow.

Jim

Jim, whenever I pop in here..I go straight to updates on Rowdy! I LOVE that dog..from afar..~
Love him!

Thank you, Marta, I do too -- obviously. Today, Rowdy met one of his grandkids, Trinity aka Ms. Pinkler from Cassidy's last litter. He is definitely under the impression that he's going to get lucky one more time!!! Ms Pinkler licked his ears and Rowdy made his head as narrow as possible. It was adorable to watch.

Rowdy, at 11 1/2, is not capable of making any kids but he's eminently capable of mating. And appears to be somewhat driven to do so . The girls he meets all seem to both understand and tolerate his attention. He understands how to take "no" for an answer but he's not shy about asking for the opportunity.

He appears to be more aware of his increasing fragility now. He doesn't give in to it but he is aware that he can't do some of the things he used to do. He keeps asking for me to take him for walks but he can't walk as far as he used to. And we take water bottles with us now to make sure he gets cooled and hydrated.

With people, he's the same incredible dog he's always been. He still loves to be held. To be rubbed all over. He still looks you in the eye with clear, understanding eyes. He's still a happy boy with a good life. May it continue for many, many more months.

Jim