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