Close to Nowhere

I'd like to introduce Rowdy. He's my new dog, although some people might laugh and say he's not a "real" dog.

Rowdy weighs four pounds. He's a miniature dachshund ­ a really mini one. I've had a lot of dogs, but he's far and away the smallest. We've had a couple of hound-types, Rottweilers, German shepherds, a Great Dane, a boxer, rat terriers and many heelers (red and blue). I'm not sure what exactly Lucy was ­ she looked like a really sweet wolf.

My most-loved dog was Mr. Bean, a miniature schnauzer. He was 14 when he died and it nearly killed me. He was a little dog, but he still weighed around 14 pounds.

I laughed at Rowdy's name when I first heard it. He looks anything but rowdy.

I may have preconceived notions about "rowdy" though. I knew a Rowdy growing up. The Webster family went to the same church my family did. I went to Speedway Terrace Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., from the time I was born until I married and moved away.

Rowdy and his older brother Tommy went there about as long. Tommy was my age, Rowdy was my brother Dennis' age. Rowdy lived up to his name. He (and my brother) were really rowdy.

Maybe that's why I associate "rowdy" with Rowdy, who is anything but.

His previous owners were an elderly couple; they died within six months of each other. Rowdy lived in a foster home for a bit (with seven other dogs) and he has separation anxieties.

He's settling in nicely here. He wants to play with Hobbes, my cat (who is probably three times his weight) but Hobbes has no interest in him whatsoever.

He eats funny also. Every dog I've ever owned (cats, etc.) have been big, hearty eaters. Mr. Bean would eat until he couldn't walk ­ not Rowdy.

I started out giving him about a fourth of a cup of the food Norma his foster grandmother gave him. He turned his nose up at it. He ate table scraps ­ about a tablespoon or so though. He will eat cat food. He loves Hobbes' food. He eats almost a tablespoon of that.

I got him some small bites Gravy Train (Lucy loved that) and he wouldn't eat it with the gravy. He will eat it as dry dog food, about a tablespoon. It's really, really strange having a teeny tiny dog. He's totally

fearless, so I have to watch him around our current outside dogs ­ a blue heeler and a half Lab, half pit bull. They'd love to play with him, but so far he seems like he'd like to try and bite them. So I take him back in because he wouldn't make a good bite for them.

It's really weird ­ but I think I'm really going to love him. Linda Jones of Laws Hill is a former staff writer for The South Reporter. She is retired but continues her weekly column.