Tag Archives: birthdays

It’s Rory’s birthday!

The greatest dog I’ve ever known turns 12 today.  Happy Birthday, Rory Dog!

I have talked about Rory so much in The Egg that I fear a long ode to him today may be redundant.  So to honor his special day, I have instead shared some pics of him throughout the years.  Now you can see firsthand how my tiny chocolate puppy has became the mocha old man he is today.

Some of you may have seen this photo on Facebook.  This is me and Rory in 1998.  He was six weeks old and so brown, he was almost black.  My hair wasn’t far behind, either.  (And me, a natural redhead — weird how that happens sometimes.)  Rory weighed 1 1/2 pounds and had to wear a cat collar.

By four months, Rory had quadrupled in size and was beginning to lighten a bit, especially around the face.  He has a pig’s ear in his paws in that shot; he loves them to his day (and I still think they’re gross).

By Rory’s first birthday, you could see a hint of the taupe dog hiding inside.  This photo was taken by a professional photographer who I knew at Hallmark. I had plans to do that every five years.  Oops.

As the years have  passed, Rory has just gotten lighter and lighter and lighter.  He now has the kind of color that gets us stopped in the street.  He is already a bit shorter and stouter than your typical cockapoo; his color only adds to his air of mystique.

(Well, as much mystique as a dog can have when he greets everyone on the street by rolling over on his back and showing his pink belly!)

I may have picked Rory from the litter because he was ‘the brown one,’ but I certainly lucked out getting the one who was smart and gentle and loving and funny.

(In a mocha latte taupe kinda way.)

Special thanks to Aunt Lou and Uncle Chuck for help with the dog photos!