Looking around my office every day, there is definitely something missing. It’s our shop dog, Rosie. Rosie is a sweet brown lab who turned four on March 3rd. She’s at home with her mom, social distancing and keeping her mom company. Usually, Rosie is the ambassador of her dad’s business, greeting everyone who comes in the door, friend or stranger. 

Rosie has her favorite customers, of course, those being the ones who bring her treats – the Fed Ex guy, the woman from the post office and many more. She can see them out the front windows and I think she knows the sounds of their cars. When they come in, she pretends that each person is her favorite customer in the world and acts as if she hasn’t eaten all day. 

She runs from the front door to the back door when she hears the buzzer, not wanting to miss anyone, whether customers, staff or vendors. 

Rosie gets visitors who only come by to see her and don’t order anything from our business. She also gets dog visitors who stop by to play. And she’s a local star, appearing regularly on Facebook giving advice and posing for photos. 

I’m used to filling her water bowl all day and following all of her other routines she’s finagled us into doing. She runs into the building in the morning and gets to my office before the back door even closes. She races to her first favorite treat from my co-worker, then to me for a biscuit, then back to the co-worker to finish his yogurt cup. She has her food priorities. Same routine every day. 

When I get back from lunch, I get a greeting at the door like I am Norm going into “Cheers.” I get an escort to my desk and Rosie gets another treat. Yes, I am trained very well. 

I get sad now whenever I walk by the empty water bowl. It’s just another sad reminder of how life has changed. 

There’s definitely a difference not having a dog around when you’ve been used to it for years. Making Rosie even more animated during “normal life” is a co-worker who is currently laid off who is one of Rosie’s favorite people. The co-worker sings and dances with Rosie and gives her assorted things to chew on including a long long toy made up of ten other old toys tied together. They also run together most days at lunch, down the small city streets, into the park or on the beach. 

I also miss seeing my best friends, laughing with them and playing cards. I miss seeing my mom and family downstate which has been a while since we couldn’t go down at Christmas. 

I’ve heard people talking about how the economy is going go go gangbusters when the scare of the pandemic is over and we’re all released from our homes. But I also believe our relationships will be going gangbusters too. I think many of us have realized all the great things and people we had in our lives that we took for granted.