Our Kingdom of Rohan

2022 may very well go down in my books as the toughest year of my life. The number of losses I've suffered since December are mounting. First came our bunny rabbit, Poe, in December. Then my father in January, followed by deciding to close the business in March. And yesterday, letting go of our 12 year old family dog, Rohan, my "first-born," the one who came with marriage and preceded children. He fought a good fight, as all dogs who love their humans do, but his degenerative heart condition got the best of him in the end. He was a well-loved dog--the boss of everything 4- and even 2-footed in our house. I wrote this little obituary of sorts for him today, more as a journal to remember all the things about him that made me both laugh out loud and shake my head over the years. He was indeed a character. I hope you think so too! Rohan “Bubbie” Reddy-Herbst trotted over the Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday, April 27, after a long and brave battle with mitral valve disease. He was known for following the rules (always!) and for making sure everyone else did too. A big tattler, he was often the first to notice his dog sister’s inappropriate antics and would always tell on her.

In his young turk days, he was often seen barking at floating grocery sacks amid the messy West Side Chicago streets; drinking from any and every puddle or free-for-all water dish in the neighborhood, including his own “personal" water bowl, Lake Michigan; and grunting and bunching his way through numerous, eventually shredded down comforters. The boy loved a comfy bed, and he’d make one out of whatever he found.

His favorite pastimes included In-and-Out, where he’d bark to come in, then bark to go out… All.Day.Long. Also up high on the hot list: tug-of-war with his “ferret” dog toy, chasing squirrels up trees and then guarding his handiwork at the foot of them (for hours!), digging in the hostas for a cool spot to park it on hot days, and milking every visitor to his Kingdom for upside-down belly rubs on the couch.

The first to know Mommy was pregnant before she did, he began parking himself on her belly 3 days after her first successful embryo transfer. And there he stayed until his boy popped out. He tried again with his girl, but by then, he was very tired from having a second person to constantly tattle on, so baking time was rather a "convection bake" with her.

Rohan is survived by his Pomapoo sister, Zoey; his rabbits, Oso and Gustavo and their tiny brood Sprinkle, Jigglypuff, and BB-8; and his hoo-mans, Mommy, Pop, Peanut, and Baby Sue. He is preceded in death by his forever happy-go-lucky half-brother, Otto; his birth Pommy Mommy, Piper; his Fairy Godmother, Autumn Gullifer; his fellow grumpy old man, Thah-Thah; and his sistah from anothah mothah, Poe.

Our house will forever be the Kingdom of Rohan to us, and we are so very grateful that this warrior from Middle Earth guarded it for 12 years. We know our little Bubbie is curled up at Autumn’s feet right now, and although it’s taken all month to accept this conclusion, we wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s at peace, can breathe again, and is chasing squirrels up Ents now, we’re sure of it!

Rohan Reddy-Herbst

April 11, 2010 to April 27, 2022