Yesterday was Lars’ birthday; kudos to him. There was someone else born on October 25, however, a very special someone who has an important place in this family, too: me!

Where’s my party hat? Where’s my king-for-a-day treatment? Where’s the blog devoted to the subject of me? And most importantly, where’s my cake?

Although I can’t remember my actual birth, my place in the litter or how many siblings I had, I do recall the most important day of my life, the day I became a Nyman.

By the time I was nine months old, my first family was in turmoil. Strange things were happening at our house, and my owner, a seven year old boy I dearly loved, kept crying. A For Sale sign went up in our yard, which was upsetting enough, but then the unthinkable happened. My boy, who had named me Stitch, told me he was moving but I couldn’t go. I felt like saying, “Grab a leash and let’s run away together!” But then I noticed his mother crying, too. She would need to keep her boy.

The two of them put me in the car, and before I knew what had happened, I was locked up alone in a cage in a room full of cages, each one filled with a barking dog.

Although my boy had already hugged me goodbye, as I sat in the cage trying to understand, I heard his voice one last time, just around the corner. “When Stitch gets a new home, be sure this toy goes with him!” He was sobbing, and the man in charge told him he was sorry he had to lose his dog. I was sorry, too.

Suddenly there were a couple of young girls and a mom standing right in front of me. “What about this one?” a girl said. “He looks sad.”

Amazingly, after the girls and the mom looked at the other dogs, they decided to take me home with them. While they were signing papers, the man said, “This one’s been in the cage less than an hour. Good timing.”

Then he talked about my little boy. “It was wrenching to watch the owners bring him in. Something about a divorce and relocating. I felt sorry for the kid. Anyway, he wanted Stitch to have this doggie toy when he went to his new home, so it’s all yours.”

When I learned I shared a birth date with one of the Nymans, I knew I belonged.

Although I’d had no experience with girls before, getting acquainted with Louisa and Birgitta was fabulous. Girls give endless hugs and kisses, and their abundant love helped me not to miss my boy so much. I didn’t even mind when they switched my name to Jack. It’s actually Captain Jack after Jack Sparrow, and I think it suits me much better than Stitch.

Officially I belong to the girls, but I give a great deal of myself to Midge, too, especially since Pidge died. I know how hard it is to lose somebody you love, and I want to help her feel better.

As for skipping my birthday celebration, I’ll let it slide this once. But from now on, my party should take precedence over Lars’. After all, he’s 36 to my 56, and it’s a simple matter of respecting your elder.

“Teach what accords with sound doctrine. [The] older.… are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.” (Titus 2:1-2)