Cowboy

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Lise and I met Cowboy, and we met him at the doctor’s office! Lise saw him come in, and whispered that the man had a squirrel on his back. He sat near us and saw that Lise had her phone in her hand. He said, “You got a camera? Come on over here.”

I got my phone out as Cowboy told Lise to sit beside him. He held a leash for the squirrel as he cradled a teacup chihuahua with his other hand.

The squirrel went to Lise’s shoulder at his command, and went back to him when he said, “Come to Papa.”

Cowboy told me to come over, and as I got closer, he asked, “How old are you?”

I replied, “80.”

“Well, I’ll be 85 in August. Sit down.” I did as told, sitting between him and his wife.

I petted the squirrel after he left my shoulder. He was soft and warm. I didn’t hear my name called, but Lise did and told me to go.

The assistant saw where I was and talked about Cowboy as we went to the examining room. Everyone knows him. He was in the movie Deliverance with Burt Reynolds. Later I read on line that Reynolds had worked with him briefly at Ghost Town, a tourist attraction in the next village. When a casting director wanted a toothless mountain man for the movie, Reynolds brought him Herbert Coward. He was perfect for the part. Lise said when he and his wife were called, everyone greeted him by name.

We were excited to tell neighbors about meeting the man. Shawn has been to Cowboy’s church and seen him there with the squirrel. Joyce read an article about him recently in a local paper and knew he’d had a pet squirrel for 30 years. Not only that, she saw him in person at Mission Hospital in Asheville when her daughter was having a baby there a few months ago. He was in the waiting room. Lise and I felt we were the last to know about the local celebrity. She’s going to enjoy showing our photos to friends in Denmark.

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Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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35 thoughts on “Cowboy”

  1. Will you still acknowledge us mere mortals now you’re rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous? When do you get your pet chipmunk and train him /her to the lead? Can I get your autograph please? Hugs

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  5. How exciting that must have been! Oh, we are going to have so much to talk about!
    When I glanced at the photo the first time, I didn’t even see the pets. What a talented man Cowboy must be. He does sound like a character and m glad he invited you into his world for a few moments ☺️🥳

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  7. That was indeed a most unusual trip to the doctor’s office! I had never heard of anyone having a pet squirrel, let alone one trained to a leash! What a fun encounter.

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  9. Now that’s some story about Cowboy. Loved the photos too. Personally, I am not fond of squirrels, but the trained one on a leash is the exception! Impressive. oxox

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  10. Beautiful photo squirrel on shoulder. Maybe caught the squirrel it’s very soft & warm! Beautiful & funny you share cowboy!
    Iam so glad.

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  13. Cowboy sounds like a lot of fun … what a personality! I’m glad Cowboy let you both have a squirrel sit on your shoulder and to pet it … that’s more than I have done and you know how I love squirrels. 🙂

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  15. What an interesting encounter. I’m surprised he was allowed into the office with his pets but good for them! Cowboy is a colorful character. Thanks for introducing him to me. 🙂

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