Silent Writing Partner

This isn't the blog I intended to post but my silent writing partner is missing this morning and the office feels empty. My partner is not my muse and neither does he provide inspiration...a writer waiting for either might as well be waiting for Godot. Bob offers company and quiet support. He breaks the isolation bubble most writers live within. He never approves or disapproves of what I have written. My son - I call him my second son - is the very soul of acceptance. Although I barely notice, every so often he moves to a different spot in the office but rarely does he leave me alone.
Bob is my 11...or perhaps...12 year old dog adopted from the Miami-Dade County pound over 8 years ago. No one is quite certain of his age. He qualifies as a mutt but is mostly Carin Terrier. At least that is how the vet identifies Bob. Except for having slightly longer legs than most Carin's, he resembles and behaves like the tough, sweet little Scottish breed. And that includes the dry skin problems and the subsequent itching and scratching that frequently plagues him and that he's been treated for in the past. But his current skin problem might be much worse.
This morning I took Bob to the vet's for minor surgery - a biopsy that will remove a significant patch of skin. They suspect the tiny bump I felt might be melanoma.
We won't know for several days.
I can't imagine writing without my sweet, silent partner. And I'm wondering how many of you have a silent partner to keep you company while you write. I'd like to hear about them.