Howdy Friends!
Let us in! That's what Sadie was saying but Mom just laughed and took our picture! She said we looked like a snowdog train -- whatever that is! All I know is my feet were getting mighty cold and the snow was piling up...on our backs!
I don't think I've introduced you to my feline family -- that's Chloe on the Shaker chair -- the one Sadie is bugging. As you can see I'm getting out of the way, I sure don't want to be in the middle when the claws start come out and the fur starts flying! Behind me in the red chair is Eddie, the orange tiger, and Annie, the grey tabby. I have two more feline brothers -- Jack and Sam, but you'll have to wait for another time to meet them. The room was getting pretty crowded with the just five of us as you can see!
Here I am relaxing with Bud. He's not such a bad guy as long as you let him think he's top dog, which is fine with me because I'm the one who gets to go for rides with Dad -- it's a good trade-off, I'd say. Being the Southern gentleman that I am, I respect the fact that he was here first and just let him have his way. It was a quiet weekend for us -- didn't make it to the Veteran's Home due to snow but hope to get there next week. Speaking of snow, check out these pictures of our road taken this morning! I'm sure glad no trees fell down on my Mom as she drove through! Ya'll have a great week now, ya hear!
Rocky
Howdy Friends!
It's been one year since I met my new mom and dad -- one year ago today, February 16th! And what a year it has been! Little did I know when Foster Bob took me to Petco that sunny Saturday morning how much my life was about to change. Before long I was on my way to a new home 1000 miles away and a new life as a Therapy Dog.
It's been an exciting week -- I've been visiting all my friends at the NH Veteran's Home on Sunday afternoons -- seems I've been arriving just in time to join in on the sing-a-longs in the dining hall. This past Sunday, they sang "Hey Good Lookin" just as I walked in -- everyone is always saying how beautiful I am, so mom said it was my song.
Tuesday evening I did my first "Therapy Dog Demo" for a youth group at Mom and Dad's church. That was so much fun -- I got to pretend like I was being tested again for therapy dog work so everyone could see what I needed to be able to do in order to become certified. The teenagers took part in the demo and had a good time putting me through my paces. Then I got to see them all again last night when they came over to my house for BYD with my dad -- they were all so happy to see me and I just loved all the attention.
Today Mom scheduled another event for me -- a local preschool called and wants me to come in to visit the class in April and talk about being a therapy dog. I'll keep you posted on that event as it gets closer.
Look at me go! Just kidding -- I'd love to be running with this team, though! That looks like a blast! My mom wouldn't let me go to the World Championship Sled Dog races that were held this weekend in our area. She said it was not a dog spectator sport as I would distract the teams, so she went and took this picture for me. They sure must be tired after that run! Well, hope ya'll have a great week, I know I will!
Rocky
Howdy Friends!
Well, I sure am glad last week is over! It was a very long, quiet week because Mom and Dad went on vacation to Utah and guess who stayed home! Yup, you got it. There's Mom waving at me.
Here's Dad skiing on the slopes of Snowbird. He said he missed me, but you wouldn't guess it by this picture. Gina stayed with us all week so everyone could stay at home -- no kennel for anyone this time. That was nice, but I sure did miss riding in my Dad's truck. Before they left, I did go on a very long ride to Massachusetts to my Dad's office. That was lots of fun. At first I thought we might be headed back to NC! Then on Sunday, Mom and I went over to the Veteran's Home. I got 3 treats from my new friends who live and work there. My last stop before I leave is always the Security Office. They always have treats for me -- I think they'd really like to have me riding around patrolling with them. Well, that's all for now -- just glad to have Mom and Dad back and life back to normal. Ya'll have a great week --
Rocky
Things I Love
- Ice cubes! Bud & Sadie taught me to crunch ices cubes. Sure wish I'd had those on hot days back in NC!
- Meeting new people -- the Southern gentleman in me really shines here!
- Carolyn's Canine College -- Carolyn is so nice to me and gives me treats!
- My dog sister, Sadie (notice I didn't say, my dog brother, Bud)
- Fish Oil Capsules -- My bedtime snack, yummy!
- Riding in the Car -- sometimes I get to stick my head out the window!
- Going for walks with my mom on my country road
- Sleeping (Especially on my mom & dad's bed!)
- Food (Mom only lets me eat dog food, no table scraps)
Rocky's Story
My story begins in North Carolina back in December of 2007. I was rescued from the woods by a kind young lady who overheard some hunters say they were going to "shoot the shepherd" because they thought I was keeping deer away. I had already been shot at once -- and hit! I had a BB lodged in my forehead that my owner never bothered to have removed. There were a lot of things my owner never bothered do to, so that's why I ran away to begin with and got lost in the woods. Another thing my owner never bothered to do was give me heartworm medicine and, yup, you guessed it, I not only had that BB in my head, I also had heartworm.
I wish I knew who that young girl was that gave me a ride that day. She saved my life and I'd like to say thank you to her someday. After she saved me from those hunters, she took me to a vet to see if I had any identification -- I didn't, of course. So the vet contacted Bob, a volunteer with Forever Home K9 Rescue. Bob came over and brought me back to his home. It wasn't a forever home but it sure was nice to be out of the woods. My owner actually did track me down and when he found out Bob would help find a good home for me, he decided that was the best thing for me. That was just what Bob was hoping for, now he could get on with helping me and that began with getting that BB out of my head and neutering. Then came the heartworm test...positive; then the heartworm treatments, ugh! They were tough but Bob, Denese and the wonderful vets and technicians at Animal Hospital of Statesville took real good care of me and I made it through! Thanks, you guys!
Bob then started taking me to PetCo for the adopt-a-dog days. A lot of people would stop and pet me, but Bob told me he was waiting for the right people to give me a good home. My lucky day was February 16, 2008, when a man and woman came by and began talking with Bob and petting me. I thought they were very nice, but I knew they weren't from around NC because they had a different accent. But Bob seemed to like them and I trusted Bob. About three weeks later, back at PetCo I met the same people again and they seemed very happy to see me. That's when I began to realize that these people were going to be my forever home.
On March 10, 2008, in the early morning hours, Bob got my things and we headed out while it was still dark. We went to a hotel parking lot and there were those same two people again. That's when Bob told me I would be going home with them. I was sad and alittle scared to leave Bob, but I knew that's what I had to do. Leaving the parking lot, I whimpered a little as I sat in the corner of the back seat of the pick-up truck. I was trying to be brave. These people seemed nice, but I was really missing Bob and I had no idea where I was being taken.
I rode quietly for quite a while, with a scared look on my face. I looked out the window to try to see where we were going but I couldn't tell. Finally, I started to relax a little and took a nap. When I woke up, I felt better. I continued riding for miles and miles, hours and hours -- about 17 hours to be exact and pretty close to 1000 miles. We stopped off and on along the way for potty breaks and snacks. I was getting to like these new people!
Finally we arrived at a house in the country. I got out and stepped into this icy cold white stuff that was slippery to walk on! Oh no, snow! I'd seen a little of this stuff in NC but not like it was here. Then they told me, I was in New Hampshire!
This was my new forever home! It was really late, so we went right to bed. The next morning I met my new family: my German shepherd sister, Sadie, and my German shepherd brother, Buddy; and my feline brothers & sisters: Sam, Jack, Eddie, Annie and Chloe; and my grammy, who is 87-years old and blind.
My life has changed so much since I joined my forever home. I go for walks. I have a huge yard to run free in with my brother and sister. I have my own bed. I go to dog school. And I'm preparing to be a therapy dog so I can go to nursing homes and children's reading programs. Life doesn't get much better than this! Thank you Forever Home K9 Rescue for helping me find my forever home...even if it was 1000 miles away! Rocky
