"Tails" of Rocky: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Mug Shot!

Howdy Friends!

My mom needed to take my picture for my Therapy Dog ID Card. I really don't like to sit for pictures -- don't know many dogs that do. She needed a face shot, so this was the best I could give her. Can you see me smiling? She nearly blinded me with that flash! And, no, I don't have a white mustache like it appears. Why, it makes me look like I'm in one of those "got milk" ads! Must have been that darn flash!

I can't wait to get my ID tag, then there'll be nothing stopping me from carrying out my mission in life. In the meantime, I'm practicing with m

y grammy-- check this out. She's 87 and blind, and lives with us. I always make sure I am very gentle with her and she loves me in return. I just know I'm going to love being a Therapy Dog!! Ya'll have a great week now! Rocky

Monday, September 22, 2008

BYD & Me!

Howdy Friends!

I just love the 3rd Sunday because that means all the teenagers from church come over to see me. Well, they don't actually come to see me. You see, for those of you who don't know, my dad is the Bishop of the Laconia Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and every 3rd Sunday night he holds a Bishop's Youth Discussion (BYD for short) in our home. I sneak in and listen, and soak up all the pats and hugs I can get. As you can see, I'm getting quite a bit of attention here! And this is just half the group! Can you tell I just love these kids? They're the greatest! Hope ya'll have a great week. Rocky

Thursday, September 18, 2008

You Won't Believe This One!

Howdy Folks!
This is me last weekend trying to catch up with my dad who was in the paddle boat over at the Iacopucci Resort. The water was nice but it would have been more fun if someone had actually been in the water with me. It's probably my last swim for the season -- we may get a frost tonight! It sure cools off fast up here in NH! I'm sure swimming days are no where near over in NC.

I want to thank all of you who leave me comments and I can't wait to meet ya'll. Now I know some of you have said my blog has brought a tear or two to your eyes. Well, get the whole box of tissues out for this one. My story can't even compare to this one here that my dad shared with me. It shows you just how amazing dogs can be if they are just given a chance. Click on this here link, and if you don't have a tissue handy, it's not because I didn't warn ya. Rocky
http://www.faiththedog.net/video.asp

Saturday, September 13, 2008

It's Nascar Time!

Yup, that's me at the Sylvania 300 right here in NH! I know, I know -- I look a little small next to that sign, and that's not even the big sign at the main entrance. But I wanted you to see these nice new signs. Mom says this Mr. Smith guy has really spiffed up this place since taking it over. I never saw it before but it sure looks pretty now! I'm not surprised, after all, now ya'll know I come from Nascar country, right? That's right, Mooresville, NC -- Earnhardt country to be exact. You can't get any closer to Nascar than that! And when it comes to racing, they know how to do things right down there. So this is a big howdy to all my fellow NC Nascar fans!

When my mom started telling me about all the big rigs pulling into town from Conover, Concord, and all those places, man, I just couldn't stay away. I had to at least make an appearance, so my mom and dad took me down so I could show-off my Nascar pride. I know it's hard to see it, but I'm wearing a real nice bandanna -- white with a big orange #88 on it for Dale Jr. Now, tomorrow's Sunday, so I won't be at the race, but I'll be able to hear it from my yard and I'll be weari

ng my bandanna showing my support for Jr.

Maybe it was the bandanna, I'm not sure, but everyone who saw me was saying how nice-looking I was. These guys here even let me join in on their tailgate party! How cool is that? Check 'em out -- my new friends from Nova Scotia -- Nascar fans and dog lovers, too -- doesn't get much better than that!

Vendors were inviting me into their tents and everything! Then I saw this here #3 blanket that I really, really, really wanted for my bed. But my mom said Buddy and Sadie would be way too jealous if I came home with a new bed, so I had to settle for just a picture of me in front of it. It's pretty, eh? (Picked up the "eh" from partying with my Canadian friends.) I just know I'm gonna to be dreamin' about this blanket, why I'd probably feel like I as right back in Mooresville, if I had this for a bed. Well, maybe next year...or maybe I'll ask Santa Claus!

Hope ya'll had as much fun today as I did! Oh, and don't forget to root for Jr. tomorrow! Rocky

Thursday, September 11, 2008

It's Official!

I made it! I'm officially a TDI Certified Therapy Dog and an AKC Canine Good Citizen. Imagine, all those letters after my name -- who would have thought this a year ago! Well, I haven't actually got my ID tag or my special jacket with fancy patches yet, but I did pass my test! Tonight was the night and mom said I passed with flying colors! I thought she was sad when I finished the test because she started to cry, but then she told me she was so happy because I had come so far from being shot with a BB, lost in the woods and sick with heartworm to now being a Therapy Dog. I owe this all to all of you who wished me well, said a little prayer, and especially to my special angels in North Carolina -- Bob, Denese, Marilyn, the unknown girl who first rescued me from the woods, and the vet staff at Animal Hospital of Statesville! And, of course, Sheila. I hope I have done you all proud! Mom got a special cake and Tex's mom, Renee, brought sparkling cider to mark the occasion and also honor all service dogs that served at Ground Zero and the Pentagon 7 years ago today. My Aunt Mary also brought me a special gift -- a BBQ ribs chew toy. She said she knew I was missing some of that Southern BBQ and she was right! Joining me in getting their TDI certification was my new friend, Tex, a chocolate lab from NY and NH (more on him later); Moose, a chocolate lab from VT, and Quimby, a terrier from Peterborough. They are all there in the picture with me, along with others who helped out with the testing. Special thanks to Carolyn Bancroft, who certified me. I had a great time and even better times lie ahead as I carry out my mission in life. Rocky

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Saturday Fun

I love weekends! All week long when my mom and dad go off to work I count the days until Saturday because I know we get to hang out together then. Here are some pictures of me having fun today. You'll see the three of us here: there's Bud, my dog brother that I'm sitting next to. He's a little lighter color than me. And that's Sadie, my dog sister laying down. She and I look a lot alike, don't we? Just like we were real brother and sister! We all hate to sit and have our pictures taken but we do it to make our mom happy. Look at me running and jumping! Not bad for dog that had heartworm, eh? I love to run in my big yard! Mom calls me Rocketman when I run fast like that! Rocky

Monday, September 1, 2008

Labor Day Fun

I've been having a great long weekend with my mom and dad -- staying up late, sleeping late! Yesterday, Mom and I went for a walk in the afternoon down our country road to the cemetary, and I had a chance to practice my therapy dog work. We saw an elderly man by himself sitting on a bench near a grave looking very lonely. So Mom and I went over to see if he might like someone to chat with. He seemed happy to have us stop by -- he was visiting his wife's grave; she died in 2005. We visited for quite a while, so long I finally just laid down and took a nap. It was a nice day to be outside, so I didn't mind and it was nice to make a new friend. Then in the evening we went to the band concert in Tilton. There were a lot of people there and we had a good time listening to the bluegrass band on the river island. It was all I could do to keep from joining in on some of those high notes! Hope ya'll had a great weekend, too! 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

"Tails" of Rocky

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