Just Keeps Getting Deeper!

Welcome to My World -- New England!

Would you believe this is my walkway? I've never seen so much of this white stuff! Where did my path go? It snowed all night and all day today. A 'Nor'easter' they call it -- boy am I glad I don't have to shovel! I sure did have fun running in it, though. I took one corner a little too fast and slid right down into the snowbank on my side -- snow crashed down all around me like an avalanche! That would have been a great picture.

Look at Bud on the left -- Doesn't he know I was at the door first? He is always pushing his way through to be first -- Didn't anyone teach him any manners?? He even pushes Sadie out of the way and she's a lady -- no manners, I tell ya. Well, today sure was fun -- I hope we get another Nor'easter soon! Have fun playing in the snow -- I know I will! Rocky

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

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

Love At First Sight 1 Year Ago Today

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

A Long Quiet Week

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

Wicked Cold!

Howdy Friends!
It's been wicked cold here, so I've been staying inside! Wicked -- that's a new word I've learned since moving to NH. Mom says it means: really, really, really, really something, like really, really, really, really cold! The other morning it was 21 below zero! Now that's wicked cold! Things can be wicked good, too, like when talking about my new food -- Taste of the Wild! It's full of salmon, sweet potatoes, blueberries and lots of other good stuff. Mom says Dad just bought it because it has wolves on the package. I'm just glad he bought it! It's wicked good!

On these wicked cold days, I don't go out much, except to go riding in the truck with my Dad -- I wicked love going for rides! (Mom says I shouldn't use wicked that way but I'm gonna anyways -- it's my blog.) So when I'm not riding around, I'm sunning myself in the sunroom deaming about riding in the truck. Oh, sorry 'bout the dog slobber on the window, must have been when one of us was drooling over the cats!

Speaking of dreams -- this is my new bed! I love my new bed, it's just like Bud's. Whenever I got on his he would give me the evil eye until I got up and moved, so Dad went and got me my own. I had another bed but I didn't like it as much as this one. This one is nice and thick and cushiony. And I love the pillow -- can you tell?

Ahah! Fooled ya! Betcha thought this was me, right? Wrong -- it's Sadie waiting for Mom to come to bed. We do look just like real brother and sister. Sadie spends time with me in the sunroom during the day. I like Sadie! Well, cold weather and a new bed is about all I have to report on this week. Stay tuned for more adventures next week! Keep warm and sweet dreams! Rocky

Howdy Friends!Here I am anxious to get going for a walk on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We got about five inches of new snow today and then the sun came out, so Mom said, "Let's go for a walk." I was so happy to go! The last thing I wanted to do was practice sit, stay for the camera! Can ya tell? It was about 28 degrees but it didn't feel too cold. I was afraid my feet were going to get cold but they didn't so I had a great time!

These are some of the elk that live down the road from my house. I really, really love to look at the elk! They remind me of the deer I saw when I was lost in the NC woods. The elk smell really good, too! I always have my nose up in the air when we walk by so I can get a really good whiff!
I guess I must have scared them as pretty soon all the big elk began to herd the little ones up and the big elk stood around the little ones and never took their eyes off me. I think I must have looked like a coyote to them! But what would a coyote being doing walking on a leash?

Here's me and Bud, well, mostly Bud, but I'm there behind him. I learned something from him that's really cool! Eating snow! When we're out with our Dad we just walk along eating snow -- it's a lot of fun. This was taken the other day before all the new snow we got. Mom doesn't like me to eat snow, so I'll have to wait until she's not around to taste this new stuff.

Oh, well, that was the highlight of my weekend -- what was yours? Have a great week! ~ Rocky

First Solo Visit A Moving Experience

Hi Friends --
Well, our first solo visit to the NH Veteran's Home will be one Mom and I cherish and remember forever. We weren't even going to go yesterday because Mom was very busy and also felt we needed to practice a bit more before going solo. But later that morning, she said she got a strong impression that we needed to be there that afternoon, so she quickly groomed me and off we went. Our friend Kathy Wilson joined us to help navigate the halls of this large facility. Mom wanted for be sure to visit her friend Forrest, a former member of the WWII 10th Mountain Division. Mom had been looking forward to having me meet him from the time we began training for TD work. We found his room and went in, only to find him very sick. Mom had seen him a week ago, so she was surprised to see him so sick. He knew who we were, though, talked with us and was happy to see us. We visited for a short time and then a nurse came in to tend to Forrest, so we said we'd better go. A few hours later when we were at home, we got a phone call from Forrest's granddaughter -- Forrest wasn't expected to live much longer. Dad went over immediately to see him. When he came back, he told us that Forrest had told his son when he arrived that I had been in to visit him. I'm so glad he remembered I was there. This morning Dad got another phone call. Forrest died around 5:30 a.m. I'm so thankful my mom listened to that still, small voice and took me over to see Forrest. I hope I made his final hours on this earth a little bit brighter -- I think I did. That's what Therapy Dog work is all about. Rocky

Forrest and his late wife, Dorothy. They are now together...forever. Helaman 10:7

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/10/7a