"Tails" of 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

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Latest Happenings

Life is such an adventure! Two weeks ago, on a warm Saturday morning, I joined my mom and dad, aunt and uncle, and cousins and friends and we all climbed a leg of the Appalachian Trail right here in NH. I suppose if I had wanted I could have turned and headed south and it would have brought me right back to NC...eventually! But, no, NH is home for me now. I met my cousins, Tyler and Shannon, that day and I walked with them quite a ways. I was a little nervous whenever I couldn't see my dad because I didn't want him to get lost in the woods. Been there, done that and didn't want it to happen to him! Tyler and Shannon are very nice -- check out the picture of Tyler giving me another set of ears -- like mine aren't big enough already! We were on a very important mission that day and I was honored to be invited along. I can't wait to see Tyler and Shannon again -- next time, I see them we'll be on a therapy dog assignment at the Glencliff Home where Ty and Shannon's mom works -- Can't wait to meet her! Oh! Speaking of therapy dog work -- I've got my date for my evaluation: September 11th. I'm excited it's on that day as I've decided I will do it in honor of all the service dogs that helped at Ground Zero. If I can be half the dog they all were, I'll consider myself a success! The Rock

Friday, August 22, 2008

Special News

Hi Friends -- Today is my special day! My dad took me to the vet for my 6-month heartworm test to see if I was cured of that awful disease. Just the thought of worms in my heart disgusts me -- ugh! Well, great news -- I'm heartworm free. Being treated for heartworm back in my home state was no picnic, but it worked! Now I can be scheduled for my Therapy Dogs International evaluation and get on with my mission in life! I am forever grateful to Bob, my foster dad, and Forever Home Canine Rescue for saving my life! I love you, Bob and Denese!

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