Meet Our New Foster Rocky!

This is little Rocky. He's a terrier mix (Yorkie/Cairn perhaps?), or as I like to say, "He's a little scruffy dog!" He's has cute little round brown eyes that just stare up at you, giving him a sad little face. And his hair sticks up all over, much like Einstein's did. Its quite endearing really.

Rocky was sprung from the joint on Friday, June 13th. Being the day that he was rescued from the kill list, and given a second chance at life, it should have been a pretty lucky day for the little guy. But ended up being a pretty rough one instead. That evening we went to a fundraiser event, "Yappy Hour" at a resort in Scottsdale. The first hour went well, he got lots of attention from folks. But then I put him down to get a drink of water. The water bowls were near a door to the patio. One of the guests came in with her dog. The dog sniffed at Rocky and then turned to walk away. Suddenly it turned back and chomped down on little Rocky, picked him up and started off with him, shaking him and all that, as if Rocky were a toy (and maybe that's what the dog thought he was....). I was of course yelling and screaming. When you're in a situation like that, you're not always thinking, you're just reacting. Luckily, someone else did have their wits about them and dumped a large pitcher of cold water on the dog's head. It let Rocky go and I scooped him up and backed off quick. Rocky let out the scream that little dogs scream when they're frightened out their tiny little skulls, which of course scared everyone present, even more so than we already were. We rushed him out of that room into a quiet office to look him over. He has a little sore on one of his front legs, but its minor and should heal up quick. No other punctures, though he did bite his tongue, but it only bled a little bit.

He's come out of it sore, and a little nervous of everything in general, but I don't think there's any lasting physical damage. He was a rather happy-go-lucky pup when I picked him up, but not so much right now. I'm hoping that after a week or two in quiet, stress-free, safe and loving environment, that he'll perk up and be back to normal. I came out of it with rug burn on the top of one foot, bruises on my knees, and nasty sore on the inside of one knuckle (I think the leash ripped the skin when he was pulled from me).

But now its time to tell you a little about Rocky. He's a quiet little guy who loves some lap time. He's a bit of a circus dog in that he'll get up on his hind legs and walk a bit if he thinks there's something up high of interest. He has jumped up onto our dining room chairs in order to get high enough for me to pay attention to him (hey, it worked didn't it?). He enjoys looking out the front window, and even more so if the office chair is pushed up close to it so he can sit rather than stand as he watched the street. Rocky also enjoys the large dog bed we have. All the little guys love it. He spent about an hour yesterday passed out on his back, head to the side, legs up in the air. Here's a picture that I took of the little guy. (**Note: This photo has been censored, as this is a family friendly blog. ;D)



So far, he has not shown much interest in toys or playing, but new fosters often don't until they have been with us for a bit and are more comfortable. He does not try to get Marie to play with him, but he has tried to sniff her a few times. The cats absolutely terrify him and he avoids them at all costs. Even if it means taking the long way around the dining room table.

Rocky enjoys being picked up and held. He likes to be close. He also likes to curl up for his naps in safe little spots such as under the dining room chairs, between the bar stools at our kitchen island, in the little space between the recliner/end table/sofa, under my worktable, etc. He actually briefly went into his crate when I was working in that room yesterday.

He does okay in the crate when we leave or at night. He'll bark for a while, but then quiets down.
Overall, so far he's been a good little guy. He's only had a few accidents in the house, but they were really "marking" more than anything. He's not yet neutered, so its to be expected. There are plenty of other fosters that marked those same places, so he's just letting future fosters know he was there. Think of it as doggie graffiti.

Well, that's about all I can tell you about this sweet little guy for now. As we get to know him better, I'll be sure to post some updates and of course some great new photos.

Thanks for reading. See you at the dog park!