9/06 - Rocky Jr. has been adopted

8/10/06 - Rocky, Jr is pending adoption

7/31/06 - Rocky's update is a long time over due. We had to iron out a few issues on who is in charge. He is doing wonderfully.  He and Tony continue to get along great. He has learned to ring the bells on the sliding door when he wants to go out and know one is paying attention. He is a very smart boy. 
Sometimes Rocky just rolls right over for belly rubs and will stay as long as you will pet him. If you let him he will curl up with you anywhere be it on the floor, chair, couch or bed. When the house is quiet he is quiet and content and if you want to go outside and play he is all for that too.
You have to be careful with play with Rocky. He gets very exuberant and may lunge for the toy in your hand. So you have to pay very good attention and remind him who is the boss and who's toy it really is. We don't play with any toys in the house although he would be just as happy with a toy in the house to play with by himself. The interaction with toys is reserved for outdoors. Sometimes I don't even know he is in the house. When there are two or more people in the house he makes the rounds to see who will pet him, give him a treat or possibly find him something to play with.
That's all the news for now.  Boy or boy if I had room he would be a keeper.

7/12/06 - Rocky is settled in now. I really think he needs a home that someone is there most of the time. Thanks to Tony he has learned to bark when we have company, but only until they are in the door. He is rarely in the crate because he does so well outside of it. If you let him he will curl right up as close as he can get next to you. We try to get him outside in the yard with some really hardy playing and running to help with his energy level and it seems to be working well. He has a few toys now that he enjoys tossing around or just carrying around. He has the treat cupboard down pat now too. He is all wiggles and dances when you get home and he loves to go for walks and car rides. He will want to be up front with you but all you do is tell him no and to lay down and he does. I think his color is more on the reddish side than the brown. Some evenings he will lay in front of the sliding glass door and just watch out into the back yard. He doesn't forget anything he sees out there either, so when you let him out he goes right to the spots where he last saw a squirrel or bunny or the dog out on the other side of the fence. He has to check it all out. He is a very curious boy and loves to investigate anything new. That's it for this update. I will try to get some new pictures taken this weekend so he can show off his handsomeness.

7/6/06 - Rocky is doing very well. He and Tony are pals now. They sleep on the same pillows etc. So I would
say he can get along with another dog. He is a bit stubborn when outside in the yard and you call him to come. If you are in the doorway he comes immediately but if you are in the yard and he wants to play he runs away. We will work on that. He does great on the leash.  He is eating very well twice a day. He is really a sweetheart.

7/2/06 - Rocky is doing very well. He has a few incidences that needed correcting and he has been a gem
ever since.  He and Tony have no problems at all. I don't find that Rocky needs crating very often.
He has gotten better about being crated and sometimes goes in there to lay down. He has been around
a 7 year old with no problems. We can take his toys away from him and he has learned no when he
tries to eat Tony's food. He is a quick learner and oh so smart. He has figured out how to knock
over the gate with his chin and he doesn't forget. Rocky needs a home that is boxer savvy and he loves
men. Teenagers to play with would be great and a stay at home person or another dog. He is not
destructive. He does follow Ron everywhere in the house and when Ron sits Rocky lays down at his
feet.  .He does not beg and we don't give him people food. He eats well, like previously noted sometimes
he just picks at the food throughout the morning but he eats it all and at night he gobbles his
food quickly. He has been out in the yard now without being leashed and he does great. We have run
him in the yard and he and Tony have done some running. He is very fast and agile. He comes right
to you when called hoping for some more attention. If he is next to you and you talk sweat to him
and rub his head he will fall asleep. He does nudge the garbage can and sniff it but has never
taken the lid off of it or taken anything out of it if the lid is off. He will stick his nose in the
air and sniff the counters but does not touch them or anything on them. I think he is curious. He
is being a very good boy now. You have to make sure he knows you are in charge. He does not make
the same mistakes twice either. He has earned a few of his toys back and that makes him happy. He
will play with them alone too. Watch for this boys next update.

6/26/06 - Here it is 24 hours later and I can tell you quite a bit about Rocky so far. We aren't sure he
knows his name, or he may be ignoring us at his convenience. He absolutely did not want to be crated.
He cried and barked and you would tell him to sit and he would lay right down but the minute you
left the room it would start all over again. He just doesn't want to be away from Ron. So after we
got him to be quiet for a few minutes we let him out and he slept on one side of the bed and Tony
on the other. This morning after leaving for work I guess Rocky wanted to know where we went so he
must have stood up on the kitchen door and he pull the curtains down. That's all that happened. Ron
was in and out of the house all day so he was allowed free roam of the house and he was fine the
rest of the day. He and Tony are kept apart during the day by a gate in the hall but it is enough
that Rocky doesn't feel alone. Intros after last night were quicker than normal but so far they
sniff each other and walk away. Rocky has tried twice to play with Tony. By Friday they will be best
buds. Last night Rocky found one of my stuffed dogs that my granddaughter plays with and he came
running out with it like look at my new chew toy. So after he gave me back by dog I gave him toys
and he picked out several that he likes and has been playing with them on and off for the past 
hours. I had no problem taking the toys away. He does need persistence but then he obeys. He is very
smart. Right now he is just laying in the room with us like he doesn't have a care in the world. I
don't know how he will be around small children. I think he may be puppy rambunctious yet for small
children. We will test out his playing and stopping on command next. He has gone walking around
the block and today I let him run in the yard with me and he is fast. He darted about four times
around the yard and was ready to come in for a drip of water. That's it for now. I still am in love
with him even after the curtain downing. He is all boxer boy.

6/25/06 - Rocky Jr. is here. What a beauty.  He is making himself to home. He has sniffed every inch and
corner in the house that he has had access to. He and Tony have sniffed through the gate and Rocky's
tail is a waggin. He takes his treats nicely so far and is a little stubborn but will obey with consistence. When you tell him to sit he sits for a few seconds then he just lays down. He took a liking to Ron and follows him in the house and whines if he leaves his sight. Will let you all know how the first night goes. He doesn't seem to need to be crated but will tonight and see how it works out. That's it for now. I think I am in love again.

6/25/06 - From  Rocky's Transporter's
JoAnn B. - Well, I am back from my part of the transport. It went smooth as can be. That Rocky Jr....what a good boy. So friendly and my is he HANDSOME! The pictures don't do him justice.  If it was a sunny day, Id have liked to run off to the park with him!!!! Whomever gets that guy, will be very lucky.
Carrie W.  - I am home from Rocky's transport he is safely in the hands of Cindy who is bringing him to Rome. He was a very good boy in the car stayed in the back seat and slept. When we got to our meeting place he did his business and then just sat down in the grass of course he started acting the fool when Cindy got there rolling over and over biting his leash and getting all tangled in it. Rocky behaved nicely while he was here. He seems like a real good boy I am sure someone will be lucky to happen upon him.
Cindy - Mr. Rocky Jr. initially tried to drive to Rome, but then decided he would be more comfortable in the back seat.  He slept the whole way and was a most well-behaved gentleman.  When he met his foster(?) mom, they both seemed immediately smitten with one another.  He's quite a handsome fellow, and a real love bug.  He appears to know at least some basic obedience, and, despite his puppy "antsy-pants" will listen if you really insist.  He's adorable and is going to be a great dog for someone.

6/24/06 - Rocky Jr. is about to head off to his new foster home and will really be missed.  He is a really handsome boxer and will make someone a great family addition.  He is certainly trying to be an Alpha male, ready to challenge the other dogs if he is with them in an enclosed environment, but while walking on a leash, he totally ignores them.  He has been great on the leash, walking twice a day now.  He tends to get fixated at times, like when he is challenging or if he wants to chase a cat. He has filled out since leaving the shelter, but he sometimes wants you with him when he eats.  If you walk out of the room, then he has to see what’s going on.  He is starting to play with toys a little, but soon loses interest.  He is getting better with basic commands.  He does great in the car, sitting like he owns the car and watching everything going on outside.  When he gets tired of sightseeing, he just curls up and relaxes until you slow down, then he is sure he is going to miss something and he is back up.
Today he visited the groomer (Nash Academy volunteers to groom our foster dogs) and while at first he was busy trying to let everyone know he was boss, he settled down and won the hearts of everyone there.  There were several at Nash that weren’t ready for us to take him home.
Rocky is a sweetie with a lot of love to give.  Best to be in a household without cats, and while he and Champ get along great, he does have to work on being with new dogs. There will be a great void here when he is gone.