RockySr

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2008 Update - The Rock is doing very well and enjoying his senior years! His vet says he is in good shape and continues to do well when he goes every 6 months for his blood work because of the Rimadyl.
We had a good holiday season and it amazes me how well Rocky can open his Christmas gifts! He got a new squirrel, a grouse, and a duck and of course a new bed! The duck got destroyed in a couple of days and he continues to work on “emptying” the squirrel and the grouse! He does some new things which I thought were cute. He will run and fetch a ball but is selective if he will bring it back to you or not. Also, after his walk when I am putting him in the truck, he will grab the end of the leash and prance around with it. It is so darn cute! He does not act like a 10 year old!
I did find a lump on the bottom of his tail. We had it tested and it is a non-malignant tumor. My vet is planning on de-bulking it, so it does not get too big and burst. It doesn’t seem to bother Rock at all, but we are watching it.
He is my special boy and I just love him and enjoy sharing my life with him.

10/2/06 - The Rock is doing very well! I am getting ready to go on vacation, and Matt will be taking care of Rocky while I am gone, this way we don't have to disturb his routine and the boys can have their bonding time, although they are very attached to each other, as I am too! He now has the full run of the house, the downstairs that is. He is very good when we are at work; he spends most of his time on his bed or lounging in the living room. He does bark though. When Matt comes home and doesn't get in the house quick enough to greet him, Rocky lets him know it. It is pretty cute. He is there to greet me at the door when I get home and starts jumping around and getting excited because he knows he gets to go for a ride to my Mom's neighborhood and then for a walk! Dinner follows a little while after that. He does wait for his food and will not go near it until I tell him it is ok. He does this automatically and always waits. He is a very good boy.
Rock did well at the vet and my vet was not surprised that I had another "senior" boy. Everything checked out well, although my vet thought Rocky might have had some ACL injury that has lead to the arthritis in his knees. He did gain 1 pound, even though he does not get too many treats. He gets his pill in a liver treat and a biscuit after going outside for the last time before bed. His legs have more muscle tone in them, probably from his walks. My vet does not want him to gain any more weight, especially because of his knees. He is keeping him on the Rimadyl, we will continue to do the blood work every six months. His ears were clean and Dr. Olsen did remove some wax but overall he said the ears were good. I try to brush him outside twice a week and that has seemed to help when we do his teeth cleaning - there is not as much fur. I am getting used to doing that and we do it with a little fuss on his part but he lets me do it.
We also found out he does not like squirrels, and he tries to show off in front of the horses. When we are in the yard working, we put him on his run and he does not chase any cats or squirrels, but definitely lets them know he is around. He seems to know that he can only go so far on the run, so why bother. One time, Matt was standing at one place in the yard and I wasn't far way. Rock started running back and forth between us like a crazy dog! He was going full speed ahead. It was so funny! He did that and then was tuckered out. It was so cute. So everything is going good for Rock in his new home. He is very good in every aspect. I will drop another line before I leave for vacation. Lynda, Matt and Rocky

9/18/06 - Well, our first week is has come and gone and I am happy to report that things are running very smoothly. Rocky seems very happy in his new home. He is very close to Matt, which Matt is really enjoying! And Rocky is getting even more spoiled than he already is. I take him for a short drive up the street to my
Mom's house and walk him in her neighborhood as she has a park at the end of her street.
We did find one thing out though - he does not like kitties at all. Matt was on a walk with him and a cat walked towards them and Matt said he had all he could do to keep Rocky calm.
I did get his license and he has an appointment to see my vet on the 27th. I refilled his Rimadyl prescription until his appointment with my vet. He goes for walks after work and Matt will take him for a walk in the morning when he can. Rocky likes his bed and is working at ripping the octopus legs off!
One thing is he does not like the stairs to get up to the bedroom, so he has been sleeping on his bed on the
living room. He does not seem comfortable on the stairs, so if he doesn't want to go up, then I won't force him. When we go upstairs at night, he goes to his bed and stays there until morning. He loves my Mom and seems to enjoy all company! He is a big hit with the family! So all is well with Rocky and he has adjusted to his new home. I hope to be sending pictures soon.

9/11/06 - After you left I walked Rocky around the yard and he was looking for you. It was so cute. He looked up the street for you. I could tell that it was difficult for you to leave him. He was with you for a long time and you took very good care of him. I thank you for that.
Things went very well this weekend. Matt is our pack leader and he and Rocky have totally bonded. He bonded with me but he seems more attached to Matt. We went for walks each day and he ate all his food. He gets a biscuit after he goes out for his last time before bed time. I think he likes that. On Sunday we took him in the car to the store and Rocky and I waited in the car for Matt to come out. He watched and waited very attentively for him to return. It was very sweet. We took him to the park down the street from my Mom's house and walked him around there. He seemed like riding in the car and likes his walks. On Sunday afternoon, he met my neighbor's dog and that went well too. So he has a new home and family and a dog friend too.
I think he knew it was a work day when Matt left this morning. He looked for him and then seemed kind of sad, until he had his breakfast! That perked him right up. I let him have the kitchen and the living room and when I was getting ready to leave for work, I took him out one last time, he did his business and came right in and went to lay on his bed. (I swear he knew it was a work day).
So we'll see how he does. I am going to leave work a little early, just to make sure he has adjusted ok. I will walk him right after I get home, so he can get some exercise after resting all day.I will check in later in the week to let you know how the Rock is doing. Thanks for loving him and taking such good care of him! We just love him!!! :-)

9/9/06 - Rocky has been adopted
I drove Rock to Lynda in CT, since the interior of my house is in ongoing DE-struction mode (hopefully
construction mode in a couple of weeks). All went very well. There's a lovely large grass yard he proceeded to
flop on and bite! (He's not used to grass.) Then he christened one of the flower bushes as his own (that
was fine, "they're his flowers, now," I was told - I think he was spoiled the moment I pulled into the driveway!) Several horses can be seen not far away in the pasture on the other side of the fence. He looked for a few minutes, but then continued on the walk around with Lynda. Along with fave treats (carrots) and kong with cookie, and very big comfy orthopedic downstairs bed (he'll be upstairs at night), Lynda had a new octopus for him (I told her
how he loved his old, no longer existing, one), and he gave that a shake or three shortly after arriving.
For the first week or two, he'll have at least the kitchen to roam while Lynda is not home, and that's something Rock should like, and one of my big desires for him, since he had to be crated here during the day (due to our four kitties) Rock asked for and got belly rubs from both Lynda and Matt long before I left, and Lynda and Matt both got several of Rock's (previously) infrequent kisses, so it was all set!
He's definitely going to get tons of loving! It seemed strange to finally leave him, and I was a bit sad since he's been with us so long, but more so I am very happy for him, confident about what a great senior life he's going to have. It looks like this is the match I was so hoping for, for him.

8/18/06 - Rocky is pending adoption

8/8/06 - I took Rocky to get his 6-month blood work for being on Rimadyl, and asked the vet to look at his ears, since he was scratching them and they kept getting “dirty,” even with frequent cleaning, and she said he did have an ear infection. Two weeks of meds twice a day, and that will be gone. He is amazing while I have to do what I must to his ears. I call him over to me, and even with the stuff to do it in my hands, he comes right over. He rests his head in my lap while I squirt the cleaning liquid in, and lets me clean each one out about six times with cotton balls, then put the meds in. A true sweetie through all of this (I’ve started giving him a piece of cookie, he’s so good), but he’s never given me trouble when I’ve cleaned his ears, or things like drying between his toes after a bath. It seems like anything you can to do him to be touching him, he is fine with. If I idly play with his ears – curling, folding, “stretching” (all gently, of course) - while he’s sitting on the floor next to my chair, he will softly nudge my hand if I stop. If I start again, fine, if not, he just waits until I do it again, later, and he knows there will be more later. I can scrunch the skin on the front of his neck, or anywhere on his body, and he loves it. Of course, just a minute or so of anything like this and he’ll lie down and roll over! Rock is not much of a kisser (a few licks now and then), but he is such a sweet mush!
Rocky is also up to 71 lbs. He carries it well enough because he’s tall, but I don’t think he should get any heavier, for one because of his arthritic knee (the reason for the Rimadyl). He looks good at 67 lbs, too, so that’s probably a range he should stay in.

7/26/06 - The Rock is doing well. A super sweet guy with no bad habits and super low maintenance. He’s amazing in the crate (he’s in there a lot, and goes in before I even ask him to so I can leave for work). He is always excited to see you come home. He wiggles his butt so hard, his front end, head to toe, wiggles just as hard in response, and he will do some bean dancing when someone comes home and he’s not in the crate. He has never had even a drop of an accident in the house since the day he arrived; he doesn’t even need to go out often (although he goes out a few more times than necessary because the girls are going out). He’s just one of a gang of four when they all head for the door to go out (it’s funny to watch him try to quickly turn the corner from his room and head for the front door on our hardwood floors!). He’s great in the tub getting a bath. He doesn’t destroy things in his room when he’s out of the crate and the door is shut (and there’s lots of stuff in there to tempt him). He seems to love all people (especially my Dad/men; he gets a bit more excited around them). He sits and waits for his food. He doesn’t have people aggression about his food (I don’t really know as far as other dogs, sine we feed him in his room, but he could be fine, depending on the other dog and the family dynamics; then, again, he might not be). We don’t walk much, but when we do, he does pretty well with “proper” walking techniques (as instructed by our resident trainer, Kim). He won’t even take a carrot or chewy out of my hand without a LOT of hesitation, then he does it sooooooo gently! Hmmmm . . . speaking of chewies (rawhides and the like) - and it’s not a bad habit, as far as I’m concerned . . . when Rock has a rawhide, regardless of how super gently he finally takes it from me (I almost have to put it in his mouth or put it down), he would prefer you don’t try to take it away once he does have it. For a while now, he has been used to me rubbing his head and talking to him while he is trying to munch away on one of those things (I’m ever testing), but even at that, he will still hover his head low over the rawhide between his paws and give a very faint grrrr, while just his eyes look up at me (much nicer reaction than the first month or two he was here and thought he was pack leader, unbeknownst to me). I don’t even know that he can bite, per se, with that underbite of his, or that he would really try to in a vicious manner. In more of a “snit” type manner, I saw him clap(?) his mouth together a couple times (a bit like a snap, but not with teeth) and, while lying down through this, give three short barks at our Boston the one time she snuck in Rock’s room behind me when he had a chewy. Immediately, she went to stand under the computer chair about a foot away (the room is small) as he just turned back and continued chewing. She knew to get away from him and he didn’t make any contact with her. (Our three girls all swap chewies – well, they all steal each others and usually end up with the one they started with by the time they are done! - and they play with them as if they were toys; they don’t understand this “protection” thing.) By now, Rock knows I am not going to take it away from him, and I don’t think I should – even before I knew the “technical” explanation for it, I believed once a person gives something over to a lower pack member (a fur kid; although I sometimes wonder if they ARE a lower member ;-), that person shouldn’t try to take it back. However, not all children of all ages understand that, and for that reason, Rock should live with a family/person who knows that all of their human pack members understand that about Rocky.
I think Rock really deserves a home and family that will allow him more freedom than he can have here (because of the kitties; not everyone has to like everyone, after all). He can give a few seconds of running speed now and then, and can jump and play pretty well for short periods, but he is not going to catch frisbies in the air, go jogging, or anything like that. He does like to chase balls (not too, too far), but not do much with them after a couple times. Rock is definitely going to make a great companion for someone/family on the laid back side. It’s very comforting (to me, anyway) to idly caress him while he’s lying next to you, and you want to just chill out (it doesn’t take much of this for him to semi-roll so you’ll be caressing his belly). He’s great with our Boxer/Boston girls, but he also plays with toys by himself and seems happy enough with doing that (and he’s funny to watch, too), so he’d be fine as an only dog (and NO kitties or other small, furry beings, of course). I sometimes “fake” tug on a toy he’s playing with (I don’t pull hard, don’t want to hurt his mouth), and talk like I’m going to take it from him, and he seems to get a kick out of keeping it from me by turning the opposite way. Not a lot of activity needed with this boy, but LOTS of love . . . he does love his loving, and it’s so easy to love him, once you look at that face. When you talk to him, and he looks back as if he understands every word you said, it’s not hard to fall like a “Rock” for this guy!

6/7/06 - Rocky continues to be his sweet, old self. With the nice weather, now, he and the girls get to play a lot out in the yard and he really likes that! They are all super with each other, all getting excited when it’s time to go out and play, but all behaving quite nicely while going out the door as a group. The little Boston still likes to stand up and tap Rock on the face, but he’s fine with that. My folks were over for dinner last weekend, and Rock posed for a couple pix – one is his “please adopt me face” and the other is his best Barrymore profile, hoping someone out there will realize he’s just who they’ve been looking for. :-)
One thing that did surprise me yesterday. A squirrel hopped along the top of the fence about 4 feet from the open window he was looking out of (as he likes to do), and he just stood there and watched it go by. This is the first time I’ve watched him watch a squirrel, so don’t know if that’s how he is with them, or if he’s just more mellowed out than I thought. I was expecting him to get a bit excited like he still does once in a while with the kitties. He’s not as anxious to get at them any more, although I still won’t let him mingle with them because of that ‘once in a while’ when they run by and he wants to follow.
Rocky basks in lots of loving and would make a great companion. He likes to play for little bits of time, even if just by himself, but mostly he’s a lounge-around type of guy who will look at you with those dark, intelligent eyes and listen when you want someone to talk to.

5/9/06 - Not really anything new happening with the Rock the past couple of weeks; he’s been here long enough to basically have run the gamut and then some, some time back, I think ;‑). He’s still being his very sweet self, behaving very well, staying healthy, and greatly enjoying the nice weather we’re finally having that’s allowing him and the three girls to run and play in the yard lots longer. (He doesn’t get to play with them inside because of the kitties, for the most part, and the lack of open area for four fur kids to play rough and tumble. He plays nicely by himself, so that’s not much of an issue.)
He’s quite a changed boy from when he first arrived and for a couple of months afterwards. All in all, he seems to be happy here while waiting for his special person/family to find him. Someday, Rocky . . . . someday.

4/10/06 - Rocky is looking and behaving really well. I took him to get a HW test (neg. as expected). He weighed in at 68 lbs and the vet thought he looked like another dog compared to even a month ago, with his great coat and filled in body. (He could probably carry more weight, but as a senior, he is better off staying around this weight.) He’s still having fun playing with the girls, although sometimes after one “crash while passing” too many, he will head for the front door. Awwwww (He sometimes will walk into the invisible, speed running path around the cars, and the girls are going too fast to avoid Rock, so . . .) And he still plays really well by himself, shaking the heck out of the octopus (which is a very good shake toy, with those long, loose legs), chasing a small ball around his room, or chewing the squeaky bone, keeping me amused while I’m at the computer.
One thing that can get Rock excited almost more than anything else (my son stepping over the baby gate to come into the room is in close contention) is when he thinks he is going for a car ride (picking up my purse and his leash is a major hint that this is going to happen)! He is very good while in the car, mainly looks out the window, and will come out of it when told to, but trying to walk him prior putting him in the car is a trip. He’ll keep looking backwards at it – maybe to make sure it didn’t leave without him? Most times when we go out front to play (or “whatever”), either or both of the cars is there, and he will linger near the doors for a bit (going between the two, if both are there), checking them out (without touching them), hoping (and hopping!) to be getting in (they play out front where there are no fences - or traffic of any sort, people or car). And if a car happens to be running when we walk out the front door, there's almost no getting him away from it (even if he's not the one going anywhere), although I can do it, of course. Why he is so enamored of getting into a car, I can’t say (he doesn’t do this very much when we go out after dark, so that’s a mystery, too.). Our girls love going for rides, too, but they don’t have the pre-ride fascination/anticipation with the cars that Rock seems to have. This is certainly not a problem at all, but quite amusing to watch.
Rocky and I were going to perform a home check yesterday, but it needed to be rescheduled. However, in anticipation of going visiting, Rocky got a super-duper scrubby bath, and he was really good through the whole thing, just as he is during his quickie “routine” baths, including allowing me to do a major cleaning to the inside his ears. He doesn’t mind when I dry between his toes and doesn’t pull his feet away. He hasn’t needed his nails clipped yet (vet said they’re good right now), but I’m guessing it won’t be a difficult task. And he seems to enjoy being brushed! Such a love!
I know there’s a special family out there for Rocky, and they are going to find him. Until then, we will continue to keep the Rock healthy and happy here.

3/27/06 - Rocky is still having a blast playing with the girls outside – each day he seems happier and more playful than the last – like he didn’t know this could happen a couple times every day. When it’s time to go out, they all dance and bunch and crunch at the (small) doorway, and it doesn’t matter who’s first or last, they all just want to go play (such a complete turnaround for Rock compared to pre-Kim). Rocky leaps, and bounds and bounces . . . the Boston stays so close to him, copying what he does (or trying to, anyway) and there’s such a big difference in size, my son says it’s like a shark with one of those “cleaning fish” stuck on it. He is super in the house, and amazing in the crate. Anyone (without kitties) looking for a senior Boxer who is still quite active when times call for being active and calm when all around him is calm, couldn’t find a better boy than the Rock.

He is not a big kisser, but when my folks came over last week, as usual Dad got a bunch. Dad really likes Rock, and the feeling is very mutual and has been from the start. Rocky seems to like everyone, but some folks get more kisses than others. I’ll get a couple little ones here and there, but no one really gets a “face washing” from him. (The girls are big on that, so that’s okay.) He will also now bark a time or two when the girls do. (He even did a little bit of a howl the other day; I thought that was too funny.) He likes being a part of the pack so much he wants to do all that they do, I guess. However, I can quiet him down right away, where they are not so easily silenced.

He has been here longer than any of my other fosters, but he is such a good boy, it doesn’t matter to us humans how long as it takes for him to be found. The girls and he like playing together so much, I’m sure none of them minds, either. He has gone through a lot more changes than any of the others who have stopped here, and he is definitely ready for when his forever person/family shows up! I will miss his amazing smoosh face and those beautiful eyes, but there are so many more Boxer kids out there – including the slightly “older” ones who seem to find their way here more than youngsters (three out of four) - looking for a start toward a good life, I am sure the foster “room” in my heart wouldn’t be empty for long.

3/17/06 - To digress a bit from stories about Rocky (which come next) - BAR policy requires that an adopter picks
up their new fur-kid at the foster home, but so many folks interested in adopting rescued Boxers from BAR seem to live closer to NYC (and in distant parts of New England) than Boston, that in Rocky’s case, I would like to offer to help reduce the distance (and time) his new person/family would need travel pick him up, by us meeting up with the new family at some agreed-upon (halfway?) point on the happy day. I understand folks wanting to keep within their “comfort” zone for traveling (for any reason), and I am hoping by making this offer, folks presently some distance away who is interested in adopting Rocky, but haven’t pursued looking into it because of Rocky’s location, would reconsider asking about him if they did not have to travel all the way to Boston to adopt him. This offer is not being made in order to find just any home for Rocky (neither BAR nor I would allow him to be blithely adopted into a home and family that was not right for him), but to maybe give folks in a slightly wider geographic area the opportunity to consider adopting him.

Rocky is still doing super with the girls! It is almost difficult to explain the feelings I have watching him run and play so happily. Truly a “warm and fuzzy,” or should I say “furry.” Such enjoyment for all of us - and I do believe we can see happiness and how relaxed he is, in his actions and how he looks when they play outside (we do not have any large open area where they can all play at the same time in the house, so things are kept low key inside). The way all four of them play so well together, it’s like they’ve been doing it from day 1, instead of 2 weeks ago. Harley likes to play “bumper Boxers” with all dogs. She’ll charge into Rocky and he just keeps going, doing whatever it was he was doing. I think he really likes playing with the Boston, most of all. Since she was 10 weeks old (she’s 10 months, now), she’s been playing with the big girls, so she’s no slouch when it comes to Boxer play. She can give and she can take as good as any 60+ pound Boxer. The Rock and KoLoHe can go pretty fast when running circles around the car out front (we’re at the fenced end of a dead end road with lots of parking space and no traffic; you can see the fence in some of the pix). He is on Rimadyl for his knee, and it really does makes a big difference overall, but still, to see him run as fast as he sometimes does is quite surprising (even tho he doesn’t do it for as long as the girls do), and I am very happy he can do it at all, as I’m sure he is. Our Boxer girls both run a lot faster than either Rock or KoLoHe, which may contribute to those two liking to play together, plus Rocky had a pug sister when they were turned into the shelter, so that may also be why he seems more drawn to the little Boston, although he likes and plays with them all. My parents are quite excited to hear about them all getting along so well (my Dad really likes Rocky), and they will be coming by this weekend to watch the antics in person.

Rocky’s coat has been feeling and looking very good for a while, now (quite a difference from when he first arrived), but I swear it gets softer by the day! His whole head has always felt almost like velvet, and the rest of him is just about caught up. I don’t give him any special supplements (although I did for a while back in January), so maybe it’s just a combination of things (good, regular food, maybe the shampoo I use, maybe he’s happy – and getting happier!). Something else I didn’t really notice had stopped, but it seems Rocky doesn’t whimper in the morning to let me know he is awake any more. It was never a big deal thing, I thought it was kind of cute that he behaved and just made enough sound to let me know he was up. Could it be another part of all the changes he’s made because he’s not pack leader, that he silently waits until I go downstairs to get him?

I’ve mentioned Rocky will most times go where I point without me saying anything. He will also sit to wait to eat with just a particular motion of my hand. (He will even try to sit straight down, but with his tight knee it’s not possible – he can only get into a squat position, so he sometimes needs a little “extra” time to stand back up so he can sit back down “sidesaddle.”) I can get his attention with “our word.” I can sometimes break his concentration on something by softly using his name to get his attention. There are many things we both do now that we did not do for the first couple of months the Rock was here, and these past couple of weeks have to be the best of all his days here, with group playtime becoming part of daily life. And what I think is really good thing – he still has not had even ONE itty-bitty accident in the house since arriving here, not even an “excitement” dribble. After all this time, I do find that amazing. He has incredible staying (holding?) power. ;‑) He also doesn’t mind being crated, and doesn’t seem to need anything to amuse himself while he is. It sure would be nice if he eventually was not crated, say at night, but when he is, he is just fine about it. He has been uncrated in his room for 3-4 hours at a time (with the door closed, since the bottom of the stairs the kitties use is only 3 feet straight ahead and facing his doorway) and he doesn’t get into anything (and there are things to get into, as with any room, unless it is bare to the walls; of course, we’ve made sure none of the things would be dangerous to him if he did – stacks of books and papers, bottles of water, shoes, etc.).

There seems to be no end to the good things about Rocky - kitties aside, although he has never hurt them, but we – and they – haven’t let him get close enough to really find out what he would do; sometimes he will just quietly sit as they walk by the gate, and sometimes he will make like he wants to chase them. He curiously watches the Boston playing with them (they’re about the same size, and have mini-boxing matches), so maybe he’s trying to figure out what he’s supposed to be doing with them. I thought Rocky was happy before, but I KNOW he is happy now, just being one of the “kids.” In no particular order, he’s happy, relaxed, loving, playful, calm, super sweet, super smart (learned from the training just about immediately), mindful of commands . . . the list really could go on (and I’ve mentioned it all in this update and others). There’s not too much more one could ask for in a furry companion, and he has the most soulful eyes.

3/12/06 - Oh, happy day! Rocky loves playing with our three girls! I have to admit, I really didn’t think it would happen. What a difference from when he first got here, and even a month ago. It has taken some time to get to this point, but there were many reasons why, not the least of which was, I did not know Rocky thought he needed to become pack leader. It did not help that Rocky was not neutered when he got here and there were a lot of hormones floating around in the air for a few months, and that all seems to be past us, which is what was hoped. (The neuter was done in December, a month after he got here because he had very bad kennel cough, which means he was also kept apart from the rest of the gang the first month.) After a couple of long, training conversations with Kim (love ya!) and knowing what she was talking about, but not knowing how to put them to work for us, or even that we had to, Rocky is now a happy member of the pack. The steps were actually quite simple. They just needed to be consistently applied – the main ones being how to walk Rocky properly on a slip-loop leash (when he needs to be leashed, like at the vets or walking public streets) and teaching him to wait for his food, neither of which he gave me any “backtalk” about (I expect Kim was right when she suggested Rocky didn’t really want to be leader, but thought his pack should have one, which it really didn’t have; we’re just a very laid back household, although I am using some of the training on the girls, now :o). Oh, and definitely a major thing to remember – no yelling commands or getting agitated – just quiet authority and the use of a constant word (mine is between heh and hey, softly said). And when something was happening between Rocky and whomever, solidly step between him and the “excitement,” silently indicating that I want it to stop (like when he sees the cats on the stairs or gets very overly excited that my son came into the room). I do believe the neuter without any of the training would NOT have produced as good an outcome by itself, since with time, it would just be more ingrained in his mind that there still was no leader here, and he would have had to continue the job, neutered or not. His forever family should have no problems continuing on what we’ve started. It is not really “work” and takes no more time to do – it’s just doing things differently than we did at first, and differently than may be needed with a totally submissive dog (but can’t hurt in that case, either). It’s even possible Rocky’s forever family may already be doing the things that we are, or have done with other fur kids in the past. It definitely makes for a happier Rocky and friends (fur and skin type, both), now and in the future.
I have added new pix of them all outside. The Boston, once again, thinking she has to walk my fosters for me! Our Boxer girls are quite rambunctious and extremely vocal players, and Rocky took it all in stride. He didn’t get vocal, but he stayed right in there with them. They so wanted him to chase them, constantly bowing and feinting at him and being very noisy! The Boston just likes to bounce off of him and walk him. Most of the time, Rocky looks like a rocking horse without the rockers, the way he prances around. I’ve always said Rocky is a sweetheart, and now he truly is. (Okay, not perfect, he still wants to chase the heck out of the cats.) I cannot tell you how happy I am for him. He’s always seemed to want to play with the girls, but when we’d get them together, he’d get bossy and pushy, to put it mildly. No sign of a relapse to that at all, and it has been several days. He just gets more playful each time we all go outside (and he takes long naps when we get back inside!).
One other cute thing (well, to me, anyway). I decided the comforter we got him a month or so ago really didn’t have any “comfort” to it, so I gave him a super one I got on ebay for about $10 that was extra fluffy and cushiony when folded (much nicer than the inexpensive ones in the stores), and as soon as he stepped on it, his nub started wagging!! He doesn’t even “rearrange” it first before lying down like he did with the other one. He’s been in the crate (on his own) curled up on that comforter more than out of the crate, since then. He does like some buffer between his old knee and a hard surface (don’t we all), although he still spends time on the hardwood floor next to my chair.
Rocky is getting tons of loving from me again, although he knows he can’t get in my lap or into my “space” (basically, getting between me and the computer) without my asking him to (he has tried a couple of times, but I silently tell him no). I know he’s not going to slip back to his old ways, since there is consistency in his daily life telling him he can relax and just be one of the “kids,” and he seems really happy about it. Rocky would always have made a great solo companion, and still will – he plays really well by himself, but now it seems his companion can even have other fur kids! (As long as they’re dogs and all properly introduced at the start!)

3/6/06 - Not much actually “new” to update on Rocky. He is doing very well leash walking, waiting before eating, and we are not playing “musical dogs” any more when they all need to go out. Rocky is still on a short leash on the way out and in, because there’s usually a cat or two wandering around, but they all go out and in the door together now – even with the baby Boston tapping at his face, although they still go to gate-separated areas to do their business. This is a very big improvement that has been coming along slowly over the past month, especially since Rocky knows, now, that he isn’t - and doesn’t have to try to be – a pack leader. They all can now “meet” at the baby gate to “Rocky’s room” without him getting upset. They don’t play or talk over it, just check each other out – sometimes just “loitering” next to the gate for a few minutes, but that’s much better than earlier on.

Rocky is looking very good, too. He has a nice, full, soft coat now – no bald spots at all, and he doesn’t seem to shed; I’m sure they all do a little, but it’s not noticeable with our girls and it’s not with him, either. (No signs of winter alopecia and/or stress from being crated so much, or anything else, thank goodness! My first foster shed fur a lot, evenly all over, the last 2 weeks he was here – if I recall, his forever mom said it was a vitamin deficiency). Rocky hasn’t had even one accident (I am totally amazed at how few and far between his trips outside are). He is super in the crate; it doesn’t seem to bother him at all – although it is hard for me to look at that sweet, forlorn face when I’m saying goodbye before going to work or closing him in it for the night. (Actually, it always looks about the same when he’s not got his tongue hanging out – like the pic on the left with the gray toy, but I’ve convinced myself he looks even sadder just before I need to shut the crate!) He amuses himself nicely for several minutes at a time, once or twice a night with his few fave toys (it’s not easy to shake an inflexible rope chew, but he tries). He takes a bath really well, and allows me to wash his ears (they were super dirty inside; I have also been using some drops to help clean them out, and he sits very well for me while I put those in, too). He tends to get fur caught next to an upper canine from licking himself (his underbite doesn’t help) and the vet showed me how to get at it using gauze pads. Although he gives some resistance, I can get his jaws open to do this with another pair of hands helping hold his head still – I can almost do it alone, but not quite. I do this once a week, and he has had less and less fur there each time, but as I said, he is not really shedding, so he’s not licking much up, either. None of these things is amazing in itself, but put together, they make it easier and more pleasant to do a lot of the things a fur kid needs done, and it really helps that he’s such a sweetie about it all.

Rocky can run pretty quickly now, and he seemed to like jumping about in the snow, but at 8 years old, he doesn’t need to do things like that for long periods. He will still almost turn himself inside out more for my son than anyone else, although we all get tons of bean dances and wiggles when we get home (my adult son has an amazing connection with fur kids and always has, even the cats tend to gather on him when he’s sitting still). When my son comes in the room – doesn’t matter if he’s just come home or been home right along - Rocky does that leaping straight up in the air thing (so gracefully, too!), and also tries to play with his sneakers (not so graceful), which he hasn’t done for anyone else. After letting Rocky “feel the joy/love” for a bit, if the excitement doesn’t look to be letting up, I quietly step between them and Rocky calms right down.

Rocky is such a big-eyed smoosh-faced love and so deserving of a “regular” family life for his coming years (freedom to roam the house, even if just when his person/people are home, being a big part of that), especially having attained senior status with maybe not the easiest of years behind him. He will be a very, very nice companion.

2/23/06 - Just a short note to update on Rocky’s and my training. Things are moving very quickly, to my surprise. He is walking great on the loop collar (works like a check chain, except it’s a very thin rope-like material), and I can actually get him to sit before going to his bowl to eat. Most times, after only a few seconds of sit, he will even lie down and semi-roll onto his back before I walk away, which is when he knows he can go eat. And I can put his treat carrots right in front of him and tell him to wait to eat them. He even does “stay” when I leave the room and shut the door (yes, I know for sure he stays). He has always been a very good boy, but this part of our relationship is totally different from just last week! He seems to have given up his few pack-leader “duties” so quickly, Kim suggested that maybe at his age, he really didn’t want to be leader and was happy I was taking over. He’s even listening to me better than our “own” kids do! Already, sometimes I need only make eye contact and point and he goes to where I’m pointing. I’ve had to let up on some of the petting/attention he was getting from me almost every moment he was awake and I was home with him (my son makes up for that when he’s with Rocky), but when it’s for sure a done deal that he has given up leader traits, it should be safe for me to go back to giving his usual amount, and should he start to slip into his bad habits, I know he can be put back on the correct path. The changes Rocky is going through could also help ease his not liking the girls getting close to him – my son is noticing a slight change when he’s with them at mid-day to take them all outside. We don’t know if it will be enough of a change that Rock will ever actually play with the girls, but it would be nice to know he’s not upset (threatened?) when they get too close to him, although I still would like to see him be the only fur-kid in his new home. He has always gotten a lot of attention from one or the other of us, but without the freedom to walk around beyond “his” room, and at 8 years old, he so deserves to have that luxury without he or his family being concerned if he and another resident pet will always truly get along.

2/20/06 - Well, I have had two conversations with Kim regarding training Rocky how to walk nicely on a leash and how to not be “selfish” about his rawhide chew. Rocky is a very sweet and basically laid back boy, but he seems to want a leader (which Kim understood when we talked), and for these two things, I am learning how to be that for him (I have not noticed him showing “leadership” in any other areas). We have only just started using the methods to help me do this correctly, but Rocky seems to be learning very well and very quickly. His quick learning my be due to his having human leader in his life at some time (or else I’m a heck of a good teacher and he is a very willing student!), but when he felt he did not have “leadership” in all things while he’s been living here, although he was getting more love and attention that he probably knew how to handle, he automatically tried to do a small bit of leading, himself (I did not really know that is what he was doing until my conversations with Kim, and then it was obvious). We are very laid back and mellow, here, and Rocky is the first of four fosters who hasn’t totally been “accepting” of that atmosphere; I understand some dogs prefer to have a leader (Rocky not being neutered until he was 8 years old may have something to do with that), while many others are happy living without a prominent leader. In time, when Rocky realizes he doesn’t have to be “pack” leader” (nd all the hormones have totally left his system - maybe another month?), he may decide to get along better with other dogs. Right now, he is okay in close proximity to our girls, and has even gone on a walking lesson with one of them (it was early on, so he was having a bit of a problem concentrating, but no fighting), so it is not that he aggressively pursues other dogs when he sees them, he just does not like them standing in front of him or bumping into him . . . at least, not yet.
The training methods are not difficult at all to follow and they will become a part of Rocky’s regular routine (I think, now, that they should probably be part of most, if not all, dogs’ routines), and they can easily be continued by his forever family. Plus I have lots of new tips on how to bring a new foster in, once Rocky’s forever family has found him, which we all hope happens soon, because he really is deserving of having a person/family who wants to give him a secure and happy rest of his life.

2/8/06 - Rock seems happy, and he is being so very good while patiently waiting for his forever person/family to find him. He so much deserves to live his senior years in a special home. How special? Well, one that does not have any other fur kids living in it (sadly, for reasons we will never know, Rocky is not comfortable around any other furry creatures, and he is in seventh heaven around people); a home that has a fenced yard for him to get his little bit of exercise in (it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to go to dog parks); a home where he will be able to actually walk around all the rooms and even have his bed in his mom and/or dad’s bedroom; and most of all, a home with a family that will continue to give him as much love and attention as he has been receiving here – in other words, who will keep spoiling him to bits (belly rubs and raw baby carrots being two of the ingredients for successfully doing that)!

He really IS very good. He goes into his crate even before I try to put him in it when it’s time to go to work or bed, he knows the “routine” so well. When I scoooch down to give him some lovin’ and say “see you later” or “goodnight” before closing the gate, he just looks at me with those big, soulful eyes. In a way, sad looking, but I have to smile because he looks so sweet. I always make sure his fave toy at the time (usually the soft rubber bone) gets in there with him, not for him to play with while we’re gone (he doesn’t need to “amuse” himself with anything while in the crate; he actually will ignore anything like a peanut-butter-filled kong or rawhide chewy), but so he will be able to have it in his mouth as he wiggles uncontrollably behind the gate (managing to hold his head still and continue facing front) while waiting for me to let him out in the morning, or for us to let him out after we get home. Once he’s out, then the bean-dancing and spinning starts (still with toy in mouth) to let us know, even more, how happy he is to see us! He sometimes will just hold the bone toy in his mouth, no matter what he’s doing – lying down napping, sitting and watching me on the computer . . . I think he would take it outside, but I won’t let him and he readily gives it up when he knows we are going out. He actually readily gives it up any time I try to take it from him. As I’ve said, he’s not one for “tugging” on toys. He does like to pounce on them and bring them back when they’re tossed, tho (even when he does the tossing).

We bought a couple of new comforter “beds” for Rocky – one for both in and outside the crate. The comforters each came in one of those zipped, clear-plastic carrying “bags,” and when I put the bags down on the floor of his room, he must have thought it was Christmas, again, because he instantly started trying to “open” the packages and get the comforters out! It was too, too funny! (He had gotten one of those clear plastic doggy stockings with toys and rawhides in it as a present, and I guess the clear plastic bag with something inside reminded him of that.) He really likes these new ones. They are larger than the previous comforters, which makes for much more fluffing up and folding, or just spreading it out on the floor - all rearrangements done by Rocky, of course!

Rocky seems to be doing well on the Rimadyl for his knee. His legs are definitely stronger – I can tell when we’re heading for the door to go outside, and when he comes up the walk from the back yard with more of a bounce to his step than before. (He’s stronger on the leash, also. We don’t go for walks, with my house location and yard setup, but when we went to the vet last week to pick up more meds, I noticed it. We are going to work on this, with some advice from BAR’s “resident trainer.”)

2/1/06 - My sweetie, Rock, is doing well, as usual. He’s in good shape, just has that arthritic knee. As I’ve said, it doesn’t prevent him from using stairs at all, or even doing a bit of trotting and a bunch of bouncing and a jump now and then, but it does bother him at times, especially when he first gets up from lying down, when he favors it by not putting a lot of weight on it, or when he tries to sit or lay down – he does it slowly and might whimper a bit (although he sure can get up quickly when he wants to! :o). However, two buffered aspirin/day did not seem to be helping him much, so with BAR’s okay, I took him to find out about giving him something else, and we are going to try Rimadyl. It has been 2 days, so it’s too soon to tell for sure how well that will work. He does seem to be trotting a bit faster.

While at the vet, I was able to weigh Rocky, and he’s lost a few pounds in the several weeks since I stopped adding pasta to his food, but he’s been looking good and it wasn’t really noticeable, so I am again adding it to his food, but only half what I used to and keeping the veggies and stuff I began adding when I discontinued the pasta. He’s been waking up by 5:30 the past few weeks (when I get up), and I thought it was because he was hungry for breakfast, not that he had to go out, and now I think so even more. He would be whimpering softly in the morning when I woke up, I guess to let me know he was awake, but with him getting a bit of “heavy” food again, the whimpering seems to have stopped, and he may even actually be sleeping until I go downstairs, like he was before I switched to more “lighter” foods. If he’s not sleeping, then he is just being quiet while waiting for me. Rocky likes to have a lot of food in his dish, anyway, but he seems more content when it’s got some weight to it; if nothing else, he seems to need some to keep from getting too thin, again. He has a good size frame (he could easily carry 75 lbs or so), but at the vet’s recommendation, we are trying to keep him on the thin side (65-67 lbs) because it is better for his joints and his health overall.

I use comforters for my fosters’ bedding, one in the crate and one on the floor , since twice-folded they make for a good thickness to lie on, they are easy to clean (as opposed to the padded fleece beds, etc., sold in pet stores), and when on sale, usually cost less than the pet store beds. Rocky is not the only foster I’ve had that likes to “make” his bed, but I notice he does it much more often, almost every time before he lies down, especially with the one on the floor for his naps. He’s so funny about it, using paws and mouth lift up, fold over more, bunch up, twist around and plump up the comforters before going in circles a few times then finally laying down. Sometimes he can shape it so it’s almost like a puffy bowl around him. Now, you can’t do that with a flat foam bed! Then there’s other times you wouldn’t be able to tell that a Boxer slept on the comforter in the crate all night at all – nice and neat just like I fixed it the night before. Go figure!

I’ve mentioned before that Rocky is able to jump straight up in the air when he’s excited to see my son (who is 6’5”) and he wants to play. My son put it well - if you can picture a swordfish jumping out of the water while being reeled in by a deep-sea fisherman, Rocky can also jump so that he does that side-to-side movement while he’s in the air, like a fish out of water. He does not touch my son when doing this, it’s just up and down not up and forward. It amazed me to see Rocky do this once a few weeks ago, and I wrote about it then (not using my son’s analogy, but that did cross my mind at the time I saw it), and my son tells me Rocky did it again, several times yesterday. (Maybe that Rimadyl is working better than I thought already? :o) Rocky can be quite playful for very short periods a couple times a day if you want him to be, and he seems happy that he’s able to play like that, but the laid-back, lots-of-naps part of being a senior the other 23+ hours of the day seems to agree with him even more . . . and it’s a lot easier for him to do, too!

1/22/06 - Rocky is doing well. He is looking very good, too. When he first came to us, he had a large, bald area on each side of his neck in about the same location on both sides, as if from a large restraint of some sort (the regular 1-in. collar I have on him covered about half), and a few thinning spots near his tail. All these have grown in beautifully, and are not at all noticeable; it's like they were never there. A combination of a lot of good food (he was very thin), an omega supplement, and appropriate topicals has made for a very big improvement. He was "at attention" standing in a sunbeam in the yard yesterday looking or listening to something I couldn't see, and I wished I had the camera. He looked SO good in his "pose." I will try to get one of these shots soon.

Rocky can still get quite rambunctious when playing with my adult son, you would never tell by watching him that he
is a mature gentleman! For all his roughhousing, he is quite calm as a rule. My son is the only one who initiates this type of play with Rocky; otherwise, one would never know he could play like that; Rocky himself will not initiate rough play. (We only let Rocky play like this for a few minutes, and he always stops when told to.)

It was very mild outside last Friday and my son was working around the yard in the afternoon before going to work, so he had Rocky out there for about an hour, and he said the Rock was trotting and prancing around and playing very nicely on his own. When they finally went inside, Rocky headed right for his crate and a nice, long nap! He likes to sleep a lot, anyway.

Rock likes to lay on his back a lot - so funny to see his lips flare out when he's upside down! He also likes wriggle on his back, as if in the grass, and at the same time rub both sides of his head with his paws. Very cute, and I always have to laugh, which he can make us do with a lot of the things he does. I find once Rocky goes into his crate around 8:30-9:00 most nights (on his own), he really doesn't want to get up and go out again. Too funny to see me there with my coat on and leash in hand with the baby gate open trying to coax him out of the crate! (The crate door stays open until I go up to bed around 11:00 or so.) He just looks at me with those big, dark eyes asking "Do I HAVE to?" He does finally get up, but I feel so badly about doing this, I've begun to take his water up at 7:00 pm and get him out for a last walk just before he heads into the crate. One night, by chance he happened to wake up as I was shutting down the computer around 11:00 so I took him out, but he still woke up at the same time. I think the fact he's hungry wakes him up more than needing to go out. He doesn't whimper after he goes into the crate for the night any more. He actually will go into it so quickly after our last walk, he doesn't even give me a chance to get the leash unhooked! He will whimper very softly in the mornings to let me know he's awake; I am usually up by the time, myself. He will be a bit noisier if he's in his crate and knows you're home, but even at that, he does it while lying down. He doesn't get upset or stressed at all by the crate like he did somewhat the first week he was here. Even when I'm in the room with him, he'll go in there for some of his naps.

When we get home from work, he'll be wiggling and dancing in his crate, but now he'll usually also have his red rubber bone in his mouth. I don't know why he's started this, but our Harley has always done the same thing - brought a toy to us when she meets us at the front door. Rocky likes to shake his toys; he is not into tug of war at all. Sometimes, when we're playing with a toy together, he will "grab" for it right next to my hand but won't get my hand in his mouth. Even times I've purposely tried to get a finger or two in the way, it was not a hard grab at all. Definitely not a boy to bite the hand that feeds him! He has a very soft play growl, and doesn't do it all the time, although he can be vocal (barking) with my son when they get into it.

For all that Rocky doesn't have freedom in the house (just his small room) and can't sleep in my room at night (with the kitties), he is quite the spoiled little boy, and he seems very happy. He has almost all my time when I'm home, and gets lots of belly rubs and scratching and a lot of attention. I can't imagine how happy he will be to have his very own forever home where he CAN walk from room to room and sleep in his mom and/or dad's bedroom at night, in addition to all the other stuff. Rocky is so sweet, and looking at that face, head on, when you talk to him just has to make you smile.

1/11/06 - Rocky, the Face, is still a belly rub monster, big time! He can be doing (or not doing) just about anything, and if he even gets a hint that you may be going to rub his belly, he will get into position! Sometimes, even if you weren’t planning on it, that’s what you end up doing, because he looks so cute. He plays with all his toys, but he does have two bone-shaped ones he’s gotten attached to; one squeaks and one is hard rubber. On a day that he’s decided one or the other of them is his fave, he will keep it with him throughout that day, no matter what. If he’s lying down, he’ll pick it up before he stands up. It’s in his mouth if he walks around. If he goes into the crate for nap, oops, there it is! He even took the red, rubber one out with him the other day and just kept it sideways in his mouth while he did all usual sniffing around and “stuff.” That was funny to see. (I prefer they don’t take inside toys, outside, but he had a good grip on it, so I figured he wouldn’t let it get dirty.) I will throw the soft squeaky bone for him, and he’ll go to it, just not at breakneck speed (although he can make a decent 10-15 yard sort-of dash – admittedly, I haven’t asked for a longer one, yet), and bring it back when I tell him to. I don’t know if he understands totally the concept, tho, because once he reaches the toy before picking it up, he looks at me quite curiously as if asking why did I throw it if I want it back, and he may even attempt to walk the other way with it, but as soon as I say ‘bring it to me’, he does. It’s been very cold out, so we haven’t done much of this. Tossing it for him inside isn’t anywhere near the same thing (no space, so it’s more “up” not “away”), but he will make a big show of trying to catch it when I toss it up, and then jumping on it if he misses (which he does most of the time). He still amazes me with the strength and energy he has for an 8-yo, even with a creaky knee.

Rocky has also decided he wants to be the only fur-kid in his forever family. He is very into people and he will just about turn himself inside out when he sees us after being away for a few hours. However, Rocky is just not that comfortable living around other dogs as he is with people and we feel that, at his age, he has earned the privilege of being the center of love and attention. So shall it be.

Rocky seems to be doing well on his cut-back portions of food, although he now will search out any small pieces that may have fallen on the floor while he was dining, which he didn’t used to bother with when I was feeding him a lot more in order to put weight on him. So, to put some bulk back into his food without putting it on him, he’ll get carrots and/or green beans mixed in with the dry, along with some very thinned out no-fat/low-fat gravy to add moisture. Sometimes I also add in some plain puffed rice to help him feel fuller without getting fatter. And he likes raw baby carrots! He might leave a tiny flake or two around when he’s done, but he really took to them! (Our girls go, carrot? What the heck is that?! Than drop it like a semi-hot potato. Well, one does need to let it rest on the tongue for a moment to make sure it should be spit out.) I’ve also been adding a little omega-3 oil to his food once a day (all of the kids’ food, actually), and it does seem to have helped. He hardly scratches (he mostly did that when outside in the cold), and his coat is looking good, too.

Still not even one accident in the house. I know he can last 8 hours overnight without having to go out, but I wanted to see how long during the day he might be able to hold it, so as a controlled “test,” on a weekend day that I would home all day, I did not take him out for his usual mid-day duty tour. I was ready to go out with him the moment he made any indication that it was time, but after more than 7 hours, he still hadn’t even given a hint, at which time I took him out because I felt badly for asking him to wait that long. Rocky is still being good when left alone in his room, too. He hasn’t tried to get at anything he shouldn’t. I did put a toy up, not in a totally out of reach place, apparently, since he somehow managed to get while I was out of the room without disturbing anything else, but it was his toy, after all. And he doesn’t go into the wastebasket in his room (only paper-type trash) . . . unless he sees that you’ve just thrown the loose stuffing from a toy in there. Of course, he did wait until I left the room to neatly retrieve it from the basket, but that, too was his, after all (only happened twice, I’ve learned that sort of “stuff” should go out in the kitchen trash).

If you are the person or family that can shower Rocky with love, attention, and more love in his senior years, I know from his time, so far, with the people in our family that he would be a most grateful and close companion, give much love in return, and bring many smiles to your face and much happiness.

12/28/05 - A stuffed, soft ball, $3.00, a soft, squeaky Santa doll (which lost its nose and mustache almost immediately), $5.00. Shredding the boxes they came in after they’re emptied . . . priceless! Rocky received several toys for Christmas. He’s played with them all, and surprisingly, they are basically still in one piece! He loves to shake the soft toys by the “leg,” and toss them up and pounce on them when they land. He’ll try to shake the hard toys, too, but it doesn’t work as well. They are pounce-able, tho. He can amuse himself, quite well.

We went to the vet to get his neuter stitches removed, and she thinks he looks really good at his new weight of 66.3 lbs! (5-lb gain in 2 weeks) Because he’s senior, she doesn’t want him to get much heavier. He really loves his food, but I guess maybe I’ll have to cut back a bit to keep him where he is. He seems to have some dry skin, but we’ll add the right foods to fix that. We had to park the van a few doors down from the vet, yet Rocky made a beeline for the vet’s doorway, ignoring the others, which all look the same. This was only our third visit and he already knows the place. It was quite busy, so we had a rather long wait. There were lots of people, so he was fairly excited the whole time we were there. He can’t jump up very high, but sometimes he will try, so I just keep him very close to me when it’s crowded. I would say, even tho he is 8 years old, he may be too much for little ones when he’s in play mode.

If we go out front while one of the cars is running (to warm up), he gets very excited because he thinks he’s going for a ride. One day, both cars were running, and he was going between the two trying to see if he could get in. One stopped on its own (auto-start system), and he didn’t try any more to get into that car, just the one that was still running. If neither one is running, he ignores them. He really does know the difference. Rocky has this way of sitting with his back slightly toward me when I’m on the computer, which means I need to wrap my arm around the front of this neck to scratch his chest. After a bit, his head will slump onto the crook of my arm and he actually starts falling asleep, sometimes to where he slides down onto the floor. He does love his loving!

Rocky’s gray face and age are somewhat deceiving. He can be quite energetic and active, just not for hours on end before needing a nap, like the youngsters. He is very strong and can pull on the leash if he sees something he wants to go after (like my son); otherwise, just a small tug on the leash will turn him around from where he’s walking. He can be a bit heavy-pawed when playing. When he bounces up, he comes down hard. My theory is that it is because there’s not a lot of spring/strength in his knees (one of them cricks sometimes, and the vet says it’s arthritis) to cushion his downward movement, so he lands as almost dead weight. He stood up in a boxing move one time with Harley, but Harley stayed on all fours, and one of Rocky’s paws came down across her shoulders pretty strongly. When my son does this waving his arms around, thing with Rocky, Rocky will waves his front legs back while bouncing, and he can contact somewhat hard. He doesn’t seem to be trying to hurt, he sure wants to play, tho! My parents were over for Christmas dinner, and again, Rocky had a lot of kisses for my Dad, and again, he didn’t get overly excited or bouncy with Dad, which is very good.

Now that the excitement of the holidays is almost over, maybe Rocky’s forever family will come looking for him. (If Dad wasn’t 80 – with Mom close behind - and have a very senior, Siamese cat at home, I think he’d try to adopt him!) Rocky and all of us here at Mac’s Place wish everyone and their fur kids a safe and happy New Year!

12/20/05 - The Rock is doing so well, he even looks like he may have put on 2-3 pounds in the past week or so! He is SUCH a belly-rub monster! He can be lying on his side next to me, and if I reach down and nonchalantly touch him while I’m paying attention to the monitor, he’ll quietly and slowly turn his body so his belly will be facing up and now be under my hand! And if he’s on the comforter a foot or so away and I turn my head to look at him, while he’s looking back at me, he’ll turn onto his back as if to say, “well, if you’re going to look at me, you might as well pat my tummy!” Just too, too funny.
He is still sleeping well and there’s not been even one accident inside, no matter how long it’s been between trips outside.
I’ve mentioned he will make noise and wrestle to hold onto a ball or stuffed toy, but we can take it away. I’ve found one thing it’s about impossible to take, and that’s a doggie ice cream cup! (They all get one of these about once every week to 10 days.) While I’m holding it in my hand, he just licks away at it, no problem. But once he lifts it out of my hand and it’s his to lie on the floor with (to better hold between his paws), if you reach in, he just clamps down on it, and since it’s very thin plastic, it’s easy for him to bite into, and nothing will get him to open his mouth. We tested him to see how far he’d go to protect it, and he made some noise and bit on it, but didn’t snap or try to bite the hand that tried to take it away. While he’s lying there eating it, you can do anything you want to him, I even scratched him next to his mouth, just like you can when he’s eating, as long as you don’t touch that cup (although you can move his food bowl). I have no idea why he’s not food protective, but he is when it comes to ice cream. Can the stuff be THAT good?? :-| Even when he’s done with the ice cream, it’s time to take the cup apart and make sure there’s not a speck of ice cream left on it. You can pick up the pieces he’s not concentrating on and he’ll ignore you, but he doesn’t easily give up the piece that is presently in his mouth. Our Boxer girls will ignore each other while eating the ice cream, but they will play with the cups among themselves for the few minutes before we trash them. I don’t think Rocky would like any fur kids to play with his cup until he was totally done with it, at least not yet. He may just need a bit more time getting used to things in a multi-fur kid house, even tho we were told he had a pug sister (but we did not hear anything about how well that did or did not work out). He is even much calmer going through a room where the girls are than the first couple of weeks or so he was here – as are they about him (of course, we’re not letting the Boston literally pummel his face with her front paws like she does with the girls -- or to a human’s leg to get attention -- we know he doesn’t like that). We have lots more tail wagging when they’re near each other, and it is definitely the friendly kind; no fur/hackles raised (there never were, but still, it seems friendlier). He’s more vocal about the kitties being only a few feet away, too. Can’t tell if that’s good or bad yet, tho; i.e., if he could walk among them would he ignore them, and he barks only because he’s restrained and they are not? Not going to push that test, in any case. He’s just too strong and rambunctious to start with. What is funny is, the last few times he’s been out back at the same time the barking Chow has been out next door, he’s given him his usual glance, but then turned away from him and hurriedly started to come in! I can tell Rocky it’s okay and to stay out and he does, but he doesn’t seem to like aggressive barking (neither do the neighbors, on the other side of the Chow, at 6 a.m. on weekends!). Rocky will bark now and then at things, but it’s always been when he’s playing, and now once at the kitties (which is why I’m not sure he wants to eat the kitties as opposed to playing with them).
He gets more excited every day when we come home, if that’s possible. I am amazed at the way he can bounce up and down on his front feet, and for how long! He’s doing lots of bean dances, too. He’s getting much more playful with things. My parents were over for dinner last Saturday (daughter’s last day before returning home to Miami) and brought over “candy cane” rawhides for all four fur kids, and Rocky chewed on his for a bit then started tossing it around and pouncing on it, just having a good old time! Mom took some pix, but I won’t have those until next update. Dad got his usual boatload of kisses from Rocky. Rocky is super attached to my son and gets extremely excited and active when he sees him (as do all our fur kids). Rocky gets excited to see my parents and give my Dad even more kisses than my son gets, but he does it in a much more gentle way, as if somehow he realizes my Dad is 80 and really not able to handle the type of excitement that my son can. (The girls go ballistic for my son and my parents (the latter who always come bearing gifts), and will TRY to bounce off of any of them they can, senior citizen or not! We usually have a grip on them so they can’t knock my parents over when they first come in.)

12/10/05 - Rocky was neutered, yesterday and came through with flying colors! He was very good at the office and excited to see the vet and her assistant. The assistant even commented on how strong and active he is for an 8-yo as she took him in back where he very nicely went into the crate to wait (doesn’t seem to have even the little bit of crate issue he had the first week here). The day outside, however, was nearly a disaster! Between the time I dropped him off in the morning, and when I was supposed to pick him up at 4:30, we had an incredible 4‑hour blizzard with all the inherent horror stories, from almost a foot of snow and not a plow in sight to cars blocking the end of my 2-block dead end road (on which I am the last house in) to all the neighbors shoveling out those cars and the road. When I knew I would not be there in time – or how I would even get there, I called the vet to tell her of my dilemma. They could keep Rocky overnight (which was offered to me earlier by the assistant, even tho they are not really an overnight facility, which I declined), but neither the vet nor I wanted that for him, so she said she would wait until I could get there – which was just after 6:00 p.m., when she could easily – and understandably - have gone home to Boston, where trying to find a parking space after that kind of storm is next to impossible, even if you live there. She is really a super vet to my fosters – she’s loved all of them! (I’m sure she’s just as super to all her other patients, too.) Rocky was wide-awake and happy to see me when we went back to let him out of the crate, and he did his waggle-walk all the way to the car (wagging his tail like crazing while trying to walk forward). I hugged the vet, thanked her profusely for waiting, and off we went home. When we got there, Rocky plopped on his comforter on the floor in his room, and surprisingly, other than sometime before 11:00 p.m. moving from the comforter to his crate, slept until 7:00 a.m. this morning. Now, we’ve got some weight to put on him (he looks thinner just going 1 day without food).

Rocky doesn’t seem to care one way or the other about the deep snow we have outside. Just trots down to the back yard to do his duty, and makes a lot of yellow snow in the snowbanks out front.

Rocky is very good in the bathtub. He only shook off when I got a lot of water on the top of his head. He let me wash his feet and dry between his toes, and doesn’t seem to mind me working on his ears, but they are so dirty I didn’t try to do it in one session. The vet gave me something yesterday to help clean them easier, so we’ll give that a couple of tries. They were so bad, she checked to make sure he didn’t have ear mites, and thank goodness, he doesn’t, or he and seven other fur kids would have been getting treated. Perish that thought!

Rocky still has his little, stuffed blue bear – basically, in one piece! Now and then, he likes to shake and toss it around, and sometimes stand up on his hind legs with it in his mouth, but he still hasn’t tried to un-stuff it. I haven’t been able to do much with him this week, as I’ve basically been caring for all the fur kids while my son has been away on vacation. He gets home tonight, so I’m looking forward to letting the girls and Rocky get together more, very soon.

This boy is such a sweetie, all he wants is a LOT of love and a little bit of playtime (okay, and a couple bowls of food a day and a soft place to sleep :o) I update frequently, so if you are interested in seeing more about Rocky, please check back often.

12/5/05 - The Face, er, I mean Rocky, had a vet visit, and all seems to be good. He weighed in at 61.8 lbs, so still got a few to go. The vet thinks the neuter (on Friday) will help him put on a little more weight. His eyes look good, hips are fine, just his left knee cricks a bit. Doesn’t stop him from doing stairs or bouncing like Tigger! He has a little bit of bumpy gums between his front lower canines, but the rest of his teeth and gums are very good, except for a little tartar. Like most people, the vet loved his face and thought he was a very good looking Boxer. It looked like kitty day at the vet’s, again! All in crates, of course. He was very interested and wanted to go up to all the crates (I wouldn’t let him, since they were there because they weren’t feeling well), but didn’t get up tight about my keeping him close. He was soooo happy just to meet all the new people who came with the kitties and would come over to pat his head and talk to him!
Rocky is very good when he’s in his room uncrated without any humans in there. Hasn’t gotten into anything, at all, even after a few hours (unlike our Harley, who needs to taste everything the minute no one is looking). We gave him a new stuffed toy, and he does seem to like it. Tosses it around for himself, then pounces on it. Hasn’t even unstuffed it after 3 days – that would be a record for our girls (heck, an hour would be a record)!
Rocky is a real luv-bug. Almost can’t get enough! Still likes belly rubs the best, then head hugs, but any touching/scratching is eagerly accepted. He gets so excited to see any of us when we come home from being out, he wags his nub like crazy and tries to walk at the same time – so funny to see.
If you are interested in an energetic, slightly older Boxer boy with the most fantastic face (his pix really don’t show it to advantage, we will keep trying), please keep watching Rocky while I do my best to help you get to know if he’s the one for you.

11/30/05 - Rocky – “The Face” - is quite the hoppy/bouncy/energetic boy for 8 years old. Especially when he sees my son, he gets sooooo excited, he starts hopping(?) quickly up and down on his front feet (like there’s springs or pogo sticks in his front legs), in addition to the dancing/ spinning/ wiggling he does for everyone. (All fur kids are extremely attracted to my son, and my four fosters have been no exception.) I have seen Rocky stand up on his hind legs like a bear, trying to see my son over the back yard fence (which it is too tall for him to see over, even in that position). He doesn’t stay up there very long, but it’s quite surprising to see him do that. When my son and Rocky get “physically” playing, Rocky can be a little mouthy to sneakers and arms at first, if you let him. Yesterday they played keep-away with the basketball a lot, and my son said he wrestled the ball out of Rocky’s paws many times and he didn’t react (he tries to hold onto the toy he has, but he doesn’t get aggressive when you take it away). My son says Rocky is definitely not biting the few times he has gotten mouthy, but his teeth are a little sharp, so he does feel them on his arms when Rocky does that, and he does stop when you tell him to (Rocky, not my son :o) He knows basic commands (sit, no, paw, come, lie down – although he’s not quick to lie down every time, but it is a slow process for him even when he does it on his own), there may be others, and he recognizes his name.

He really loves to be loved. He continues to lay across my lap, and even sometimes starts to drift off while I’m scratching his ears. First his head will hang down, then his butt will start to sink toward the floor, and he’ll snap himself back up. When I’m sitting down, he likes to hide his head in the crook of my elbow to get head-hugs.

Rocky is eating about 4 cups of food twice a day (a mixture of various things, including a lot of pasta and cheeses) but he was so thin when he got here 10 days ago, he has yet to really look like he’s putting on any weight; we are working on it. He still has not had any accidents in the house or crate. He doesn’t seem to mind going out when it’s raining; he just shakes himself off now and then. If it’s really pouring down, he just doesn’t spend much time out in it. He is going into the crate at night pretty well, now. His whines don’t last long if he does it at all (and those can barely be heard, more like whimpers), and he continues to sleep about 8 hours through the night. We are still going easy with integrating everyone. SoBe is always slow to accept any new fur kid (such a diva!). Had something to say to Rocky when he went to stand beside her the other day (as she usually does until she decides she’ll accept whomever is “new” at the time). Harley doesn’t seem phased by Rocky, but she’s extremely laid back (even tho she’s a tremendously vocal player). KaLoHe (the 5-mo Boston) thinks she is a 60-lb Boxer and is way too frenetic to let her loose around Rocky (she has yet to be spayed and attend training – both to occur within a month or so). Rocky has not acted aggressive, but I don’t think he would be submissive the way Harley is submissive, so we’re really not pushing he and the Boston getting together beyond seeing each other behind two gates (the Boston usually does all the “talking” when she sees him out of his room), although the Boston can box and bounce off walls with the best of them, as small as she is. I feel everyone will eventually get along in time (it’s not one-sided “trepidation” in this case). Rocky had a pug sister, but I don’t know anything about her – age, temperament, or how long they were together, so he probably doesn’t have an issue with females. For that matter, when the male Chow mix next door goes into bark mode when Rocky is in the back yard (although the Chow really doesn’t seem to need a reason to bark), Rocky will just look at him for a few seconds and then go about his “business” (they can see each other when the Chow is on his back porch). He has yet to react, and the Chow can get pretty loud and persistent.

I had put an old, folded foam exercise mat in the crate under the comforter. Don’t know why yesterday was any different than any other day, but Rocky decided to make chopped-foam out of half of it. I have to admit, each of my other fosters had left their “mark” on it (each one leaving a bigger mark than the last), so the 1-foot round “starter” hole was probably too big a temptation (my fault, I thought I had turned that side down – he didn’t really get into breaking up the other side), or maybe he just didn’t like the way it felt all in one piece (well, a piece with pieces missing) and decided to fluff it up a bit! lol Back to just comforters; he hasn’t done anything to those.

Rocky goes between standing and staring at the kitties when they’re at the top of the stairs, and getting all excited and dancing when they are near the bottom of the stairs not far from him. (Lately, they have been downstairs almost as much as before I started fostering; can’t figure that out – maybe they’re planning a coup? :o) Even if he does want to just play, he is strong (even in his thin condition) and so energetic I think he would be too much for 12-lb kitties. Right now, I would say it is probably best if there are no kitties in his forever home, but that could change with time as he gets used to seeing them.

Rocky is going to the vet for his well-visit this Saturday; he is through with his cold meds and will be neutered in 10 days on Friday the 9th. It could be done the previous Monday, but I’d rather be able to be home for a couple of days afterwards to watch over him, so that’s why we’re waiting.

11/25/05 - Rocky is such a happy boy. Always so excited to see his people, whether it’s been a few minutes or all night. I swear, when he’s on his back asking for a belly rub, and you start to give him one, the corners of his mouth curl up in a smile. (Hmmmm, maybe he knows he’s successfully conned me into doing it again? :o)
His third day here, we had to go to the store for an hour after work, so we crated him and shut the door to his room. He had been so good during the night, not being stressed (beyond a few whines the first 5-10 minutes), we figured he’d be okay. He basically was okay, but I could tell he had been licking the crate door because there were a few little splotches of saliva under the gate. We don’t shut the door at night, but we do put up the gate to the room, too, in case one of the girls goes downstairs during the night, so it seems he isn’t really stressed being crated, except when the door is shut, although even then, he wasn’t overly upset. However, if he is in his room uncrated with the door shut (which we sometimes do when we’re home but not in the room with him), he seems just fine. It’s a small computer/storage room, and he is very good about not getting into anything. (We did make sure anything he really shouldn’t have was put away, but there are books, water bottles, and the computer within reach. He hasn’t touched any of it.)
He seems so happy about the girls when he could see them beyond the gates or on the other side of the closed door, so we set up the two gates they could all get closer to get to know each other better, and he and Harley can almost touch noses (he is not supposed to be contagious by now and he is not sneezing at all, although he is making that noise in his throat that goes with kennel cough now and then – he is still on the meds). So, when it was time to go out, today, we didn’t put the girls in another room to walk Rocky through, and right away they sort of gathered around and the Boston snuck through to literally get in his face (she is just playing, but she stands up and hits the taller dogs in the face). Rocky did not like this and said so. I was holding him by the collar at the time and nothing else happened (and I don’t know if it would have). He wasn’t happy about them standing around when he had to go back to his room (someone was holding the Boston), but I really think part of it is, they are free to roam and he can see that. Right from the first day, he would drag his feet about going back in there, even without the girls around (they were being kept apart due to the kennel cough). Because he seems to like them (although right now, it’s been at a distance or through a door), of course we will try intros again, minus the Boston and maybe outside with more space (I don’t have any real open areas in my house). Rocky did have a pug sister going into the shelter (she was adopted from there), so chances are all will be fine. I can understand his not wanting to have a little dog hitting you in the face, at least not so soon into the meetings. He also got to see one of the kitties about 10 feet away on the stairs last night, and kind of became a statue. When I stepped between them to break his view, he instantly started waggling his tail and dancing around. I’m guessing that if he didn’t live with kitties before (I don’t have that information), he probably won’t like them now. We shall see as time goes by, it just may be too soon, with all else that is going on in his life. He has been here only 5 days.
My parents came over for Thanksgiving, so to let them spend some time with Rocky, we did put the girls into one of the upstairs bedrooms. Rocky was all wiggles and some kisses for both of them. They had brought each of the fur-kids a toy (as they usually do), and coincidentally Rocky’s was a rubber ball with a cord looped through it and he does like balls. He has his spurts of energy and can be quite playful, it turns out. He prefers those he can fit into his mouth (like this one is) and would chase after it when someone threw it. He will knock a basketball around the yard and try to pick that up, too, but there is no way that will ever happen with that underbite! (Harley can pick it up, but she doesn’t have any underbite at all.) My son plays with him, trying to get the basketball away, and Rocky will wrap his paws around it and growl a bit. However, my son (adult) was able to reach in and take it away without any hassle. (Harley is an extremely vocal player, so we are kind of used to the growls, etc.) While he was out and about with my parents and me, Rocky discovered one of the bigger stuffed toys the girls play with (among the dozens lying around). We have found another toy he likes! He picked it up and walked around with it, then lay on the big dog bed (not the Boston’s) and started to chew away at it. It’s pretty sturdy, so he didn’t do any more damage to it than they already have, and when I tried to take it away to play, again he curled his paws around it and growled a bit, but I was able to take it. I guessed (and my son is sure from the ball playing) that he’s just being vocal like Harley (actually, a lot less than Harley – if you didn’t know better you would think she was committing mayhem on the other dog; she’s been like that all her life). Rocky just looked at me with a sad face after I took it away, he didn’t get upset. This was also his first chance to roam around the first floor and check everything out, which he did at least twice. He didn’t try to take anything from its place or get into anything on the counters (there was no one in the kitchen and there was a LOT of food out, including the turkey as it was shortly before dinner). My mother took a bunch of pictures during this time, and I will send a couple to be posted as soon as I get them from her.
Rocky sometimes is slow to sit or lay down – I believe probably has some arthritis in his knees, yet he goes up and down the 18 stairs to the back yard very well. I don’t make him sit for treats, but my mother didn’t know this, and said sit to him, and he immediately sat down – trying to impress? :o)

11/20/05 - The update I sent on Rocky after we got home yesterday was kinda short, just to let BAR know all went well, so . . . time for a real update! :o)
It’s been almost 24 hours into Rocky’s stay here, and he has settled in quite well and so quickly. He calmed down a lot by bedtime last night; I’m sure changing cars and people several times in one day can be eventful to a Boxer boy of any age who just spent a couple of weeks in a shelter! He ate well last night and this morning, which is good because we have to get a lot of pounds back on him! Just putting the bowl in front of him gets his tail and butt moving in high gear! I can pat him, play with his ears, and he seems fine with all of that (and his tail goes even faster). The shelter sent some antibiotics with him because he has kennel cough. Although he’s not actually coughing (like I’ve seen with kennel cough), he does sneeze now and then (not much at all), so that’s why we are keeping the girls away from him for 3-4 days and he shouldn’t be contagious after that. I’m sure he’ll be happy to be able to play with them. When he knows they’re on the other side of the door (it’s closed when I’m in here with him), his tail wags so fast I can feel the breeze! (I’m hoping that’s a good indication, anyway.) He wasn’t thrilled with going in the crate last night, and gave a few soft whimpers, but then he lay down and slept through, more than 8 hours. When I went down to wake him up at around 7:00 (such a nice boy to sleep “late” like that), he got up and started wiggling and dancing, sooo happy! The crate was clean and dry, and there were no signs of distress at all. His papers indicate he had diarrhea at the shelter, and although it is still soft, not much is coming out; he does get into the “position” a lot, trying to go or thinking he has to, I guess. He will pick up the big rubber bone to chew on it some, but not for long. There’s a couple of toys in here with us, but he doesn’t seem into playing with them, at least not yet.
Sue V. took a couple of great pix during her transport of Rocky. He has a super smooshed muzzle and cute, prominent under bite. He has dark and, yes, liquid, eyes similar to Luke’s (I’m a sucker for eyes like that). Rocky is super friendly. He loves the attention he’s getting here, but he doesn’t seem to need it constantly. He’s learned quickly he’s loved and safe. When I’m on the computer (I am a lot, at home), he puts his front legs across my lap to make it easier for me to scratch his ears and pat him, and it’s so much easier for him to kiss me! Just not so easy for me to type, but he’s been staying quieter when he’s done it, today. And when he’s not doing that while he’s up and about, he just puts his head in my lap and stays for a bunch of ear scratching. Like all my other fosters, he likes to lay on the comforter next to my chair (and he’s already even going in the crate to nap – and he naps a LOT, so he already knows this is not a bad thing and quite unlike being in one at the shelter). The comforter was behind the chair at first (dunno why) while I was writing to Gary early last night, and when I turned around to look for Rocky, he was on it on his back, just asking for belly rubs! Too funny, looking at me with that amazing moosh face and of course, I gave him some. He’s “asked” for them several times, since.
He sure could sure use a bath, but I want to wait a few days until his sneezing totally stops. His teeth have some tartar, but overall inside his mouth looks pretty good for an 8-yo – I can see lots of teeth. This week, we are going to look into neutering him, but that may need to wait a week or so more, what with his sneezing and the holidays, I’m sure it won’t be this coming week.
Well, it’s just coming up on time to go out for the mid-day weed water. He does do it in several places (unlike my previous three boys), but maybe the neuter will cut that down a bit after a while (ooops, no pun intended). I’m sure there’ll be more to tell you all a couple of days.

11/19/05 - Met Barb at Yankee Candle to get Rocky (at least this time it was a normal 1-1/2 hour trip instead of 4).
We chatted a bit, Rocky watered a few weeds, then we headed home, and Barbara headed into the store! lol
(Hope she gets herself a well-deserved gift!) So,Rocky has joined the list of "older boys" who visit here for a while. His previous family had to move and couldn't take him, so they put an 8-yo Boxer in a high-kill shelter in NYC. He has such an adorable face and a great under bite, I just had to chuckle when I saw it. His shelter picture does not do him justice (do they ever?), so I'll try to get a couple taken soon. He looks very thin, and we'll try to fix that up really fast, although he seems fairly strong. He was great on the ride home, and even when awake, he would just stand and look out the window, no pacing and didn't try to get into the front seat. The three girls are super anxious to meet him,
and he's no less exuberant in his efforts to meet them, and all sounds were friendly (so far). Gonna get to an up-close meeting with everyone a bit slower than they all want to, tho! I am not fond of the name Rocky, myself, but since that's what it is, he shall keep it for now. Maybe his forever family will like it, or may want to change it to one of their own, but I'm not going to put him through more angst of learning a new name here just for me, and then maybe another one later.
I expect I'll have a lot more to add after I spend some time with him. :o) Just wanted to let everyone know he's safe and sound.