7/28/08 - Well it has been 1 year since Rocco came in to our lives and I couldn't imagine a day without him.  What a blessing he has been for us.  He continues to grow mentally every day.  He is learning that strangers can be friends - of course he also thinks they should give him treats the whole time they are there - like they do when they first great him.  We are still working on being around other dogs and hopefully some day he will be comfortable enough to go to doggie day care once a week for a special play day.  I love this little guy and I thank BAR for letting him be part of our lives.

12/9/07 - Rocco has been adopted

11/17/07 - Rocco is pending adoption with his foster family.

11/13/07 - You should have seen Rocco the other day.  Jon and I went shopping and as
always we went to the pet store to see what fun things the kids didn't have yet.  We found this collar that goes great with Rocco's coloring so I had to buy it (I love to change their collars based on the season).  We get home and Sadie and Tucker are sitting right next to Jon waiting to see what he has for them, Rocco is sitting back thinking there is nothing for him so why get up there.  Jon calls him over to put his new collar on him and he was so excited that there was something for him that he couldn't stop wiggling.  I don't know how some one could not love him - he is such a sweetheart.

10/29/07 - Last week was a busy week for Mr. Rocco, he came to work with me twiceand boy was he spoiled.  On Thursday we had a follow-up eye appointment.  While we were there, we got to meet Miss Glayds and her foster mom.  What a sweet little girl.  My heart goes out to her.  The doctors continue to be pleased with the outcome of Rocco's eye surgery.  They feel that the vision he has now is what he will continue to have.  It isn't perfect, but a lot better than what he started with.  We know he has issues with depth perception and peripheral but are working with him to get comfortable with.  Rocco still has to have ointment twice a day in both eyes, but does not have to go back until just before
Christmas.  On Friday, we met with the Cornell Canine Behavior group to see what we could do to work on Rocco's issue with strangers.  They believe that the growling may be more from fear associated with his vision and possible past and not "I just hate strangers".  Some of the things that I have already been doing with Rocco when strangers are around are what they recommended, so that was good to hear.  They gave me some more things to work with and literature to read.  We are also starting to do clicker training with Rocco.  Because of his vision issues, rewarding him with treats alone might not be affective.  Clicker training will allow me to let him know right away he did good in case he can't see the treat in my hand.  We are just starting, so will keep you posted on that. Otherwise, he is doing great.  Very playful until he is tired and then he just wants to snuggle.

10/15/07 - Thought I would give you a brief update on Rocco. Not much new to report.  We go back to the doctors next Thursday for hopefully our final appointment for a while (like 6 months).  Rocco continues to play more and more and is learning his limitations with his vision.  Mainly it is depth and peripheral that he needs to deal with.  He is very cautious about stepping down on things he is not familiar with (like vehicles).  We were doing really great with crate training until this morning.  Then he decided he didn't want to go in so he went and hide (on the bed) and wiggled all excited when I went to get him.  I think it is a game for him.  We are still working on him ringing the bell when he has to go outside.  He has done it a couple of times but not sure he grasped what he was doing.  In time he will.  Stay tuned for more next week.

10/2/07 - It is hard to believe that September is already gone.  The month went by so fast.  Rocco went to for another check up last Thursday and is still doing great.  They are very happy with the outcome.  Our next appointment is not until October 25.  We are done with one of the eye ointments and the other one we only have to do twice a day.  He is constantly improving with getting use to his vision.  Where it is not perfect, it is definitely better than what he had.  He is starting to play fetch more and keep track of where the ball goes.  This can be hard because he can loose sight of it in his blind spots.  He is also more in tune with his depth perception and that he has to be cautious when going down stairs or walking.  Rocco has never liked going in his crate (in fact he hides), but the last three days he has turned right around and will go in there all by himself.  Good Boy!!!  I remember reading one of Rocco's updates before I took him about him being so quiet you don't know he is even there.  Where most of the time I know because he his playing with Tucker, there are times he is quiet and you have to go find him.  The next task we are working on is letting us know he has to go outside.  He doesn't bark to let you know so we are working on him ringing a big bell that is attached to the back door.  My other two dogs already do this, so I am hoping that he picks it up quickly.  Well, that is it for this week.  I am attaching some updated pictures of our handsome guy. Enjoy!!

9/17/07 - Well another week has gone by and Rocco is still doing great.  He is a very active/playful puppy (even though he is 2, he still has a lot of puppy play in him).  He enjoys playing with the tennis balls and he loves to get in to a game of tug-of-war with Tucker.  Since they are about equal in size, it gives them both a good workout.  He is still one that when he is tired, he just wants to curl up near you and rest.  He is a big snuggler- even with the other two dogs.  I will be working in the kitchen and Sadie will be helping me (waiting for me to drop something) and I look over and Rocco is standing next to her with his head resting on her back.

We still have to have ointment in both eyes several times a day and he he tries to do his best not to let you get any in there, but the minute we are done, he is sitting there like a good boy waiting for his treat (so are the other two dogs).  Our next check up is September 27.

We are doing better with strangers - of course he barks and growls when the come to the door (he is just protecting his territory), so I keep him next to me when the people come in and tell them to talk to him, but don't look directly at him and don't make sudden movements, and before you know it he is over next to them wanting to be petted and leaning against their leg.  We'll get there.

9/6/07 - Just got back from our second follow-up visit and all is going well.  Dr. Kice and Dr. Kern are very happy with the healing.  Rocco is now cone free but still has to have ointments in his eyes daily (one we do three times a day, the other we do once a day).  But boy, Rocco is good at squinting his eyes so that you can't look at them if he doesn't want you to.  He is still at 53 pounds - so at least we are staying stable with the weight.  We go back again in three weeks for our third follow up visit.  It was pretty hectic in the waiting room today but Rocco just stood there and looked around.  People were commenting on how good he was because he would just put his head in my lap and fall asleep standing up.  While in with the doctors we usually muzzle him just to be cautious, but today after all tests, Dr. Kice took it off to test Rocco to see how he would react and he was fine, came up to Dr. Kice and even wiggled his tail.  So we are getting better around people.  He is in the office with me today so people keep coming to my door to say hi and check on him and he has been fine.  We're getting there.

Rocco is becoming more and more a dog again.  He is getting more playful with each passing day.  This weekend we went up to the local ski resort (it is closed of course) and walked this one trail that they keep mowed - Jon and Tucker have this routine where Jon throws the Frisbee in one direction and then starts running in the other and after Tucker gets the Frisbee he chases after Jon - at first Rocco would just watch and then follow behind.  Now Rocco gets involved and runs with them.  I have been playing fetch with him with tennis balls to see where his line of sight is.  You can tell that his vision is not straight on and some times he looses sight of where the ball went.  But he loves to play - Tucker and he play tug of war all the time with the toys.  But when he gets tired, he loves to curl up and snooze.  The tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth just a little.  It is so cute.  And when you scold him, his whole body starts wiggling and he will kidney bean his body around you and you can't help but smile at him because it is so cute.  We are now learning to walk with a harness.  He does really well with it.  In fact, we he sees us get it out of the closet, he knows that means walk time and he gets all excited.

I could go on and on but will stop for today.  Stay tuned for the next adventures of Rocco.

8/22/07 - Thought I would send another update on our boy and let you know how he is doing.  The last update I sent was just after his first follow-up visit at Cornell and they said he was doing good.  He is still doing good and loving life.  On Sunday, Tucker (Rocco's play buddy) had a play date outside of the house, so since it was going to be a relaxing/quiet day for Rocco, I let him hang out without his cone on.  Oh boy, you would have thought he was in heaven.  Just to be able to move around without anything interfering was a treat.  When he went outside, instead of walking down the three steps on the deck, he decided to jump from the top one.  I am curious as to what life style he had the first 2 years of his life because it is almost like he isn't sure about grass.  He walks in it with a high step like it is going to get him.  He really doesn't care for it when it is wet.  My other two dogs love to go out on a sunny day and hang out in the yard and roll around on their backs and he just looks at them like "what are you doing???"  But each nice day that we have, we play out side as much as we can so that he gets used to the feel of it.  The other day we went to the dog store and I let him look around and see if there was a toy that caught his attention.  We ended up taking home a monkey that has dangly arms (along with some other treats).  At first he wasn't sure what to do with it but then he saw Tucker playing with it and decided he wanted to try.  He is having a great time throwing it in the air and running around with it in his mouth.  Every once in a while he gets it to squeak, and then he drops it on the ground and stares at it trying to figure out what the noise was.  Every day he is becoming more and more playful and a happy puppy.  Every night we are taking time to have to cone off and watch that he doesn't touch his eyes.  Overall I don't think it is because his eyes itch, but more because he hasn't been able to scratch his own head for three weeks unless we do it for him.

8/13/07 - I was going to get on line this weekend and send one but we were too busy having fun.  Rocco is doing really well.  Although he hates the cone he doesn't let it get in his way from being a playful dog.  He loves to go for walks and his nose is going a mile a minute.   I tried putting Doggles on him and although he kept them on longer than I thought he would, he didn't like them.  I thought maybe he would like them outside because of the bright sun and because one of the ointments dilates his eyes so things are bright for him.  He loves going for rides and does very well in the vehicle.

We are all done with the oral medication but still have ointment that goes in the eyes 4 times a day.  Although he doesn't like it, he does very well at letting me put it in.  Maybe because he gets a treat when we are done.  We go back to Cornell on Thursday for our first follow-up appointment.  I am hoping that the cone comes off then so he run around without a barrier.  I imagine it gets hot in there too and he likes to sit in front of the fan when he sleeps.  I also want them to weigh him to see if he is putting on any pounds.  He eats great so hopefully he is.

He is a big snuggler.  He will come up to you and put his head on your lap or in your hand and just be content to have you pet him until he falls asleep - some times even standing up.  At night he will come up to the bed and put his head on it and I just pet him for a few minutes and he will lie right back down.  I think he just needs it for security.

He still does not like strangers and we have to keep him at bay when some one comes to the house.  We have only had two people over since the surgery and I just told them to just say hi and then ignore him.  My sister he was fine - all happy to see her.  The friend, he didn't like as well.  Oh well, something we still need to work on.

8/9/07 - Update on Rocco.  He is still doing good.  I am assuming he is feeling better because last night Tucker and Rocco decided it was time to play.  We tried to keep separating them because I didn't want Rocco's face to get touched.  They did good though, mainly just play growled at each other and shared a toy.  It was good to see him act like a dog and get some life in him.  He still has a growl issue some times but we are working on that.  Understandable when Tucker gets too close to his face, but when it is because he doesn't want to share the attention that I tell him no growl and walk away from him.  I think he is starting to understand because he will walk over to Tucker and give him kisses like he is saying sorry.  Stopped up at the Vet School yesterday to get more ointment and talked with Dr. Kise and he told me that his vision is where it will be as long as there are no infections.  I check his eyes every time I put ointment in them and don't see any unusual discharge in them (just the normal which we gently wipe away with a wet cloth per Dr. instructions).  He also told me that his vision won't be perfect (which we knew) but that because of the lens and the "floating" he may not see straight on either, but it is definitely better than what he had before.
Still has a great appetite - in fact got me up during the night and went right to his bowl - silly boy thinking he can eat at 2 AM.  Because of his cone, we had to put a dish on a pedestal for him so he could get the cone around it and to the food.

8/3/07 - Yup, this boy is right on schedule. Tammy C will pick him up, continue to foster him and bring him back for his follow up appointments until he is all set and ready for adoption.
Thank you again Tammy for stepping up for Rocco, BIG TIME!! You are truly one of his angels.
I know that Tammy will keep us all up to date on Rocco's adventures in the "seeing" world.

8/2/07 - All those positive thoughts and prayers worked again!! The vet called last night from Cornell, and the news COULD NOT have been BETTER!!
Rocco had his surgery on Wednesday afternoon.  The cataracts were removed, and the great news is that although his lens were abnormally shaped, they were able to fit him with a lens after the cataract surgery. That means he should be able to see almost perfectly soon ( of course, with the E-collar around his head, he will not have peripheral vision until it is removed.)
He had no cardiac abnormalities while under anesthesia.  They are keeping him in the ICU tonight to make sure that his cardiac status remains stable.
The vet is anticipating discharge on Friday afternoon.  The volunteer, Tammy C, who took him to Cornell, has offered to foster him, as he will have to go back there for follow-up visits. She is one of Rocco's special angels. Thank you Tammy!  And thank you again Sandy G. Rocco's original foster mom, for taking such good care of him in preparing him for this big day. A great BAR team has worked its miracles again.
We will keep you updated on his progress. Just a great way to start the day, wouldn't you say

Additional Update:  Vet called about 1 hr ago to give me an update on Rocco. He is having a good day, and he said that tonight when he took him out of his kennel, Rocco PULLED him down the hallway, and unlike before, he bumped into nothing.  He had to be led down the hall in the past, but not tonight. He led the way.....HORRAY!!! His eyes look clearer, and the vet is very encouraged.....looks like he might be going home tomorrow....wish him luck!

7/30/07 - Well, Rocco has been waiting very patiently for his tests at Cornell, and today was his day. A great big thanks to his foster mom Sandy G. who has taken this special boy in and cared for him, and to Tammy C., who picked him up, kept him a few nites, and took him to Cornell for his appt today.
We got some pretty great news from the Dr's on Rocco, and some news that gives us just a little concern.

First the great news. Today's tests showed that his optic nerve is intact, so the surgery for cataracts to restore his vision is a go. The vet did say that Rocco's eyes are abnormally small, so  the lens that they would normally put on his eye after the surgery will not fit, therefore his eyesight after the surgery will not be 20/20. He says that Rocco will see the equivalent of us opening our eyes under water, we can see, but it is a bit blurry. This will be substantially better then he currently sees, which is next to nothing because of the cataracts. All in all, great news for Mr. Rocco.

The bit of concern we got was that the vets explained that his heart rate was very slow,  and a little irregular, so they thought it best to do an echo before the surgery to be on the safe side. It could have something to do with the anesthesia, but we want to make sure all is OK with Rocco before the surgery.

We are very encouraged that Rocco will pull thru this and have a new life, able to live it like a normal, sighted boxer boy. Quite exciting, isn't it? This is truly what rescue is all about.

The cost of the tests done today and the surgery tomorrow, with the addition of the echo will total approx $2,750. If you would like to participate in this gift of sight, we will be setting up a pay pal donation button on the home page and on Rocco's page. Please put in the subject line "Rocco's gift of sight" or you can mail your donations to Boxer Angels Rescue, PO Box 543, North Bellmore, NY 11710

Jean will be setting up our goal meter and update it daily. Your name will also appear on Rocco's "sight angels" page as recognition of the wonderful involvement you have been a part of in his gift of sight donation.

Thank you all, and keep anything you can think of crossed for our BAR boy Rocco. If all goes according to the surgical schedule, he will be on for tomorrow, if not, then Wednesday, for sure.
Good luck and all the best Rocco.

7/9/07 - Here is a quick update on Rocco.  He has discovered the toys in the house and is having a ball with them all. He tosses them around and has no problem finding them. He still gets certain toys and walks around with them in his mouth and wines for you to play with him.  He knows the yard now and does not bump into anything.  He is not very good right now with company coming to the door. So he gets put in another room or the crate. It may very well be his sight that causes him to bark at everyone that comes over.  I am working on him leaving the room until he can behave with oral commands.  He is still taking his eyedrops very well. He is getting along with Tony very well and when he wants something like at dinner time he will come over and put his head in your lap. That's how you know he wants something. He has only had one accident in the house and that was the first week.  I can't wait for his dr. appointment to see if this will help him . He loves being doted over and he now will leave the room you are in to find a more comfortable place to lay .  He still does not like to be grabbed by the collar by anyone he doesn't know. I find if I talk to him as I do it he is just fine. I can walk him to his crate and talk to him and he goes in so much better now. He really is a good boy and you hardly know he is here. That's it for now until his dr. appt.

5/31/07 - Rocco is finally putting a little bit of weight on. He is still on the thin side.  He is loving the yard and running in it. He has only hit the tree once. Didn't phase him a bit.  If you didn't know he was blind you wouldn't be able to tell. He gets along very well.  He did hurt himself this week but I cleaned him up and he was very good about it. He didn't pull away or whine , he just stood there like he knew I was helping him.  He tries to get Tony to play more often than Tony wants to but that's not a bad thing. He is very loving and deserves a great home.  He will bark if he hears someone but will stop when instructed. He takes his treats very nicely. I can approach him while he is eating and touch him without any problem at all. I am praying there is a foster home out near Cornell so he can be checked out for possible surgery to correct his eyes. If its possible to correct he is going to be one happy boy.  I will try to get him out in the neighborhood to see how he is on the leash and with distractions along the way. Otherwise he is a pretty easy foster. Do remember he does like being left alone in the house if you are there. He will go in his crate with assistance and if you leave he is fine. Just doesn't want to be shut off from humans. He will cry or bark. When he is in and around he is pretty quiet and content to just lay there in the room with you. He will get up once in a while and make sure you are still there and then go back and lay down. Tonight he barked at the fan. I put up the fan and turned it on and it was something he thought he should bark at. I told him it was okay and he stopped. Goofy boy.

5/19/07 - Rocco is doing well.  He has had a couple of accidents in the house. Both times he was left out of the crate and home alone with Tony.  So if nobody is going to be here during the day I put him in the crate and he is fine.  He always wants to be in the same room you are, which is understandable with his eye problems.  Its funny you really can't tell very often that he is blind.  He may be able to see sliver our of the left eye, but they weren't positive at the vets.  He has learned to sit to get his treats and takes them nicely.  He is  a loverboy and kiss quick little kisses.  He also likes to wash Tonys face.  He is eating well and has been given deworming  medicine and should start to put some weight on now. He will bark when he hears someone at the door and sometimes his catches a shadow or reflection and will bark but he quiets down when you tell him to.  He barked at the cleaner the other day. It was just standing there minding its own business and Rocco decided it was an intruder and gave it a piece of his mind.  I am anxious to have him see the specialist on his eyes and pray they will be able to help him. He is a great boy and such a sweetheart.

5/9/07 - For all of you waiting to hear how Rocco is doing, here it comes.  He is precious.  Sometimes you forget he can't see.  From the moment I picked him up we have gotten along very well.  He does not like being left alone at all. He will bark and wine. The barking starts when you tell him no or hush, he thinks its a game and goes down on his front feet and wiggles all  over. Kinda hard to be firm with that baby face.  If he can be in the room with you he is fine. You wouldn't even know he was around.  At night he goes in the crate with resistance but he goes and cries for about 10 minutes and gives up and goes to sleep. Last night I let him sleep in my room and he was quiet.  He and Tony are doing okay so far. He kinda follows Tony around outside like a guide. He has his wellness appt. today and they were very complimentary to his behavior. He did so well letting them look in his eyes and lifting him up and down. He has medicine that goes in his eyes twice a day and he is a gem about it. He stays so nicely.  I am hoping there is a possibility of getting is eyes fixed. He is going to make a family complete and happy some day.  Maybe we should get a fund going to help pay for this surgery. I know it is going to be expensive.  He is healing up well  on his neutering, now I just have to keep him from licking it.  So talk about a big mush and loving boy here he is. I promise I will update again soon.

From Rocco's Transporters
Hi all. I agree that Rocco touched my heart. He was a pleasure. He rode very well in the car- just laid down and slept until we got to the exchange point. We had some time, so we went for a nice 20 minute walk in the park and he started to get some energy as the walk went along. He loved every bit of attention given to him. He ate a little and drank a
little. (His sense of smell is still good) He let me pick him up to get out of the car and didn't even flinch. We met Sandy, his foster mom and she will definitely be a great fit for him. He took to her right away and crawled right into her car (the front seat) and tried to sit on her lap. I look forward to the updates on him. I definitely look forward to helping out again.  ~Tricia

After I got Rocco in my car I just wanted to take him home with me. I instantly fell in love with that boy, what a sweetie he is! I felt better after I met you and your boyfriend, you were both such great people that I knew Rocco was in good hands for the next leg of his journey. It seems Rocco has left a little piece of himself in all of our hearts. I would take him in a heartbeat!!! Seems like he won't have any trouble finding a home, anyone who meets him is instantly in luv with him!!!   Ronnie

I just wanted to let you know, Rocco was such a sweet boy on my trip to Canajoharie, he had his head on my boyfriend's lap the whole time.  Once we arrived @ exit 29 , I took him for walk and he went pee, had a little more food and finally drank the water from the bowl, he knew right where the bowl was to get a drink .We then handed him over to Tricia , she had a smaller mid-size SUV, she had the back  part of SUV set up for him with a sheet laid down, of course my b/f lifted Rocco into the back, slowly & very easily, Rocco was alright with that, once inside, he had to mess the sheet up before he picked  his spot out, and finally laid down. Rocco has touched my heart in more ways than one. I can't believe his past owners, they should be tortured, this poor boy, you are right ,all he wants is LOVE.  Thank god for rescues & foster homes like us .  If I had my own place, you can bet I would of taken him right back to my place and kept him , I truly believe that dogs with special needs ,such as no hearing&no vision ,truly need another dog in the home to give them the guidance.  Rocco looks just like my bandit ,he would be good for my Bella ,they are around the same age .I'll be following his updates ......This is my second transport & I love doing them & especially meeting nice people.  Virginia