Rocky needs a forever home

UPDATE 6-29-10:
Rocky has gone to a new foster home where he will receive much more attention than I can give him. He is available through Bama Bully Rescue.


A summary of Rocky:
He loves everyone, people and dogs. He is smart, trains quickly and easily. He is a lovebug and affectionate. He has energy and needs to play or be walked every day. His tail never stops wagging.
Rocky knows sit, down, scoot back, come forward, spin, kennel, sit for meals, sit to go out, settle, stand on hind legs and has leash manners.

Rocky was a stray intake straight off the streets. He had alot of wounds and was scared, but he came to me and said "i'm so scared. can you help me?" So, I did. I've had him vetted and he is healthy. We are looking to place him into a good home. I'll be posting updates as I learn about him.

August 25
He's a lover boy who just wants lots of attention. He's all wagging tail and kisses. He does have a big tendency to jump for attention and this is being worked on in his foster home. He is vetted and will be neutered before adoption. Rocky is about 14 months old, plenty young enough to learn new things. He wants to be someone's new best friend.
August 26
Update, Rocky has already crate trained himself. No accidents indoors! He also has learned in 1.5 days to go into his kennel for meals and he sits for treats and attention. He sits very erectly and proudly and gazes at you like "see what a good boy I am?" He is a doll and will be a wonderful companion for the right person.

Aug 28
Update, Rocky is pretty sure he can fly and climb towers. I think he has some Jack Russel in him. If I go low to give him attention, he does well, rolls for a belly rub and wiggle, wiggle. If I'm standing, though, he's determined to get up to me. I picked him up in my arms (yeah, 40 lbs) and he was great. He just wants attention and love. Unfortunately, right now, he's kenneled most of the time and alone as I have 5 dogs upstairs. He'll be calmer once he's in a home and getting lots more attention.
He chortles.

UPDATE 8/30/09:
Wonderfully and thanks to my friend Kenna, Rocky has learned to be calmer and stop climbing me. Kenna is excellent with high energy, high drive dogs. She came over, put him on a slip lead, and ran him up and down the street. With light corrections, he learned very quickly. We also dog tested him with my submissive female golden mix and he did great. He was interested but it was curious/excited, not fixated or attack interest. We worked slowly and let him become used to another dog being present, slowly let him sniff, and he did just great. Relaxed pose always, never an ugly word or face. Ginger, my female, is the best dog tester because she displays beautiful doggie manners. We started by walking near, closer, and then finally stopping and letting him sniff her behind. We avoided any face-to-face confrontational poses. I think Rocky will be great with another dog provided the other dog wants to play.
Rocky would love to be someone's running partner. He is extremely attentive during a run or walk with only a slip lead and very light correction needed. He does not do well walking on a flat collar because he wants to play and flat collars don't allow for the correction of the higher placed slip lead.
Rocky knows his name. In fact, and if you're not a dog person you won't understand, Rocky named himself. I asked him his name and he sang Eye of the Tiger to me so Rocky he is. He responds well to his name.
He has learned to sit in his crate before being released, sit at doorways, etc all in the matter of 1.5 days. I walked him today and he did wonderfully. He's learning to sit for attention, sit for his food (excellent at this).
He bounces in the backyard, kind of like a deer. It's quite cute.
Rocky is VERY smart, needs only a bit of correction, and tries very hard to understand and do what is wanted. With training and exercise, he's going to be a wonderful companion.

Sept 6
We took Rocky to show at a local pet store yesterday. He did beautifully. He decided the two German Shepherd puppies were his new girlfriends and he let them crawl on him. He played a bit but we had to keep it subdued at the store. He did not react to the cats there other than a cursory interest. He loved the kids he met, even licked one little boy on the face. His wagging tail was a hit!
Rocky has now learned "down" and to catch tossed treats in the air. He is a smart boy who gets the training really quickly.

Sept 8
Rocky now has "down" down pat. He sits at doorways about 50% of the time without prompting and 100% with prompting. He sits at the gate to go out for our evening walk. He very much enjoys his walks. He does have some fear of passing cars and while this is a healthy fear for a dog, we are working to make it a bit less frightening so he can walk a bit more confidently.
Rocky loves a peanut butter stuffed Kong.
Rocky learned about brushing tonight. He enjoys it and loves the attention but is learning that the brush is not a toy.
You may view Rocky's pictures on my public album. You may contact me (alustryl@gmail.com) if you are interested in adopting Rocky or fill out an online application at Today's Treasures Rescue and Adoption, a 501(C)3 dog and cat rescue.

Sept 18
Rocky can now add "spin" and "fly" to his repertoire. He has a beautiful down, sits for everything he wants, and pays such close attention to training that he has learned all of these behaviors (sit, down, spin, fly, sit at doors, walk on leash, go in kennel) in these few weeks that I've had him. He is joyful and playful, comes running when you whistle, has learned to run to you and then sit for attention. He is a wonderful boy.

October 27
Rocky is still doing very well, learning and being a love. He so wants a forever home for Christmas. I keep praying that we will find one for him just in time to have his own present under the tree.
Rocky has been with my pack of 4 (two dominant females, a middle male, and an omega female) and done very well. He's great with people, loves everybody, wants to kiss and love. He doesn't meet a stranger.
He will alert bark when someone is too close to our property but then he runs away. He might be a bit of a watchdog but a guard dog he is not.
He can now add "scoot back" to his bag of tricks. He now knows sit, down, scoot back, spin, spin-sit, fly, sit at door, sit for dinner, go into kennel for dinner, fetch, and puppy pushups (sit-down-sit-down).
Rocky is also backpacking. He'll wear a pack well and likes to walk with the pack on. He knows the pack means walk time so he'll sit at the gate waiting.

November 17
Rocky is still hoping for a forever home for Christmas.
He has learned to dance. He scoots back on his butt then steps forward to me and sits. He would be great for someone pursuing Canine Musical Freestyle.

UPDATE 12/3/09
Rocky is worried that he'll not have his forever home for Christmas. He so wants to be a footwarmer for his very own mom, not just this foster lady who takes care of him. He loves to lie on your feet and chew his bone. He will sit down and scoot back until his back is against your legs and then smile at you, looking for a rub. He has mostly learned that jumping is not allowed.


UPDATE 2/7/10
Rocky is still waiting for his forever family to find him. He is such a sweet boy and longs for his own family to love. Rocky is fun dog with lots of affection to give.

UPDATE 4/22/10
Rocky is an artist! He painted these flowers at the Moody Bark for Life event last weekend.















He thought that paint stuff was pretty weird but he was a good sport about it. He let the stranger hold him tight, stick his paw in gooey paint, and then wash it off in the kiddie pool. He got a treat for being such a good boy!

Rocky also wore his backpack and carried his own water at the event.
He likes his backpack, knows that means he's going somewhere. For the 4 hr we were at this event, I don't think his tail stopped wagging once.