Rocket

On September 22nd, I drove to Norwood/Young America to pick up Rocket. Rocket is a senior guy who is about 8 years old. He was surrendered by the people who had raised him from puppyhood, so I knew the transition probably wasn't going to be the easiest.

The first few nights were a little rough. Not because everyone didn't get along, but mostly because it was obvious that Rocket had a routine that we couldn't figure out. He also seemed kind of blah, which is how I would feel if suddenly the people I was a family with for 8 years weren't around. As of yesterday that all seems to be behind him.

He is one smart old guy. We have trained our dogs to ring a bell when they need to go outside. We hadn't been working on it with Rocket, but just today he started ringing the bell to go out. He is also a bit stubborn. He has incredibly bad food allergies & is on a special diet. The other day he managed to sneak some of our other dogs' food & now he doesn't want anything to do with his food. Getting him to eat his own food has become a bit of a game where I end up hand feeding him until he gives in and eats out of his bowl. He's also been really good in the yard. We haven't trained him on the invisible fence; when I brought him home I walked him around the perimeter of the yard & he hasn't gone out of it yet. If we are outside & people/kids/dogs walk by, he just kinda watches them & that's about it. Have I mentioned we haven't heard him bark yet?

Rocket is TOTALLY mellow. He likes kids & has NO problems with our cats. It's also really funny to watch him watch our dogs. When they go insane because someone rang the doorbell or because someone walked by, he just stares at them as if to ask, "What is wrong with you two fools?" Of course, our dogs now stare at him as if to ask, "WHY are you hogging so much of the couch/bed/attention/kisses?" I guess he wasn't allowed to sleep on the bed at his former house, but has now found out just how wonderful a Sleep Number Bed is. I am guessing he's a 35. :o)

I took him to the vet on September 25th to get him all checked out. As I previously mentioned, he does have really bad food allergies & is on a special diet. He also has a bum rear right knee. The vet thinks it's from an injury in his younger days that just never got the proper attention it needed to heal. He is now on arthritis & joint pain meds & sometimes acts as though there was never anything wrong. Other than that, he has a growth on his front hip that is just a fatty mass (the vet couldn't find anything but fat), and a few battle scars.

Rocket is a really sweet old guy who really would be a great addition to any family. If you have any questions about Rocket, or would like some additional information, please don't hesitate to ask.