Rocky- Mr Beautiful

Rocky is half Rottweiler and half Labrador. My family and i had lost our previous dog Sam (German short haired pointer) to cancer and had to put him down in April 2006. We were so heartbroken, and miss him dearly. My family has pictures up all over the house, and his ashes are in my parents’ bedroom. Sam was with our family for just over 11 years. My dad had found him at his work, and rescued him. About a month after Sam had died, we all felt lost and lonely, specially my dad. My mother and i would look through papers to try and find a dog that needed a home. We wanted to rescue a dog. We rescued Sam, and also took in 2 stray cats that we adore. Even my dad will feed the strays on our street, but they are too feral to catch so my dad can’t get them desexed. We eventually found a lonely soul at the local pound that needed a family to care for him. Mum and i went to the pound and fell in love with Rocky. He was so scared, but warmed to us, especially to my mum. We asked the ladies at the pound to hold him for us for a few hours as we had to consult with my dad and my sister. My dad, sister and I went to the pound about an hour or so later. We were told that Rocky didn’t like males as he must’ve been mistreated. He was only 8 months old at the time. When my dad first met Rocky, he was very shy, and then started barking. Dad was then a bit weary as to whether or not we could look after Rocky and give him the love he needs, as Rocky was a big dog already, and my dad having knee problems, he walked Rocky around for a while. My sister and i were so persistant, we had to take him home. So we did. We have now had Rocky for a few months and he is now what i call Mr Beautiful. Rocky is so sweet, but can be a little terror at times. As he is still a puppy in most ways, we are still trying to discipline him and my mother is the best at that. Rocky was now warmed to my dad, and to my family, and he can be very protective of us at times. Rocky doesn’t like like our cats, but we keep them seperate.We all love Rocky immensely, and we will also love and miss Sam forever. We hope that we have learnt a lot from what happened with Sam, so that Rocky can live a long and healthy life. We know that our pets are happy as we do treat them as part of the family. With toys, blankets, food, and lots of play time. Frida O