The face of a fighter & heart of a lover.

Hubby made the mistake of saying 'dogs are like kids. The biggest adjustment is going from 1 to 2. Anything after 2 is all the same.' The very next day I went to the shelter.

First, I viewed a female puppy that was so terrified, she cowered in the corner & wouldn't even look at us. It broke my heart. The next was another female pup that had eaten poison in her front yard & the owners didn't want to spend the money for a vet to treat her, so they relinquished her. The last was a boy pup in medical. This was my first time back in the medical section of the shelter. I can almost appreciate a shelter dog being stuck in the medical section. It's a smaller room with closer quarters & much more human interaction & attention for the obvious reasons. This boy was a 5 month old, male, white & brindle pit with the most distorted looking face I had ever seen. I knew immediately that out of the 3 I had seen, he was the one who needed out of the shelter the most! He had been there for 2 months after coming in as a stray with extensive, fresh injuries to his head. For 2 months, he was only made comfortable & given antibiotics. This boy needed medical treatment beyond that & wouldn't receive it until a rescue funded it.
I went back & picked him up to bring him home 3 hours later. After the obligatory vomiting on the car ride home & a much needed bath at Canine Corral, he was finally in foster. We were given some great ideas for names (Nikao, Popeye & Elwood, just to name a few), but decided on Rocky after Rocky Balboa because he face appeared so beat up. It is heart wrenching to look at, but his spirit & personality tell such a different story (pictures forthcoming...).


Rocky's 1st night home


The next day, we both took off of work to take Rocky to the specialist in Fox Lake. We were sad to find out there is nothing to be done. It is only a guess that he was bitten by a large dog at some point. The puncture on one side caused his eye socket to shatter & so he is barely able, if at all, to see out of his left eye. The puncture on the right side appears to have gotten infected then healed into an abscess so there is a large tumor looking thing on his right side. There is a chance as he gets older, that both issues will diminish.  He is not in any pain or anything, so onward we move!

Rocky is an absolute doll & I think I say that about ALL of our fosters! He likes to play rough with his foster sister, Stella. They recognize that they are the same breed, so when they play, it is ON. He has become very attached to the both of us. He cries when one of us leaves the room. We are working on housebreaking, which will be easier starting this weekend once we have full use of the fenced in yard again. He is a grazer when he eats... that is very rare in our house. All of our dogs eat like it's their last meal. He walks AWESOME on his leash & is working alot off leash, as well. He prances very proudly when he walks & has no idea that his looks are a bit different. When it is just us & him, he just loves to snuggle. He will actually lay his snout over your face or snuggle in the crook of your neck. Words can't describe how sweet Rocky is. His uniqueness will hopefully attract the perfect home for his adoption!

In other fabulous news, Stella is going to her forever home this Sunday!!! A couple (friend of a friend) met her over the weekend & fell in love.  They don't have any young children & Stella's future mom doesn't work, so Stella will be lavished in the love & attention she deserves all day long!  Although we previously thought her last 2 adopters were 'perfect', I am certain that for Stella, the 3rd time is the charm.  As the only dog in the house, Stella will behave perfectly & not be distracted by other dogs.

Lastly in updates, my fertility doctor came back from vacation & decided to proceed with the methatrexate.  She said there was a pregnancy, but it wasn't developing properly & they could not determine where it was located (uterus or fallopian tube).  I won't go into detail about the injections, but if I have to give myself DAILY shots in the muscles above my butt for IVF, I am in trouble!  As always, if insurance cooperates (& they should after 4 failed pregnancies), IVF will begin in June or July. 

In the meantime, a new garage, a new dining set, a new pup to train & adopt, plus an upcoming trip to Vegas... I can't complain :-)

'Nothing in the world that's worth having comes easy.'