Last Saturday Rob spent hours talking to Rocky’s previous owner about his past and life and the care that she provided him.  She made mention that he isn’t fond of men but Rob figured he would spoil the dog rotten and all would be good over time.  Over the next couple days as we requested vet records and witnessed Rocky growling at everything that moved we realized his apprehension of men was a lot more serious.

Rocky is wanting to get in our bed

We decided to take Rocky to the vet, get him up to date on his shots, get tested for virus and worms and immediately start his preventative medications.  We bought him a new bed, new food, new leash, new snacks and invested in a Thundershirt to help with his fears and anxiety.  Here we are almost a week later, he’s not much better with Rob but he’s  still working to gain his trust. Rocky on the other hand has taken a liking to Shae and is using her as his personal pillow.

Rocky napping with Shae

Last night we get a message from his previous owner fessing up about Rocky’s past.  He was physically and emotionally abused, she only had him for 2 months and didn’t provide any medical care.  She lied to us because she thought we wouldn’t take him. DUH!!!!!  Had we known how damaged he was we wouldn’t have done it.  Call us selfish but after dealing with Sam and his extreme anxiety and various medical conditions we were completely drained just after 3 months.  The choice to rehoming him was the best decision but I couldn’t deal with letting go of another dog.

Rocky showing a little personality as he plays with a toy

The shocker here is the lady said she wants Rocky back!   No way in freaking hell is she getting her hands on him.  We’ve committed to working with Rocky and making him understand that not all men are going to hurt him.  While it bums Rob up when Rocky won’t sit with him Rob knows it’s going to take some time.