Rocky celebrates one year in his house

Last week Rocky celebrated one year in his new house. In his four short years he's lived in 2 apartments and 3 houses. Although he still misses the doggie door he had at his other house on Bayland, he is happy that there are no prospects of a move on the horizon, largely because boxes are one of his greatest fears -- precocious little pup. To mark the first anniversary of Rocky's new home here is video of him taken the morning we closed on the house last November. In the first he is eagerly sniffing (and marking) his new terrain, obviously perplexed by the height of the porch he ponders weather to make the jump. In the second he discovers the stairs and wanders into the home through the (then) teal and pink rooms.

 

DLG's 31st birthday

This year we had a low key celebration for David's birthday with chocolate cake from our neighborhood bakery, DaCapo's.  Falene was staying with us last week and she helped us celebrate.  Here is the traditional birthday photo of Rocky with David and his cake. 

they are both looking at the cake!

new bandana

Rocky enjoyed his vacation at Badger's house last week.  They love to chase eachother around and Badger even taught Rocky how to howl!  Wendi, one of Rocky's favorite people, sewed matching bandanas for Rocky and Badger. Here's a picture of Rocky in his new bandana - it even has a clasp so it's easy to put on and take off.  So cute!

The Little One Said "Roll Over"

Last week Rocky learned to Roll Over!  It took two days of practice and several Beggin' Strips.  When we got back from vacation he was excited to show us that he still remembered how to do his new trick. This video was taken before we left - his motions are even quicker and more fluid now.

the boneyard, houston

Houston's greatest new addition is the new doggie bar - the Boneyard! Dogs can play in the spacious park while owners enjoy a fantastic selection of beers.  Rocky enjoyed his first Marathon Oil happy hour at the Boneyard yesterday - his favorite part was jumping up on the picnic tables to lick our coworkers!

it's like thunder, lightning ...

When I got home from work today the house was eerily quiet.  Notably missing was one wet black little nose, no paws could be heard scratching across the hardwoods, and no cropped-tail-wiggle-butt wagged furiously as I turned off the alarm.  Silence unprecedented. Assuming Rocky was comfortably waiting for me in the guest bed (which he has somewhat come to consider his own - lest it deter any readers from visiting Texas please know I do keep a blanket down and also wash the comforter before we have guests!) alas the bed was empty as, seemed to be, the entire house.  I searched under beds, inside 1920's sized closets (which for the record are barely big enough to house our shoes let alone a 40lb pup) under furniture with a mere 2 inch crawl space ... nothing.  I called his name over and over to no avail.  Only then did I recall that Rocky had been in the yard when I left for work. I assumed David, who'd left for work after me, hadn't realized Rocky was outside and had himself left for work and that Rocky had then somehow managed to escape from the yard while we were at work, once having been locked outside.  I further reasoned that he had of course been smushed by a bus while trolling the neighborhood in search of squirrels, cats, and and small children. I then frantically called David to inform him that our puppy was most likely dead and proceeded, in my greif-stricken state, to go out in search of Rocky-remains.

After about 10 minutes of driving around in a rainstorm - only the second of which Houston has had this spring as we are experiencing one of the worst droughts in history - David texted me " I think he is hiding".  Shadow, my parents dog, and and intelligent collie-shepherd plays hide-and-seek, Rocky just hasn't ever mastered much more complicated than "sit" so I proceeded, circling the rain-drenched neighborhood in search of our little pup.  Then David texted again "I am positive he was inside when I left".  Leave it to David to maintain an even keel in the midst of catastrophe. I knew he wouldn't say that if it weren't the case, so I returned home and again searched every nook and cranny of the house, calling "Rocky", "Treat", "Park".  In desperation I threw open the power room door which was closed shut and, like a jack-in-the-box, out popped the most excited looking little four-year-old puppy-face I have ever seen.  I was greeted with bountiful licks and the most wiggly-butt I've ever seen.

Even as I opened the door I hadn't expected to find Rocky inside.  He's never shut a door behind him before.  I guess that's part of growing-up ... now that he's 4 he'd prefer a little bit of privacy!  I texted David "he's alive" and he pulled into the driveway shortly thereafter.  Once I'd calmed down a bit he told me that during the thunder storm yesterday Rocky had been scared and gone into the bathroom and David had closed the door locking him inside (to tease him).  Maybe Rocky closed the door himself because he thought it was the right thing to do.  He must have gotten scared of the thunder and gone back into the bathroom to hide-out.  In any case I'll never understand why he didn't bark or scratch at the door to make his whereabouts known, but he doesn't seem to be in any way traumatized by today's events - unlike some others of us.  David frequently asks me what lessons I have learned from experiences we have had, and from now on we will definitely keep Rocky's collar on (even though it causes him to scratch) and of course I will never ever become emotional and jump to worst-case-scenrario-conclusions again. never. ever. ever. ever.

Happy 4th Birthday, Rocky

Last Friday Rocky turned 4 years old!  Mabel came over and the two enjoyed a low-key celebration complete with doggie frozen yogurt and birthday biscuits from the specialty store Natural Pawz.  Mabel gave Rocky a colorful rope toy which was promptly engaged in a tug-of-war.

4 year old portrait 

Mabel and her ice cream

Rocky and his ice cream

taking a break  to roll in in the dirt after tug-of-war

birthday treats - melted in the houston heat! 

favorite spots

Two of Rocky's favorite spots at home: the landing where he is perched high enough up to see out the window and monitor the foot traffic along Bayland, and right behind the driveway gate where he can bark at passers by.  He was apprehensive about his new boundaries for a week or so, but now he loves to position himself at the edge of the driveway and watch for other dogs to walk by. 

Rocky and Cooper

Rocky stayed with Cooper and Duncan while we visited Charleston last weekend ... he had a blast and even convinced Cooper to engage in his favorite game; tug-of-war!

Stray Puppy

Right after I gave him a bath - still a little wet :-)

Last weekend David went out for a jog and found a little stray puppy wandering about.  We fostered the puppy for a week, listing him as lost on the SPCA website as well as the Heights message boards but never found an owner.  Rocky didn't mind a bit - he loved having a little friend around to play with. (And a partner to help him dig holes in the garden!)

Fortunately for the puppy we were able to find a friend to adopt him. She took him to vet and discovered that he does have heartworm but it should be treatable.  He's now on antibiotics and will get his first heartworm shot in two weeks.  He's a cute pup and Rocky can't wait for the next time that they get to play together!

Blanket

In winter Rocky carries his blue blanket all over the house with him!

Christmas Visit

Rocky is staying with his friend Ellie in Houston for Christmas this year.  The two are having a wonderful time wrestling and ripping apart toys. 

Abbey's Visit

Rocky's friend Abbey stayed with him for a week while her family traveled.  The two enjoyed digging a hole under the back fence, burrying bones, and chasing one another around.  At bedtime they settled down for sleep in eachother's beds!

A new home for Rocky!

After weeks of patiently waiting this past Wednesday Rocky finally moved into his new house!   He enjoyed inspecting the premises and sniffing around the new yard. 

Happy Howl-o-ween!

Mabel's Visit

Rocky invited Mabel over for a play date on Saturday.  They wrestled for nearly five hours straight! Here are a few of the highlights from their action-packed morning.

Only 4 paws on the ground!

Tug-of-War... a classic favorite

Mabel loves to look out the window

After Mabel left Rocky collapsed!

Brazos Bend and Rashomon

Rocky kicked-off a fantastic weekend by attending the Houston Museum of Fine Arts sponsored movie "Rashomon" in Discovery Green downtown.  Though the screening of Kurosawa's famous movie was in Japanese Rocky didn't seem to mind, he was more interested in sniffing the other attendees canine and human alike.  No photo from this event as iphone doesn't have a flash :-(

The next day Rocky enjoyed a family trip to Brazos Bend to test out David's new camera.  Rocky had a great time hiking the trails and trying to spot aligators (the park is home to over 300!).  Here are a few of Rocky's favorite photos from the trip.  He's excited about the improved resolution.

K ibble

Finding Rocky's kibble on a list of the worst dog food brands last night prompted me to finally make the switch to a more wholesome option.  Conveniently he was almost out of food anyway.  Tonight, we took a family trip to Pet Co to peruse the multitude of flavorful food options available to pups.   We selected Natural Balance Ultra, in part because of great consumer report reviews I've read and in part because Rocky's tasted his friend Kady's before and seemed to enjoy it.  

Rocky's never eaten his kibble when I filled his bowl in the past -- in fact I only feed him about 3 times a week because he's been in the habit of eating every other day.   Tonight, however, he salivated while I snipped open the new bag, nose positioned vertically hoping to catch a whiff of the salmon-lamb-sweet potato-chicken blend.  The moment his scoop hit the bowl so did his tongue.  For the first time in his life he devoured his meal immediately rather than first thinking about it for 24-48 hours.  Perhaps this was the moment he'd been hoping for all his life whilst letting his former kibble brand remain in his bowl until, faced with the option to starve or consume a sub-par meal, he reluctantly chose life and the promise that one day his waiting would pay-off and he'd be rewarded with a kibble he could consume with joy. 

 He deserves it. 

Happy 30th Birthday, DLG!

Rocky helped DLG celebrate his 30th.  Their annual birthday photo has become a family tradition!  Later Rocky and I played while DLG experimented with his new camera; he's still perfecting the fuzzy-factor!

PetSmart Photo Contest

Rocky has entered the PetSmart Halloween photo competition.  If he wins the grand prize he will be featured in a PetSmart commercial next year!  You can help Rocky to win by clicking the link below to vote for his entry each day until Halloween and encouraging your friends to vote for him too.  You can vote for as many dogs each day as you would like, but only once a day per entry, so voting for Rocky doesn't prevent you from voting for your other favorite furballs too! Vote for Rocky! 

Market Square

Rocky checked out the newly completed Market Square in downtown Houston which is furnished with a new dog run, a Niko Niko's, and a monument to the fallen heros of September 11.  Read more about the planning, history and grand opening of Houston's newest park here.  

MAMs House of Ice

Rocky enjoyed a special summer treat tonight at MAMs House of Ice on 20th and Rutland.  Stephanie picked him up for an impromptu visit   She cooled off with wedding cake and raspberry flavored ice while Rocky blissfully licked the chicken broth flavored doggie snow cone! If you haven't yet visited MAM's Rocky highly reccomends you tryout Houston's Original Snoball Stand!

MAMs webpage

new bed

Last week Rocky finally got a long-awaited new bed!  After three years his old bed had really taken a beating.  With a broken zipper and busted seams it's been held together by safety pins for a while now. He seems to love his new bed equally - hopefully this one will prove to be more durable!

 

Rocky and Mabel

Rocky loves to hang out with his newest friend Mabel.  She lives just up the block and always stops by on her walk for a romp in the front yard with Rocky.  I'm beginning to think they were seperated at birth; can you tell who is who? !!

rocky's hill country bbq and swimming hole tour

This past weekend Aunt Paulette came down for a visit. In order to show her some of the best of Texas Rocky took her camping in the hill country. David has had a craving for good BBQ for several months now so the first stop on the tour was Taylor, Texas home of the famed Louie Mueller BBQ. Rocky enjoyed beef rib, brisket, sausage and pork rib.

Once everyone had his fill on bbq they headed onward to Hamilton pool for a dip. Unfortunately, adorable doggies were not welcomed, so the group had to settle for swimming in the river. Rocky was so hot after a long ride in the car that he waded right on into the water and took his first ever doggie-paddle! After three years he finally "learned" to swim!!!!!

That night Rocky climbed to the top of Enchanted rock and watched the sunset (photo forthcoming from Aunt Paulette's camera.

friendly neighbor

Rocky is captivated by the neighbor's backyard goings on.

dog days of summer

The hot Houston summers are especially trying for furry pups like Rocky. This morning we found him sleeping in an interesting new position (perhaps in attempt to cool his belly?!)