Rocket adopted!

This is my quickest foster ever. Two weeks ago, I picked Rocket up in Willmar. This afternoon he is in his new home with his new collie brother Axl, also an MWCR collie. 

Axl and Rocket met in the driveway and then we took them into the back yard where they started to run and play. We then went inside where Rocket checked out the house and made himself completely at home. He's exactly what the family is looking for. someone who will play with Axl. Good timing, too, as his new mom is off work all this week.

I know he's in the perfect home!

Pictures

I have never known a collie that doesn't like laying on it's back. This first one was right after he had rolled over into the bed. 

KJ made burgers on his George Foreman and left the grease tray sitting on the counter. Lily knocked it on the floor and must have gotten a lot of it on her. Woodson thought this was quite the treat and Lily actually enjoyed the help. She would never let Brett do this which is a testament to Woodson's temperament.

Rocket and the dog park

I loaded up the dogs, picked KJ up from school and off to the dog park before the temps started dropping. We had bright sunshine most of the day, but it started to cloud over right before school got out.

Woodson cried in the car all the way to the park. He basically thinks car ride = dog park.

I kept Rocket on his leash for a few minutes just to see how he'd react to the strange dogs there. It was early so there were only three other dogs there. Some golden retrievers came and did a circle of the park and left. Brett and Woodson just take off running, so Rocket mostly stayed with them, but he was interested in the other dogs and their humans. He loves people. Went up to complete strangers, jumped right up on a woman, and begged for attention.

I took the pictures with my cell phone. There is such a delay, I have to hit capture then move the phone with the  dog to get the picture. So I get lots of blur and tails. These are the better ones I got.

In the one, it looks like Rocket is growling, but he's not. I think he's just sniffing.

There were two muddy dips that also had water in them. Brett thought it was great fun to run through them. I brushed all three dogs when we got home. Rocket has definitely been brushed before and probably even up on a grooming bench because he stood calmly while I brushed him. 

Just a little lovin' please

As with any dog and especially my foster dogs, all Rocket wants is some love. He will literally purposely stand in front of me wanting me to give him a pat. I lean over and rub his chest with one hand and his side with the other. 

He also loves to have his face stroked, the way Desi did. He lays his head in my lap and I will stroke his face. He looks so blissful when I do this.

Woodson is definitely jealous. He probably isn't that secure in his status as permanent dog. He's also REALLY shedding. All that undercoat as if it were August. I suppose it's from being inside now so his body is saying, okay, we don't need this.

Rocket is too warm inside, too. His coat is much thicker than Woodson's, and he pants all the time.

Pictures?

KJ was supposed to get some good pictures of Rocket tonight while I was at work. He spent more time taking shots of everybody else! Granted, he has a broken ankle, so he's not very mobile. So, here we go:

Brett

Speedo

Rocket

Woodson

Lily

Rocket

Speedo

Confusion (Rocket)

I was told yesterday that Rocket probably received two rabies shots and was neutered. He came with two separate records and certificates. Both for a tricolor collie, both from the same vet to the shelter who originally had him. One says, he was given a rabies shot and a heartworm check. Included the rabies certificate. The other is for his neuter with a certificate of neuter. It also has some other stuff on it, but I can't remember. I will have to look closer at it, as I thought it might be for a different dog, and got included by mistake. 

I inquired about it this morning with the intake person, and she called the shelter. They're saying that yes, he was neutered. He has internal sutures.

Okay, he must have monster swelling, because it's the same as Woodson when I first got him. And Woodson's swelling took three weeks to shrink down to nothing. So, we'll see. 

Put Rocket on the tie-out this morning, closed the door and then watched from the living room. He took care of both parts of his business and I let him back in. This is good! I don't do the morning walk at all. I just don't move fast enough, nor am I willing to get up earlier. It's hard enough as it is!

I'm thinking he's house-broken. I've seen nothing to indicate otherwise.

First night

First night went really well. Brett and Woodson slept in KJ's room, I had Rocket in my room with the doors closed. No accidents and he slept all night, meaning he didn't bug me at all. He was sitting there looking at me when my alarm went off and I rolled out of bed thinking, okay, what day is it? 

Dare I speak too soon and say, he just might be house trained? I set him on the tie-out and stood at the door. He went right out, peed and came back like a pro. It took Woodson about two weeks to be comfortable on the cable. I did have to literally shove him into the crate. Woodson can't get in his crate fast enough because of treats, so Rocket will figure this out, too.

I got some batteries so will be taking pictures tonight!

Picked up Rocket today

My title was going to be "Rocket needs to lose some weight", but giving him a bath, it really is all hair.

What a fluff ball. They said he'd been shaved, but he's only been clipped in places. His tail and hind quarters mostly. 

Of course, my camera has dead batteries. So pictures will have to wait.

We left about 10 a.m. for the two-hour drive to Willmar. Set the GPS for the address and off we went. It took us out 94 to Albertville where we started to criss-cross county roads past Pelican Lake where there was a house with a flat roof with a fence and a playset. I thought of my friend Cindy who would have stopped to take a picture. Through small towns, Maple Lake, Litchfield, Atwater, Kandiyohi and finally Willmar. Somewhere before Litchfield we ran out of road. Driving along and a sign says, pavement ends. Ummmm, are we lost? Think it was just some road work that is waiting until summer. About two miles up we had pavement again. All towns I'd never been through before. It's cool to get off the freeway and actually go through towns.

So, we got to the shelter and he comes out and my first thought was, wow, he can't have been a stray for long. He is not underweight, and as I said, I thought he was pretty tubby, but it's mostly fur. Had to pick him up to get him in the car. He's not heavy at all. He actually looks like what they breed for shows now. Smaller, shorter, with the rounded rump. He has a really funky left ear. It doesn't appear to be deformed, it just folds weird and instead of laying backward, it points forward, so that the underside of the flap is outward. 

Back home, meeting the dogs went fine. I'm keeping him in my bedroom while I watch tv. I'm assuming he's not housebroken, but I don't know. He's gone outside twice now. He's fine with stairs. The place in Nebraska said he was fully vetted but not neutered. His paperwork says heartworm and rabies, so not fully vetted to our standards.

So far so good.

Rocket

Road trip on Sunday to pick him up!

Updated with Rocket

Pictures of fosters with general dates I had them.



#13 Rocket (February 2012)

#12 Bruno (December 2011)

 #11 Desi (November 2011)

#10 Mac (August 2011)

#9 Prairie (May 2011)

#8 Diamond (September 2010)

#7 Swiper (July 2010)

#6 Becca (May 2010)

#5 Fergus (March 2010)

#4 Cody (December 2009)

#3 Dolly (October 2009)

#2 Baron (August 2009)

#1 Janis (June 2009)

Lucky number 13!

Introducing Rocket!
(Transport to be determined)

Rocket is a 2-3 year old tricolor intact male rough collie located in Nebraska. He was a stray. The shelter shaved him. He was probably an outside dog so he will need some house training. He is good with other dogs. Cats unknown. He will be vetted before he leaves the shelter.