About Rocket

Update: We have an experienced foster willing to take in, train, and work on Rocket's behavior provided there is someone willing to take him in long-term from there. She will work with the future owner(s) to help ensure a smooth transition and appropriate continued training and behavior management. This individual is in the Antelope Valley/ Palmdale, CA. We know that Rocket needs more than we can give him. Please help! *We have Trupanion insurance and have met the lifetime deductible and could see about transferring the policy to a new owner, if interested.* Rocket is a 20-month old Stumpy-Tailed ACD. We are heartbroken at the thought of rehoming him, but feel it is the best decision for him and our family, and even our friends and neighbors. He has so many wonderful qualities, but he has a history of reactivity and has bitten me and my husband several times (beyond the typical ACD herding nips, which he also does, although these were not bites requiring stitches or anything extreme like that). We cannot risk this happening again to our children or anyone in our busy neighborhood. We are looking to rehome him with someone familiar with the breed and fear reactive dogs who has a farm, ranch, or large yard. Rocket needs and deserves a compassionate individual, couple, or family who is willing to put in a lot of time with training and ideally to give him a job that will help with his mental and physical energy and working dog drive. Rocket has been through basic and intermediate training through PetSmart, as well as 1:1 training with an experienced balanced trainer. We have a lot of information to pass along to any potential new owner, including protocols to work on reactivity. Rocket is smart and learns quickly. He is highly motivated by treats of pretty much any kind. He walks nicely on leash and has made a ton of progress with walking past other people and dogs. He loves most people once he gets to know them and/or upon meeting them in neutral territory. Rocket is good with kids (although he tends to want to herd our children, and because of his bite history, we'd rather see him go to a home with no children). He sometimes takes longer to warm up to men. He gets along well with most well behaved and well adjusted dogs, although he seems to be wary of dogs much bigger than him. Rocket does well with our cat, although she knows not to run and trigger his chase instinct. I can't say they're friends, but they tolerate each other just fine. Rocket would probably want to be friends with her if she were interested. Rocket knows the commands sit, stay, come, shake, lie down, crate/place, and other basics. He goes to his crate willingly when he's tired or needs a break and when we're eating dinner (giving him treats in there has helped a ton with this). Admittedly, he sleeps at the foot of our bed, but he's a great sleeper and will stay in bed as long as I do. He is very loyal to me, but his drive to 'protect' me seems to be one of his triggers. Rocket is a snuggle bug on his own terms (which is often). He often likes to be pet and scratched, especially belly rubs and scratches behind the ears. He does not like to be 'handled.' We haven't been very successful with trimming nails or official baths (although he loves swimming in rivers, lakes, and the ocean). He gets nervous and reactive when he thinks someone might do something to cause him pain or discomfort. This is one of his big triggers. He has a muzzle, but tends to get reactive when we try to put it on him. We're continuing to work on this. Rocket likes walks, runs, and hikes, fetch with balls and frisbees, working for treats, swimming, and other adventures. He is an awesome dog the majority of the time, but is just a bit too unpredictable in our house and neighborhood with many people coming and going, including young children. We really want to find a great placement for him and are really willing to work with whomever is interested in order to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Please reach out with any questions or recommendations and feel free to spread the word!

Santa Cruz County
FELTON, California