About Rocky

Hello, We are in a unique and somewhat desperate situation. We live in Stamford, CT. We rescued our second dog in March 2023. When we had his DNA tested, this is what we found: 35% Australian Cattle Dog, 16% Dalmatian, 9% Lab, 8% Australian shepherd, and smaller amounts of other breeds. He is about three years old, healthy, neutered, up to date on all of his shots, and completely housebroken. In June and July, Rocky underwent 5 weeks of on-site training at a highly regarded facility. He is much calmer and far more attentive and obedient now than when we first got him. He does very well on leash and has been trained off leash. He has responded well to what he learned there, including come, sit, down, off, place, heel, break, up. We regularly reinforce the training he received. Rocky is affectionate, curious, active and fast, would excel in agility work, wants to please, and he is very smart. Rocky gets along well with other dogs. He is loyal and devoted, and as such he needs to be introduced slowly to strangers. When he knows they are friends, his tail wags, and he is fine. That being said, he is reactive to sudden movements, some of which might be attributed to his protective nature and some possible early abuse, behavior that we were unaware of prior to adopting him. He is not an aggressive dog otherwise. Why is our situation unique and desperate? The first reason is not a happy one: We have another dog, 8 yrs. old, with lymphoma. He requires a great deal of time and attention as he proceeds through chemotherapy. The second is that in this household we have frequent weekend visitors with many little children. Various descriptions of how herding dogs view little children as creatures to herd are very accurate. The problem is that Rocky's instinct to herd and nip makes him a potential danger in this house, where often multiple little kids are running around. We cannot risk that Rocky will instinctively hurt a child or an adult. The local animal shelter told us yesterday that they will euthanize this dog because of his reactive behavior, which is absolutely not an option for us, particularly since the training facility that worked with Rocky said that this behavior is modifiable. And he is otherwise a fantastic dog! This is what being between a rock (euthanization) and a hard place (we can't keep him here because of the risk to our children and grandchildren) is all about! We are long-time, experienced dog owners. We're certain that Rocky would do better in a house with no children, and even though he gets along well with other dogs, he probably would prefer to be the only best boy in the house. Our goal is to find Rocky an environment that will make him happy. We love dogs, we rescued Rocky, and we made the emotional and financial commitment to properly train him. Now we want him to live a long and happy life, and will do whatever we can to accomplish this. Between a dog that is sick and dying, and another who needs love, we are trying very hard to find some type of happy ending.

Fairfield County
Stamford, Connecticut 06903