ROCKY TO THE RESCUE

Six years ago, my husband and I began looking for a dog. What we found was so much more.

Initially, the goal was to find a potential service dog. Years ago, I fell on black ice, tearing my hamstring loose from my hip and damaged my knees and back too. It left me disabled. My husband, Allen, is a former Army serviceman, and he was exposed to Agent Orange fighting in the Vietnam War. He too had to give up working when that exposure eventually took its toll on his health. Both of us thought we could benefit from canine mobility support.

Rocky’s start was inauspicious. I remember when we first saw him at SpokAnimal in the kennel. He was 16-months old, and he couldn’t keep all four paws on the ground. Though maybe not the best trait for a service dog, his bouncing exuberance brought new joy and laughter into our lives.

Next, because of Rocky, we made a new friend. Upon adopting him, we learned that Rocky had been born in Oklahoma, saved by a foster, and transported by Wings of Rescue to Spokane, Washington. The foster had left a note in his file in hopes his new family would contact her. We were happy to accommodate the request, and to this day, we remain friends.

We took Rocky for basic obedience training at Petco and did advanced classes that earned him his Canine Good Citizen certificate. I worked with him on task training.