Rocky

Rocky was living a forgotten life. He was never allowed outside, not taken on walks, and never exposed to anything beyond the four walls of his indoor pen.

He was surrendered to a vet clinic that had him for several months. They had a difficult time getting him adopted due to his shyness. He finally found a home and then he escaped immediately. He was so scared that he freaked out over the change and managed to slip his leash and was running scared. Volunteers and employees of the vet clinic were able to catch him and he was returned to the clinic.

He was there for another several months. They weren't having any luck placing him and they were considering euthanizing him because of his fear/anxiety and unlikelihood of finding him a home.

A rescue friend begged us to take this fellow and we did. The first few months were so scary for our friend Rocky. A leaf blowing on a tree would make him duck and run.

He was so scared of life. He liked people, but only those he was able to get to know. New people would make him scared all over again. Scared to the point he'd get digestive upsets :(

Eventually he got to know our core volunteers and become friends with us. He has learned to LOVE his play yard and he will bark at strangers to try to protect his yard now. He's great with the other dogs, he loves his pen and his bed. He's a happy boy now who gives hugs to us.

But he's happy HERE. A new home will trigger that fear and anxiety again. A new owner needs to get to know him slowly at our place and work with him slowly to increase his safe zone. He's not going to just 'fit right in' in a new home. He's going to take a bit of time and patience and skill to get him to there.

Rocky is terrified of cameras, cell phones angled at him, getting too much staring attention. As you can see in his photos...he's socially awkward. He looks away when a photo is taken, quite on purpose lol.

We LOVE this boy. Rocky has a monthly sponsor, but we have many other special dogs who need a sponsor. Check them out on our Socially Imperfect Page. 

Interested in adopting Rocky? Understand this won't be a oh, fill out the application and come get him type of deal. He's in Richmond, MO. You'll be visiting with him a couple times a week for a few weeks...until he knows you and then you'll be walking him around our property until he trusts that you can keep him safe, and then we'd progress to car rides. He needs slowly acclimated to new places/people. He's absolutely worth it though!

Now, let me tell you a bit about our Socially Imperfect Residents Program:

We provide sanctuary for those socially awkward animals. Those who have overwhelming fear and anxiety of new people or places, and those who have triggers that sometimes make them lash out to defend themselves. As long as they pose no significant danger to their caretakers and we can keep them happy they will have a safe place to stay with us.

I’m a socially awkward person. In crowds I can only tolerate so much before it exhausts me and I want to leave. If I was to ever be put in a shelter I could see myself being a shut down type or (more likely) one acting aggressive because of the fear/danger I see myself in.

I’m not a social butterfly…does that mean I shouldn’t be allowed to live?

Sadly, in the case of shelter dogs they often are the ones euthanized. The one rescues overlook because PEOPLE overlook them. People assume they ‘didn’t connect’ when meeting or looking at that specific dog, often that’s not the case. These dogs need a bit of time, a bit of TLC, and some understanding in order to start to connect. Most of the time if you give them a chance they turn out to be wonderful dogs. They may never want to go to a dog park, or go to a pet store, but they will be your most loyal companion and best friend at home.

If a rescue takes one of these dogs in, some will euthanize because the dog needs time to adjust and they won’t give it the time, others will keep the dog and try to find a home for him/her no matter how long it takes. We’re one of the ones that makes a commitment to that dog. We will do whatever we can to keep the dog happy. This requires a long term commitment and sponsorship is always needed.

Can you help?