Despite the challenges that Rocket’s fourth year posed to our family, we weren’t quite ready to give up. Rocket had become so much a part of our family, that we had to exhaust every option. The year 2024 would bring our darkest days, yet, and as we struggled to make important decisions surrounding Rocket and the well-being of all involved, the good days still outweighed the bad ones. Case in point, is today’s blog about last Christmas.
As the holiday season approached, I began to decorate for Christmas. You might recall from one of my previous blog’s, how much Rocket enjoys decorating for Christmas. In that blog, I shared the story of how he kept getting into the decorations and that the day ended with him lying on the table, appearing exhausted after a day of spreading Christmas cheer. Christmas 2024 would begin much the same. As I was wrapping the tree with lights, Rocket watched intently. After several attempts to grab the spool of lights, I finally gave in and prepared myself to stop him from trying to run off with it.
As he picked up the spool, he slowly began to move….
…and to my surprise, he moved in my direction…
I was in complete and utter shock when I realized that he was actually following me around the tree with the spool of lights in his mouth as I carefully placed the strand of lights perfectly around the tree!
And that is the way with Rocket! Most of the time, he is loveable, trying to please his humans, and always wanting to be included in the activities of the moment. He is attentive, energetic, focused, intelligent, and a very quick learner. He is daring, sweet, and can sit patiently waiting his turn for food, treats, and to be petted. He learned to howl like a hound after watching and listening to Frank howl, who is part hound. He learned to climb a ladder, at least the first couple of rungs. He walks planks on construction projects with ease, especially when it is the only path to his humans. All of this is to say, most days, Rocket is pretty remarkable. He amazes me more often than I ever thought any dog could. We would need to gather strength from all these wonderful characteristics that make up Rocket as the days ahead turned more and more difficult. Over the next several blogs, I will share with you why I began Rocket’s Story, and how his aggression reached the boiling point.