Rocky Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler & Dutch Shepherd Mix Worcester, MA

Meet Rocky! He is a 14 year old, 50 lb owner surrender from Harrison City, WV. Don’t let his age fool you, he still has lots of energy.

Rocky has been with me a little over 3 weeks and is just one of those dogs that you feel an instant connection with. He looks like a mini long haired German Shepherd, but has the signature Bentley mark, a white blaze on the forehead, of an Australian Cattle Dog. Despite all of the major changes in his life over the past few months, Rocky is the type of dog that just goes with the flow and asks, “What’s next? Let’s go!” He has the heart of an explorer and hasn’t met a patch of snow that he could resist a good roll in.

Playing fetch for Rocky means the human throws the ball or stuffed animal and fetches it after he catches it in his mouth. He also loves playing soccer, going on hikes and car rides. Rocky may be a senior but he’s not ready for retirement. This is not a dog that just wants to lay around all day, he needs physical activity to be happy. And Rocky will let you know when he’s not. He can be vocal and is not shy in letting you know what’s on his mind. He starts out staring at you while resting his big old head on a surface, his eyes boring into your soul. Then the whimpering starts, to induce guilt. (It works.) But if the human is too dense or pretending to ignore these requests, then a more direct approach is required. A full on conversation, and believe me, Rocky has plenty to say. But his eyes say so much more than his words, the intelligence and gentleness are so apparent for all to see.

Rocky has some ongoing medical issues, cause unknown as of this writing but we will be scheduling a procedure to hopefully find out more. He has an unusual cough, vomiting, and issues with swallowing. He needs to eat and drink from raised bowls. The cough is a loud, drawn out hacking sound like he is trying to expel something caught in his throat. He also continuously swallows hard for some time. He does both of these things throughout the day. He will vomit food after a couple of hours after eating, but not after every meal. The food tends to be undigested. It happens about every other day. Small meals throughout the day seems to help. He’s on anti nausea medication and gastrointestinal prescription food which he needs to remain on for now.

Rocky is a total sweetheart with lots of love to give.

Rocky is housebroken and crate trained, but will bark if left alone in a crate.

Neutered, heartworm negative, microchipped, and is current on vaccines, flea/tick preventative, and heartworm preventative.

For more updates, photos, and videos of Rocky, please visit his page: https://www.facebook.com/MeetMyRescueFosters.

I’m being fostered in Massachusetts.

Questions? Email acdra_foster@outlook.com

If you are interested in adopting Rocky, please complete an application at https://www.acdra.org/adoption-application.