Rockford
Sweet, smart sensitive and quirky boxer mix boy
male / 4-5 y o / 44 lbs
male / 4-5 y o / 44 lbs
Rocky and buddy Scout
What do we love and cherish about Rockford? * He is a great communicator. He is always paying attention to his human peeps and the more he can engage you the better you become at speaking DOG! * He knows routine and has unbridled joy when its time for him to visit his dogs pals * He is super smart and can read energy and thoughts.. He is like the Einstein of unspoken communications *There are all sorts of "Rockisms".. things that are a bit odd, uniquely him and utterly endearing! He listens all the time.. his eyes are stunning in color and in the way they assess.. study.. watch.... and communicate. 
Rockfords favorite perch!
a relaxed and content dog!
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Rockford is a unique & precious boy... and like a few of our other dogs, highly perceptive... and super sensitive...he watches and feels everything!
He likely was born with a keen awareness of his environment but we also feel certain his early life experience honed his acutely perceptive nature. What this means in Rockfords case is he will understand what your breath is saying! It's an incredible gift actually to be able to share communication with a dog like Rockford. This also makes the home type that would be suitable for Rockford very particular... he his highly reliant on calm, steady routine with familiar people, places and things. While he enjoys variety, too much will offset his comfort level and cause him to become more on edge rather then his usual calm self. If you are interested in Rockford, shoot us an email and we can chat with you more about the type of home that would be best for him. WE so love seeing this sweet chocolate brindle boy learning how to trust enough to actually become relaxed and content... so unlike the petrified puppy who arrived to us with burned skin, thin, wormy and sickly! Rockford has always come to life in the company of other dogs and we have used that to help him find HIS way to befriending people.. Jack the AMAZING Jack.. one of the kindest gentle dogs EVER has become great mates with RF! Jack taught RF to easily approach the people he knows and not fear them. Lately Rockford has shown a little jealousy when one of his doggie friends is getting all the love!!! SO FABULOUS!! 
Silly boy loves his red chair
We have held onto Rockford for a while because he really needed a lot of socialization... a lot of time to trust that we would allow him to find his way to experience new and sometimes scary things.. He learned well by watching his dog pals do things and we let him make the decision about if & when he'd like to approach and share affection.. we didn't impose any schedule on him. Eventually Rockford started to nose for attention.. and now he comes and offers licks.. Each little baby step has been a HUGE reward to us.. we knew we would have to refrain from cheering ... just a soft calm... gooooood booooyyyyyy Rock did the trick.. he loved it and still does! Routine has been an important element in Rockfords "rehab" providing him with the ability to relax.. not having to worry about whats happening .. about to happen.. might happen has enabled RF to rest.. truly and completely let go and sleep deeply! AGAIN.. so precious!!
WE are of a mind to let Rockford show us what he thinks.. He lets us know when he is ready to expand his personal bubble of safety and comfort. He has added so many new friends and has begun to expect only respect and kindness from his handlers. We think he is ready to add to his circle of friends..
What Rockford LOVES.. DOGS, Playtime, hanging out in lounge mode with human and canine pals, walks with conversation, feedback, COMMUNICATION, predictable routine, food, cozy sleeping areas, water.. swimming, adventure within a safety bubble! While out walking RF is a dog who appreciates information.. he often turns and looks up at his person.. he drinks in praise and seems to take in every word spoken.. he is reassured by a soft calm voice guiding him along... he enjoys being in a calm and content safety bubble with his person.. while in that space Rockford keeps his attention and hyper alertness in check choosing instead to join & defer to his trusted companion!
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Getting to know and help Rockford has been a fun and interesting journey ... He is a very special dog who has come to full on enjoy his life at the farm. RF will always be learning.. its in his wiring.. he is organically extremely aware and observant.. He is always reading and interpreting..
Rockford will continue to bloom, shed his worries and delight his people as long as he has a trustworthy connection with human(s) who are themselves at peace, can easily communicate with energy and body language and can provide an environment that is happy, calm and reasonably predictable!
- A little about Rockford from Handler Nick -
Rockford is a perfect example of how multi-faceted a dog’s personality can be. On his own, he is shy and sensitive. He can feel pressured in social situations, hoping that the attention stays off of him as much as possible - surely some of us have felt the same before. BUT, when Rocky gets around his fellow four-legged friends, he feels comfortable enough to be his true self. He bounds around with seemingly endless energy, begging his playmates to join in the fun. He’s goofy, wiggly, and may even flash you that adorable gargoyle grin as he zooms by. |
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