A Day in the Life of... Rockie!
We get to know New Product Development Manager Sarah's Lurcher-cross Rockie and what a day in his life looks like!
Hi guys,
I’m Rockie the Lurcher-cross! Some call me a ‘funny Dalmatian’ or a ‘Skinny Cow’ from the look of my spots, I also respond to ‘Oi’ and ‘stop that’ too!
I was adopted from an animal welfare charity called Almost Home NI in 2019 when I was just 9 months old. On the first day I met my new mum, she had originally come to visit a lovely older whippet, but by chance, she had seen me! Giving my best puppy dog eyes, I jumped up and put my paws on her shoulders (I was big for only being a pup!) and put my nose right against her with a big 'boop!'. It was meant to be, even if I did slightly startle her. After a garden check and a play date with my hopeful new Grandpawrents dog, Penny the Labrador (who was 13 years young) to see if we got on together (we did!), I was ready to come to my new home.
This is a really nice pic of me, don't you think?
When I first arrived home I followed my Mum everywhere, until I encountered something scary which looked so tall and weird… a flight of stairs. I used to sit at the bottom and stare up them when Mum was going up. Eventually I started to come up a few steps, then bail. One of my greatest triumphs was coming half way up and leaping the last half of the stair case to the top! I still do this almost every time, but I’ll come down them normally. After conquering the stairs, Mum and I worked on my other fascination – destroying fluffy objects; mainly dog beds, and the odd toy.
The funniest thing was I never destroyed my own bed, not that I needed that… there's always Penny’s bed! Mum said it was like an explosion of fluff walking into the room after having been left for a short while. I think it was a phase I eventually grew out off, as I settled in and my separation anxiety became less and less. Penny really helped me come out of my shell and taught me the ropes. She is such a calm dog and if it doesn’t bother her, I learned to not be bothered by it either. Now we snuggle up together in bed.
RIP bed
Mum says my biggest quirk is playing fetch. I love running for balls/sticks/toys and catching it, prancing my way back to whoever threw it. However… I don’t play by the rules, I make up my own, I never leave balls by your feet, oh no, always off to the side – in a bramble bush is my favourite or on the edge of a hill where it could just roll down at any moment (oh the anticipation!). If any of my tennis balls make it to the end of a walk instead of being lost in the undergrowth it’s an achievement they say haha.
Mum and I love a forest park or mountain where we can dander along side by side for hours. I every so often nudge Mums hand with my head for a scratch behind the ears, and possibly a treat. We’ve hiked a few mountains together in Northern Ireland with more planned. I’m my Mums big fur baby and I cant imagine my life without her, Penny or my Grandpawrents now.
Well, that's all from me! I hope you enjoyed learning a little about my story.
Lots of love,
Rockie x