Rocky, an almost 7 year old notable German Shorthaired Pointer arrived at the shelter and waited in hopes that his owner would reclaim him, but that day never came. So he caught a ride with one of our volunteers to the California GSP Rescue.

Rocky came in full of energy. He seemed almost happy to be "out of jail”. A very sweet, affectionate boy, prone to happy wiggles and seeking human connection. Rocky wasn’t a "problem" dog but a typical GSP whose needs weren’t met or were misunderstood as life changed.

Fran and Larry are repeat adopters. They adopted their beloved Hazel from CAGSP Rescue in 2014, and she sadly passed away in January of this year. They reached out to us in March to adopt again, as they wanted to pass that love on to another dog and give back.

They have a 7 year old female Wheaten Terrier named Callie that also needed a friend, so we worked together to match them with a dog that would do well with Callie, and fit in with their lifestyle and activities. We immediately thought of Rocky, and we invited Fran, Larry and Callie to come out to meet him. Everything went just as we had hoped, and Rocky joined their family.

We have received some updates to let us know how Rocky, now known as Max, has been settling in over the past couple of months, and we could not be happier! This sweet boy truly has hit the jackpot!

Week One

“Hi Teri

We changed his name to Max. He did well on the ride home, and he is a good traveler so we will plan a road trip. He is adapting well. A good night, we took him out a couple of times for a pee just in case. He ate his dinner and breakfast well. He had another bath this morning with some medicated shampoo due to a few hot spots, and he did well. We cleaned his ears really good because they needed it. He did well with everything. One or two gentle correction required. All new for him. We’re now off for a 3 mile walk and will provide some training today. We have a few dog beds but he’s not a big fan so far. We all slept in our bedroom last night.

He is learning his name and responds to it when called ….mostly. We are actively training him on come when called and sit. We are working on potty training after a few accidents - he is doing well with his training and our dog trainer friend says he is a great dog and will learn quickly. We’re learning to read his signals better. We brought our large dog crate in and he seems to feel safe there and goes in without coercion. He takes all his toys and treats in there to chew up. He is okay in there for an hour or so-if we both have to leave.

He sleeps right beside my bed, and we’ve placed a soft cushion down for him. He has now tried out all 4 dog beds. He is much less anxious and seems to be settling in well. He and Callie seem to get on just fine. We avoid introducing food competition into the equation and there have been no incidents. Appetite good.

He has fallen in love with his new Alpha, Larry and I feel his love too. He has made trusting eye contact with both of us. We pet him and reassure him very often. I have told him that this is his home and we are his people now, he will never be abandoned again. He will believe in time. He does not let us out of his sight and we sure understand.

Larry thinks Max needs a bit more training before a bicycle adventure, but as he builds up his endurance and knowledge basic commands - it’s still on his bucket list. Many thanks for bringing us together - he is loved very much”.

2 Month Update

“Hi Teri,

Max continues to do well. He is a lovely dog.

We are currently working on training and every day go to the park with him on a long leash. Right now we are working hardest on “heel, easy, come when called, sit, wait and potty training” He is doing great! He can hold his pee all night now.

He and Callie are getting along well, and appreciate each other’s company. They like to lie close together sometimes. He has gone through our large basket of toys already and we have bought him lots of new ones. He loves a good chew of a Greenie or one of the rubber bones and gets quite puppyish with a squeaky Orange dinosaur.

We are working on getting him used to regular teeth cleaning but it is slow going because he does not like it much and we don’t want to push him too much as he is getting used to us, but we have scheduled him for a conscious teeth cleaning at the vet in June with Callie.

We have fallen in love with our boy. I think he is finally letting himself believe that his soft landing here with us is permanent. Much less anxious in general and he is using all the dog beds now - we tried to invite him up on our bed to sleep with us but I think he has received training not to in the past and doesn’t seem comfortable doing it. He prefers to sleep on the floor right beside me in a little dog bed he likes, and he sometimes enjoys being covered with a blanket during the night if a little cold. We have put a warm jacket on him that belonged to my GSP, Hazel and he seems to love it. No more shivering!

All his little bald spots are covering over and the condition of his coat is fantastic. We have been brushing him because he is shedding a bit and he seems to love it.

He is eating well, we are continuing the grain free diet and he weighs about 55lbs.

I give him some Pumpkin for some fiber to firm up stools and a probiotic to aid his digestion.

I get up early (about 6am) and we go for our morning walk together. It feels very peaceful and sometimes we stop at a special place that Hazel used to like. I have told him all about her and we gently remember her, then he has breakfast and a bit later we go on a longer walk say 3-4 miles some of it up steep hills.

We have taken him out to a dog friendly restaurant and he behaved himself generally well.

He does not like loud or angry voices (same as Hazel) so I can’t yell at Larry, ha ha ha!

Thank you for allowing us to adopt him - we have been kinda sad and Max is our rescue too.

Fran, Larry, Callie and Max