Human: Kari
Canine: Rocket
Location: Richmond, VA
Type: Rottweiler / Labrador Retriever mix
Our Story:
Rocket was what you’d call a “rebound” dog. That morning I had to put down my dog Atomic who had a tumor the size of a football and the cancer ran its course. Since I was 19, I always had a dog to ground me. It was my reckless college years and somehow the responsibility of a dog tamed the wildness just a bit. Atomic was the dog I had gotten when I was 23 and she was a great companion. I was working at a dot com company at the time and she had “Atomic’s Make A Wish” and ate about a dozen and a half donuts!
I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the loss of dog in my life and I was hoping that she would somehow lead me to a dog that wouldn’t be a replacement but a friend to get me through the tough time.
My boyfriend and I had a couple of tough hours after the burial (my vet came and ended her suffering on my front porch) and he drove me to the SPCA. Jasmine was in the pen and totally calm when I met her. I was looking for a 2 year old but ended up with an 8 month old.
I wanted a name that was “space age” and came up with Rocket. Once I got her home, she immediately went to the laundry room and pretty much stayed there for about a week. I think she was disappointed that she ended up with a non-sporty girl instead of the sporty guy who came with me. She was a total opposite of Atomic. She ended up being totally destructive, bucked out of an airline approved crate every day for the next two months. She was driving me nuts. I started searching online for a dog to keep her occupied. I ended up with Hula (aka Annabell) a Shepweiler who bombarded me with kisses as I was filling out the paperwork to take her home.
They’re best friends and it ended up that two dogs were needed to fill the loss of Atomic and this year they’re both 10 and I’m hopefully I’ll have at least five more years of canine love from them!
