ROCKY Australian Shepherd Haw River, NC

Foster notes, 6/1/24: Rocky is such a sweet pup! It definitely took him some time to come out of his shell and warm up to everyone. It took him longer to get comfortable with my husband than myself. He has been great with our 3 and 6 year old kids--he's not bothered by them at all. A weird thing we learned is that he can walk UP stairs, but he is afraid to walk back DOWN them... It's possible that this is because our stairs are narrow and hardwood, but he wouldn't go near them and eventually had to be carried down. He's very laid back about eating--just sort of grazes and has no food aggression. He lets you know when he needs to go out to potty. Mostly he follows me from room to room and just lays near wherever I am. He doesn't bark at all, is very relaxed, but always seems down for an outing! At first, he didn't seem to know any commands or even respond very well to his name. But once he got more comfortable and I got some treats, he seemed to know the drill. I haven't tried to do too many commands, but we are going to keep working on it. He walks well on a leash. He doesn't pull at all, but I don't think he has a lot of practice with it because he doesn't have leash awareness--he walks on the opposite side of poles or wraps himself or others up, etc. We have just been doing a once a day around the block walk and will hopefully get better. We left him home alone for just an hour and a half so far and he did fine. He wasn't happy about us leaving, but didn't bark or whine. When we got back, he was laying right by the door and nothing was chewed and no accidents. He REALLY doesn't seem to like water. We wanted to give him a bath and he was not having it, lol! Foster notes, 4/30/24: Rocky is extremely calm, loyal, affectionate, and sweet to anyone who he is comfortable around. Once he loves you, he always will. He is very laid back and loves belly rubs and going on walks. He is uncomfortable around strangers and is protective of his people. He also does not play well with other animals. Although he can be defensive and assertive with other people/animals, Rocky is an amazing and loving dog when in the right environment. Rocky is house-trained and is very well-behaved when left alone in the house. He is very calm and never barks. Rocky walks extremely well on the leash, and he knows the commands sit and stay. Rocky does not do well with other animals and should go to an home with no other pets. I know when the right family gives Rocky a chance, they will absolutely fall in love with him.