Movie and book characters like Lassie, Marley, Rin Tin Tin exist because some dogs have personalities so big that entire stories can be centered around them. The same is true about our Rocco. Rocco was a true companion and friend and the hole that has been left by his absence will never be filled.
Rocco was a founding member of the McLean family. Chris adopted Rocco from the humane society in 2007. Rocco was in the lonely hearts club and had been at the Humane Society for some time. The story goes that Chris met Rocco and one other dog but could not decided which to take home. He figured he would leave to think about it and come back in to adopt one of the two. As Chris was leaving he heard a distinct and persistent whine (a trademark of Rocco's that he consistently and frequently used to get his way). Once Chris heard that plea, he turned around and took Rocco home immediately. There was no doubt in his mind that Rocco picked Chris just as much as Chris picked Rocco. Based on Rocco's paperwork, he was three when Chris found him and he had been adopted two times before. Chris promised Rocco that he would never have to go back to a cage again and that this would be his forever family.
I met Rocco in 2008 when Chris and I started dating and we hit it off immediately. He has alway treated me like his mom, coming to me for protection from baths and nail clippings if Chris was in charge but letting me care for his needs whenever I saw it necessary. He was an incredible protector, alway guarding us and our house. I ALWAY felt safe and secure when Rocco was around because I knew there was no way he would ever let anything happen to us. I will really miss that safety and security.
Rocco sitting on my lap to evade a bath
Rocco had so many quirky habits and idiosyncrasies that made his so funny and special. In the beginning of his life with Chris when the were just getting to know each other, Chris would wake up with Rocco (110lbs) lying fully on top of him-smiling and panting in his face. Rocco once noticed that Chris was going to be late so he picked up Chris's alarm clock and dropped it on the floor to get him out of bed. When I was pregnant and throwing up all the time, Rocco started putting tennis balls in the toilet for reasons that I can only guess were that he saw me depositing something into the toilet on a daily basis so he thought he should too. Once when my mom was staying with us to help me with the babies while Chris was out of town, Rocco awoke her from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to tell her that both boys were awake and I needed help. In the time I have known him he has only pooped in the house once and when he did, he pooped right next to the toilet. It was as if he tried to put it in the right place and since he could not, he got it as close as possible. Chris and I always joked that he was raised by cats because after going #2, he always kicks dirt and grass with this hind legs as if he was a cat using the liter box. This was especially insulting when we were picking up his poop with doggie bags because we would get pelted in the face with small stones. Rocco once saved Adriane from a pack of wild coyotes in Arizona. She had inadvertently run into a pack of coyotes hunting the same rabbit she was chasing and they surrounded her. One bit her in the hindquarters and she was in trouble until Rocco came sprinting over the hill and chased off the entire pack to save his sister.
Rocco loved to ride in the truck and go on adventures. He has driven across the country through 16 states. He has swam in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego and in the Bay area. He has frolicked in snow in Flagstaff and Tahoe. He swam in lake Michigan, lake Tahoe, and Echo Lake and has seen Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. He has been to the University of Michigan, Manitou Springs, and Sonoma. We planned our vacations around Rocco's favorite actives. We included him as much as possible and made sure he experienced as much of life as he could. One of Chris's great goals was to own a lakeside cabin where Rocco could go and swim whenever he wanted. I am so sad we were not able to pull that together before died.
Rocco loved to swim. He did not know how to swim when Chris got him but after a couple of attempts teaching him, he quickly figured it out. He loved to fetch balls in the water. In Arizona he did this at a dog park that had a lake or in Tempe Town Lake (an illegal maneuver). In California all of his swimming has been in the ocean and he LOVED it. The cold water, endless space and waves were heaven for him.
On our way to Papago park (you can see me and my mustang!) about to get engaged. I'm sure Rocco knew but I did not.
The smiles I would get when Rocco was riding in my mustang with the top down are indescribable. I t brought pure joy to everyone who saw us.
Manitou Springs
Night swimming in Lake Michigan
Scratching his back on the UM grass
University of Michigan
Sledding in Lake Tahoe
Sledding in Flagstaff
Top of Camelback, Christmas Day 2009
Rocco loved that our pack grew bigger when Brady and Brody came along. The relationship between Rocco and the boys can best be described by a U-shaped curve. When the boys came home from the hospital, Rocco guarded them reverently; he was at their side 24/7. Once the boys became mobile and unpredictable Rocco was more wary of them and gave them more space (but not too much space because he always wanted to be around Chris and I and since we were with the kids he closeby). At some point Rocco figured out that the boys were going to be constant snacking machines and that he was privy to all of their food. This coupled with Brady and Brody learning how to throw a ball improved their relationship back to one of love and mutual respect. The icing on the cake was when the boys learned how to blow bubbles. Rocco.loved.bubbles!
Part of me has always felt so selfish for not sharing Rocco and his abilities with the world. He was incredibly smart. He understood more english words than I could count and almost always answered us with a sing-song moan or a grunt when we asked him a question. He was an amazing toy finder. When he was younger we used to always bring him to PetSmart for a toy or treat. Instead of grabbing toys from the bins on display, Rocco would pull with all his might and make us let him dig underneath the display units so he could retrieve the lost toys that were hiding under there. When the employees saw him doing this they would always ask if they could hire him! He had an incredible memory. If we took a toy away from him and placed it up high, he would guard that area around the toy for weeks and whine for it until he got it back. He could fetch rocks. Once we were someplace without a ball so we thew a rock for Rocco to retrieve. The rock landed in a pile of other rocks and he managed to bring back the exact one that we thew. We thought this was so amazing that we kept the rock! He was persistent and his memory was incredible. He did not mind cats, hatted most other dog, (except for Adriane) and loved all people, especially the ones that would pet him.
Rocco was ever present. He was right with us at all times and can be seen in the background or foreground of so many pictures. That was just his way; he wanted to be part of everything that we were doing. He was even there when Chris and I got engaged. In fact, I was holding a bag of his poop right up until Chris was about to pop the question!
Rocco was ever present. He was right with us at all times and can be seen in the background or foreground of so many pictures. That was just his way; he wanted to be part of everything that we were doing. He was even there when Chris and I got engaged. In fact, I was holding a bag of his poop right up until Chris was about to pop the question!
After reading everything I wrote about Rocco I am struck with the urge to delete it all for it does not even being to capture what an amazing creature he was. I keep up with this blog because it serves as a family journal and photo album that I can refer back to to jog my memory when I begin to forget all the fun things that happens as life goes forward. I'm afraid that no matter how well I try to capture the essence of Rocco, it will never do his memory justice. It's not really what Rocco was per se but more how it felt to be around him and how utterly empty if feels without him.
He was Chris's best friend, probably his soul mate. They had a bond that was indescribable. Chris credits Rocco for readying him for husbandry and fatherhood. He commiserated with Rocco over allergies and anxiety. He talked to Rocco all the time and it is going to be very hard for him not to have that ear that was always tuned in for him. They were sympatico.
Rocco did not show any signs of sickness until the very very end. In fact, he was playing frisbee with Chris and the boys hours before he started showing us signs that something was not right. In his last remaining hours, we showered him his favorite things: love, affection, food, and attention. He was an incredible creature full of love and loyalty and protection. His passing is one of the saddest events of my life. Rocco, we will love and miss you always.
