The first word that comes to mind when meeting Rocco is "majestic." He has limited himself to the sun room and when he is laying in there, he reminds me of a lion, regally surveying his pride and his domain. When you get to know him, you find that he is a little shy and slow to trust. After all, he had been loved and cared for by a gentleman for 7 years so he does not understand what is going on in his life: first the shelter, then the nice lady who rescued him, and then the lady who took him home to foster. He has now been bathed and groomed which has washed all the filth off and brought out a beautiful red and black coat that matches the shine in his eyes.

He has only been here for a few days but he is not a Velcro dog–yet–but once his loyalty and trust are earned, he will never leave your side. It is unknown how he interacts with cats, but at Sunday’s adoption event (his first), he was relaxed and let little children approach and pet him. He keeps his distance from all of us, as though he’s only ever been allowed in one room of his house. He is learning to navigate the stairs, but is a little afraid of going down. He is getting used to my approach. When he first came home, I’d go one way and he’d go the other. He does not run away now and the tip of his tail actually twitches–not really a wag–yet, and he is taking treats from my hand. He tolerates riding in the car, but I think will eventually start to enjoy it. He walks beautifully on a leash, and is a very well-mannered gentleman. He is shy about letting people come near but with a little coaxing, he is beginning to realize that people can be nice and might even have treats! Once he develops that trust, Rocco is going to make an excellent companion!