All Hail Rocky
Monday, August 30th, 2010We received dozens of entries to our “King or Queen for a Day Contest” – an awesome response! We were so thrilled to read how much you loved your dogs and what made them special to you! When we created the contest we thought we’d receive some funny and cute entries. It would be something everyone could have fun with. Those entries came and they were a delight to read. But we also received some truly heartfelt and at times sad entries as well. Whatever the tone, each one clearly came from the heart.
In the end we chose Rocky Moneymaker a sweet Golden Retriever, because his story is exemplifies everything we love about dogs – unending devotion, loyalty without bounds and an unspoken bond.
Due to the personal nature of the story, we asked Rocky’s mom for permission to share and she kindly agreed. You can read it below.
Click the links to read the entries from those who join Rocky as his royal court:
(Trumpets Sound)
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Rocky’s Story as told by his mom Shannon
Rocky Moneymaker deserves to be King of the Day for so many reasons, but what sets him apart from the other dogs and makes him qualified to be royalty is his most recent selfless act.
Four years ago, my sister-in-law Penny was diagnosed with breast cancer. She moved into our home and instantly became the best of friends with Rocky. They were inseparable – thick as thieves! When Penny went into remission, several years later, she moved out of our home. Rocky was devastated. November of last year, Penny found out that her cancer had returned and metastasized to her bones, brain, lungs, and liver. Despite very aggressive treatments, her battle was futile and proving unsuccessful. This past May, she decided to stop treatments and move back in with us to spend the twilight of her life with her family and her best friend, Rocky.
The final weeks prior to Penny’s passing, Rocky was by her side every moment. He comforted her when she was sad and lonely. He comforted her when she was in pain. He knew when she was hurting and would position his body with hers in such a way that gave physical relief from her pain. There would be days he wouldn’t eat because he didn’t leave her side. He stayed with her every day and slept with her every night. He stayed by the side of his best friend offering her companionship and comfort; unrelenting and totally devoted. The final hours before she passed, she slipped into unconsciousness. He lay in her lap until we realized something was wrong. We had to coax him away so that the paramedics could render aid and was frantic when they took her away. Penny passed away on June 9, 2010. Rocky was so depressed. He didn’t eat, didn’t play, and hardly went outside for nearly two weeks. His best friend was gone.
To top it all off, we couldn’t reward him with some much deserved doggie daycare because I was home recovering from shoulder surgery! The poor guy hadn’t had regular daycare in months. Finally, last week I returned to work and Rocky returned to his buddies at the Dogtopia in White Flint. I can’t think of a more deserving dog than Rocky for your King of the Day contest!
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We agree and can’t wait to pamper Rocky with a day of play, some VIP spa treatment and a spin around the boutique. Rocky is woman’s best friend in every since and we all want to hug our dogs even tighter because of him.
Beginning Monday, March 22nd pictures will be posted here on our blog
Last year’s national contest 
