I know that I am going to upset some of you out there but I feel the treatment the entire feel gives Rocky is deplorable. He is neglected and you can see in his eyes he is lonely even though he lives in a house full of people. Am I the only dog lover who watched this show. SPCA is in my list of organizations to contact. Maybe if the family reads this they will see what I am talking about and treat Rocky a bit better.

Thanks for listening.

Leave Rocky alone. If you truly want to help animals, there are many out there that actually NEED your help.

I enjoyed the show with Rocky. I do not think the Roloffs are cruel people to their animals. I have a dog who also loves giving us sad looks, but she is a very loved and cared for pet. Maybe the family does need to spend more time with him! But no ASPCA . THis organization has a huge job trying to care for unwanted pets...

While I don't think he's abused or truly neglected, I do think he's ignored, and often just a fixture.

jmo

Are the Roloffs, especially Amy, aware that dogs are pack animals and no matter how much you love them when you are outside they will still want to be with the family? Why do they act as if they have no idea what a dog is like or what a dog needs? Has none of the adults in the family had a dog?

I love the Roloffs but their dog ownership leaves a lot to be desired. One idea they might look into is not leaving Rocky outside when they go somewhere. That would guarantee that the dog will not run away.

Someone who is in connection with the family, or the people that do this show please suggest that a nice episode would be to have a dog behaviorist come and tell them all about dogs and what they need.

I wanted to check the boards to see if anybody knew what happened to Rocky. I am guessing it was a snake bite? I agree with DogLoverCKHNYC and Carin6. I was horrified when I watched this episode. I can't even sleep knowing how bad this family treats their animals. Somebody needs to tell Amy that dogs have feelings and they get hot just like all of us. I have watched this show from day one but I can not say that I will watch it any more.

quote:

Originally posted by DogLoverCKHNYC:
I know that I am going to upset some of you out there but I feel the treatment the entire feel gives Rocky is deplorable. He is neglected and you can see in his eyes he is lonely even though he lives in a house full of people. Am I the only dog lover who watched this show. SPCA is in my list of organizations to contact. Maybe if the family reads this they will see what I am talking about and treat Rocky a bit better.

Thanks for listening.

thanks for your message, it's my feelings exactly!!!!

I cut and pasted this from another thread I had posted on regarding Rocky... didn't feel like typing it all over...

Hey guys. Miss me? (Nevermind... don't answer that!)

As for Rocky... there are a few things that concern me. For those of you who didn't know, I was going to college to get my doctorate in veterinary medicine (until I ran out of funds and started a family) and I worked as an understudy for a behavior trainer. You can choose to believe my crummy credentials or toss them out the door.

A few tablescraps would never hurt a dog. But, I'm wondering what kind of food he's on. A dog needs high protien, preferably in the form of raw... or at least a high quality kibble. Kibbles, such as Pedigree, Purina, IAMS, Science Diet, and Eukanuba don't cut it. Read the ingredients. Too much wheat, barley, and rice. The first four ingredients need to be a form of protien, other than plant matter. Dogs are carnivores. They may scavenge and eat a few things not on the typical menu, but they need meet. Some spaghetti is good. (I feed all of my Danes table scraps, along with their kibble.)

As for running around the farm. Yes, this is good fun for the dog, but he also needs a job. All dogs should have jobs. This would solve many behavior problems that occur. Your average dog needs a good 45 minute walk (at a heel) a day, plus a few other forms of mental things (15 minute training periods, such as brushing up on old tricks or teaching new ones). This also varies from breed to breed, and with age.

As for the vet thing. If my dog was running around on my farm (my oldest Great Dane was farm raised) and came back with a scratch, he'd at least go to the vet the next morning. There are many dangers on a farm. Spider bites, snakes, wild animals, rusty wires and nails, carrion... all of which could be dangerous if not treated correctly. If he was properly vaccinated, I wouldn't worry about much that way, but you can contract wicked infections from animal bites. Suppose he got bit by a cat. Cats have one of the dirtiest mouths. One nip can cause major infection.

I don't think that Rocky is a tortured soul, but I believe that he could be treated a lot better.