What we can do today

Hi there - we have new poster versions on www.helpfindrocky.com of Rocky that includes his full body. Might be good to start spreading these around as another option. If there are people not working today or tomorrow, there should be a lot of foot traffic around the metros. We should have people out handing out flyers and business cards to people at the metro stations. It's been a few days since Rocky's last sighting, but I'm sure he will pop up again very soon. I'm reposting the top 10 list of things to do for Rocky for those that might have time today but are unable to get out of the house:

1. Ask local chat board/communities to post on their site
2. Yahoo Groups by Area and ask moderator to post on their site
3. Google area groups and ask them to post
4. Contact Students at local colleges (Mason and Marymount)
5. Poster at local colleges (posters available at www.helpfindrocky.com)
6. Communication to Vets outside of Falls Church (call or fax a poster)
7. Communication to local business (call or fax a poster)
8. Contact Falls Church Dog Walkers
9. Call Area Pet Stores or fax a poster
10. Reach out to Media sources to tell Rocky’s story

The communication to vets, etc. outside of the area might be vital today since we need to consider the possibility that Rocky has moved outside the area at this point. As always, whatever you decide to do, please post in the comments section so we don't duplicate efforts. I'll be out in the West Falls Church area tonight looking for Rocky - if you want to come help or join, call or text 703-593-1040. For those that have been leaving food out and staking it out - please make sure you dispose of the food once you are done. Also, please make sure you are watching the food from a healthy distance.. if you are congregating around the food, Rocky will probably never approach it. Thanks again for everyone's help - Rocky's Dad.

Mocha and Volunteers

Hi all - first, Mocha has been found! Which makes Rocky the next to come home. Please do what you can to help find him.

If you want to volunteer for something send an email to Nancy at TesterDesp@aol.com and she has some ideas/thoughts for things people can help with aside from what I have listed on this blog. It's hard for me to respond/follow through on everything posted here, so she can act as a secondary volunteer coordinator.

Still have a good amount of posters and business cards if anyone needs them. Some business owners, pet stores, and vets have allowed us to put a small stack of business cards on their counters. So as you are going by those establishments or any others that look like they might allow it, you can walk in and ask if they will display them. Hopefully people will take them as they are walking out.

It's warmer today - so I do think Rocky will be out and about eventually! Let's make sure there are eyes looking for him. Thanks again everyone - Rocky's Dad.

Mocha, Rocky, Donating, and Today

Hi all - I received a note of another dog that was lost in the Falls Church area on Friday. I do not know of the current status of the search - so if one of the Homeward Trails folks who mentioned it to me wants to add it in the comments section, that would be great. The dog, Mocha, is a mocha colored 40 pound pit bull with very short hair. It would be unlikely that you would confuse the two if you came across on or the other. In any case, if you do see Mocha, please call 703 966 7559 (this is the owner's number).

Rocky apparently has found some warmth in this cold since he has made himself scarce. It's possible that he has found food sources and there were places in the area where water wasn't frozen.

I could use any hands, legs, and eyes to continue to be on the lookout for Rocky today. I have business cards and flyers for people to hand out - call me if you want to pick them up: 703-593-1040. I also have area maps and can tell people what areas would be useful to go. Also, would be helpful to check out all the parks, school grounds, and the bike trail between the two metros today - for postering and searching purposes

I added a link for people to donate to the Help Find Rocky fund. Anything I receive will be put towards any of the costs associated with bringing Rocky home - if there is any money leftover, it will be donated to the SPCA and Homeward Trails. Do not feel obligated to give, of course. The purpose is more to give those who are unable to donate their time another way to be involved in bringing Rocky home.

Off to brave the cold once again - it's that much easier to do knowing that Rocky has been braving it for over 2 weeks now. Please help get him home soon in any way you can.

Jan 17 Update

No new sightings and nothing new from the shelters, animal control, vets, or DOT today. Which is good news and bad news depending of course. Seems like a lot of people were out trying to get some eyes on Rocky - thanks to everyone for doing that. I'll be out at some point tonight again in the area. If you want/need posters or business cards, just call me and I can arrange to meet you somewhere to pick them up.

Yesterday was supposed to be the coldest day - so if Rocky made it through that one (as I'm sure he did), he should be good to make it through until we find him. It's possible he took warm shelter for the duration yesterday and didn't make it out at all.

We will be setting up a third feeding station today near Tuckahoe park (thanks to Debbie for finding us space). Please look at the list below and contact me if you can help with any of those items. Thanks again,
Rocky's Dad

Things Rocky Could Use

Some of these involve time. Some involve donations. But here is a list of things needed to execute the Bring Rocky Home plan as crisply as possible:

1. He needs folks to monitor feeing stations at least 2x a day.

2. He needs someone to check on the cameras at least 2x times a day and swap out the memory cards at least 1x time per day.

3. He needs one additional feeding station location, close to where a sightings have been (this has to be on private property).

4. He needs access to traps (I think a few people have volunteered traps - please email me)

5. He needs two additional outdoor dog houses and insallation for them

6. He needs additional outdoor heated water bowls (there is one in Tenleytown that could be used if someone can pick it up)

If you are willing to help with any of these, please contact me via email. If you can think of anything else that he could use, feel free to offer it.

Also, please get out and continue to spread the word about Rocky in the areas near where he has been sighted. Make sure you iterate to people that he is skittish so the most important thing is to not scare him off and to call me as soon as possible. The business cards work great for this since they wouldn't have to run and go find my number somewhere (although the flyers do appear to be everywhere).

The pet tracker suggested another option that I think might work: if you have a sterno and a can of beef stew, you can set the beef stew to cook and let the smell permeate the area and watch silently and quietly from the warmth car. If he's nearby, he would likely come check something like that out (I would place it somewhere off the beaten path a little of course - and please don't start any forest or house fires!). You are all doing an amazing job for my Rocky. Keep it up and he'll be home soon.

Jan 15 Update - Another Possible Sighting

Well - this is getting almost comical. For the 2nd night in a row and 4th time overall - I got a Rocky sighting call literally right after I got home from Falls Church. And for the 2nd night in a row, he was in an area that I had been mere blocks from less then an hour earlier. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not.

A gentleman who is a friend of a friend called me saying he saw a dog dart across Lee Highway at Underwood. He couldn't get a good description of the dog, but he said the basics matched what could have been Rocky. He had been following along on the blog so he was aware that Rocky was missing. The sighting was actually only a couple blocks from one of the feeding stations we had set up - however the dog was moving the opposite direction of the feeding station (it's possible he was coming from the station perhaps).

We do now have 2 full feeding stations set up in the Falls Church area with cameras. It has been suggested to set up a third if possible - so if you live close to where one of the sightings and are willing to offer your yard, please send me an email.

I am not scheduling any organized search for tomorrow based on the advice of the pet rescue experts I have been working with - however, feel free to flyer, hand out business cards, and look for my baby whenever you have the time. I still have posters and business cards that I can give you - just give me a call. Since the sightings have been exclusively at night this week, the thought is that Rocky has become nocturnal (less noise, distraction for a skittish dog to get food during the night). So I'll probably be doing late night drives in the Falls Church area. If there is anyone who is nocturnal like Rocky and would like to join for midnight drives, feel free to contact me. I'll be going out most nights since it's not like I've been getting to sleep early anyway.

Thanks to all who came out tonight - there were 7 of us in the area. Tomorrow is supposed to be the coldest day since Rocky went missing, so I hope my baby is somewhere warm tonight. Please think of him while you are snug in your bed and do what you can to help spread the word about bringing him home tomorrow.

Australian Cattle Dogs, Rocky, and Tonight

Hi all - For any of you who want to know about breeds like Rocky (and why he is proving to be so elusive) you can start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Cattle_Dog. Key things of note is their stamina, intelligence, and high tolerance for discomfort. All these things are what is keeping Rocky going at top speed, safe, and comfortable enough in the cold weather even after 11 days. All these things are also what is making him elusive. I can tell you for certain that my Munn has exhibited all of these behaviours in his 7 years to me. I often wonder what the heck he's doing sometime when he's messing around in my bedroom, but there usually is a reason for all of his behaviors (like selectively pulling out the warmer clothes from my hamper to make a bed with). As a working dog, surviving outdoors for long periods of time actually might be very instinctual for him.

It appears he did not visit the feeding stations last night, but we also don't know if he has managed to find some other food source that he hasn't exhausted yet. We'll be setting up a camera hopefully and perhaps a third food station tonight.

I would like to do another Silent Search tonight for anyone who would like to come out. We will start it later in the evening since it appears Rocky has become someone nocturnal (which is natural from what I hear). Please follow the rules from last night again:
- No Yelling For Rocky
- Move Through the Area Slowly
- Only use flashlights to search yards, under cars, backyards for movement
- If you see Rocky, remain calm and don't startle him in anyway - either turn and walk away or play dead or something else non-threatening - to keep him in the area until I can get there

Let's start in the parking lot for Tuckahoe Elementary tonight between 7:15 - 8:15 pm at 26th and Tuckahoe. Call or text at 703-593-1040. I still have flyers and business cards and maps to hand out. Thank you - Rocky's Dad.