R.I.P. Rocky

R.I.P Rocky 
(June 2004 - 14th November 2018)

It is with great sadness, an ache in my heart and tears in my eyes that I write this post. 

The blog is all about our adventures travelling to, and living on this beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia with our dogs Rocky and Bobby. They are our life after all, but life is about the bad times as well as the good times so I thought it only right that I write this post. 
We knew there would come a time when we would have to deal with our pets coming to the end of their lives. Unfortunately that time has come for Rocky our beloved Border Collie who died on 14th November 2018. He  was 14 years old and had spent two and half years here on Kefalonia.

This is the tale of Rocky.........

He was a handsome gentle giant with a mostly white face (not the typical look for a border collie), white eye lashes and what looked like black eye liner around his eyes. Rescued from Longbenton Cat and Dog Rescue Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2006, he was approximately 18 month old. We remember when we looked around the rescue centre, all the dogs started barking but when we came across Rocky he was sitting propped up against the cage in silence. We immediately fell in love with him but me being me said that we should go away and think about what we would be taking on. So we talked about it that night as a family and returned to the rescue centre the next day to find that the kennel was empty. No Rocky. He had been taken by somebody else! We looked around another rescue centre but couldn't find what we were looking for. 

In a last bid to find a dog we went back to the rescue centre where Rocky had been and the staff there were so pleased to see us as Rocky had been returned that day, found to be unsuitable by the people who had taken him. We couldn't believe it! So Rocky was ours from that day forward. The only history we were given was that he'd been found wandering the streets of Ashington about 15 miles away.

He was our first family dog and our son Tom who was 11 at the time and into the Rocky films, called him Rocky. Rocky by name but not by nature! Soft and gentle, very sociable but with a very nervous disposition as we found out later. Frightened of all sorts of noises, the usual  thunderstorms, fireworks etc but also cars backfiring, motorbikes accelerating, aeroplane reverse thruster engine noises, car doors banging....... anything really! We also found out later that he was frightened of sheep! Can you believe it -  a sheepdog frightened of sheep! Just one big ball of nerves.

This is one of the first photos we took. As you can see we had bought various bats, balls, hoops etc for Rocky to play with. 

Mark with Rocky at Plessey Woods, Northumberland 2006

He always loved water so most of the photos we have of him, show him soaking wet!

Rocky at Weetslade Country Park - Northumberland


One of the many family days out - Staward Gorge Northumberland.

Druridge Bay - Northumberland. He loved chasing the ball.

He was great around kids (Tom and friends)

He was great with other dogs - his pals Bonnie and Bailey 

His best bud - Bailey (Photo courtesy of Deb Smith)

Just to show his eyeliner!

...and his white eyelashes. Ingram Valley. Northumberland

Rocky had us all to himself, but then along came Bobby the Jack Russell in November 2008. I found him wandering around the local park on a cold dark winter's night. He spent the night at our local vet. He was chipped but to cut a long story short.... nobody wanted him. We didn't intend to keep him but of course we succumbed to the pressure from Tom and we took him in. Rocky became Rocky & Bobby.

Bobby when we took him in.

Bobby quickly became the boss of the two, but Rocky didn't seem to mind at all. He would take so much from Bobby and then quite swiftly put him in his place. They were as different as chalk and cheese. We always got the impression though that if anything happened to either of them, Bobby would miss Rocky a lot more than Rocky would miss Bobby. They didn't play with each other as such but they were companions. Rocky was now more interested in chasing Bobby who was running after the ball (ball obsessed) than actually chasing the ball itself. In fact we have so many photos of the two of them and Rocky is always focussed on Bobby rather than the ball.

Rocky getting just a bit too close to Bobby at QE Country Park, Northumberland

The beach at Longhoughton - Northumberland

Rocky as usual chasing Bobby at Longhoughton, Northumberland

Ingram Valley - Northumberland

We were convinced that Rocky tried to drown Bobby whenever we were at the beach. It was always the same - we'd throw the ball, Rocky would get to it first and then run into the water quite deep and drop the ball so Bobby would have to swim to get it. Rocky didn't appreciate the fact that Bobby is an excellent swimmer and uses his long tail as a rudder so he never succeeded!

Rocky trying to drown Bobby

Eventually we had to keep Rocky on the lead when we went for walks as it became more and more common for him to run off if he heard a noise he didn't like. The beach was always different though. He seemed more relaxed there.

When we first arrived on Kefalonia, we just had to take them on an adventure around the island beaches. The first thing Rocky tried to do was drown Bobby!

Antisamos beach


Antisamos beach

Mark swimming with the lads at Aqua Alaties beach


Aqua Alaties beach - 'Come on!'


St Jerusalem beach


St Jerusalem beach


Sami beach 

One of my favourite  photos. You can just see our yacht in the distance 🤣!


My buds on Sami beach

Rocky and Bobby went everywhere with us in the camper van when we were exploring.

Lassi beach

Mark with Rocky and Bobby at Ancient Sami overlooking Sami Bay

Petani beach

Petani beach

Skala beach. Bobby with a pine cone

Atheras beach


Atheras beach

Foki beach


Something smells good there! - Under the olive trees at Foki beach

Rocky at Foki beach

'It looks deep - you check it out first Rocky' - The valley in Grizata

They loved the valley walk in Grizata near where we live

Cooling off - Grizata


Mark with the lads on Sami beach

Lazing around in the shade (Rocky's favourite place to chill)

The last photo we took of Rocky was on 4th November 2018. Hard to believe that it was just 10 days before he died.

The walk along the shoreline - Karavomylos - 4th November 2018

Rocky had no ailments throughout his life and the only trip to the vets was to clean his teeth and have his booster shots, but he deteriorated quickly towards the end. He became unstable on his hind legs and developed oedema on his eye, which made him confused and he started bumping into things. A trip to the vets and steroid drops and tablets transformed him. He was like a new dog, but it didn't last. Two months later, on Tuesday 13th November 2018 we went for our usual afternoon walk along the beach. He seemed fine. Little did we know it would be his last. That night he paced the floor, his eye was strange and he seemed very confused. We knew it was his time to go.

I wish he had died in his sleep but we had to take him to the vet the next morning to have him put to sleep. 

Our darkest hour, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue for Rocky. I wouldn't have wanted a dark miserable rainy day for him.

There are no cremation facilities on the island, the vets don't dispose of the bodies so Mark carried him to the camper van in tears and he had his last ride home in Snorky the camper van.

We laid him on a white sheet while we decided where to bury him and Bobby was there too, watching and sniffing. 

We buried him in our garden under the oleander tree next to the lemon tree. As we laid him to rest, Bobby came over of his own accord and stood looking down at the grave. You never know what goes through dogs' minds but perhaps he was saying his goodbye. 

We've been out as usual for walks along the beach with Bobby since Rocky died, and when we get home Bobby runs round to the garden, stops and looks. I think he expects to see Rocky there.

We'd like to think Rocky enjoyed his life with us....... but we know for sure we enjoyed our life with him.

R.I.P Rocky.