In Memory of 2009 FBV Alumni, Rocky
My husband, Steve, and I are so sorry to inform you that our handsome young gentleman, Rocky, took his trip across the Rainbow Bridge yesterday around noon.
I drove off from Baltimore to Indiana almost 5 years ago to pick Rocky up from his foster mom, Marlene. I picked up Rocky’s Grandpa in Western PA, and we made our way through Ohio and on to Indiana, so excited to finally meet this handsome guy in person. I had been watching his slide-show on fbv.org pretty much non-stop since the day I first found him, but I fell even more in love with Rocky when we finally got to meet him
Rocky was afraid of everything when he first came home, but he soon grew to love his new home, and he became very popular with the other dogs at Falls Village Apartments. With Rocky’s help, I met 3 of my closest lady friends, and the “Dog Moms” and I still get together for lunch once a month, even though 3 of us has since moved out of the apartment complex. Rocky quickly became best friend’s with his cousin, Cody (my sister’s dog), and he became the favorite nephew, cousin, grandson, and great-grandson of all of my family members. All of my friends and family knew that if I was coming to visit, Rocky was coming, too 🙂
When I met Rocky, I promised him that one day, he would have a Dad and a yard of his own. I finally met Stephen Allen, on April 20th, 2013, and it was quickly clear that he was the Dad I had been promising. We moved in with Steve last August, and Rocky got not only the Dad I had promised him but also a small yard that was all his own. He loved chewing his bone and playing ball with his Dad, and we even included him on the “Save the Date” magnets when we planned our wedding for May 18, 2014.
Steve and I were devastated when we found out 5 weeks ago that Rocky had a grade 3 mast cell tumor in his nose. He had surgery, and we started chemo, but Rocky’s health deteriorated quickly, and it became a struggle for him to breathe, so we had to make very tough decision on Friday night.
We called friends and family to let them know, and Rocky had 7 visitors the night before we said goodbye. To know Rocky was to love Rocky, so there are a lot of sad people in the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania this weekend, but we will all always have the memories of his happy little handsome face.
Without French Bulldog Village, I never would have had the opportunity to share the past 5 years with Rocky, and I want to thank you for everything you do. In my life, I have never been as sad as I am right now, but I know that it will get better, and even though our time together was short, it was certainly worth any pain that I am feeling right now. The most important thing is that Rocky is no longer feeling any pain, and I know that he has gone to be with his cousin, Cody, now.
I have attached a few photos from a photo shoot I did with Rocky about 6 months after he came home with me, and I have also included a more recent picture of him with me (wearing his bow tie) and a very recent picture of him in his Ravens jersey. I would love it if you could include Rocky’s story on the Memorial Page of the web site, and I look forward to the opportunity to help another fbv lady or gentleman in the future. When we are ready, I will be sure to keep an eye on the web site for available ladies and gentlemen for adoption.
Thank you again for bringing Rocky and me together, and keep up the awesome work!
With Much Love,
Nicole Allen (Urbain)