CALIFORNIA -- In between fits of sleeping, Rocky opens his warm chocolate eyes and gazes inquisitively at his human, his golden eyebrows arching with curiosity.
The German shepherd's tan shaven legs look almost freckled in spots as scabs heal over deep punctures. He spends much of the day on his bed, occasionally lapsing into a dream with his lone back paw kicking as if playing fetch.
But it may be months before he enjoys his favorite game again.
Rocky, trained in search and rescue, sustained life-threatening injuries in late December when four neighboring pit bulls broke through the fence of his Plumas Lake home and attacked him and another dog, Missy, his sister. Rocky returned home this week, still healing from an amputation and facing a long recovery as he learns life on three legs.
Rocky and Missy were home alone Dec. 28 when the attack took place. Owner Sean Crabtree thinks Rocky appears to have fought for his life before a dog walker found him hours later lying in a pool of blood.
The woman called Crabtree, a contractor with Beale Air Force Base, in Long Beach to tell him what happened before rushing Rocky to Northpointe Veterinary Hospital in Yuba City.
Crabtree drove at more than 100 mph to get back, only to find his longtime companion in critical condition.
The 7-year-old German shepherd was taken the next day to U.C. Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, which, like U.C. Davis Medical Center does for humans, provides urgent state-of-the-art medical care and oversees complex cases. When Rocky arrived, his body was covered in life-threatening bite wounds, particularly on his right back leg, where the muscle had been ripped away, said Dr. Kate Hopper, chief of small animal emergency and critical care service.
Surgeons, veterinarians and technicians worked to repair damage and prevent infections. Rocky spent several days anesthetized and on a respirator to heal his lungs, which were hurt by bites to his chest.
As his leg infection threatened his life, the decision was made to amputate. And for the last three weeks, with the help of strong antibiotics and pain control, he started to mend.
"We think he's over the worst, but he has a pretty long recovery ahead of him," Hopper said. "Dogs are amazingly resilient and very accepting. He seems to understand things are different."
The cost of the medical bills have soared to $35,000.
On Wednesday — his second day home, Rocky hopped along the sidewalk with surprising speed, pausing to mark his favorite spots and sniff scents he has missed for weeks.
"His necessity to mark his territory supersedes his discomfort," Crabtree said, smiling at his dog's perseverance.
Rocky makes it to the end of the block before turning to hobble home. Crabtree follows closely behind, urging him to take it easy, and the German shepherd pauses occasionally to survey the neighborhood.
On his front lawn, Rocky lies down, the hundred-yard trek taxing his energy and weakened muscles. Crabtree cups his hands gently around the dog's rib cage to help him up and they continue the last few yards inside to Rocky's bed.
Crabtree is now a 24-hour caretaker, seldom letting Rocky out of sight.
"If you want water, you'll have to get up and get it. Don't give me pathetic eyes," he says, then helping his pet to his feet and supporting him while he slurps from a bucket.
He pats the dog up and down like a drum while he sleeps, trying to break free anything harboring in his chest.
When it's time, he gently opens Rocky's mouth, pops in a pill and holds his snout closed while he strokes the dog's throat to encourage him to swallow.
Rocky requires medicine nearly every hour, although Crabtree was able to cut back from four shots a day to one.
Eventually Rocky may need a veterinary physical therapist to push him along that final stretch of recovery to compensate for his absent leg. It may be six months before he is close to normal.
He once weighed 124 pounds, but is now less than 100.
Because no one was home during the incident, the circumstances are not well known, said Yuba County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Johnson.
Typically in such an attack, Animal Control Services will quarantine the dogs to make sure they do not have rabies, he said.
Only one of the pit bulls had a current rabies vaccine on file, so it was quarantined at home, and the other three were held for 10 days at the Yuba County animal shelter.
Rocky and Missy, who was unhurt except for a lost tooth, were also monitored.
Because the dogs had no previous incidents filed with the county, they were returned to their owner.
The owner of the pit bulls, Josh Spurlock, was out of town when the incident took place and a neighbor let his dogs outside. His homeowner's insurance has told Crabtree it will cover the costs of Rocky's care.
"They consider him chattel — property," Crabtree said. "He's a lot more than property to me. I value my dog more than some people care for their kids."
Crabtree brought Rocky and Missy home when they were 4 weeks old. Their "baby photo" is framed on the mantle.
Rocky's disposition made him a prime candidate for search and rescue. After Crabtree returned from deployment to Hurricane Katrina, he and Rocky went back to New Orleans. They searched for days and found many cadavers before returning home.
"People say, 'It's just a dog, it's just a dog,'" Crabtree said. "He saves lives, he protects my son, he's a member of the family."
(Appeal-Democrat - Jan 27, 2011)
