Rocko ~ Case 458

We have received multiple capture requests for this precious pup who has been roaming the area for MONTHS!  

Frisco Animal Control is unaware of him and has received zero calls about him. 

WE NEED SIGHTINGS to help us track his precise location and locate his hiding spots & dens so that we can start a video monitored feeding station.  A controlled feeding station will help us condition him for capture.  

Please check back here regularly for updates!!!  

We need to know if someone out there has already established a feeding station for him before we deploy a new one.  We are asking for everyone not to feed him, but if there is already an established feeding station, we may deploy a camera at the existing station and just continue that one, but we need to hear from that person.  

We received a call this morning from a Good Samaritan named Joe who came across our flyer on social media.  He explained that he has seen the dog multiple times and he has been feeding him in a patch of woods daily for months.  He also explained that he has been running around with 2 coyotes.  

We deployed our team to the area this afternoon to survey and to see exactly where Joe has been feeding him.  Our original intention was to setup a camera at Joe’s feeding station to confirm he is in fact eating.  Joe was absolutely convinced that the dog was eating at his feeding station daily so we made a spontaneous decision to deploy the corral in that location since we had all of our equipment with us.  We deployed the corral in a 10’x10’ configuration.  

In our typical feeding station setup, we put a pan of water under the food bowl to create an ant moat and in the food bowl we put in wet canned dog food with canned chicken on top.  Now we wait!  

Good Samaritan volunteer Joe added some hot dogs to the food this morning and shortly after that a squirrel showed up and drank some water.  The dog has not yet visited the feeding station.  

We will be going on site today to make a few longer scent trails leading to our Corral Feeding Station and try to lure him in.  

This afternoon one of our amazing volunteers Jessie was doing some social media research and after a long exhausting search, she ran across an old post from February 2024 where someone was missing a dog that looks exactly like this case. ~~~ We are happy to report that Jessie connected the two of us together and we have now spoken to the owner, confirmed that this dog is Rocko, and they are so relieved and overwhelmingly happy that he is alive.  

This is absolute PROOF that you should never give up.  For the past 8 months Rocko has been hiding in the woods only 3 miles away from home. 

For several hours last night and several hours this morning, we have been conducting aerial searches of the area.  We found all of the coyote dens but we did not locate Rocko!  We are very concerned that the construction will be pushing him out of the area very soon if they haven't already.  It's very strange that we can't locate him where he has presumably been living the past 8 months.  

We met with Rocko’s dad Henry today and showed him both feeding station locations.  He’s going to manage one of the stations while Good Samaritan Joe manages the other.  They are both following our feeding protocol.  

Henry is bringing worn clothing items to both stations later today.  

We added longer liquid smoke scent trails to both stations today so hopefully he will pick up one of the trails soon.  

One of our other big challenges right now is that there are construction workers and others likely feeding Rocko.  We are on site daily handing out flyers to all of the workers trying to get the word out for everyone to stop feeding him.  We need him good and hungry so that he visits one of our video monitored feeding stations in preparation for capture.  

Our team arrived bright and early again today to conduct aerial searches of the areas he has been spotted in before.  No sign of him yet.  We suspect he may be roaming up to 10 mi.² so it can take some time to locate all of his dens, track him, and lure him to a feeding station.  

We will remain on site in the area throughout the evening, continuing our search. 

‼️If you spot him, please do not post his location on social media. Please text it to our team command line at the number on the flyer above.  In the past when his location has been posted to social media, people have flocked to the area trying to hand capture him which causes him to keep running!  

After 4 days of rigorous aerial searches, 9-12 hours a day, over 10 mi.² of fields, forests and neighborhoods we finally located Rocko, 5.5 miles away from his last sighting, and 4.8 miles from home the opposite direction.  

We are going to setup a feeding station in this exact location ASAP once we get access permission from the property owner.  ~~~ We will be putting Rocko’s dad’s worn clothing items at the feeding station once deployed.  

We deployed a feeding station in the precise location we found Rocko in.  While we worked on the logistics of getting access to where he is, we have kept eyes on him from the air.  He has stayed relatively close for the last couple of hours so we are confident we can lure him to the feeding station with a long liquid smoke trail.  

Rocko found the feeding station!  ALL NIGHT LONG he paced and paced.  He got close but he was too SCARED to advance all the way to the bowl and eat.  Daylight will bring him a new perspective which will hopefully allow him to be brave!  

In addition from the feeding station camera video, we were also live streaming from the air as he ate from the feeding station for the first time.  Watch the drone video point of view on YouTube ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/live/1sFxVHN4mGQ?si=ZpvSrrtvEo5pTHsi

✳️ Now that he has eaten from the feeding station, we are coordinating our next move.  

It will not be possible to attempt another Aerial Assisted Hand Capture due to limited property access so we are moving on to a Corral Capture plan. 

After several hours of pacing most of the night, Rocko finally was brave enough to go all the way inside the Corral to eat.  

‼️ We were hoping to stage for capture later this morning but due to limited property access today, we are planning for staging and capture tomorrow (Monday). 

Poor baby showed up looking for dinner but there wasn’t any. 😫 In preparation for capture tomorrow morning we wanted him to be good and hungry.

If all goes as planned we will be live streaming staging and capture YouTube and Facebook.  

If you’d like to watch us on TikTok, we need at least 1000 followers to live stream so please go follow our page. https://www.tiktok.com/@mutts_mayhem_esar?_t=8quboADKWi6&_r=1

Today we staged on site for 11 hours in hopes of capturing Rocko.  We believe that the high winds had him really spooked because he was very hesitant to go inside the corral for several hours and paced all morning long.  Because he seemed much more cautious today we decided to put a second bowl inside the corral that was closer to the door.  Tragically while he was leaning inside, he must have grabbed the bowl with his mouth and pulled it towards the door and we didn’t know it because we couldn’t see it on our camera view.  Because we did not know he moved the bowl into the way of the door, when we released the door, the bowl prevented it from shutting all the way and he ran out.  It was truly a fluke thing.  ~~~~~ Now we will be starting the conditioning process over again.  We are confident he is still in the area but we need to earn back his trust. 

As of right now, we are going to monitor our cameras overnight and see what he does.  Our plan is very fluid right now and we will let you know asap what our next move is. We will update you in the morning.  

Rocko is still in the area but he hasn’t gone inside the corral.  It can take some time for him to trust it again.  

Originally the resident free roaming dogs that Rocko had been hanging out with were eating all of Rocko’s food so the owner tethered them for a few days ahead of our capture attempt Monday.  

NOW, in order to help Rocko relax, we asked the owner to let his dogs off tether and we will just feed ALL of the dogs including Rocko inside the corral.  Rocko [should] learn to trust the corral again from the resident dogs.  It can just take a little time.  

As soon as Rocko gets even close to the corral we will let you know.  He is hungry! 

Rocko ate from the bowl that’s 10 yards from the corral.  He was super spooked but this will get better as he learns to trust the corral again.  

We continued to monitor Rocko for several hours this morning since 06:00, logging his napping spots and observing his behavior.  This intel helps up tremendously as we work through his case and help him trust the corral again. Knowing where he is most of the time also helps us not to accidentally intercept him at his feeding station.  Poor baby naps a lot.  He misses his family, he just doesn’t know that all he has to do is go inside the corral again and he will get to go home!  

Since Rocko ate from the closer bowl position just now, tomorrow morning we will advance the bowl 8-12 inches closer to the corral.  He is tolerating conditioning very well just as we planned.  

Daily we are monitoring Rocko’s every move for several hours from the air.  We are logging his dens, his behaviors and activities.  This critical intel helps us tremendously in the event we need to change our current plan and adapt to his demands.  

After observing and recording him for 6 hours this morning we are now flight restricted due to rain.  

We will post our aerial videos very soon from this morning.  Please check back.  

Rocko came and ate on schedule this evening from the closer position.  He is so brave!  Tomorrow morning we advance the bowls even closer.  ♥️

We replenished the food early this morning as usual where our chances of intercepting him are much less. The resident dogs followed us to the feeding station and we fed them first. Rocko stays very close to the feeding station all morning and all afternoon, but he has transitioned to an evening eating schedule.

We were really hoping to observe Rocko from the air for a few hours this morning but unfortunately, we are flight restricted due to rain. Our other aircraft will fly in heavy rains, but we only utilize that piece of equipment during significant emergencies where we need to carry heavy payloads. ~~~ Thankfully, we know right where he is! ♥️

Since Rocko ate from last night’s position, this morning we advanced the bowls a few more inches all the way to the edge of the corral.  

The resident dogs followed us on our walk to the corral and ate the first round of food, so we waited for them to finish and we replenished it all again.  This has been a huge challenge because we don’t have unlimited access to the property to replace the food multiple times per day, but it’s critical that Rocko have irresistible food there when he arrives.  However, Rocko loves the resident dogs so much and they all hang out in Rocko’s dens so much that it’s important to let the resident dogs run free and do what they always do so that Rocko stays as relaxed as he can in that environment.  

🩶 When we located Rocko with the drone that day 5 miles from where he was previously denning at the residential construction site, he was on the RUN, looking for a new place to land.  We altered his narrative to keep going and we forced him to stay there by quickly dropping a feeding station in his path.  It wasn’t the ideal location but we had to act quickly to get him to stop running.

Rocko’s mom and dad gave us fresh worn clothing pieces this morning so there are new scent articles hanging on the corral.  

With the weather coming today he may not show up which is normal.  

We are also flight restricted today due to rain so we won’t be able to monitor him in his dens. We need the rain for the wildlife so we aren’t complaining.  

As we expected due to weather Rocko didn't show up yesterday or overnight last night.  Not to worry, he has excellent shelter at one of his dens and we know he is in there.  

If we aren’t flight restricted this morning due to rain then we will observe him from the air and share that with you.  

We are heading to the site shortly to put out fresh food.  

Poor dude was right on time of his usual evening show window and he just can’t catch a break… a lightening strike scared him as he approached the corral so he ran off.  

In this video you’ll notice at first he is leaning and petrified…. but then he starts to relax a little more but still very cautious.  Poor baby is so scared.  It just takes time to trust it again.  For the first time in our 12 years, he prefers the dry kibble we are putting out over wet dog food, rotisserie chicken, beef brisket, and hot dogs.  😮😱

 RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!  

We decided to wait till later this morning to put out fresh food to give the rain a chance to pass through so that his kibble is dry and fresh.  ~~ As fate would have it, had we went at our usual early morning time we would’ve intercepted him. 😬  He was already super spooked.   

We will be putting out fresh food around 09:00 this morning.   We will do a quick aerial check to make sure the feeding station is clear before we approach. 

We had eyes on Rocko for several hours this morning.  Here is a link to one of the videos that we live streamed!  You can see the corral as well as watch Rocko play with the resident dogs. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/FfZ0vSk6ONM?si=S9re-IN85KrRPWXP

Rocko came tonight and stayed at the corral eating for 16 minutes.  THATS HUGE!  But even better he ate from the bowl just inside the corral. 😁♥️

https://www.youtube.com/live/-no2JuCXVHQ?si=NAkd5DcjZNzsTxyF

Just moments ago Rocko ate the wet dog food from the bowl immediately outside of the corral during daylight.  Dad and mom’s worn clothing are hanging right in front of the bowl. ➡️ Watch previously recorded livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/-no2JuCXVHQ?si=4ibws3pKM6zJWHub

‼️ Lots of people have asked when we will be planning his capture so here is the long answer.  ~~~ Throughout this conditioning stage we are taking it day by day and letting him get REALLY REALLY comfortable eating at the corral.  We predict that it’ll likely be another week or more before he is all the way inside again.  But it could be sooner.  Right now he paces a lot due to fear and its best to take it very slow and let the corral structure become a “permanent” harmless structure in his mind.  We are creating a new normal for him through this complex conditioning stage.  

Based on his behavior eating at the corral last night and the rainy weather coming in today, we did not advance the bowls further inside the corral this morning.  It’s a delicate balance of give and take as we push his tolerance levels ever so slightly as he learns to trust.  We are going to let him get VERY comfortable eating from the bowl just inside the door before advancing the bowl.  

Ultimately in preparation for capture we for need him to go in and stay in eating for at least a minute or two without pacing.  This is critical due to a slight latency issue with our live video feed inside the corral that we watch to know precisely when to trigger the door (not the live stream on YouTube).    It’s imperative that we trigger the door when he is all the way inside eating from the far corner bowl.  If the door is triggered too soon, the door could hit him and then he may bot not approach the corral again and we would have to move to the drop net for capture.  It’s imperative that we also prevent injury as the door shuts very fast and very hard.   

Once Rocko is eating all the way inside the corral COMFORTABLY in a consistent window of time, we will plan capture. It could be a week or even longer and that’s okay.  We are on Rocko time!  

When Rocko showed up early this morning the wet food bowl just outside the corral was empty from him eating it all yesterday.  If he wants food this hour he has to be brave and eat the dry kibble just inside the door.  He did just that!  

We will be back on site at 06:00 this morning to replenish the wet food outside the corral, the dry food just inside the door, and the two wet food bowls that are half way inside.  Based on Rocko’s behavior at this early morning feeding, the bowls will stay in their current positions.  Once he is comfortable the bowls will advance.   

At the beginning of the video Rocko sniffs his mom and dad’s clothing items hanging in front of the bowl.  How precious!!!  

From our close up aerial observations we have seen Rocko scratching quite a bit and appearing slightly uncomfortable. It is most likely from a flea/tick infestation. ~~~ Under normal conditions we would have already put medication in his food to not only kill the fleas within minutes, but we would’ve given him a preventative to keep the fleas and ticks off of him until we can get him captured as well as a dewormer.  

Tragically medicating Rocko prior to capture is not an option due to their being cats and other dogs visiting the feeding station.  When we arrived on site the very first day after locating Rocko, we treated the resident dogs because they were infested with fleas and ticks themselves (Capstar to kill fleas instantly, Bravecto to prevent new fleas and ticks, and we administered a dewormer).  We don’t want to risk medicating them twice since there’s no way to control whether it’s Rocko getting the medication or someone else.  

It is also possible that Rocko has contracted a tick born disease such as anaplasmosis, but he will be tested, and treated for that if necessary immediately post capture.  

Team member Selena replenished the food this morning.  

There will not be any aerial observations today due to weather. 

He ate from the bowl just inside the corral again tonight.  Tomorrow morning we will be advancing the bowl further into the corral.  

Today will be a test of how far we can push him in this stage of the corral re-conditioning phase.  This will help us determine if we have to move slower or not.  We advanced the bowl several inches further inside instead of only 2 inches to see what he will tolerate.  

If this doesn’t rip your soul to pieces.  Poor Rocko was too scared to eat from the new bowl position, so at 06:00 this morning we are moving the bowl half way slightly closer to the door since we moved it too far too fast.  

https://www.youtube.com/live/8aY1OY-PIpI?si=t9yP0WYIMpPIG_hK

We will now be taking it VERY slow and literally moving the bowl 2 inches per day into the corral.  It’s going to take a while to get him all the way inside but his tolerance to change is critically low.

Rocko is also not food motivated at all.  He only eats to survive.  He isn’t at all tantalized by extra yummy food making his conditioning even more challenging. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/mv7k4Y2JVE4?si=77EfG7302hwtM3lP

https://www.youtube.com/live/Hz188_3PvgQ?si=VgVdqrvs6lu-wf9J

It’s no surprise that the resident dogs and Rocko are in competition over the food at the corral.  Our team has witnessed first hand resident dog Nala being food aggressive towards other resident dogs.  This has certainly slowed down his reconditioning process and created more challenges but Rocko is still making inch by inch progress into the corral.  

https://youtube.com/live/5mXdHydm2J8?feature=share

We took you along to the corral feeding station this morning to replenish the food.  Rocko is the small white dot on the right of the screen and then you can see two team members approaching the corral with the resident dogs to put  out fresh food on the left side of the screen.

We even observed Rocko frolicking with a doe.

https://www.youtube.com/live/TgYBhDUbOyk?si=03Ji4O4cRDZGM3rO

Rocko wanted to visit the corral food station this morning but two of the resident dogs were literally laying in front of it guarding it.  You can watch it from our aerial observation livestream this morning.  

LINK:

https://youtube.com/live/W8Dkb122UhU?feature=share

The good news is… he ate from the new bowl position!  

Tragically Rocko is reconditioning to the corral much slower than usual and the property owner has given us a very strict timeline.  Therefore we are having to move on to the Drop Net much earlier than we had hoped.  

Yesterday the property owner shut all of the barn doors. 😫 Between that and us making all of the noise setting up the drop net it could take a day or longer for him to calm down and visit.