Who Is Pocket Rocket?

Hey, eh... It's me, Pocket in "Hokkamuri", a traditional head cloth originally worn by Japanese farmers, and currently a trendy fashion item among the young adult business people in Tokyo. That's what I heard from an Akita I met at the dog park. He is a third generation Japanese-American, so this information may not be true.

Anyway, following pics will show you how I was doing when I was saved from Dewey Animal Shelter in Las Vegas.

As the time went by, my brain was almost frozen and couldn't think of anything. I was feeling hungry and thursty, but the shelter food and water tasted like shit (Oops, excuse me!) somehow.

Well... Then, I realized there was a couple of young oriental people looking at me with unusual intensity. Their language was totally new to me. They were pointing out each of my body parts and discussing something about "Sighthound" and "Whippet". All I could understand was that much. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down my code number on the label which still says I am a Shar-Pei mix.

As they leave the kennel, I saw their eyes shining as if they have finally found a jewel in the sand.

On the other hand, I fell asleep and dreamed I was abducted by a group of almond-eyed aliens for some strange experiment... !

I woke up one day in some place totally unfamiliar to me. A kennel cage smelled somewhat like a hospital and my shoulder was numb. I supposed somebody gave me a shot or two to get me back to conscious. Yes, I was in a hospital. I heard a couple of vet-tech girls walking along my cage and say "...This guy is gonna be moved to the shelter. Animal Control will come pick him up this afternoon. I thought he is not gonna make it when those kids brought him in here, though."

The last thing I remember was a pair of coyotes attacking me and bit my ear before I could escape into the bush and passed out. Where I lived before? Who was my Mom and Dad?? I just can't remember at all. In the back seat of the Animal Control van, I felt an itch to have some Tortilla Chips or Tacos with extra sour cream. Maybe I was brought up in a Mexican-American family. Still unable to stand up, I overheared an old German Shepherd telling a young Pitbull that we are going to Dewey which is known to be a high kill shelter.

Although weather was fine and there was a lot of sunshine in the shelter cell, it was still too cold for us extra short haired breed. I was shivering all day with my back bent. My left ear was still bleeding and I found some more fresh wounds all around my body and limbs. A couple of days later, kennel attendant put a label on my door that read "Shar-Pei mix. Age: 10 mo. Available for adoption, 1/19/2002".

People looking for their new pets seemed to be more interested in the Labrador mix next door. After they appreciated the Lab's super friendriness and his shiny black coat, they come to my cage and go "Oh, what a skinny dog..." "Look at this, this guy has blood all over !" and walked away with a sympathetic glimpse. All I could say was, hey, somebody get me outa here, otherwise I'm gonna catch a flu !!