Old Dogs Rock – Where Music, Memories, and Muzzles Meet

Some stories begin with a bang. Mine began with a bark.

I grew up with music in my veins and dogs at my feet. My bedroom walls were wallpapered with my favorite bands, plastered edge to edge like a shrine to the soundtracks of my life. Long before the internet made lyrics one click away, I would hole up in my room, pausing and rewinding cassette tapes so I could write down every word by hand. Music wasn’t background noise—it was oxygen.

Over the years, my life’s playlist has been a wild one. I’ve faced darkness that could have broken me and light so bright it still warms me on the coldest days. I’ve lived the quiet, the loud, the sarcastic, the heartbreaking, and the hilarious. And through it all, my constants have been: my sense of humor, my love for music, my love for dogs, my heart, and my adoration of our nostalgia/culture.

Scott & Rocky – The Heart Behind Old Dogs Rock

Old Dogs Rock isn’t just a brand. It’s my love letter to two of the great souls—my husband Scott and our old boy Rocky (originally Rosco).

Scott was a Gen X original—smart, sarcastically funny, a computer game-playing master, and a lover of every living creature. He had a way of seeing through the noise of the world with a mix of wit and wisdom that could cut to the point and still make you laugh until you cried.

Rocky… well, Rocky thought he was a Labrador in disguise. He fetched, he guarded his toys like gold, and he had this habit of whipping them around his head while making sounds that made strangers double over laughing. His quirks were legendary—like taking one special piece of food from his bowl, pouncing on it, running in circles, and then stopping to stare at me as if daring me to join his game. Of course, I always did.

In his later years, things changed. Rocky developed Canine Cognitive Dysfunction—CCD, the dog version of Alzheimer’s. My shadow became a wanderer at night, bumping into walls, forgetting he’d eaten, sometimes refusing to eat at all. Even his favorite french fries couldn’t tempt him near the end. I moved him into a child’s play crib for safety, but my heart never stopped wishing for the days when he’d nudge me with a toy.

Losing Scott in February 2024 to melanoma cancer, and Rocky in March that same year, was more than loss—it was a seismic shift in my world. Old Dogs Rock is now my way of keeping them both alive through laughter, music, and the stories that matter.

Where Dogs & Music Collide

Dogs have always been part of our cultural soundtrack. Elvis gave us “Hound Dog.” The Baha Men made us ask, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” Snoop Dogg built an empire on his name. We grew up watching Lassie, crying over Old Yeller, and hearing the heroics of Balto and Rin Tin Tin.

My designs weave the two worlds together—parodying music’s greatest hits and canine characters into something fun and familiar:

• “Oops I Bit It Again” – all about those repeat offenders at the chew toy.

• “UnFURgiven” – for the pup who’s still holding a grudge about bath day.

• “No Diggity, Just Doggity” – you can’t deny, that bone looks fly.

• “I Like Big Mutts and I Cannot Lie” – you other trainers can’t deny…

• Curt – the dog whose name matches his personality: blunt, hilariously unbothered, and completely himself.

This is what Old Dogs Rock is all about—celebrating music’s magic, dogs’ joy, and the humor that makes life bearable when it’s hard.

The Serious Bridge – Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD)

But for all the laughs, there’s one message I’ll always use this space to share: Learn the signs of CCD.

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is like Alzheimer’s for dogs. It sneaks in slowly—confusion, pacing at night, barking at nothing (or you), changes in sleep cycles, forgetting familiar people or places. Some early signs include:

• Seeming “lost” in familiar spaces

• Increased anxiety or clinginess

• Loss of interest in play

• Altered appetite patterns (forgetting they’ve eaten, or refusing food)

• Wandering aimlessly, especially at night

There are treatments and medications that can help manage symptoms, but early detection is key. Talk to your vet. Be patient. Be kind. And most of all—make their final years full of love, comfort, and dignity. They’ve given us their whole hearts. We owe them the gentlest goodbye possible.

Old Dogs Rock isn’t just a shop. It’s my stage for telling the stories that make us laugh, cry, and nod in recognition. It’s a way to honor Scott and Rocky, to salute music’s role in our lives, and to remind people that our senior dogs deserve the spotlight too.

Only love, appreciation, and humor live here. Because in my world, the beat never stops, the memories never fade, and old dogs will always rock.