See home of Sacramento rescue dog whose heartfelt story went viral. It’s listed at $4M
The glamorous Sonoma County home of a Northern California celebrity is for sale for nearly $4 million.
Who’s the celebrity? Rocket the rescue dog.
Rocket became famous when he went from imminent euthanasia at a Sacramento animal shelter to celebrated search-and-rescue canine.
“He saved a lot of lives, and he’s a hero,” said listing agent Tara Polley with Sotheby’s International Realty-Wine Country ‘Sonoma Brokerage. “That’s the hero dog.”
In 2012, Rocket was deemed too energetic to be adopted and came within one day of being euthanized before the Sacramento SPCA recommended him as a search dog. Rocket, a border collie mix, was eventually trained, and then paired with firefighter Mike Stornetta in 2014.
They ended up helping first responders during Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas and Louisiana in 2017, according to The Sacramento Bee.
That’s when Rocket’s story went viral.
Rocket continues to do search-and-rescue work with Stornetta, but they will soon have new digs. Stornetta is selling the remarkable Santa Rosa, California, estate he shares with Rocket for $3.995 million.
The entertainment compound is comprised of two single-level homes with separate addresses and a massive 2,400-square-foot shop and garage.
The property is spread over five acres, enough land to satisfy any energetic dog.
Built in 2021, the three-bedroom main home spans 2,792 square feet and centers around an inviting pool, a covered outdoor kitchen and an entertainment area. Inside is a work-from-home office, three full elegant bathrooms, and a great room with vaulted ceilings. A wrap-around porch gives flair to the modern farmhouse-style residence.
The second home has 1,200 square feet of living space “with meticulous attention to detail and quality,” according to the listing. There’s an attached two-car garage and carport. The interior features a stone fireplace. Outside, pretty landscaping extends out to a picturesque vineyard.
The shop offers plenty of room to store toys: fifth wheels, boats, tractors, tools.
“This workshop sanctuary invites you to unleash your craftsmanship to the fullest,” the listing for 414-412 Royal Meadows Court states.
It has high ceilings, a 16-foot center roll-up door and two flanking roll-up doors.
“There’s so many great things about the home, such as the indoor-outdoor living,” Polley said. “The great room opens up into an outdoor kitchen and an outdoor living room, right up to the pool. It’s a fantastic entertaining house. It also has a big, huge shop on it, so if you like to travel and you want to store your fifth wheel, or if you’re a craftsman, have a hobby, or anything like that, this shop is like the man cave of your dreams.
“And then there’s the multi-generational living, having those two houses on the same property, that is really nice,” she added. “And it’s all usable acreage. It’s on five acres and it’s flat and usable. It’s surrounded by hills. The views are just spectacular.”
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The median home price in Santa Rosa is $875,000 according to realtor.com.
Polley is going to feature the dog — and the home — on “The American Dream” show that she hosts.
Rocket was trained as an urban search and rescue dog to find disaster victims who are alive but trapped in collapsed buildings. Stornetta and Rocket’s first rescue mission together sent them to a plane crash in Northern California in 2016.
Rocket is the only Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)-trained dog in Sonoma County and the only one north of Marin County and south of the Washington border, according to a Sotheby’s International Realty representative.
This story was originally published June 13, 2023 at 12:51 PM.
