How do I even begin to tell Roxie's story? She was such an amazing little girl . . .
In 2008, my husband's job had us in Lafayette, Indiana (we live in Texas) and one Saturday night we decided to go to an auction at a neighboring town - just for grins. The auction started and while we were just there to see what it was all about, soon a little older lady came toddling down the aisle with a tiny little puppy in her hands. We had never seen an animal at an auction before. Soon I heard my husband yell out "I'll give you a dollar for that little puppy!" The auctioneer responded with "we're about to put her up for sale" . . . and they started bringing this tiny little puppy around for everyone to see.
She was soooo cute! Wagging her tail as fast as she could, licking every face she could get close to, and the happiest little thing I'd ever seen. She was white with a black face and dark brown eyebrows. Then I saw the "speckled belly" and I was in love!
But, I returned to my senses and reminded my husband we were on the road with his job and that we had two Dobermans at home . . . what were we going to do with a little puppy? He said she's going to be our traveling dog! Five minutes later we were walking out of that auction house to the truck with a little puppy in a crate.
She was originally named "Mimi" but we didn't think she looked like a Mimi - I said she looks more like a "Roxie" to me. And she became Roxie. All THREE POUNDS of her.
We were "living" in a Marriott Hotel and she almost became their mascot. Everyone she met fell in love with her. I can still see her running past me, down the hall towards the main lobby and taking a hard right into the CONFERENCE ROOM. Oh no! I was hoping there was no meeting going on. By the time I caught up with her and went into the room to retrieve her (sweats and no make-up), there were ten men dressed in business suits reaching under the table to get that cute little puppy! And they all wanted to meet her.
Once, while rolling the ball down the hallway in the hotel, I looked at the spots on her backend and realized . . . they were shaped like Mickey Mouse's head! The cutest thing ever!
The first trip we made home to Dallas she did great in the car. She would see us approaching an overpass and would duck down to avoid the bridge we were about to go under and would bark at her reflection in the windows. How could you not LOVE this baby?? After being on the road for a few hours, she got a little restless so I put her up on my husband's shoulders thinking she just needed a change from my lap. Within seconds, he yelled "get her, she's peeing down my back!" We quickly learned more stops were needed when you have a puppy. We soon became the couple you see at every gas station on the interstate . . the man pumping gas while the woman walks the little dog so it could relieve itself.
We were concerned how the two Dobermans would react to her when we got home for the first time after getting her. One of the Dobermans always used her nose to push on her toys to make them squeak and she did that with Roxie, too. Roxie squeaked and the dog accepted her. The other one sniffed her . . . and that was that. However, she let them know a new sheriff was in town and she ruled the roost.
Roxie traveled with us through 14 states over the next few years. She adjusted to wherever we stayed and to however long the road trips were. She never complained, as long as she was with us. She would take naps in the car if we stopped to eat (only if the weather permitted) and waited patiently for our return. That's when we learned she's a "grinner". When she would see us, she showed her teeth in the biggest grin ever! I'd never seen a grinning dog before, and we loved it! Roxie quickly learned the people at fast food places loved her grin and she came away with a free chicken leg or a piece of bacon more times than I can count.
Somehow Roxie knew when it was time to go grocery shopping. She would ride the short trip with me and after I parked the car, she would sit up on the console for a minute or two to determine just how long I was going to be gone. If I didn't return shortly, she would get back down into the seat and take a little nap while I did my shopping. Sometimes, before opening the car, I would walk up to the window to see what she was doing and sure enough she would be sound asleep. When I clicked the car door to open it she would look at me as if she were embarrassed for "sleeping on the job". But then came the biggest grin and the wagging tail. I never knew if it was because she knew there was a treat in there somewhere with her name on it or if she was just glad to see me. I suspect it was a combination of both.
We soon learned another trait about our new girl. She howled when she got really upset over something. She would throw that little head back and howl like there was no tomorrow. Then, with three little "yip, yip, yip" it would be over. Always three.
Roxie had an on-going battle with the windshield wipers. Anytime it rained you could tell she'd been in the car because there would be nose prints on the windshield where she'd been after those ever elusive wipers!
Roxie was always up for a new adventure or trip. All we had to do was rattle the keys and she was at the back door. She would jump in and sit on the console, her perch, until the car started to move. Then she moved to a safer location, the other seat or more likely my lap.
Roxie LOVED to go visit her Aunt Kim and Uncle Larry. So many different scents in the country, and all the cows to bark at. She loved to hang out the window and breathe the fresh country air. She would sleep in my lap until we took the exit. As soon as the car slowed down, she knew where she was headed . . . Aunt Kim always had special treats for her!
There are so many stories I could tell about our Roxie, but I think you can see the bond we had with her. She was perfect in every way and just what the doctor ordered . . . for me anyway.
When we first got Roxie I was recovering from breast cancer and all the treatments that go with it. That little puppy made sure I got out of bed every morning, got dressed, took her for walks several times a day and played with her. She got me back into "life".
Roxie made friends where ever she went, she never met a stranger. She loved meeting new dogs at the park, chasing the turtles off the side of the pond back into the water, running after the ducks, chasing the squirrels in the back yard. And us. She loved us with her entire being.
As she got older, Roxie had to have both rear knees "rebuilt". While she bounced back like a champ, we could tell it slowed her down quite a bit. She could no longer jump up on the bed or the sofa and she wasn't allowed to jump down for fear of re-injuring her knees. But, it was OK with us. It was just another excuse for us to pick her up and love on her. And that we did!
The day Roxie crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she'd been at the clinic all day with them trying to help her. When the time came for us to make that final trip, they brought her in and she was so glad to see us - tail up and wagging as always. They put her on the table and she started to walk over to us. But she stopped . . . and laid down . . . and left us. Just like that, she was gone. Her little heart just gave out. We were devastated. How could this be? The years had gone by so quickly.
But, amazingly, she had waited for us to come back for her. She KNEW we'd be back. We always came for her. Through our tears, we told her just how much she was loved, thanked her for all the joy she had given us and for taking such good care of us. Hopefully we helped her cross the Bridge with wonderful memories of us, her Mom and Dad, and of the life we had shared together. Our hearts were broken.
My lap is empty now, the nose prints are gone, no grins waiting for me in the car, no response to the rattling of the keys. Did I just imagine her? Did we ever have such an awesome little girl?
I know we did because I hear her bark in my sleep now . . . just one short bark to get my attention. I know she's still with me. Roxie was my heart.
NOTE; WE LOST OUR BEAUTIFUL ROO GIRL ON APRIL 29, 2024. PLEASE LEAVE A FLOWER FOR HER AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Roo Crowdus (April 29, 2024)
How do I even begin to tell Roxie's story? She was such an amazing little girl . . .
In 2008, my husband's job had us in Lafayette, Indiana (we live in Texas) and one Saturday night we decided to go to an auction at a neighboring town - just for grins. The auction started and while we were just there to see what it was all about, soon a little older lady came toddling down the aisle with a tiny little puppy in her hands. We had never seen an animal at an auction before. Soon I heard my husband yell out "I'll give you a dollar for that little puppy!" The auctioneer responded with "we're about to put her up for sale" . . . and they started bringing this tiny little puppy around for everyone to see.
She was soooo cute! Wagging her tail as fast as she could, licking every face she could get close to, and the happiest little thing I'd ever seen. She was white with a black face and dark brown eyebrows. Then I saw the "speckled belly" and I was in love!
But, I returned to my senses and reminded my husband we were on the road with his job and that we had two Dobermans at home . . . what were we going to do with a little puppy? He said she's going to be our traveling dog! Five minutes later we were walking out of that auction house to the truck with a little puppy in a crate.
She was originally named "Mimi" but we didn't think she looked like a Mimi - I said she looks more like a "Roxie" to me. And she became Roxie. All THREE POUNDS of her.
We were "living" in a Marriott Hotel and she almost became their mascot. Everyone she met fell in love with her. I can still see her running past me, down the hall towards the main lobby and taking a hard right into the CONFERENCE ROOM. Oh no! I was hoping there was no meeting going on. By the time I caught up with her and went into the room to retrieve her (sweats and no make-up), there were ten men dressed in business suits reaching under the table to get that cute little puppy! And they all wanted to meet her.
Once, while rolling the ball down the hallway in the hotel, I looked at the spots on her backend and realized . . . they were shaped like Mickey Mouse's head! The cutest thing ever!
The first trip we made home to Dallas she did great in the car. She would see us approaching an overpass and would duck down to avoid the bridge we were about to go under and would bark at her reflection in the windows. How could you not LOVE this baby?? After being on the road for a few hours, she got a little restless so I put her up on my husband's shoulders thinking she just needed a change from my lap. Within seconds, he yelled "get her, she's peeing down my back!" We quickly learned more stops were needed when you have a puppy. We soon became the couple you see at every gas station on the interstate . . the man pumping gas while the woman walks the little dog so it could relieve itself.
We were concerned how the two Dobermans would react to her when we got home for the first time after getting her. One of the Dobermans always used her nose to push on her toys to make them squeak and she did that with Roxie, too. Roxie squeaked and the dog accepted her. The other one sniffed her . . . and that was that. However, she let them know a new sheriff was in town and she ruled the roost.
Roxie traveled with us through 14 states over the next few years. She adjusted to wherever we stayed and to however long the road trips were. She never complained, as long as she was with us. She would take naps in the car if we stopped to eat (only if the weather permitted) and waited patiently for our return. That's when we learned she's a "grinner". When she would see us, she showed her teeth in the biggest grin ever! I'd never seen a grinning dog before, and we loved it! Roxie quickly learned the people at fast food places loved her grin and she came away with a free chicken leg or a piece of bacon more times than I can count.
Somehow Roxie knew when it was time to go grocery shopping. She would ride the short trip with me and after I parked the car, she would sit up on the console for a minute or two to determine just how long I was going to be gone. If I didn't return shortly, she would get back down into the seat and take a little nap while I did my shopping. Sometimes, before opening the car, I would walk up to the window to see what she was doing and sure enough she would be sound asleep. When I clicked the car door to open it she would look at me as if she were embarrassed for "sleeping on the job". But then came the biggest grin and the wagging tail. I never knew if it was because she knew there was a treat in there somewhere with her name on it or if she was just glad to see me. I suspect it was a combination of both.
We soon learned another trait about our new girl. She howled when she got really upset over something. She would throw that little head back and howl like there was no tomorrow. Then, with three little "yip, yip, yip" it would be over. Always three.
Roxie had an on-going battle with the windshield wipers. Anytime it rained you could tell she'd been in the car because there would be nose prints on the windshield where she'd been after those ever elusive wipers!
Roxie was always up for a new adventure or trip. All we had to do was rattle the keys and she was at the back door. She would jump in and sit on the console, her perch, until the car started to move. Then she moved to a safer location, the other seat or more likely my lap.
Roxie LOVED to go visit her Aunt Kim and Uncle Larry. So many different scents in the country, and all the cows to bark at. She loved to hang out the window and breathe the fresh country air. She would sleep in my lap until we took the exit. As soon as the car slowed down, she knew where she was headed . . . Aunt Kim always had special treats for her!
There are so many stories I could tell about our Roxie, but I think you can see the bond we had with her. She was perfect in every way and just what the doctor ordered . . . for me anyway.
When we first got Roxie I was recovering from breast cancer and all the treatments that go with it. That little puppy made sure I got out of bed every morning, got dressed, took her for walks several times a day and played with her. She got me back into "life".
Roxie made friends where ever she went, she never met a stranger. She loved meeting new dogs at the park, chasing the turtles off the side of the pond back into the water, running after the ducks, chasing the squirrels in the back yard. And us. She loved us with her entire being.
As she got older, Roxie had to have both rear knees "rebuilt". While she bounced back like a champ, we could tell it slowed her down quite a bit. She could no longer jump up on the bed or the sofa and she wasn't allowed to jump down for fear of re-injuring her knees. But, it was OK with us. It was just another excuse for us to pick her up and love on her. And that we did!
The day Roxie crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she'd been at the clinic all day with them trying to help her. When the time came for us to make that final trip, they brought her in and she was so glad to see us - tail up and wagging as always. They put her on the table and she started to walk over to us. But she stopped . . . and laid down . . . and left us. Just like that, she was gone. Her little heart just gave out. We were devastated. How could this be? The years had gone by so quickly.
But, amazingly, she had waited for us to come back for her. She KNEW we'd be back. We always came for her. Through our tears, we told her just how much she was loved, thanked her for all the joy she had given us and for taking such good care of us. Hopefully we helped her cross the Bridge with wonderful memories of us, her Mom and Dad, and of the life we had shared together. Our hearts were broken.
My lap is empty now, the nose prints are gone, no grins waiting for me in the car, no response to the rattling of the keys. Did I just imagine her? Did we ever have such an awesome little girl?
I know we did because I hear her bark in my sleep now . . . just one short bark to get my attention. I know she's still with me. Roxie was my heart.
NOTE; WE LOST OUR BEAUTIFUL ROO GIRL ON APRIL 29, 2024. PLEASE LEAVE A FLOWER FOR HER AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Roo Crowdus (April 29, 2024)
