About Our Dog

Since I took a break from blogging during the months of April-July, I feel as if you might be wondering about a missing part of our family--our dog, Roxie. Many people have asked about her after noting her absence from my Facebook posts. The short answer is this: she no longer lives with us (but she is alive and happy). The longer answer is something I will address here today and can henceforth refer people to if they have questions.

For years Mike and I had talked about getting a dog. Growing up Mike's family always had dogs. And at least one of those dogs was always a Boxer. Mike was particularly close to one of those Boxers named Rocket, and he has many good memories with him.  Growing up, I never had a dog. We have always been a cat family, sometimes having up to five house cats. I love cats. But I also love dogs too. Most of my extended family members and friends growing up all have or had dogs which I loved on. So, when the girls were nearing the age of 9, we decided to go forward in our pursuit of having a family canine. 

We decided to get a Boxer based on Mike's lifelong experiences with them as well as their sweet nature. They are extremely loyal to their families and make a great family pet. We brought Roxie home when she was a little puppy. She was cute, she slept a lot during the day, but not much at night, and she was most content in your lap. As she grew, it was apparent that she was displaying some serious separation anxiety. When we left the house, she went crazy tearing things up, losing control of her bladder and bowels, not eating or drinking anything. This made going anywhere very difficult. Whether she was inside or outside, these behaviors occurred. We consulted our vet and followed through with many of his suggestions. No change. We took Roxie to a very well-recommended (and expensive) obedience school. No change. We were getting to the end of our rope. In addition, as she grew into a much bigger dog with lots of energy, her playtime began to get a little too rough for Lucas. He became afraid of her, and we had to keep the two separated much of the time. It was all getting to be very stressful. 

We really loved that crazy dog, but after having her for six months it was clear that she was not the right fit for our family. She needed a big backyard to run off LOTS of energy (our backyard is the size of a postage stamp). She needed to be around other dogs to socialize (we were in no way ready to handle another dog). She needed a family who wasn't on the go so much (our lifestyle is busy and we like to take spontaneous day trips). Thankfully, we were able to get connected to the perfect family to take our Roxie girl. This husband and wife are retired, live in the country on two acres, and have an older Boxer to welcome Roxie into the fold. She will be able to run freely outside with her new "sister" and have lots of down time inside with this older retired couple who ADORE her. 

Although our girls were heartbroken, they understood the situation and are happy with her new living arrangement. We can go visit her anytime. She is a happier dog too.

Will we ever try having a dog again? I'm not sure. Right now we are content with our two cats, our sweet old ladies, Ellie and Tundra. Although we might consider adding a kitten to the mix in the near future. We'll just have to wait and see.

So that, my friends, is the long answer to "Where's Roxie?" or "What happened to your dog?" I think the whole thing was a major learning experience. We still love our Roxie girl. And I'm happy knowing she is happy.