Roxie

Spring break has come and gone. It was quite the productive week, too. There was still a lot of leftover mess from the December 1st winds...front garden, garden bench, back garden, tiki grotto, and the patio. Then, there was the laundry to catch up on, the cleaning for the upcoming Sunday brunch. I was focused and on task! What a difference a few days off from work made!

Monday afternoon (after a full day on the back patio), as I was sitting on the front porch, wine glass in hand, I tried to catch up on my notes in my garden journal. The weather was fabulous, a cool breeze in the air...a perfect and quiet afternoon. The bird feeder activity was like grand central station...finches, sparrows and red breasted birds fluttered in and out, all vying for a perch to dine from.

Charlie came home from work and joined me at the table on our front porch and together we watched the birds.  Somehow, the conversation got around to dogs and Charlie mentioned he had visited the Humane Society website. He said there were a couple of yellow Labs there. We had casually discussed that maybe it was time to start thinking about looking for a dog. Pete has been gone six months and it has been way too quiet these last few months. I looked at Charlie and saw that I was going to have to (1) visit the website, too, and then (2) take a quick drive down to check them out.

Tuesday morning, I arrived at the Humane Society just after they opened. I had done my homework and written down the information about the two dogs and had completed the adoption application (just in case).  I reported to the reception desk and an adoption counselor was immediately assigned to interview me. After the brief interview, she gave me the numbers of the kennels the two dogs were in, and off I went. There were teeny, tiny dogs, mutts, lots of pit bulls, oodles of mixed varieties....all barking for attention. I found the two Labs and learned that one had a maxed-out interest list (which meant they were not taking any more names for that dog) and the other that was not available for visitor registration due to health issues. According to her kennel tag, she had been abandoned and turned in.

I continued to look around, and found a tiny 6 month old terrier that had spunk...and seemed quite interested in me. After a few minutes, I wrote down his info and asked to be put on the list for him. They gave me an appointment to 'meet' him for Wednesday at 9:30.

On the way home, I needed to stop and mail a package. As I was headed up to the post office, I drove by our former Vet and had a thought....maybe I could check with them and see if they ever get dogs that need a new home. So, on the way back, I stopped at the clinic.

"I think we are about ready for a dog and I'm wondering if you ever get dogs who need a new home?" The gal at the desk remembered me and smiled. "We get them all the time, " she said. There was a pause and then she said, "As a matter of fact, we have one right now that we really want to find a home for." Another pause....."She's a little older, but she is house trained and has a good disposition."

I looked at her and asked, "How old is she?" "She just turned 11. Would you like to see her?" What could I say? I was curious...and something told me that I was here for a reason. "Sure." So the gal went in the back and I soon heard the clickety-click of four paws dancing down the hallway. The door opened and the dog charged out dragging the gal behind her! "This is Roxie." Full of energy, she came right up to me like I was a long-lost friend. A Lab/Terrier mix, she is brown with a greying muzzle. The lack of exercise was only evident by the few extra pounds she had put on.

Then, the story came out...Roxie's owner was terminally ill. The last three weeks, Roxie had been home - alone - because the owner had been taken to the hospital. The neighbors had rallied to feed and care for Roxie, but there was no one home with her. The clinic had received a call from the ex-wife (who lives in northern California), explained the situation and asked if she could board Roxie for a week while she tried to figure out what to do with her. She couldn't take her, but she wanted Roxie to find a home.

I said that I wanted to bring my husband by to meet Roxie. I asked what time they opened and told her we would be by the next morning. As I got into my car, I stopped, pulled out my cell phone and reported on the morning activity. Without much hesitation, Charlie said he would take the day off so we could go back to see Roxie. ......the rest, as they say, is history!

 

Hmmmm...this looks like a pretty good neighborhood...

....don't you think?

Roxie can hear a treat a mile away....

and...obviously, has the couch caper down to a science....

Roxie has been with us for just a week and she has got the routine down.  She loves to go on walks and we try to get a couple in each day. She sails up onto our bed without effort and can give the squirrels a race for their peanuts as she chases them across the garden. Returning to work after spring break was hard, knowing we were going to be leaving her home alone.  Amazingly enough, Roxie handled the transition without a hiccup...and eagerly greeted us when we returned home. Roxie has found her new home. ♥