Foxy Roxy

Roxanne was my first beloved four legged BEST FRIEND.... 


My entire life I have adored animals.  I was never frighten by any dog, cat, spider, horse, bee... etc. At any function, I could be found playing with the family dog. Any size, shape or color... I loved them and wanted to play with them. Twenty- Three years later... my love has only grown. From the age of Six to eight, I had family DOG meetings. Being the eager, determined girl I am,  would insist my mom, dad and sister all gather to talk about why I felt that our family NEEDED a dog. Finally by the age of eight my dream had come true. February 15th, 1997 we were on our way to the Defenders of Animal rights animal shelter. I was overwhelmed with pure excitement. 


I remember walking through the shelter like it was yesterday. We saw so many dogs who were in need of our love. There was sweet Roxanne... soon to be the dog who made the Rose house a HOME. 

  Roxanne was a beautiful, German Shepherd/ Doberman mix. Goofball was "hell on wheels" and didn't slow down until the age of 13 or 14. Roxy Foxy enjoyed everything about life. She often found her self in trouble. A few chewed personal belongings, missing food, exploratory surgeries, and wandering the neighborhood causing trouble, we loved her just the same. Known for having nine lives, Roxanne had her fair share of "accidents." 
* Kicked in the head by the horse 
*Jumped out of the car while driving to chase a critter
*Ate a slipper and had to have emergency surgery TWICE to have all of it removed. ( World's most expensive slipper EVER!)
* Emergency surgery to have the plastic HEDGE HOG removed from her rectum ( this was really quite classy, but it must of tasted so good at the time) 


The worst was the slipper incident.. we almost lost her. The vet called and told us to come in and say our good byes. When Roxanne saw my family, her eyes had an encouraging sparkle... she obviously recovered and lived many years to come. (Just lost her privilege of playing with any more slippers.) 


Roxanne has so many goofy stories to look back on...
* Getting off the leash during my sisters j.v. soccer game and running like hell. She ran right in the middle of the game and both teams were trying to catch her. ( My sister was pretty embarrassed at the time!) 
* Running around my elementary school with my entire class trying to catch her. 
* Causing "mischief"  in the neighborhood with, Sama the dog who looked just like her, with the same purple collar.  
* Bringing back dead fish from the gun powder 
*Tangles with the grumpy ground hog 

Roxanne was the true definition of spoiled rotten. She got a milk bone every time she went out, lunch meat in the middle of the night, hundreds of toys, yummy treats, a guaranteed spot in between my mom and dad every night and every thing else she wanted. Road trips were one of her simple joys in life. Whether it was a dump run or a trip to burger king for her own personal cheeseburger, she was happy just to be with us. Fishing, hiking, crabbing, walking and trips to pets mart. 


Roxanne held our family together during rough times. She was very in- tune to everyone and their needs. Roxy girl was the first to come when someone cried, laughed or just needed a friend. I can remember when I got my wisdom teeth out I was very ill due to a reaction to the medication. Roxanne stayed by my side the entire two days I was on bed rest. She didn't eat, barley moved. Every time a boy broke up with me, or someone hurt my feelings... Roxy was ALWAYS there. 

Dogs are amazing for that simple reason. They don't care if you are black, white, purple or blue. They don't care if you are over weight, skinny or just right. They love you for exactly the person that you are. They never judge and they live in the moment. The compassion our sweet girl showed us over the years only grew stronger. The last 2 years of Roxy's life she had a tough time getting around. She never complained and was very patient with all her doctors visits, treatment and medications. We did whatever we could to make our sweet old gal as comfortable and happy as she could be. 


We lost Roxanne on January 17th, 2011. She was dying and our family couldn't watch her suffer any longer. Heaven needed their angel back and Roxanne told us it was time. Dr. Zimmerman came to our house around Six that night. Saying good bye to my best friend since the third grade was the hardest thing I have ever done. There is not one day I don't think of her. Roxanne will always live on in my heart. My sweet angel inspired me to want to work with animals everyday and make a difference. My family was very Blessed to have her for 16 years. Roxanne touched the hearts of many. She died very peacefully in my arms and surrounded by the purest of love. 

 "A good dog never dies, he always stays; he walks beside you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter's drawing near, his head is within our hand in his old ways." Mary C. Davies

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." Sydney J. Seward

"Dog ownership is like a rainbow. Puppies are the joy at one end. Old dogs are the treasure at the other." 

Rest in Peace, sweet Roxanne. I miss you dearly.