ITS ABOUT TIME

It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to our newest family member.
Roxy!

Last Friday we went to the store and bought a new bed for her and some toys. But we didn't actually meet her until the next afternoon when we had our appointment at www.LuvaBullRescue.org.


The kennels are up in a beautiful forest area.
There the dogs are divided according to their needs in clean enclosures of good size. They have a wonderful walk/running paths that wind through the woods around them for exercise needs. I was very impressed with how well the dogs were kept, and how dedicated the staff was to keeping their temporary homes happy. Though sadly enough, some of the dogs cannot be adopted out because of serious abuse issues that keep them from being able to blend back into normal life. There at least, they get affection, care and they live as happily as they can.


We did not know what to expect when we arrived. There were a lot of cars. People here and there. We were met by our contact, L, who led us to her office. Inside was Roxy who was so excited that she could not stop wiggling and sniffing us both. We went to her enclosure for a visit, then afterward we were allowed to take her for a walk on the forest trail.
This is one strong girl! I think if I was to strap on roller skates, that she could easily haul me behind at a good clip.

I first saw Roxy last summer when we began looking for a dog.
She had just been rescued with her puppies and there was a lot of excitement over watching the the puppies grow. At that time, Roxy had been living under an empty house in Los Angeles. Her owner had lost his home and could not find a place that would let him have a pregnant pit.
He left her behind with the intention of finding a place for her, but it did not work out that way. She went to the pound, then another shelter before being brought all the way up here to live!

That's when LuvaBull put her and the pups on their web page and I began to watch them. The tiny pups grew and one by one found nice homes. But Roxy was left behind.
I showed her to Randy a few weeks ago and told him her story.
We decided then to apply to adopt her.

We took our leash along on our visit just in case... not truly expecting to get to take her home yet. LuvaBull is very careful about who they allow to take a dog. You have to give references, vet records, etc.
So we were just being hopeful.
:-)


As it turned out, they were very happy with how well Roxy responded to us. They let us bring her home.
I felt very bad for L when she said good-bye to Roxy.
You could tell that it was hard to see her go.
But L is glad that they finally found a home for Roxy and she emails me daily to see how she is doing. We invited her to come and visit tomorrow.

As for Roxy...
She shivered on the ride to her new home. We have a truck with a king cab and she wormed her way up on top of the arm rest that divides our seats. The closer we got to home, the more of Roxy was in my lap.
First her nose, then her head, then a paw... until she was half in and half out of the back.

She did great that first day home. There was so much to sniff and things to explore. She darted back and forth between us.
She had some trouble with the dog doors. She must have been trained to sit at the door when she wanted out. So she would go to the dog doors and sit, but not try to go through them.
A nice BBQ rib bone eventually enticed her to try.
Now she is in and out like a pro.

When it was time for bed, she looked at the new bed and smelled it.
Naturally it smelled new, not like Roxy or anything familiar.
She did not want to sit in it let alone lay down. So we tossed in the tee shirt that Randy had been wearing and that did the trick.
Roxy circled it and lay down.

There were a couple of sad little whines from her area when we shut the door to our room. Roxy's bed is in the kitchen/dining room. A nice indoor, warm space with a night light. If needed, she could go out the dog door to the shop and from there to the yard. We have an automatic light out back that would come on for her if she did.
I did worry that she might have an accident being in a strange new place.

The next morning she greeted me with happy wuffs and wiggles.
No accidents. She visited with me while I had my morning coffee, then began to use her dog doors to run in, then out and back again.

She has been home 2 and a half days now and we have found our rhythm. I rise earliest, so she and I have our coffee time, walk and play.
When Randy comes out, the happy dance begins again and she follows him for awhile until he's as boring as I was and I become interesting again. That is how it goes.



Roxy was worth the wait.