Hello Roxie!

My outfit rocks today.

This is worth noting because many of my daily clothing choices are an epic fail lately.  The expanding waist line has only added to my usual morning closet conflict.

Anyway... Roxie

Roxie is a sweet hearted, gentle, attention mongering little creature. Cute picture huh?

Roxie is the newly adopted member of my extended family.  My Mom took her in the day before Mother's day.  Roxie is staying with us for about a week.

This is awesome because Luna has been in dire need of puppy time and these two knuckle heads are about the same age, similar in size and LOVE each other.

Yes they met less than a month ago - But their comparable energy levels, sense of fun and mischief, shared need to tumble, tackle and run, have made them soul sisters.

Together they have the destructive power of a category five tornado.

The first morning, the day after Roxie arrived, I left for work at 7:30am and I sadly choose to leave them with free reign of the house.  I figured my husband is soon up at 7:45am and they were still eating breakfast and how much trouble could two little dogs get into??!

Fifteen minutes Reader.

In fifteen minutes they had up sided three large house plants, removed all couch pillows and cushions (but they were undamaged), knocked over the bar stools and were happily fighting over a tug toy next to the now crooked coffee table.

He put Roxie in her "crate", a soft fabric zippered box.

Since this act signaled to Luna that the games were presently over so she hurried back to bed.

Later that day, suspicious after the incoming call advised me of the situation created in fifteen minutes, I took a rare lunch to check on the dangerous duet.

I discovered Roxie can "hamster" her container and had done so all over the main floor.

Luna knew the crooked couches, tables, turned over plants and look on my face equaled possible doom so hurried herself back to bed until the skies cleared.

I really wanted to be mad but they were so happy...  so I let Roxie out and called Luna back downstairs to kick them both outside, where they wanted to be anyway....

Upon leaving I tried to barricade the living room with kitchen chairs to keep the hamster effect contained to one room.

Fail

Thankfully, that evening a sturdy and trustworthy looking wire crate arrived.  My favorite person put it together and I introduced her to it.

Although Luna graduated from her crate several months she still knows the quiet ask "Kennel" will be followed with tasty snacks.

She helpfully showed Roxie this.  So although Roxie was not exactly thrilled, she was amiable and willing.

Walking Roxie with Luna was an event.  Roxie finds every sound, direction and distraction interesting and worth investigating.  Walking past a driveway?  We must go up it!  Oncoming car?  Lets jump in front of it! Child riding bicycle?  Run around human's legs until she trips!

In a bid to make it home alive and desperate for an immediate solution, I tied her to Luna's collar.

This worked GREAT!

Luna wears a gentle lead because she is a spazy determined creature who has literally nearly dislocated my shoulder on a walk BUT Luna does get that moving cars are dangerous and walking in a straight line is the goal.

These are very important concepts.

...hehehehehehehe.... for your viewing entertainment

The end of this story, is as I walked in on today's contained disaster, I was grateful for the sturdy wire crate today.


...Like the hedgehog?

Roxie does too.  It is her most prized possession.  I found her in her crate, semi-buried in what was left of her bed, giving her hedgehog a bath.

Just as I leaned down to release her, Charlie torpedoed past at warp speed causing Roxie's vocal chords and heart to accelerate even more.

I realized Luna is not the only playmate in the house for Roxie and letting her out I watched the collision of three happy furry bodies.




Knuckleheads....

A Year in with Luna

Luna came into our lives a year ago this month. An earnestly goodhearted young creature with giant bat like ears and endearingly bright amber eyes; Luna was from the New Mexico desert and newly landed in Utah, rescued from a cull by Rescue Rovers and now adopted by us.


Sweet little Luna, her beseeching eyes nearly came out of her head on that drive home. I sat with her, as she shivered and her cries trembled out of her throat. On the way home, we stopped for a new collar and treats. She politely took them but could only cough them back out of her dry mouth.

We introduced her, on leash to Charles, but our caution proved unnecessary. She was too scattered and only briefly touched her nose to his. We showed her the house, introduced her to her crate, toy box and last to her bed next to ours.

Luna inherited Sal’s giant bed; this bed sports a large yellow egg shell foam core (to cuddle my Sal’s achy bones), topped with a soft giant quilt folded in four and pillow. I had de-furred and thoroughly washed this deluxe set up and added a stuffed animal I had been sleeping with.

Tidal waves of anxiety were rolling off of her. I sat down on the floor and patted her bed to encourage her onto it. She heavily sighed and walked her trembling self onto it. She let me cuddle her close and pressing my forehead to hers I whispered she was safe, how excited we were to get to know her -I know she could not comprehend my words but dogs can innately pick up the tenor of our tones.

I stoked her shoulders and face until the shivering abated and decided to leave her unleashed overnight.

She slept the sleep of the dead and didn’t move once. I didn’t bother to get her up the next morning as I left for work either. My sweetheart did get her up later and let her out in the yard. She ran her heart out exploring and as he went to retrieve her, (so he could go to work) he discovered the difficulty of recalling a little desert dog who did not have a name, much less any understanding of human words.

An hour later he did get her back into the house after bribing with lunch meat and other tasty treats.

Overwhelmed by the onslaught of terrifying noise (cars, garage doors, blow dryers, microwaves), she trucked through the first three months by sleeping… a lot. I started tracking and I think she actually slept about 22 hours out of every 24.

We took her for long walks every single day. I constantly pulled her tucked tail back up and kissed her face. I inundated her with treats, using the words I wanted her to learn; Luna, treats, watch me, potty, outside, inside, leave it, walk, ride, go ahead, go to bed, go to kennel…

Four months in she began to wake up. At this time we were flooding her with toys to give her outlets as she graduated from being kenneled when we are gone. Overcoming her fear of the car was a game of patience. As she grew to trust me, I would sit in the back seat and coax her in with treats.

Now, the words, ‘Let’s go for a ride’ results in a ballistic dance of happiness.

Looking back over this year, quite a few people have said she thrived because of our patience and the time we spent working with her. While that is true… she was incredibly patient with us too.

Yesterday, someone complimented her and I offhandedly replied, “Yeah! It has been a lot of work” they kinda paused and said, “I know you say that but every time I see her, she seems so gentle and focused on trying to be good, trying to understand”

I paused and ruefully agreed.

I have been holding back. I loved my Sal dearly.  Just typing that, I could bawl for an afternoon.

Little Luna and I went for a walk yesterday and a few minutes in she came bounding up, to say hello, to check in, to kiss my hand and then dart off with lightning speed.

I stopped and she froze. Many yards away, she froze. She was listening for my steps and paused when she didn’t hear them. I knelt down just as she looked back. And in that moment, she launched at me, hurling her slender self with such velocity she couldn’t stop in time and I didn’t get out of the way. We collided in a mess of tail wagging and snow covered laughing.