11/4/2023-It is time for a Roxy update. She had a very eventful two weeks since her last update.

We had our best lifelong friends from up north come visit for a week. They are dog lovers but have had smaller Shih Tzu size dogs and never really great lovers of larger dogs. Well, after a week, that has all changed for them. From the moment they arrived, Roxy smoothed her way into their hearts. She has BEAUTIFUL manners (I wish my two guys could learn from her (LOL). She has this way of melting herself into your hearts. She gently looks at you with those eyes we had talked about and, when invited over for loving, slowly approaches and gives you the gentlest of kisses on your wrists or legs. Nothing “sloppy,” which I have been used to as a previous boxer dad. She captivated them, and they could not get enough of her, and she was soaking it all in. She LOVED them!

This sweetie has completely adapted to our routines, gets along great with our crew, and loves to be outside. I always hesitate to use this word, but this girl is PERFECT!

We take her for quick car rides for errands during the day, and she rides in the back of the SUV like a champ. My wife’s SUV has a gate in the back, and I started taking her in my SUV, which does not, and it didn’t matter. She never attempted to climb over the back seats, which she could easily do. In fact, one time, I had stuff in the back of my SUV, so I put her in the back seat, and she rode like a champ; again, her manners are PERFECT!  We are REALLY enjoying this girl’s stay.

10/15/2023 – So, another incredibly enjoyable week with our Roxy girl. Watching her acclimate to her new home environment has been extremely rewarding.  We have completely stopped the anxiety meds.

She has mastered our daily routines and often times LEADS them. She anticipates when she believes it is time to eat (sometimes she is a bit early but patiently waits). She waits at the door when she needs to go out and looks at you with those striking eyes that say, “Mom/Dad, I would like to go out now,” and never barks.

The “boxer antics” have reemerged. When out, I playfully chase her, and almost immediately, she rolls on her back and “defends” herself, slapping me with all 4 of her paws and playfully mouthing my arm and hand.

She looks forward to bedtime and cuddles on her bed and sleeps through the night.

Her appetite has dramatically improved, and she now eats ALL of her food, which we have increased accordingly. She will be challenged to maintain her svelte weight of 42 lbs because she loves her foster mom’s cooking. But don’t worry, we will not let her get chunky.

Needless to say, she is very easy to LOVE.

10/07/2023-Another week with Roxy girl has passed, so let’s explore the changes we’ve experienced.

We have reduced the anxiety meds from 25mg 2x’s daily to 25mg once daily (given in the evening). It seems that when darkness arrives, the transition from daylight to night gives Roxy a bit of anxiety. With the 25mg pill, she completely relaxes. For the past week, this seems to do the trick.

We started this week by allowing Roxy to sleep with us (on the dog bed) in the Master Bedroom with no crate. She also shares that room with our pug. She sleeps in her own space at the foot of the bed (her choice), as our pug sleeps on the side of the bed. She settles immediately and sleeps through the night. So much better than the crating we were doing.

We had a few neighbors over as they were excited to meet Roxy girl. While we have an attention hog in our Frenchie, Roxy was right in there getting her pets in and kissing our guests like crazy. And, of course, one of the 1st comments when meeting her was how BEAUTIFUL her eye color is.

After doing her business in the yard, Roxy started to get a bit frisky, almost inviting me to chase her. We played a bit of tag, and Roxy, when caught, would immediately roll over on her back and start swiping her paws at me, typical box antics. And I have to say, I really am thrilled to see her comfortable enough to do this.

Her appetite has really improved. Her meals (2x’s daily) consist of kibble mixed with vanilla yogurt, chicken, and high-quality canned beef strips in gravy. She is now pretty much finishing what is given to her.

We have a bedtime ritual of snack time after the last bathroom break for the day. We offer chicken and cheese for snacks. It is given in the laundry/dog room, and Roxy never partook, even if we offered it to her separately in the kitchen. Fast forward to this past week, and there she is, waiting for me to get the goodies out of the refrigerator with the resident crew. It is a pleasure to see her participate.

This girl has come a long way in only three weeks. We can’t wait to see what next week brings. She continues to be the perfect guest, and we look forward to her forever family finding her.

10/01/2023 – Roxy Girl has had a week of improvements. We started her on a medication for anxiety, giving her a very smalldose. It has had a very desired effect on her. She has greatly reduced her pacing and panting episodes. She is noticeably more “chilled” during the day and night. It is great to see her in this calm state of mind.Her appetite has greatly improved; she is now eating yogurt, kibble, and cooked chicken. In fact, she sometimes lets us knowshe is hungry! She even enjoys the peanut butter we use to give her with her pill andthen gladly takes extra for a snack after her pill. Seeing her smacking her jowls for 5 minutes after finishing her peanut butter snack is entertaining.

She has even made an impression on the two resident dogs. She is now allowed to give them gentle kisses on their faces without getting an undesirable result. (LOL!)

We have installed a ring camera in her bedroom, and now we can see how quickly she is settling into her crate at bedtime. Although Roxy’s crate door is closed, she and her foster sister share the room nicely.

She has been noticeably more comfortable exploring and sprinting in the yard. She has seen a few rabbits on the other side of the fence, and when she goes out, she immediately checks to see if her “friends” are out and about. Every so often, she spots them. While I am sure she could easily scale our 3 ft fence, she chooses to get her nose under the lowest rail and test if she can get under…..(really Roxy?????) Of course, she is VERY closely supervised during her time out.

When Roxy first came to us two weeks ago, we noticed that when we let her out in the yard, she would do her business and then run back to the door leading into the house and would drool excessively (maybe something to do with her being left out alone for many hours at a time before coming into rescue?). She now ENJOYS her time out and the routine of going out 5-10 times per day, and no more drooling.

We tried leash walks and suspect she is not too used to that. In fact, sometimes after about a 5-10 minute walk, Roxy tries to sit, and if that doesn’t work, she has on her back and refuses to get back up, so foster daddy has to pick her up and help her get back home. Yes, she has trained foster daddy well. Once back at the house, Roxy is immediately back to herself.

This girl is truly a pleasure to have around. She is sweetness overload, and gentle in everything she does, and we love the sound of her happy tail tapping out an upbeat thumping sound on the bottom or side of the couch while we are watching TV. She has made herself quite at home, and it is a pleasure to see her growth. 

09/23/2023 – So Roxy (Roxana) has been in her foster home for one week now. We have thoroughly enjoyed this petite little love bug.

She is learning a totally new routine from what she used to know for her 1st 10 years of life. The new routine is a bit more structured. Around here, meals are served 2 x’s daily (she was used to being free-fed, where food was in her bowl 24/7). We go out for potty breaks around 5-7 times daily in a completely fenced yard (she previously had been outside for extended periods of time alone). She now lives with her 2 four-legged foster sister and brother, where previously she was the only dog.

The new feeding schedule is a work in progress. She is a TINY 42 lb girl who would not require more than a cup 2x’s daily, but she has failed to finish her feeding yet and hasoften skipped breakfast and eats part of her dinner. We are enticing her with fresh cooked chicken, hamburgers, eggs, and high-quality canned dog food, which has not had the results we had expected. Bedtime snack of cheese and chicken has not interested her. We’ll continue undeterred; as the saying goes, No dog will starve if presented with food several times daily.

As intake info stated, she is completely housetrained, does not ever attempt to climb up on furniture, never jumps up on you, but will offer a gentle hug if asked, and kisses hands, arms, and legs, but not lips.  She gets along great with the two resident dogs, although they do not usually welcome fosters with open paws. She has definitely figured out her place in the pack.  The 1st thing you notice about Roxy, besides her petite frame, is her strikingly soulful green eyes. It looks like she has human eyes, and they are very expressive.

Roxy came into the home restless and has really not settled or calmed down yet. There are times during the day that she does settle; she loves to have evening TV time with the entire family (2 retired adults and2 dogs).  She has not barked at all except for two quick, soft barks when she saw a woman walking her dog outside the house. She looks out the windows, sees plenty of car and truck actively, and watches silently.

She did great at her vet visit yesterday. Of course, she grabbed the attention of the two vet techs, who loved her eyes and temperament. Vaccinations were brought up to date, and lab results were all within normal limits, heartworm test was negative, stool sample indicated she does have hookworm (very common in Florida) and is on 3-day meds to get rid of that. They did a needle aspirate of a small lump on the top of her head and concluded it is just a cyst and to continue to monitor its size. The vet had NO concerns about it. Roxy’s range of motion was quite impressive, and as you can see on the video, she gets around effortlessly. She was patient while they did everything that needed to be done with no fussing.

Roxy came from a home where she had a 1 on 1 relationship with her senior mom. While her foster home is not a hustle and bustle environment, Roxy would initially appear to be well-matched in a quiet setting.

09/17/2023 – Hi, I am new to BRAF. I came in because my owners are moving.  I’m very petite, cute as a bug, and love to get kisses and get hugs.  Roxy needs to get some vetting before she will be ready for adoption.  Please check back and see how I am doing.