A couple of weeks ago, Lynn and Rob C. said goodbye to their beautiful Pembroke Roxy.
Today’s post is about the immeasurable joy this special Corgi brought to their lives. We all know the sadness of loss, but this couple has chosen to share the story of Roxy’s life, dedicating it as a celebration of years well lived, a story worth knowing, and a dog who changed things for the better …
… in her own way :-).
* * * * *
Roxanna gave her Mom Lynn C. her heart back after a series of losses. “This headstrong “red bull” brought me back to life after so much sadness and heartbreak” writes Lynn. “We’d lost our brother/sister Golden Retrievers and our first Corgi Billy suddenly, within the span of a few months. My husband knew something had to be done because I was literally broken.”
“We began our research and found the family who owned Roxy’s parents. Our girl came into the world in February of 1998. I didn’t know what to name her, but on our way home with the new puppy, the flashing lights reminded me of the Police song “Roxanne” and that was it. I had my gorgeous red Roxy and it just all fell into place.
.
“Roxy was so tiny that when we took her for her first check-up, that particular vet couldn’t tell us she was a full-blooded Corgi. She had markings like a chipmunk and was almost as small. This was clearly not the vet for us!
We eventually found the one who became her doctor and they fell in LOVE with each other. Roxy was Dr. Tanner’s star patient, she loved going to see her. When Dr. Tanner moved away years later, we never did find one who could completely replace her.
Roxy loved the beach and the mountains.
Anywhere we were, she wanted to be too.
Yeah … life is GOOD!
With Roxy, it was her way or NO way.
She was very protective of my niece and nephew when they visited us as infants and toddlers; she seemed to know they could get hurt easily and was so gentle with them.
As time went by, I thought it would be fun to get another Corgi for my husband, since Roxy was “mine”.
So we got Elton.
Roxy LOVED him and thought he was her baby.
Eventually we decided on a third Corgi, because Roxy was getting a little stiff and didn’t want to play as much as Elton did. That’s when we got Maisy.
Dad with Elton and Maisy — Daily Corgi alums!
Long story short, Roxy didn’t take well to Maisy. We think the puppy energy was too much for her and she became ornery and testy. Fights began breaking out at the door, and then “just because”. Roxy was becoming aggressive towards Maisy and Elton because she was getting older and didn’t have the patience for the younger two.
At one point, our neighbor friend Linda asked if she could “borrow” Roxy for a weekend. The weekend became a week and the week a month. She cared for her, fed her, loved her just as we had. I knew it was for the best but I was afraid Roxy would THINK we’d given up on her and just “given her away”… and it hurt … until I visited Linda and saw that Roxy had established herself as the QUEEN of the castle! Seeing her being her old, silly self, I knew then she was where she needed to be. Linda loved her, and for all intents and purposes she was Roxy’s Mom.
The situation worked out for all of us. We would go visit her at Linda’s, where she totally was one happy Corgi. Roxy was a lucky girl to have two Mommies who loved her so much.
Several months back, Linda let us know that Roxy had “fatty tumors” on her, and the consensus was to let her live out her life as happily as she could. A few weeks back, Rob got the call from Linda that Roxy could no longer get up on her own.
The day had come.
I couldn’t let my girl go without a last kiss and hug. When we arrived at Linda’s, Roxy was basically blind and deaf, but when she heard me get out of the car, her ears perked up and she looked my way. I laid on the porch with her and she put her paw in mine, as if she was telling ME it would be okay.
Because I was recovering from recent surgery, Rob drove me home and returned to Linda’s to stay with Roxy all afternoon. Later that evening the vet came, and with Rob and Linda there, Roxy crossed The Rainbow Bridge.
I’ve shed many tears since saying goodbye to Roxy, but I know she’s still herding, barking and being the best little girl on the other side. All of us were blessed to have had our “beautiful red bull” for as long as we did, and we’ll carry her in our hearts forever.
Laurie, you did an amazing job with Roxy's story…I am just in a PUDDLE of tears…she is missed every day but this tribute and our memories of our girl will be with all of us going forward! Thank you, again, for your interest in Roxy!!!
You're so welcome! What matters most to me is that her family has something extra to cherish, so I'm glad I was able to do well by her.
🙂
Laurie
What a sweet story and it shows how much everyone was in love with Roxy. Thanks for sharing your beautiful girl.
A very sweet story indeed. I had a similar situation with my senior boy having troubles with the the 2 junior corgis, and a friend very kindly helped out…as you said, two mommies, and every one is okay….Roxy clearly had a wonderful life, well lived.