Pets of OMP: A Rescue Story

(Editor’s Note: If you have a pet you’d love to see featured in Old Mission Gazette, contact our Pets of OMP columnist Paula Kelley, [email protected], or me, [email protected], and I will pass your info along to Paula. Read on for her notes about Twix, Snickers, Daisy and Dibs. -jb)

Hello, Old Mission!

As I was mentally drafting this article on my way to Bowers Harbor Park to meet Roxie and her owner, Kathy, I was thinking about starting with how patient this dog has been. Kathy and I have been trying to meet up since early November, but due to a series of snow storms, the holidays, and some miscellaneous rescheduling, we have only just now met up. After I met Roxie, I am even more astounded than ever with this dog.

Roxie’s story did not start out well. She lived with a breeder downstate until she was five years old and could not get pregnant anymore, so the breeder decided to sell her. Kathy, who had wanted a dog for a long time, discovered Roxie, and the relationship for them began. 

Roxie, who had lived her life outside in a barn, came home to Kathy and her husband with not only heartworms, but also tape worms. This poor girl was very timid, horribly afraid of men, and did not trust humans. Kathy had her work cut out for her.

Soon after bringing Roxie home, Kathy developed some medical issues, so the pair of them quickly bonded. They needed each other, and it reaffirms my belief that the right dogs find the right humans eventually. Kathy had to teach Roxie how to play, and now her toys are one of her favorite things. 

Roxie has also learned to trust people, including Kathy’s husband, and some of the neighborhood dogs are now her friends. Even more incredible, Kathy is training Roxie to be a certified therapy dog to visit nursing homes.

When I first met Roxie at the park, I of course did not know her backstory, and my first impression was what a gorgeous looking dog she is! Roxie had exquisite manners, walked nicely on the leash, and sat down politely next to Kathy while we talked. Roxie just looked up at me with her beautiful eyes, and I saw peace and joy in her soul. She welcomed petting by a stranger and was friendly without being pushy – desirable traits in any dog, but especially a future therapy dog.

Of course, Roxie has her quirks, and she entertained me by hunting field mice in the snow drifts. “She is quite the hunter,” Kathy says, adding that she often brings home food scraps that the neighbors put out for the wildlife. Crab legs and turkey carcasses have all made their way back to Kathy’s house as Roxie’s prize possessions!

Roxie is a variety of Golden Retriever referred to as English Cream. Given her almost white coat, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get any good pictures with the wintry background, but I think they turned out great.

I love this one of her gazing up at Kathy, and it warms my heart that Roxie has found her forever home.

-Paula Kelley, Gazette Pets Columnist

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