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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

THE NEW ADDITION - ROXY



House trained and eager to be part of the family, she has settled in well and made this her home almost at once. She sleeps on her bed most of the day and this is placed on the upstairs landing at night, where she stays quiet until we get up in the morning. (I am not a fan of dogs in bedrooms)

When she arrived she was so excited at being set free from the rescue centre that she pulled a good deal on the lead. But using a special lead  I overcame this within 5 minutes of her wearing it. It is an incredible piece of kit which I would recommend to all dog owners. Now she is quiet and well behaved on walks but dislikes the wet and steps daintily around puddles (she is a lady, after all).

The vet reckons she is probably a cross between a terrier and a lurcher so, when I have fully trained her to return on call, I expect her to be pretty fast off the lead. The local squirrels better watch out!

She may be totally different from my previous and much loved German Shepherds, but she is a great addition to my life.


26 comments:

The Crow said...

Gosh, she's a beauty! She has good form (shape?), especially her head and chest. She even has the stance (or pretty darned close) to a show dog, as if she were used to the ring.

A match made in heaven, as they say.

Avus said...

Yes, she is a pretty little dog, Martha (and knows it!) We are getting along well. She just needs a little more meat on her ribs and back quarters as she was not eating when she was in the dogs' home The vet says you should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.

Tom said...

She is lovely! I hope she isn't as worried as she looks; or maybe that's just concern.

Avus said...

Tom:
she has a very expressive face with highly mobile eyebrows. Static position is "mildly enquiring".

Roderick Robinson said...

Perhaps now's the time to take her as company to private lessons that will get you started singing Gregorian Chant. Along with "Stop" and "Sit" you may add another instruction: "Don't howl." Or if so, only in B-flat.

Avus said...

RR:
I fear she might try to accompany me on the higher registers, but not necessarily in tune - although that might add entertainment. I like training dogs but have never trained one to "sing" in tune!

Anonymous said...

Roxy! The mobile hot water bottle and your little shadow!
Love duaghter xx

Avus said...

Daughter mine:
She misses your company, but is beginning to realize that the spare bedroom is now unoccupied. aAthough she did manage to open the dodgy door catch and sleep in there one night ON THE BED! I have since remedied the catch.

Kay Cooke said...

She looks adorable. Wishing you both fun and meaningful times ahead.

Anonymous said...

Pa,
Chemist said......." Oh fine, he mended the door catch for the dog, but not for us!".
love Daughter xx

Avus said...

Kay:
Thanks, I hope for that too!

Daughter:
But I did not mind if you slept on the beds - even the Chemist!

Vita said...

I love her "mildly enquiring" face, which is how I interpret the previous post's photo. She sounds like a love.

Avus said...

Vita
Good to hear from an old acquaintance once more. I think you were the first commentator to my first blog post back in 2006!

Yes, Roxy becomes more "integrated" with my household by the day.

Lucy said...

I leaned over Tom's shoulder for this one then forgot to leave my comment! She is beautiful, and looks to be the perfect dog for you (though I gather from HHB's comments that Roxy's opinions on dogs in bedrooms are at variance with yours!). I am rather envious.

Avus said...

Lucy:
As mentioned on the post she sleeps in her bed (first image)on the upstairs landing. I don't know if dogs have nightmares but I found it this morning halfway down the stairs. She presumably completed her night on the carpet.

Relatively Retiring said...

That's a lovely looking lady. I'm sure you've been fortunate to find one another. I am determined not to have another dog, but it's not easy when so many older dogs really need the sort of home I could offer. All my dogs have been rescued from previous homes - it's the best sort of recycling.

Avus said...


RR:
Thanks for visiting. Yes she is a pretty girl and we become closer to each other by the day. I am learning not to step suddenly backwards since she follows on my heels every where I go. The vet now thinks, having done some research, that she is a Rottweiler/Lurcher cross - albeit a very small one.
I agree about worthwhile dog recycling. It took me 18 months (with a stroke in the middle) to get over losing my last dog. You sound an ideal owner for that dog which is out there, waiting for you.
Why not give it a go?

Relatively Retiring said...

I don't think I can give it a go because I am a granny who does quite a bit of grannying and son and daughter-in-law have two cats. A dog would not be welcome in their house. I live alone and have had a couple of bouts of unexpected hospitalisation, and now that I'm improving I want to travel a bit more. Having a dog is nearly as big a responsibility as having another baby, and I'm not doing that either!

Avus said...

RR:
Sounds as though it is not a good proposition, then. But bully for you on wanting to travel again. Would that ever include the North Island of NZ, I wonder? It's a lovely country.

Relatively Retiring said...

For health insurance reasons I wouldn't travel outside Europe, but I have a son in Berlin and hope to go there. I don't think I could survive that journey to NZ, even in good health.....unless it was by sea.

Avus said...

RR:
We have been there twice, we have a daughter in OZ so we break the journey there. Even so, I agree that it is a dreadful plane journey from UK and we shan't get there again.

It might have been nice for you to visit your nephew in Pohangina though.

Elephant's Child said...

I grew up with (and love) German Shepherds. I learned to walk pulling myself up on one of their tails. And gather he just about crossed his legs so he didn't pull me off my feet.
Roxy looks like a honey. And yay for giving rescue animals another chance. Both of our cats were rescue cats, and both have rescued us as much as we rescued them.

Avus said...

Elephant's Child:
Thanks for visiting. Any lover of German Shepherds is a friend of mine! I am a Kipling fan and wonder if your blog title is related?

Elephant's Child said...

My blog title is definitely Kipling related. We grew up with The Just So Stories, and How the Elephant Got his Trunk was one that was read to us so often that we can all, many years later, recite great slabs of it. And many of the others too.

Avus said...

Elephant's Child:
Ah, I see.

"But there was one Elephant--a new Elephant--an Elephant's Child--who was full of 'satiable curtiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions"

Although I guess that should be the female gender in your case!

Have you tried his short stories for adults? I can recommend "The Gardener" and "They". Like all of his, they are full of overlays and references to other things.

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