Just over five years ago, we were fortunate to gain a new family member - our dog Roxie. The only reason we considered getting a dog was because of all of the overseas traveling
that I was doing at the time.
Shalyn wanted an extra companion at home to keep her company. Clarissa's 4th birthday was the perfect excuse to invite the dog into the home. Shalyn found the toy poodle in the PennySaver (So Cal weekly mailer) for a nominal fee. There was a lot of hesitation on my part about having a dog in the house (I'm a clean freak - so the idea of a dog in the house didn't
seem like a hot idea at the time). With training, however, she seemed to become like another family member to us - in the house. For the first year, we kept her in her kennel ever nig
ht. After that first year, and for the last four years in a row, Roxie has slept with Clarissa in her bed - EVERY NIGHT! These pictures here only give a glimpse of the bond that was created with this silly little dog. Those of you out there that know us well can appreciate how close she was to us.
Sadly, she was struck by a car this afternoon while running across the street to get to Clarissa. Shalyn said that she (and the girls) watched as she looked up before resting her head for the last time. Needless to say, this is an extraordinary dramatic event for our little family - especially for the girls. Tonight, it is difficult for them to understand that Roxie won't be running to greet us at the door anymore. And poor lil' Rissa, not having Roxie at her feet during the night will be tough to get used to.
How lucky we were to have created such a fun and rewarding relationship with that little dog. As I told the girls tonight, we were truly blessed to have such a great friend for so long.
