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Roxie is a special girl in need of a special home. She is a 3 year old chihuahua surrendered to an overcrowded shelter after her owner passed away.

Roxie is fearful of new people; which, in the shelter system is pretty much an instant death sentence. But, someone there saw past her fear and "do NOT touch me" warnings and saw that she was really the sweetest little dog just begging to have someone to love and love her in return. So she made the long trip from Kentucky to New York in her little travel crate packed with soft blankets and love. Normally, when they get in the next vehicle along the way, they are moved to a different crate and the minute they arrive at their destination, they are out of the crate for a potty break and some food and water. But, not Roxie; she was special, precious cargo. Roxie rode all the way in her crate and into her foster home. I decided to take her, knowing that she would probably try to chew my fingers off out of fear, but what the heck, if you have not been bitten by a chihuahua, in my opinion, you should try it. It's really not that bad. I set her crate down, opened the door, tried baiting her with a treat, or two, or french fries, and of course every other doggy safe piece of food I had in the house to no avail. She was too smart to fall for my foolish bribery. And so the mind games began.

We played this game for a while. She'd poke her nose out and catch me looking and retreat to the back of the crate again. So finally, I just pretended to ignore her, and out she came. Though, she wouldn't come anywhere near me. She was under the TV stand, behind the couch, behind the other dogs, always more than an arm length away and in her mind, she was protecting herself. Out came the goodies and the games really began. I'd toss her a treat and she'd just stare at me but the minute I looked away, the treat was gone. Over and over we played this game until finally, I held my hand out with a treat and waited. She and I both knew after such a long ride, she was hungry and really wanted that treat! So what was probably just a minute or 2 felt like an eternity and she slowly took two steps forward, then one step back over and over again until she snatched the treat and scurried off. I thought that was some progress and joined the dogs on the couch for some late night TV as she watched us from the corner.

From there, I have no idea what happened. I fell asleep and she probably investigated the house, feeling safe that my eyes were not on her while doing so. In the middle of the night I woke up, to a little warm chihuahua resting on my chest. Now, I thought I was not a "chihuahua person" and I still refuse to this day to admit that they've grown on me, but that moment was priceless! The moment I went to pet her, she ran off, but everytime I woke up during the night she was there again. This cat and mouse game dragged on for another 2 days and then I guess we both just came to the conclusion that we liked eachother- Or maybe she decided, hey this lady is going to be feeding me and I better be nice and I decided that I enjoyed a challenge, but nonetheless it works. From that day forward, we were friends. I was her "human" and she was the most adorable chihuahua that would spin in circles with excitement when I arrived home and would climb to the back of the couch to rest her head on my shoulder in the evenings and ride shotgun in the car when we went out. I got to see a side of Roxie that the rest of the world didn't get the opportunity to see.

As the days passed by, her admiration for me had gone through the roof and to her, there was nothing better than me. Though flattering, I am a foster-mom and proud of it! I can't keep them all or you would see me featured on the next animal hoarders series. We toyed with our options and decided she was too attached to me (and maybe, I to her as well) and decided that she needed to try another foster home. She needed to learn that it is okay to love more than one person. Now, lets get this part out of the way. I have a "dude" and when he would arrive home from work, Roxie was always the first to yap at him and say "go back to work to buy me more kibble!" In the 1+ month I had her in my home, she never went on his lap. At the very most, she would sneak a treat and run away from him. So she can live in a home with a man but needs a female caregiver and a very patient male :) She is not going to run up and grab hold of his pant leg or anything like that, she will keep her distance. Back to where we were. Roxie unhappily went to her new foster home. Within a few days, her new foster mom had the same love for her that I did. She thought she was an amazing little dog and she finally had the chance to see what I had been seeing all along. So now, I was not the only one that swore Roxie was amazing, there were two of us and the rest of the volunteers were no longer questioning my sanity.

I now see Roxie on weekends at the Rochester Adoption Center and its like the slow motion reunion scene you see in movies with cheesy background music and all. She usually just comes to me, so thrilled to see me again and of course, I'm excited to see her too! She spends most of the day following me around the adoption center and when I can't find Roxie, I just turn around because 9 times out of 10, she is right behind me. If I sit on the floor, she happily dances around me and nibbles my fingers and climbs on my lap to give me kisses and eventually rest her head for some snuggle time. She is one of a kind. I'd love more than anything for her to find her forever home. With someone crazy like myself, patient and willing to give her time to trust them. Its worth it; she is worth it! She has been misunderstood her entire life, but I think we now understand the way her little mind works and I hope this gives you a glimpse into it.

Now for the other things of importance. Roxie is spayed, current on vaccinations, micro-chipped, mostly housebroken (winter is not her favorite- she's a southern gal) and ready to find a special home. She needs a hero, someone that is going to be okay with the unconventional dog and give her a chance to trust them, because we know she will spread her wings and be an amazing dog for the right person. We've done our part; saved her from being euthanized, opened our hearts and homes, given her a chance, understood her, proven that she can go to another home and thrive and proven that she can love more than one person. Now, the most important thing is that we are looking for that right person. If you think that you are that special person and you've read this story all the way to this point (long-winded, I know!), then please submit your adoption application.

Roxie is being fostered in Rochester.

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Roxie's adoption donation is $275.00