Happy Birthday Roxi!

I’ve shared a lot about Makai over the past year, but not nearly enough about Roxi. Sorry, Rox! It’s certainly not because I love her any less. Roxi is just such a well-adjusted, well-behaved, easy dog! Makai's first year came with all kinds of ups and downs, so there were many more lessons learned and experiences to share!

This August, Roxi turned 7 and I can’t even believe it. She was our baby until Makai came along, and then, overnight, she became the mature adult dog of the house and took on the role of older sibling. She’s an amazing big sister, even though she’s less than half Makai’s size! She puts up with all his puppy antics with grace, but make no mistake, Roxi holds her own, never letting him walk all over her (it’s the terrier in her)!

We adopted Roxi from the Hawaiian Humane Society when she was 10 weeks old, back when I was a volunteer there. I went in for my morning shift, saw her and her siblings and when my shift was over, I went straight home and spent an hour convincing my now husband why we just HAD to adopt her (we had just adopted another dog 2 months prior so he was understandably hesitant to bring another dog home so soon). I must have been pretty convincing because I persuaded him to go there before they opened and wait an hour to be sure we were first in line. They remembered us and our dog Shiloh who we had recently adopted and told us Roxi (then named Sky) would be the best pick to match Shiloh’s energy. They brought her out, put her in my husband’s arms, and he immediately melted like I knew he would. Roxi was in our car heading home shortly after!

In terms of matching Shiloh’s energy….well…they may have underestimated Roxi’s spunk a bit. She immediately fell in love with Shi, but Shiloh, on the other hand, was a bit overwhelmed by her exuberance. They managed to fall into their own though. Lucky for Roxi her older brother was very patient.

Roxi was always easy going, while also giving me a run for my money as she was growing up. She’s certainly not the dog who’s just looking to please (in fact, that’s a myth anyway, but that’s it’s own topic). She taught me a lot and had very little patience for any rookie mistakes made, especially during adolescence. Like the time I stupidly thought she was ready to be off leash when she was much too young, and she decided to take off running. then she’d stop, look back at me like “HA!” and take off again. Lesson learned. (she did end up learning a really solid recall after that!).

She earned the nickname “sassy pants” very early on in life. She may be small but she’s not going to take crap from anyone (and I love that about her!). But she’s also incredibly sweet and lives for belly rubs and pets. My favorite routine is when I’m in bed and she wiggles under my arm, flops onto her back, and locks eyes with me until I start petting her. If I pause, she’ll use her paws to pull my hand back like, “Excuse me, I wasn’t done.” When she’s really into it, she lets out these little grunts—which once confused a friend who thought she was growling!

She loves chasing tennis balls, but they have to be the right tennis balls (she’s very particular). Salmon is by far her favorite food, but she also enjoys our breakfast tradition, which started after her big brother Shiloh passed away, where she hangs with me, waiting patiently while I finish my eggs so she can enjoy the last few bites.

Roxi is loving, funny and cuddly, with just the right amount of spunk and sass to keep us on our toes. She’s taught me a lot about behavior and training over the years, and has absolutely made me a better dog trainer.

August wasn’t just Roxi’s birthday, it was also Makai’s Gotcha Day anniversary and both mine and my husband's birthdays. It’s been a jam-packed month of family celebrations!

Wags and Aloha,

Cori Tufano- CPDT-KA, CSAT, FFCP, FDM