Roxie German Shepherd Dog & Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler Mix Williamsburg, NM

We are very excited to share our next Roxie update ♥

If you are newer to following the happenings of our Desert Haven paws and claws crew you might not know our darling Roxie's history so we'll catch everyone up.

We rescued Roxie as a feral, one-year-old dog back in December of 2022. She had spent her first year of life with her giant pack of ten litter-mates in a large backyard with breached fencing. The pack was fed once a day and that, we are sad to say, was the whole of the attention given to those pups. Greta visited the homeowner to try to help him with his overwhelm due to having an unsocialized pack of dogs. During the visit the pack circled her, acting quite menacingly. All but one, that is. One of the dogs stayed off to the side, didn't participate in the pack mentality, and seemed to be pleading, "Give me a chance".

The homeowner had never tried to leash any of them, nor given them names. She was a nameless feral pup and we made her ours. We named her Roxie and she became a Desert Haven dog. It took the homeowner weeks to get a leash on her but when he did, Roxie took her first ride in a car to come live at Desert Haven.

Once with us at Desert Haven, everything was new and scary for Roxie. The presence of people frightened her. It took us weeks of laying and sitting with her in her kennel and oodles of hotdog bits before one of our work campers (who is now our Director of Operations!) was finally able to get a leash on Roxie. It took several more weeks to help her cross a threshold of a gate. It took months before a second person gained Roxie's trust and could then get her leashed up for fun times around the Desert Haven grounds. Getting her to enter a vehicle was another months long process, the first trip to the vet, and so on and so on. Every single little thing your domesticated, socialized dog does normally and easily, had to be painstakingly taught to Roxie.

All along the way Roxie was a willing, eager, albeit cautious participant in all her lessons in How to Be a Domesticated Dog. She loved it! Desert Haven Animal Rescue gave her a chance and she has never forgot that. She always does her best and is a joy to help. However, because Roxie's training was so time intensive, we decided that a foster home was the best place for her to continue her lessons. Since September, she's been fostered jointly by Greta and by CC our director of operations.

A few of Roxie's accomplishments:

*successful trips to the vet to get vaccinations and check ups
*overcoming her fear of vehicles on the road while we take walks
*becoming a running partner for Greta
*being fully house-trained
*enjoying trips in the car
*being incredibly affectionate and loving belly rubs

Roxie has always been a great playmate with dogs over 40 pounds. She's exuberant in her play and has needed a dog closer to her size as a playmate (Roxie is 60 pounds). We have been working to help her gain play skills with smaller dogs to expand her options for homes she can be adopted into. And now Roxie has made a tiny dog friend!!

Pictured is Matilda (grey) with her brother Otis (black pointy ears) and her foster sister Roxie. They all play and romp together every day and Roxie is happier than a pig in slop.

We are thrilled for Roxie that she is making new friends, continuing to learn new skills, and becoming the domesticated dog she dreamed of becoming. Roxie keeps unlocking new options for her future adoptive home. She is ready for it!

Roxie saw her chance that day back in December of 2022, and by golly she took it!