Roxanne

Roxanne is a Bi-Black female. She arrived at 8:01pm on Janurary 22, 2007.

Roxanne has found her new family. She will be joining Cheryl in Arizona.

Update: March 24, 2007


Hi Alexa,

Roxanne is an extremely fun puppy to have around. I appreciate the fact that you taught her the word "no"....that has come in very handy. She discovered the mirrored doors on my bedroom closet yesterday and went nuts going after the other puppy. Later, she saw a puppy in the mirror inside my curio cabinet. She is quite fierce. The rain stopped and we have been spending alot of time outside which she thoroughly enjoys. Sammy is coming around slowly....he finally touched noses with her and today he let her sniff him. He is a funny dog who has always preferred other animals to stay out of his personal space. But she is quite persistent and I think she will win him over. The cat is another issue...fortunately Abigail has no claws and is a mellow cat. She too will get used to having a puppy around.

Roxanne cried last night at bedtime so I rolled her kennel into the bedroom. She settled right down and slept all night. She is going to be an excellent dog and quite beautiful. Everybody at the vet's office fell in love with her of course. A friend stopped by to meet her last evening and she just barked and barked at Trina. I think she is going to be an excellent watch dog. This morning when we were outside, the neighbors in back were putzing around a bit in their yard and Roxanne did her fierce watch dog routine. It was so cute to see this tiny puppy protecting her turf. Sammy just watched her.

I'll keep you updated and send photos. If you ever need or want a reference for your puppies, just let me know. I am extremely happy with this little girl.


Cheryl




Update: March 28, 2007

Hi Alexa,

Sammy is doing much better with Roxanne. He still hates it when she rushes his face and he does shy away from her but every now and again he barks back at her. When I tell her 'no', he goes over and touches her with his nose. And he is starting to allow her to get a little closer to him. She is something else again! She herded him around the patio a little while ago and has me thinking about getting her a sheep. :o}

The cat has set boundaries and is starting to get used to our new addition. I suspect by this weekend things will have settled into a routine around here.

Roxanne bonded to me right away which surprised me. Since she didn't choose me like Sammy did, I expected it to take her a few days to accept me. But I got the best puppy kisses the first morning I got her out of bed and when I come home she greets me like we have known each other forever. I just love Shelties!!!

I'm sure you do miss the puppies. Roxanne has me thinking about always having one around the house...they bring such joy, don't they?

Take care. I'll keep you posted on her progress.

Cheryl


UPDATE: March 30, 2007

And here is some more news. This afternoon, Roxanne figured out a game that Sammy loved playing with her. I have a row of shrubs running along my fence and she was running under and through them. Sammy became intrigued with the noise in the shrubbery and started running into it as well. He would be running along and she would pop out at him then duck back inside the shrubs and he would follow. They ran in and out and up and down and had a ball chasing each other. I am delighted!!

She is now learning to "sit" and is doing quite well. We started last evening and worked on it for awhile this evening. She gets it...just needs to become consistent. I found that "sit" is a powerful command with Sammy. If I can't get him to come and he keeps moving away from me, I say "sit/stay" and he does. Then I can get him. I keep using the word "come" with Roxanne when we go outside and back in again so she will get used to hearing the word. She is smart as a whip but I expected that. Shelties are just the best dogs!!

Cheryl



UPDATE: April 7, 2007


Hi Alexa,

Thank you for the advice....Sammy and I really appreciate it! I would not have thought of a fly swatter....what a good idea!!! And we will work on the potty training. I had to laugh when you said 'if she whines'. This little girl is very vocal and makes a tremendous amount of noise when I crate her. Oh my, oh my but she doth protest!

Sammy has gotten better about correcting her....I believe he is getting this whole big brother thing figured out. This morning they played outside together which pleased me greatly. She likes to tease him then run away and he played chase with her. His tail was wagging the whole time and I could tell he was having fun. He is very gentle when he 'catches' her and you can tell she too enjoys the game. WHEW! Both of them are getting some great exercise and I am as well.

We visited the vet yesterday and she weighs 8.2 pounds now. Her legs are getting longer of course but I was surprised by her weight. She is filling out but not fat...she is going to be a beautiful dog.

My groomer was here Thursday to groom Sammy so I had her give Roxanne her first official grooming which consisted of a batch and toenail filing. Roxanne was a perfect little puppy for the procedure and was not afraid. Actually, she isn't afraid of anything.

Right now both dogs are crashed out on the floor here where I am. Sammy is finally letting her move closer to his personal space. Roxanne is going to save him, if she hasn't already, from a life of boredom and anxiety. I probably should have done this a few years ago when I first considered it but then, I wouldn't have found Roxanne. I just adore her!!! Last night I actually found myself considering getting another pup from you next litter....because Sammy will be 9 this year and when he passes on, I don't want Roxanne to be alone. We'll see though. :o}

I keep telling Sammy she will not be a puppy forever and that we need to enjoy this time. Seems like he is listening to me. Awww, you should see them. Their heads are only about 4 inches apart. Awwwww.....

I do let her herd him because she gets him moving which I think is good. Plus, I like watching the show. He has herded me forever and now it's his turn to see what it feels like. chuckle.

Thanks again for everything.


Cheryl


UPDATE: April 20, 2007

She is mostly interested in being on the move but I do get to snuggle her a little bit. I get kisses when I pick her up...usually taking her out of the pen when I get home. She is very friendly and sweet. For some reason today when I got home, she let me hold and love on her a little longer than usual before she got squirmy.

She certainly seems to be very happy here. Last evening Sammy really got into the whole idea of play and he chased her around the yard and patio. She LOVED it! Kept coming back for more. They raced each other around again this morning which pleases me...I am glad to see him getting that kind of exercise. She never gets tired though....where do they get all that puppy energy? I might start eating puppy food!

She knows "sit" quite well now and "give me five". I took advantage of the fact that she likes to slap with her paws and I stick my hand out and say "give me five". She is so darned cute and I think she will be a cuddle dog when she gets older and settles down. She and the cat are starting to tolerate each other a bit which is nice. She responds well to "no" and "uh uh". We are still struggling with potty training but we'll get there. It's difficult when one has to work all day then get things done around the house in the evening to focus strictly on potty training. But she is getting the idea and notices when Sammy goes potty. She has going poop outside every morning down pat but evening is a bit trickier. And she pees fast....she will be playing then all of a sudden squat and take off again before she finishes. Thank goodness I have tile.

I will keep you posted on our progress. Take care.

Cheryl

UPDATE: May 25, 2007

Hi Alexa,

That was a very nice posting you left at Sheltie Nation. Thank you!

Here are photos from 5/12...she has grown more since then and I need to get new ones taken this weekend. She weighs 16.4 lbs now and is going to try her paw at herding on Sunday morning. She seems to be a natural and I'm curious so I found a very experienced man who has a training facility here to help me. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe one day Roxanne will be a champion herder. She certainly does enjoy herding Sammy around and shows no fear of anything. She loves to be airborne as well and flys off the ottoman over the top of Sammy on to the sofa. I have a friend who is a professional photographer and she came over last week end to take portraits and Roxanne didn't like it much at all. She barked at my friend as though she were very angry about the intrusion then didn't want to cooperate during her "sitting". Hopefully Jill got some good photos.

Take care.
Cheryl



UPDATE: June 6, 2007


Hi Alexa,

Did you get the link to You Tube I sent? It has a video of Roxanne herding sheep. She had a blast and is a natural. We will keep going to the ranch about once a month until she is old enough to start training in earnest. Right now the goal is to make sure she is having fun with it. The trainers were very excited about her potential....she's a tough little girl and really put the goats and sheep in their place. She is fearless!!! Sammy will go with us this Saturday but I expect him to just hide behind my legs. I want to get him out of the house though and around other dogs for his mental health. The trainers have 6 well behaved Border Collies who just go about their business and I know they won't bother Sammy. Roxanne fit right in...nothing bothered her except not being able to go in the pen and herd with the other dogs. You know, it must be alot of fun to be a Sheltie!!!


Cheryl



UPDATE: September 23, 2007

Hi Alexa,

Do you recall that I asked how big you thought Roxanne might get? You thought 15 or 18 pounds...not more than 22. She weighed in yesterday at 31.2 pounds!!!! I guess I just grow big Shelties, huh? She doesn't have an ounce of fat on her but is a solid, muscular little dog. I was really, really hoping she would not go over 20 pounds but gee whiz, I wouldn't give her up for the world. She has a wonderful personality and is the sweetest little dog. Barky as all get out...she has decided that her job is to clear the yard of all birds and let the neighbors know they are not allowed to be outside their homes. She is quite the little watch dog. Still mellow and calm but loves to talk. We have not gone sheep herding for quite awhile now because it has been way too hot. But the temps are starting to go down so it shouldn't be long before we can get back to it. I get up very early each morning and it's nice enough now to sit outside for awhile with the dogs before I go to work. Summer here is way too long!

I sent you a photo a few weeks ago. Did you get it? Now that it's cooling off, I will take more photos of the dogs outside. They turn out better than with the flash in the house.

Hope all is well with you. I look foward to seeing the new puppies coming later this year. :o}


Cheryl


To see Roxanne in action, click on Herding Sheep


Update: March 19, 2008

Hi Alexa,

Roxanne is thriving and I love her so much. She weighs 37 lbs and is taller than Sammy now. She is very affectionate and sleeps with me every night. I have to buy a bigger bed though because she is a bed hog. She is very sensitive and responsive to my commands and continues to boss Sammy around. I think he's come to accept it though and they play quite a bit. He has changed now...not so anxious and he has not destroyed a thing. I am able to leave them both out in the living room when I am gone and nothing is disturbed when I get home. Roxanne has had a very positive influence on dear Sammy.

Take care and I would love to have more photos of your new babies. Perhaps I would be interested in another girl....

Cheryl

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