Try, try again. And again. And again.
We were still tampering with the idea that Roxie just wasn't fit for adoption when yet another seemingly perfect application came along. (For every "perfect" application she gets, she gets three terrible ones). This app was very unique and could be the absolute best situation for a dog like Roxie. This family lives on 52!! fenced acres. They have an in ground pool and a male boxer that is desperately missing his canine sibling who passed away of cancer not long ago. There are actually two homes on this property, the adopters live in the "small" house and their grand parents, a sister, and two nieces live in the "main" house. They own a family business and people pretty much come and go all the time. That kind of hustle and bustle is right up Roxie's alley. She loves a busy lifestyle and the more people around, the better.
Of course, I went through the whole spiel about Roxie and her many quirks. The good, the bad, the ugly. I got the feeling that they were not the kind of people who would shy away from a challenge, nor the kind to worry about a broken window blind or a chewed up shoe. They had been there, done that. Also, living in the country with the freedom to run and play all the time may take some of the anxious energy out of Roxie's life. It sounded like, if it all worked out, it would be a better home for Roxie than we could offer her if she stayed with us. For that reason above all else, we decided to pursue with the process.
They live south of Dallas. Right away, I knew the perfect person to do the home visit for me. Someone I totally trust and who knows first hand what I expect out of my adoptive homes. Jen, of course (adopter of Bella, for those who don't know Jen). She did a great job and had all of the right concerns. I'm sure we will be using Jen's services again for other apps that we get in the DFW area.
The meet and greet was set up for a Saturday afternoon in Texarkana. Once again, our group had an adoption event that day. As hopeful as I was that this would be "it" for Roxie, I was not going to take any chances of this awesome couple and their dog driving all the way out there and not going home with the perfect new family member. I knew it was ultimately up to the two dogs getting along and if they didn't, I didn't want to lose this wonderful approved home. So, I set up back up dogs (all female) with different personalities. It would be like the doggy dating game for their boy.
This trip out to Texas with Roxie felt different. As Jonathon, Rox and I drove out that morning, I didn't once cry. We didn't even really talk about losing her. I guess it was like we were getting immune to the fear of saying goodbye to her. It was getting harder to believe in success so why be sad over and over again? We hung out with the crew and met our new foster (Yup. We jumped the gun a little this time) at the event and then headed to the park. "Good luck!" everyone yelled as we left to meet our girl's potential new family. Deja vu.
It was pretty obvious from the start that this was no match made in heaven! Their dog, who was the second biggest boxer I have ever seen, was not as "laid back" as they had described. We walked them together for a while doing everything by the book. When we stopped to let them officially meet, Roxie instantly wanted to rough house with him and he didn't appreciate her unladylike behavior. He went after her once and it was over. Roxie has no desire to start fights anymore, but she sure as hell won't back down from one. She is fearless to a degree of stupidity. Confident that she could take on a dog that weighed minimally double her, she was in full blown "Bring it!" mode. Eventually, that bravery would have gotten her in a world of hurt. On to bachelorette number two.
We brought them back to the event to meet the others. Thankfully, they found the perfect match for their big boy in Daisy. She is much more his speed and from the texts and pictures I received in the following days, she fits perfectly into their family and is loving her new life!
And at the end of the day we head home with not one dog, but two. Go figure. Roxie had no problems at all being introduced to the new foster.
