Coming home is the best

Roxy greets me after work every day with a baroo, just like her brother, Iggy. This is major progress. Until May, she had never made a sound, except for that terrorized howl she gave when having to be boarded at the vet during her heartworm treatments. It is such a happy sound, and makes me know that Roxy really did belong in my family. I can't wait to walk through the door each evening to hear her welcome me to HER home.

Another great month

Roxy continues to blossom. She's playful (actually fetches a ball!) and so sweet. She craves the outdoors and long walks. What I've noticed lately is just how soft her fur is getting. When she first arrived, her fur was so spiky that we could hardly touch her. I think over time it's just going to get softer. She and Iggy are creating a very close bond--and my pack is happy!

Roxy smiles all the time now...

...and so do I. She is such a joy and wonderful addition to my family. She continues to exhibit a full basenji personality. Her energy is unbounded. I still wonder who could have let her get away and leave their family. I can't imagine my life without her.

What a blessing

I struggled with whether adopting Roxy was in her best interest, but her happiness this past week has erased any second thoughts I might have had. She is revealing her "all basenji" personality with all the good and bad that that entails! And I love it all. At age 8, she's quieter than a younger basenji but she still has loads of energy--and she's still a morning dog (I'm a night person!). I've gotten her to wait until 5:50 a.m. to start bugging me to get up, though I keep hoping I'll get the extra 10 minutes when the alarm goes off.

Roxy is now proving to be such a comfort to me in ways I could never imagine. I have had some unexpected orthopedic problems which may take months to resolve. I had a brief surgical procedure on Tuesday and was confined to bed Tuesday and most of Wednesday. Roxy didn't leave my side. She stayed with me and slept at my head (her spot) showing the loyalty and love that I knew she would give her forever family. I am just so lucky it's me.

I am sad that the looooong walks are on hiatus once again, this time for my health issues, but I am doing my best to make her glad she chose me for her family. I can't imagine life without her.

She's mine!

I came home today to find the adoption papers from BRAT in my mailbox. Roxy is mine! She's mine forever. It is so amazing to read back over this blog and see the change in my baby. I cannot believe it's been only five months. It feels like she's been mine forever. I hope she feels that way. I will post new "baby" pictures soon.

She chose me!

I have come to understand that ultimately it was never my decision, but Roxy’s decision. And what I discovered this past week is that Roxy was doing her best to tell me SHE was adopting me. So on this Mother's Day 2009, in addition to a fantastic day with my children who live in town, I completed the adoption papers for Roxy. I can't believe she's going to be mine forever. What a great day!

Failing Fostering 101

There's an actual term for my feelings right now: Failing Fostering 101. Where the foster mom ends up adopting the precious rescue. I am not totally there yet, but I have to admit, since I've acknowledged these new feelings, there is a growing conviction to keep Roxy in my family. And before she came to us, I was in the process of trying to find a female basenji as a playmate for Iggy.

So why the hesitation? Because I honestly believe I've got to choose what's best for her in this whole situation.

I think my attachment is growing, though, because while I haven't mentioned this yet, Roxy developed a lump that was discovered when she went back for her final heartworm checkup. It is a lump on her chest that wasn't there even the day before. All very suspicious and we've been watching it closely.

I couldn't stand not knowing, thinking it might be something horrible, so today I took her in for a needle biopsy. It is only a lipoma--a fatty tumor. I am so relieved! But Iggy was out of sorts again that I took her away, and she was so happy to get home this afternoon. She's back on my bed watching me type. She doesn't go far from me at any time.

Perhaps, as some of the foster advisors are saying, she's choosing me. I've got some heavy thinking to do...