The Great Dane Roxie is a purebred Blue Dane who came from a local Indiana breeder. Roxie was born April 7, 2018 and we got Roxie on May 19th of the same year. As a puppy, she was very hyper and a biter. She got along well with people, but often took playing to the extreme which resulted in injury for her playmate. As she got older the puppy phase did not end and her violence continued.Discussions of rehoming her were often had, for the safety of the people in the house as well as the almost constant visitors. Steps were taken to try and put an end to her biting so that she would be able to stay.
Countless puppy teething toys were purchased with the hopes that her aggression would be taken out on a toy instead of her family. Regardless of all the steps taken to help her, Roxie continued to bite and oftentimes drew blood while playing. As a final resort, a shock collar was purchased, and while trying to understand the mechanics, a shock was delivered to Roxie on a high voltage. That was all it took for Roxie to mellow out and end her biting streak.
Another big part of Roxie’s mellowing was the addition of another dog Maggie. She is a basset hound who is on the much smaller side. Maggie came along in late 2019 and Roxie adored her immediately. With such a big size difference between the two puppies, Maggie was often babied by everyone around her. Roxie was so much bigger and her way of playing was often a little too violent for the puppy and everyone was a little too cautious when Roxie got close.
As Roxie got older she developed a problem with her eyes that led to swelling around her eyes and irritation. When taken to the veterinarian it was discovered that her eyelids were growing inverted and the only way to fix it was surgery. Roxie lived with the problem for nearly two years until it became so bad that she was taken in for surgery in 2022. The doctors put Roxie to sleep and cut out the part of her eyelids that were irritated and swollen.
The results were immediate, and she was able to see clearly again with no issue. Once she was at her peak physical health all that she needed to worry about was her mental health. Roxie is not the brightest and she makes sure to tell everyone around her. She is the most unhelpful gardener and eats flowers whenever she has the chance. She makes sure to rip the eyes out of every stuffed toy she has ever had and the ones that she has been told to stay away from. She digs holes in the yard big enough for Maggie to fit in comfortably and is the last one to be aware of anything going on around her.
While Roxie has had her fair share of struggles in her life, these have never once stopped her from being an active member in the house. No matter the mood, she is there to cheer everyone up with a happy doggy face. She makes the people around her happy just by being there and will continue to do so for the rest of her life.
Having a dog like Roxie in my life has helped me through so much and I am forever grateful for her. All dogs are amazing, but Roxie and Great Danes specifically are some of the most loving companions in the world.