Roxie’s Great Adventure

My name is Roxie. Folks tell me I am a certain kind of dog called a Boston Terrier. I am 15 years old, mostly blind, mostly deaf and often forgetful like most old people. Remember, for a dog, 15 is really old! Before I forget the details, I want to tell you about my great adventure.

First, let me tell you how I got to be where I am. I don’t remember much about my puppyhood but when I was about two years old, my first mistress got married. Somehow, during the excitement, I got left on an open porch overnight in freezing weather. My ears and my nose got frostbitten. 

Because her new husband already had two other bigger dogs, my mistress decided I needed a new home. The vet who treated my frostbite knew an older lady who was looking to adopt a younger dog to be friends with her aging Boston Terrier named Rascal. It was a perfect match and I went to my new home.

Rascal was great, he even let me sleep with him. I could tell you lots of stories about my next 13 years but this story is about my Great Adventure.

Last Christmas, my mistress decided she would spend the holidays with her son’s family.  She could not take me with her on the airplane, but her friend Miss Sue, who was my friend, too, said she would keep me at her house until my mistress came home. Because I’m almost blind and deaf, my mistress knew I would be very unhappy in a boarding kennel. It was fine at Miss Sue’s house. I made some new friends but I did miss my mistress and my home.

After a week, Miss Sue gathered up all my stuff and we got in her car. She said we were going to the airport to pick up my mistress and then I would be going home. Hooray!!

At the airport, Miss Sue parked in the cell phone parking lot to wait for my mistress to call her after the airplane landed. We waited for a while. The car got very warm inside. Miss Sue decided she needed to take off her coat. She opened the car door and stepped out. That was when I decided I needed to go to the bathroom so I got out, too. Unfortunately, Miss Sue did not see me slip out and that was the beginning of my Great Adventure.

Her phone rang and it was my mistress telling her to come on down to arrivals. Miss Sue jumped back in the car and drove away. When I finished doing my business and tried to find the car, it was gone.

I don’t see very well but I went to every car in that cell phone lot looking for Miss Sue. I was really scared because it was cold and noisy and cars were coming and going. I was afraid one would hit me because I’m a very little dog.

Most of the people in the cars did not even see me but finally a lady opened her door. She said, “I can’t believe anyone would drop you here.”

I jumped in her lap and tried to tell her it wasn’t Miss Sue’s fault I was so glad she let me get in her car, out of that awful, cold place, I guess I didn’t make her understand that I was left accidentally, not on purpose.

Her phone rang and the lady put me in the back seat. As we were driving down to arrivals, she stopped an airport policeman and told him someone had dropped me and she was taking me with her. I was SO happy not to be in that cell phone parking lot. I  didn’t think about maybe never seeing my mistress or Miss Sue again.

The nice lady picked up her sister and we drove out of the airport. She told her sister, who was visiting from someplace called Idaho, all about finding me abandoned in the parking area. Her sister was talking on the phone to her husband back home in Idaho. She told him about me and later in my Great Adventure, this was very important.

We drove a long way from the airport in Tennessee to a place called Hopkinsville in Kentucky where the lady lived. I met a lot of people including the lady’s grandchildren who took me outside to do my business and played with me whenever I was up to it. Those kids had a lot more energy than I do. I even got to sleep with one of the children which was great as I am used to sleeping with someone. I missed my home and my mistress but everyone was really nice to me. They were not looking for my mistress because they thought someone had deliberately dropped me because of my age and because I am blind and deaf.

I found out later that Miss Sue and my mistress were trying everything they could think of to find me. They called all of the animal shelters and the TV stations. They posted a blog on social media and asked all their friends to share it with everyone. I was told it went as far as Florida and Massachusetts. Channel 17 in Nashville even put me on the news.

After two whole days, my mistress must have given up any hope of ever seeing me again. Then, up in Hopkinsville, the telephone rang. It was the sister’s husband out in Idaho.

He told her, “That dog was not abandoned, they are looking everywhere for her! Call this number. I saw their blog on Craig’s List lost and found.”

He was shopping on Craig’s List, saw me and called his wife right away. It was very late on Sunday evening when my Kentucky lady friend called my mistress to tell her where I was. My mistress and Miss Sue got directions and said they would drive to Hopkinsville in the morning to get me. Then my mistress called Channel 17 to tell them I was found safe and sound thanks to posting on all the media.

(We found out later that my mistress’ friend in Boston saw my post on Facebook and posted it to a friend who posted on Craig’s list.)

A reporter from Channel 17 called my mistress early Monday morning to ask if he could bring a photographer and record the reunion when my mistress came to get me in Kentucky. He wanted it for a “human interest” story.

When my mistress, followed by the Channel 17 news van, got to where I was, I was sitting on the couch with the lady’s grandchildren. There were several grownups there and two other dogs.

I ran to my mistress when I heard her voice and she scooped me up and loved me. Miss Sue was crying she was so relieved to see me. Everyone was talking at once. The kids were fascinated by the big shoulder-held news camera and the reporter..

One of the bigger boys said, “Roxie is so excited, I bet she has to pee!” (He was right.) My mistress put me down and I made it outside just in time. It would have been so embarrassing to pee right in front of all those people and the camera. When I came back in the house, one of the really little kids crawled all around after me and the photographer took pictures. It was exciting and lots of fun.

Finally we all said “goodbye” and my mistress and Miss Sue thanked everyone especially the nice lady who picked me up at the airport. The reporter and photographer also said “thank you” and left. I was so tired when I got in my car I slept all the way home.

You have no idea how good it felt to be in my own house that night in bed with my mistress. Did I tell you she lets me sleep on the foot of her bed, even under the covers in the winter time?

When we watched the evening news on Channel 17, I saw all of us on television and the reporter told my story. He stressed how important it is to post on social media if you lose a pet. He told how far my post went and said he doubted I would ever have gotten home if it were not for everyone who got the word out.