October 21, 2005 a pair of newlyweds decided that their townhouse needed a second dog. We had been searching for a few weeks for the right personality to go with Copper’s cantankerous charm. We knew when we saw a mangy white dog being brought in that she was the one. We waited a long week to get her and we were first in line the next Saturday after her 7 day waiting period was over. I never ever would have believed we would have her for over 16 years!

On October 28, 2005 Roxy became an integral part of our growing Murphy family. From the moment she got into the jeep she was the boss and she and Mike were inseparable. He had to hold her the whole way home and even had to sleep with her in the guest bedroom, Copper wasn’t quite sure about his new sister. But she helped us all grow right from the start.

Once settled we nursed her back to health, healing her mange, helping her put on weight, and become accustomed to her new life.

Roxy and Copper were good for each other. She gave him a playmate, even if he didn’t always want one. Roxy loved going for walks and exploring the townhouse development and desperately missed her dad on his long wrestling days.

The move to Floyd gave this country girl all the room she needed to roam. We would open the door and she would sprint down the hill and run back up before we could even come off the porch. This frantic running would soon be known as “Hyper Rox”. She got her thrills chasing after deer but we had to be careful of all the other wild critters. The commute to work was much shorter so that meant more time with her favorite person. However, she would soon lose her pal Copper to cancer (and lots of other things). Roxy continued to enjoy nature.

The time would come to expand The Murphy family as we welcomed Canton. Roxy was immediately smitten and protective of her baby. One of my most vivid memories of Roxy was when she bit Pap on the neck when he got too close to Canton. Roxy and Canton became fast pals and enjoyed looking out the window together.

The move to Harrisonburg shrunk her yard but probably was better as she began to age. She also had two more babies to protect throughout the time on Koffee Lane. Roxy didn’t care for the wildlife quite as much, she was attacked by a mama bluejay, but she did love the neighborhood walks and her buddy Rascus.

Williamsburg gave her the right size yard for her aging body. She loved to chase the squirrels, rabbits, our neighbor Conner, and bark at the dogs behind us.

Covid was a bit of a blessing for Roxy. Her dad has been with her every day and kept her going. Unfortunately time doesn’t slow down. June 1, 2021 she was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease and given three months. Against all odds we had her for a year. During that year she enjoyed her dad and expanded her palate getting whatever she wanted to eat like steak, bacon, and turkey and had all the belly rubs she could ask for.

Over this past weekend we came to the difficult decision it was time to ease Roxy’s pain. She has been hanging on for a long time because of Mike’s love, and maybe a little for her love of cuisine. It took a lot of tears but this was the last gift of love we could do for her. Everyone deserves the love of an animal like Roxy. We are comforted knowing we gave her a home for 16 years, she went from a dumpster to knowing she was cared for and loved every single day.

Roxy, thank you for the unconditional love. You loved us on our good days and more importantly on our bad days. You have been a constant presence in our lives and we will always be thankful for the time you gave us. The world would be a much better place if humans could love like dogs. Thank you for being with us as we grew our family and protecting them along the way. Enjoy your paradise! We love you!!!