As the countdown to Roxy’s 10th birthday nears its end (only one week away!) I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the things that make Roxy special. There are far too many qualities that endear this perfect creature to me to list them all, but I’ll quickly run through the top highlights for you.

1. Her affinity for tennis balls. I wish I loved anything as much as Roxy loves tennis balls (well, I think I love her and Cash that much!)

2. Her brindle stripes.

3. Her snoring.

4. How brave she is in the water, she puts her face right under in her attempts to search for said treasured tennis balls!

5. How protective she is of her brother. If another dog messes with Cash, regardless of their size, Roxy will promptly hand them the most savage beating of their lives. (And I mean beating! No teeth, just fists).

6. When she sits on my pillow right next to my face. This, despite her habit of breaking wind ever-so-silently.

7. How tough she is. Nothing phases this dog. She could be found roughhousing with Cash in the backyard the day after she had her eye removed, and has never let her blindness hinder her sense of adventure.

8. Her violent aversion to stuffed squirrels. She reigns over her collection of squeaky squirrel toys with an iron fist. After brutalising them she’ll drag them into her teepee and surround herself with her fuzzy-tailed minions.

9. Her tiny, white teeth. At nearly 10 years old, she still has sparkling clean chompers.

10. How forgiving she is. I was 18 when I first got Roxy and didn’t know a thing about training a head-strong Pug. The only style of reinforcement I knew was the ‘alpha’ system which I’ve come to learn is incredibly ineffective. I yelled at her sometimes, and feel really, really bad about it. But she’s totally forgotten all about it and still treats me like her best friend in the whole world.