A Girl's Best Friend

People usually think twice before getting close to Roxy.

Roxy has always been an important part of my life. I don’t think I could function normally without her, and I’ve always been super appreciative of having her by my side at all times. Even though she is a huge asset to my well-being, I’ve never really been sure if she would actually protect me when faced with a real threat. When out at night or alone, she gives me a sense of safety and reassurance, because people generally take one look at her and if they aren’t dog people, they stay away. Her physical prowess, stand-offish demeanor, and wolf-like appearance are usually enough to keep people at a respectable distance. 

But take a minute to get to know her, and you see that she is pretty much just a big cuddly teddy bear. She is scared of thunderstorms and loud noises. She doesn’t like change and develops irrational fears. When faced with a scary situation she barks and snarls from a distance, but usually cowers, hides, or runs away if forced to face her fear. I know that she is very loyal and obviously has a strong bond with me, but I was never really confident that she would actually be of any use in the face of a true threat. 

My big goofball. Good at being spoiled and taking up the whole bed. Obviously not intimidating... or so I thought.

Everyone survived Roxy's warning, and play of the odd game resumed.

Well my doubts were put to rest today. This afternoon we were just relaxing and enjoying the sun in a wide open grassy field on the campus of Indiana University. There were many people out enjoying the beautiful weather, including a group of men playing some game that involved hitting a ball with a large wooden club (it wasn’t baseball, I have no idea what the game was). At one point their ball accidentally got hit in my direction and came to rest right beside me. One of the men came sprinting over with the club in hand to retrieve the ball, and Roxy sprang into action. I have never seen her act this way before. My usually skittish and fearful ball of fur was lunging forward, hackles raised and teeth barred. She looked like the dogs you see in the police k9 training videos. There was no doubt as to what she was trying to do, the man with the club was a threat and she was trying to protect me. I was in awe. 

The fact that Roxy could tell the difference between something that might just scare her, and something that is a threat to my well-being is just amazing. Usually when she is scared her first instinct is to run away or cower, but when the threat was directed toward me, she jumped right in to intervene. She didn’t show any glimmer of fear or hesitation.  I will admit, in this scenario I wasn’t actually in any danger, but the fact that she perceived a man running at me with a club as a threatening situation made me really proud.

I know some people may disagree with my decision, but I did not chide or scold Roxy for her behavior. I am about to venture out on a 2,100 mile hike through the wilderness alone. People have asked me all sorts of ridiculous questions like: Are you bringing a gun? What about a knife? What about the bears? I've tried to suppress any lingering fears, but in all honesty, my biggest fear is the people I will be encountering on the trail and in towns. I don’t want to be paranoid and pessimistic, but the world we live in is unfortunately full of people who do dreadful things. Obviously I don’t want to encourage Roxy to be violent or unpredictable, but when a threat arises, I appreciate her intuitiveness and intervention. As I embark on this epic journey, I now feel even more confident knowing that by my side I have an amazing creature who will put her own fears aside in order to protect me. I couldn’t be more proud of Roxy. She truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me. 

Besties for life!