In November 2009, Alanna made a pilgrimage with some friends for the Thanksgiving holiday to North Carolina. Fate stepped in and Alanna ended up at a nearby home with more than 50 little dogs running around a filthy yard fenced in with electric wire. The food was spread on the ground, and the dogs received very little personal attention. While the owner of the household certainly did his best to love all his pups, some, of course, inevitably slipped through the cracks.
The moment Alanna arrived at the property, she spied a little tri-colored mutt standing on the outskirts of the yipping, jumping mayhem. Alanna tugged on her friend’s shoulder and said, “That’s the one.” Little Roxy had never been held or touched in her four months of life and it was a rough and tumble beginning for the pair. The first night, Roxy sat in a La-Z-Boy with her eyes wide open, not wanting to eat anything or make friends with anyone. The next day, Roxy and Alanna went to the local beach, and Roxy trotted behind Alanna as she walked along. The second night, Roxy jumped onto the couch in the living room where Alanna was sleeping, and the rest is history.
Since then, Roxy has accompanied Alanna at teacher trainings, workshops and conferences. She went through 4 teacher trainings at Pure Yoga in New York City, visited the Telluride Yoga Conference twice, and is well loved at Love Yoga in Naples, Florida. She’s a yoga dog, and has even given some adjustments (her specialty is camel pose) and shows students a proper downward dog. Every now and again, she’ll pipe in during a dharma talk when she thinks something is particularly important. Batman has Robin, Ram has Hanuman, and Alanna has Roxy.
Being with Roxy has changed Alanna’s life – it’s remarkable to be exposed to that kind of unconditional love. Every year, Alanna holds the Podcast for Puppies drive during the month of December when she donates all proceeds from her podcasts to support the ASPCA. Hopefully this is one way Roxy and Alanna can support other puppies who haven’t found their star-fated match yet. Our job as yogis is to help alleviate suffering wherever we can, and Alanna and Roxy hope to do it one puppy at a time.