Dear Roxy,

It’s been a year since you left, and I still don’t know how to measure time without you in it.

I think about you constantly—in the quiet moments, in the work I do, in the choices that come from wanting to protect others the way I wish I could have protected you sooner.

I hate that your life began in cruelty. I hate that you were used and hurt and forced to survive things no dog ever should. You didn’t deserve that pain. You deserved safety from the very beginning.

And yet, somehow, you trusted again. You loved again. You softened hearts that didn’t even realize they needed it. You changed me in ways I can’t undo—and wouldn’t want to.

I carry guilt for the years you lost. I always will. But I also carry pride. Pride in your strength. Pride in the way your life became a turning point, not just for me, but for dogs who will never know your name and will never have to suffer because of what your story awakened.

Because of you, dogs are being rescued.

Because of you, cruelty is being confronted instead of ignored.

Because of you, your pain is being transformed into protection for others.

You didn’t just survive.

You gave your suffering meaning.

I miss you more than words can hold. I wish I could feel your presence again, just for a moment. If love could have saved you, you would still be here beside me.

I promise you this: I will keep going. I will keep fighting. I will keep telling the truth about what you endured so fewer dogs ever have to endure it again.

Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for staying gentle in a world that wasn’t.

Thank you for changing everything.

I carry you with me—always.

Love,
Douglas