30/08/2026
π Sunday Smiles with RDR π
Welcome to Sunday Smiles with RDR β our weekly feel-good feature where we celebrate the wonderful lives our former rescue dogs are enjoying with their forever families. β€οΈ
Every photo, every update and every wagging tail reminds us why we do what we do. Thank you to everyone who keeps in touch with us β your messages never fail to make us smile.
This week's Sunday Smiles comes from our gorgeous Roxie. πΎβ€οΈ
Roxie was adopted from Rochdale Dog Rescue in June 2020, and she has been enjoying life with her forever family ever since. π₯°
Her family recently sent us these wonderful photos along with a fantastic update about all the things Roxie has been getting up to:
π¬ "In June 2020 I adopted Roxie. Being a dog walker, I had visions of spending our days together out in the woods and fields with all Roxie's future friends. However, after a while, Roxie made it clear that she never signed up to a full-time contract and she was really only interested in a part-time position! π
So, we went and explored other activities that we could enjoy together, and it turned out that she LOVES tracking: finding articles that someone has hidden along a route. From an article dropped at a distance of 10 yards, we've progressed to tiny strips of fabric, hidden over an hour ago hundreds of yards away! I can't tell you how proud I was of her when we passed our level 3, our highest club level!
She also loves scentwork, where she finds small pieces of Kong or another scent hidden amongst a pile of bags or in a car. If it involves her nose, Roxie is game! We passed our bronze this year and are now working towards silver.
We've also learned Dog Parkour and she's a dab 'paw' at that as well. Is there anything this girl can't do if she sets her mind to it! We're currently enrolled in a 'movement' course (I call it 'Doggy Pilates'!), which we love too.
Turns out, while walking with her friends is nice, up to a point, Roxie wants to have something to do: she's a very, very clever girl and she wants to use those brains!
And, last but not least: she's also a very dab 'paw' at cuddling up on the sofa next to me and having her tummy tickled while we watch telly. It's only every so often that I have to turn up the sound so I can hear it over her snoring, LOL!
As you hopefully can tell, I absolutely love the bones of her. Roxie is my best friend and my whole family, all wrapped up in one gorgeous brindle fur coat! I cannot thank RDR enough for allowing me to adopt her. Anyone reading this and thinking of adopting a dog: go for it!" β€οΈ
And honestly, this is exactly what Sunday Smiles is all about. π₯°
Roxie's story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes our dogs have their own ideas about what their perfect life should look like! ππΎ
Her adopter had imagined long days walking together with all the other dogs, but Roxie apparently had other plans. A full-time walking contract? Absolutely not. This girl wanted a job! π€£
And what a job she's made for herself.
From tracking and scentwork to Dog Parkour and her "Doggy Pilates", Roxie has discovered exactly what makes her tick β using that brilliant brain and, most importantly, using her nose! ππΎ
Going from finding articles hidden just 10 yards away to following tiny pieces of fabric hundreds of yards away, hidden for over an hour, is an amazing achievement. And passing Level 3, her highest club level, is something her family can rightly be incredibly proud of. πβ€οΈ
She's also passed her Bronze in scentwork and is now working towards Silver. Clearly, Roxie isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon! π
But perhaps the loveliest part of her story is that after all her adventures, training and impressive achievements, Roxie's favourite place can still be right beside her human on the sofa, having her tummy tickled and enjoying a good old-fashioned cuddle.
Although apparently the snoring can sometimes interfere with the television! ππΆπ€
From a dog who wasn't particularly interested in signing up for a full-time walking career to a clever, talented little superstar who has found so many activities she loves, Roxie sounds like she is absolutely thriving.
And we LOVE hearing that. β€οΈ
A huge thank you to Roxie's family for taking the time to send us these beautiful photos and such a wonderful update. It really does mean so much to us to see one of our former RDR dogs enjoying life, discovering what she loves and being so incredibly cherished by her family. β€οΈπΎ
π Has Roxie made you smile today?
If she has, leave us a smiley face in the comments! We'd love to see just how many people our gorgeous girl has made smile this Sunday. β€οΈ
πΎ Could your adopted RDR dog be featured in a future Sunday Smiles with RDR?
We'd love to hear how they're getting on! Simply send us your favourite photos and a little update. Watching our former rescue dogs living happy, loved lives is the highlight of our week.
β€οΈ And if you're thinking about adopting, perhaps one of the dogs currently in our care could be featured in a future Sunday Smiles with RDR. Visit our website to meet the wonderful dogs waiting for their own happy ending.
Have a wonderful Sunday! πΎβ€οΈ