a car hit me in 40+ car interstate pileup

03-26-211 min read

Roxie and I were involved in a 40+ car pileup on the Interstate during an ice storm. Here's what happened. By Jody Dean.

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Words by Jody Dean | As Told By Gunner | ROAD WARRIORS SERIES

Highway 70 is not exactly anybody’s favorite highway out in Missouri. All of a sudden, here came a car and hit me, right at that corner where Roxie was in her Gunner Kennels Small crate, and it was a pretty good slam.

She was fine. She was absolutely fine.  I know that if it was to happen again, that I’m pretty sure my dog’s going to be okay. That’s priceless to me. 

Roxie changed my life and caused sort of a paradigm shift in what I was doing. She was the dog that got me into dog sports. Earthdog Competitions began as a simulated way to test a dog, which means literally to go underground to search for quarry and alert the hunter. So far, she’s earned an EE3, which is three championships essentially. Another thing Roxie competes in is scent work, and there are two primary organizations that she competes with. One is the National Association of Canine Scent Work, and she’s got her NW2. 

About 4 years ago, I woke up one morning and decided I would write a couple books and I would feature Roxie as the main character: Roxie the Doxie Finds Her Forever Home. Basically this chronicles Roxie’s adventure from foster care, if you will, to her forever home. It’s an opportunity to tee up a conversation about adoption, about a different situation than their child may be facing or maybe living in.

Roxie, and my other dogs, they’re my teammates, and we work as a team when we go out, whether we’re doing scent work or we’re just crittering out here in the yard. Or maybe we’re bumping a bunny and she’s following a line, it’s fun, it’s teamwork. The opportunity to get to work with them is really special, and I’m grateful to have them.

Read more Gunner Road Warrior stories: “I flipped my truck and my dog survived“