When Roxxie, a gentle 5-year-old pit bull, finally left the shelter in Indiana, the staff celebrated.
She had always been known for her soft eyes and loving heart — the kind of dog who leaned in close for every hug. Her new family seemed like the perfect match.
They had kids, a warm home, and plenty of space for her to run.
Returned For Loving Too Much
But just two weeks later, Roxxie was back at the Huntington County Humane Society. The reason stunned everyone. Her adopters said she was too affectionate.
They explained that she constantly wanted to sleep beside them, always craving attention and cuddles. The shelter staff offered to help train her to sleep in her own bed, but the family declined.
For them, her love was simply too much. For Roxxie, though, it was heartbreak.
Back inside her kennel, the happy, playful pit bull was gone. She curled into a ball, quiet and still, refusing to come out even when volunteers opened the door.
“It was like she’d lost hope,” one staff member said later. “She didn’t understand what she’d done wrong.”
The Internet Falls In Love
When the shelter shared Roxxie’s story online, they didn’t expect what would happen next. Thousands of people saw her picture — a dog who had been returned not for misbehavior or aggression, but for loving too deeply.
Messages poured in from all over the country.
People were angry, confused, and touched all at once. Many couldn’t believe anyone would send her back for being affectionate.
Others thanked the shelter for showing the gentle side of pit bulls, a breed so often misunderstood.
Within days, adoption applications flooded in — nearly 30 of them.
Families wrote about how they longed for a dog like Roxxie, one who wanted nothing more than to be close to her people. But one family stood out right away: the Chases, from Illinois.
They had recently lost their beloved rescue dog, Lucy, who also loved to curl up in bed. After a year of grieving, they were finally ready to open their home again.
With six rescue cats and gentle hearts, they saw something special in Roxxie’s story. They packed up the car and drove three hours just to meet her.
The moment they arrived, everyone could tell it was right. Roxxie wagged her tail for the first time in weeks.
She pressed her head into their hands and didn’t want to let go. The shelter staff knew instantly — this was her family.
A Cuddle-Filled New Beginning
The next morning, the shelter held a small sendoff. Staff members lined up outside, clapping as Roxxie walked out the door for her second chance. Her tail wagged wildly.
When she saw the Chases waiting by their van, she jumped straight in, ready to go home.
On the drive, her new mom, Jessica Chase, couldn’t stop smiling. Roxxie pressed her face to the window, tongue out, soaking in the new sights.
Jessica decided a new name would mark her new life: Lady Olivia Huntington, or Livvie for short.
At home, Livvie’s personality bloomed almost instantly.
The first thing she did was leap onto the family’s bed, curling up like she’d always belonged there. Jessica and her husband, Dan, just laughed. “She’s perfect,” Jessica said. “There’s no such thing as too affectionate.”
Livvie quickly bonded with the family’s twin daughters, Annaliese and Kirsten. Every afternoon, she races to the front door to greet them after school, tail wagging furiously.
The girls wrap their arms around her neck, giggling as she showers them with kisses.
Each night, Livvie curls up beside Jessica, resting her head close before drifting off to sleep — right where she’s happiest. For her, love is the only thing she knows how to give.
And her love has reached far beyond her new home. Roxxie’s story, shared by the Humane Society, inspired fifteen other adoptions at the shelter.
Dogs who had waited months — some years — found homes because people were moved by her story of resilience.
Jessica often thinks about how someone once saw Livvie’s affection as a flaw. “To us, it’s what makes her so special,” she said softly. “She reminds us every day how lucky we are.”
For Roxxie — now Lady Olivia Huntington — love was never the problem. She just needed the right family to understand that a heart like hers should never be returned.