Goodbye, Our Little Rock Star—We Still Love You So

It breaks our hearts eport
the passing of Roxie “Rock Star” Patterson, a little wiggly slip of a
dog with an exuberant personality as big as a 20,000-seat stadium. Roxie was
rescued 11 years ago by PETA cruelty caseworkers after one of the other dogs in
her home killed the family’s cat and started eyeing her next. The caseworkers
discovered that poor little Roxie was also being bullied by the family
patriarch because she wasn’t “macho” enough. Roxie won the heart of
former PETA Foundation Director Jannette Patterson and thereafter went with her
everywhere. She seemed to enjoy flying and napping under Jannette’s airplane
seat, always ready to give her a smooch upon arrival.

We knew Roxie by another name,
too—”Noodlehead,” for her silly natural ’80s
hairband hairdo. She became internationally famous after she was featured on
the cover of Animal Times and the
PETA calendar, on PETA holiday cards, and in this spay-and-neuter public
service announcement with John
McEnroe. She was even chosen
by the New York Daily News as New York
City’s Ugliest Dog (go figure).

To commemorate the 11 years that she
shared with Roxie, Jannette is dedicating the next 11 days to helping other animals
who are abused, as Roxie once was. For every dollar that Jannette spends on
non-essential items (such as shoes, clothing, books, and coffee-shop
lattes) during the next 11 days, she is going to donate an equal amount to PETA’s
“Roxie Rules”
Matching Fund—and she’s asking
her friends, family, and fellow PETA members to do the same.

We know that Roxie’s passing leaves a big hole in Jannette’s
heart and in the universe. We are grateful that Jannette, in typically kind
Jannette fashion, has chosen to channel her grief into helping us rescue the next
canine rock star out there waiting for a chance to show everyone what she’s
got. Rock on, Roxie.