Rox had lead a rather charmed life, for a dog. As an Animalian, she could remember many aspects of her life and winning various dog shows, or at least winning "best in breed" before going on to face other breeds. She knew it was something that made her a prized Great Dane, though she eventually was too old to really stay on that circuit. Between the requirements for health, and that show dogs were often bred to keep that sort of "line going," Rox understood the business, and that in turn lead her owner to retire to Lyre in Nevada. It was a small town and Rox would be free to live out her golden years in retirement.
However, after that, came the accident that spilled the Animalia Virus into the stream that ran through the Brown's ranch and ultimately fed the drinking water that went into Lyre. That lead to a massive change in Rox's life, and ultimately her owner's life as well, though that wasn't the immediate change. For the Animalia Virus on its own didn't seem to affect Humans, it had to be connected to some other animal's DNA in order to turn the Human into an Animalian. But with animals, the Animalia Virus made them into beings that were quite well developed and on par with Humans in many ways. It was only after becoming an Animalian that Rox came to find her owner's attention and care for her over the years meant more than just a relationship between owner and pet, or best friends. He was more than that, which her presently gravid womb was an indicator of, and as she waited for the interview with Animalia Ambassadoria, she thought back on the day she became an Animalian... now years ago.
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Following her owner at times wasn't easy, as while Rox wasn't conscious to the concept of her age at the time, that didn't change the effect that age had on her. She was old for a Great Dane; in fact, she was positively ancient for a Great Dane. The breed's average lifespan was eight to ten years, and some of the oldest known individuals were twelve when old age claimed them. The fact that Rox was around twenty was something of a minor miracle and had earned a Guiness Book of Records entry for one of the oldest, if not the oldest, living dog for her breed. But for the moment, she really didn't care about that. She cared for her owner, who had pampered her for years and helped her with everything.
He was a kind man, who'd grown up in the Bronx and managed to get her as a puppy from a very good breeder as part of a gift from a wealthy relative. From there, he doted on her, trained her, and even managed to find time for fun. From there, as the two of them got along, Rox had been entered in some dog shows and did well for her breed and had some puppies along the way. Her owner was also always there and hugged her when her puppies went off to new homes, and in that he was always kind. At the time, that made him her best friend and she would always stay with him.
"Easy, girl," her owner said to her, "I'm just getting you your water. Just relax."
Rox only whimpered and looked up to him. She could see the morning sunlight coming in through the kitchen window and glinting off the metal fixtures. The big thing was more the sound of water hitting the metal bowl that her water came it. It was a fairly routine thing that Rox was long used to. And he had the calm and friendly voice he always had, though sometimes it sounded pained, like something was eating at him. Rox really didn't know why her owner would look to her and smile and then sometimes frown. Was he scared of something? Did he feel frustrated that her hips hurt? He was always trying to find something that he said should make her comfortable. It all sounded nice, but the big thing for Rox was more just to be with him. Her hips hurt at times, but just being close to her owner was all that mattered.
"Here you go, girl," her owner, Fred Dankly, said to her as he laid the water dish before her.
Rox approached and was soon lapping up the water. It was slow at first, but she did gain some speed. Some of it came along with an odd sensation that was going through her body. The issues with her hips seemed to be reversing and were actually starting to feel better, though there was an odd feeling like they were flaring out wider than they were supposed to be. Some of this only puzzled Rox, and she looked up to Fred, and found that he was even more surprised than she was. As her forepaws had the digits begin to lengthen and gain some dexterity, she watched Fred's eyes practically bulge out of their sockets. It came with so many odd sensations and she found herself letting her knees come to the ground and arch her back up, while her shoulders flared out a little to let her forelimbs take on a new position so that they could function like Human arms. The move also made Rox discovered that she was also growing relatively large Human-like breasts, though they seemed rounder and firmer than those on the female judges that had been there for the dog shows she'd been to.
"Fred?!" Rox managed as she looked to him, her voice half sounding like a whine for the moment, "what... is happening to me..."
"This all happened on that farm," Fred said slowly.
"Farm?" Rox asked as she stood up, finding herself able to balance on two legs and feeling rather happy that Fred was still looking to her, and as some understanding of him and his actions began to hit her. He'd looked pained or sad at times, because he knew she was old for a Great Dane and didn't want her to die because he loved her. It made her realize she loved him too.
"Animalia," Fred answered and began to explain what had happened over the summer on the Brown Farm...
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"And of course from there... I explained my love for him," Rox thought to herself, "and that a lot of it came from all the care he gave me over the years."
She then looked down to her womb and rubbed it, "and while we didn't become bond-mates that day... it did come, and when it did, I got my second dose and double dosed Fred... From there, we've actually sat as judges for some dog shows, or at least contests comparing Great Danes. And then we decided to start OUR family and will have puppies that won't be sold away... and Fred's learned so much on how to show canine joy..."
Rox gave a small smile and thought to herself, "I've taught him so well..."