Elaine Rolf has had her dog Xena for 10 years. Xena is a Bouvier (technically a Bouvier Des Flanders) a breed that comes from the Flanders region of Belgium. A breeder named Judy Soule near Vancouver, Washington was where Rolf acquired the dog as a "tiny pup".

"She's just a good dog," said Rolf, "She stays home and doesn't rip up the house, which seems like a pretty good thing to me."
Her grooming is handled by Great Dog near Northgate. She's not a great guard dog but "She does have a fierce bark" acknowledged Rolf.
She considered making Xena a show dog for a while, since her parents were both show dogs but the time commitment proved to be too much.

Xena is not a particular eater."When we were training she liked hot dogs and string cheese and she still thinks hot dogs are about as good as anything in the world." Xena learned the commands 'down' and 'stay' in training and, "The one thing she does pretty well is that I can go into a coffee shop and leave her outside with her leash just sitting beside her, said Rolf.

"She's the only dog I've really had as an adult", Rolf said, "I feel very fortunate."

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