Off-Leash With Claire Valentine & Roxie

Welcome to Off-Leash, a series spotlighting Biche’s community of tastemaking dogs and humans.

For Claire Valentine, naming her dog after a fictional character made perfect sense. Culture Editor at W Magazine, Claire writes about film, TV, music, art, and books for a living. And her Italian Greyhound, Roxie Hart — an homage to the iconic “Chicago” protagonist — certainly acts like the main character.

"She’s sat on my lap and listened in while I’ve interviewed Oscar-winning directors, Grammy-winning musicians, and every type of artist,” Claire says, adding that Roxie has "nearly interrupted a few of those conversations, too.”

Claire got Roxie as a puppy, an experience that she describes as “trial by fire.” Claire credits her partner for coming up with Roxie's unique name. "'Chicago' happened to be playing on TCM, which is always on in the background of my house, the morning we picked her up.”

Ahead, we chat with Claire about her celebrity crush (also fictional), Roxie’s demanding tendencies, and their preferred spot for an off-leash adventure.