Happy Birthday, Dixie!

Nine years ago today, we had an addition to our family. Dixie and her littermates were born on New Year's Eve 1999 and New Year's Day 2000.

This picture is of Dixie (on the left) and Bear at about 3 months old. They were small enough that they would both climb up into the planter on my patio and go to sleep.

In the first year, she was a bad dog. She chewed everything except the chew toys. She chewed the benches on the picnic table. She chewed every last shoe that was in her reach (including one very new, very expensive boot!). She even chewed the wiring out of Vol Fan's trailer. She almost didn't live to tell that tale!

This dog bed lasted all of a week. Apparently, Dixie is not a fan of the Volunteers. I came home one day to Dixie sitting calmly in the middle of our den. The den was covered in pieces of foam, none were larger than an inch!

But through all of this, she has wriggled and squirmed her way into our lives and our hearts. And somehow has become the best dog in the world.

Not spoiled much, is she?

She loves children. When Pita was a baby and would come to stay with us, Dixie would get very upset if she cried. She would walk in circles around her crib and give me looks that said "You really need to do something!" If she was sleeping, she would walk into the room where she was and peek into the crib every few minutes, checking on her.

This is Dixie's first litter of puppies. And yes, that's Weezy visiting them.

She loves riding in the car. All I have to do is say "Let's go" or shake my car keys and she is sitting by the door with her nub wagging. Being on the road like I am, I love having a mean-looking dog next to me.

Dixie is very protective of me. She knows when something is wrong and won't leave my side. If I am sick enough to be in bed, she sleeps on the rug on the floor. She also sleeps there if Vol Fan is gone. When he is back, she is content that I am protected and will go sleep in her bed.

Back in her younger days, she would sneak and sleep on the couch. She knew she was not supposed to be on the furniture. So she would start out the night in her bed. She would give us a couple of hours to go to sleep and she would move to the couch in my office, which is at the very opposite end of the house from our bedroom. When Vol Fan's alarm would go off, she would get off of the couch and go back to her bed.

Dixie also used to love jumping the fence in our back yard. She would stand at the gate, watching us leave. Then she would jump the fence and roam the neighborhood. When she heard our car, she would run home and jump back into the fence to wait at the gate like she had been there the entire time. One day I'll tell you about the Dog-Catcher Run-In of 2005.

She is starting to slow down now. Her face is graying. She can't jump quite as high or run quite as fast. But she has a special spot in my heart. One day I hope to be the person that she thinks I am.