book is in its second printing. Folks fight over the limited first editions on eBay, bidding more than $100 a copy!
Celebrating our area's four-legged, feathered and finned friends
By Patience Renzulli
April 25, 2010
Dixie English
You’ve met our featured iDate of the Week, the beautiful Rachel English. Now meet Dixie, her beautiful Golden Retriever mix! Just hold on to your cell phone charger…
Tell us about Dixie!
Dixie (or Dixie Cup, Dixie Doodle Dandy, Dixie Chicken or Dixie Sticks to those who love her the most) is a Golden Retriever mix, although the at-home DNA test — the kind where you swab the inside of their mouth and send it off to “the lab” — says she is 75 percent Saint Bernard, 15 percent Schnauzer and 10 percent Great Dane. Hah!
She’s approximately 9 months old. Since she was a shelter dog, no one really knows when she was born. I’ve picked her birthday to be Aug. 1, 2009, since the vets believe her to have been born some time in August.
Her favorite hobbies include holding her own leash in her mouth when she goes out “to potty,” playing with her friends that have fenced in backyards, chewing up plastic hangers and ink pens and fishing (she and I love to do this together). She also has a strange and intense interest in and fear of vacuum cleaners. Dixie is looking forward to learning how to be a more confident swimmer this summer!
How did you get her?
I adopted Dixie from the Marshall County Humane Society in November 2009. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to adopt her because only a few months prior, I lost my previous dog, Bear. I adopted him in college and he was a drop-off at Patti’s 1800s Settlement, where I was working at the time. He and I had been through a lot together and when he passed away, I didn’t think I’d be able to own another pet for a while. However, when I moved out of my dad’s house and into my own place downtown, I thought that although it may have been too soon, a new home and a new phase in life called for a new dog. We could start fresh together.
What do you love best about Dixie?
Her companionship and loyalty. She’s young and a little too curious at times (especially when it comes to exploring things with her teeth), but I can see a willingness in her to learn and an eagerness to please. I think with more training for her (and myself), she will mature into an even more wonderful friend than she already is.
Going to sleep with her next to me on the floor and waking up with her in the same spot every morning gives me a feeling of contentment and stability. I can count on her and I hope that she knows she can always count on me.
What’s the most challenging part of owning a dog?
I’d say that the most challenging part of owning a dog in my present living situation (aka no fenced in back yard) is making sure Dixie gets enough attention and exercise. At the end of my work day, sometimes all I want to do is come home and relax on the couch. But then I remember that she has been confined to “Dixieland” all day, and it’s not fair for me to deny her the exercise she needs and desires. Once we get out and get going, I can tell how much she is enjoying it and it makes me happy to see her happy. It’s a great incentive for me to get a little exercise, too!
How has Dixie changed your life?
Dixie has changed my life in the funniest of ways! I grew up with black, short-haired dogs and am just now getting to experience the fun of long blonde hairs all over the place that don’t belong to ME! Her hair ends up in places she could never even dream of going just because of the transfer of fur from the house to my clothes to my car to my office to my coworkers’ coats to their cars and to their homes. It’s so hilarious!
Seriously, though, taking care of Dixie provides to me the kind of responsibility I need in my life to keep me grounded and focused. I’ve always thrived on being a care taker, and I get genuine gratification in being accountable for her, her health and her happiness.
What’s your best pet advice?
To have a pet, you must have a sense of humor and a willingness to let some things go. My mama always said that for her, “it wouldn’t be a normal cup of coffee in the morning without a dog hair in it.” These things happen and instead of fighting it (which can be downright futile), just laugh it off and let it roll. Fur balls in the corner of the living room aren’t the end of the world, and neither is a chewed up cell phone charger. We learn as they learn. It’s never going to be perfect, but it will always be fulfilling.
And I love this quote: “I only hope to be half the person my dog thinks I am.”
