This post is in memory of Dixie, our puppy we lost to a car at 10 months old. She quickly became a part of our family and stole our hearts. Even my heart, no matter how hard I tried to not let her in. Don't get me wrong, I love animals! But, this dog was for my husband and kids. I took care of the family and the cat. I didn't want to take care of something else and Mr. C was willing to do all the work for the dog. If he saw that I got just as attached, I thought might loose all the help I had with her.
But, I am a total animal person! I LOVE animals. All kinds! They are just one of those amazing creations that are a complete gift to humans from God. (The only thing that would make them better is if they could pee and poop in the toilet.) Growing up, I always had cats as pets, in fact, I can't think of a time that I lived without a pet until I lost my last cat at 27. When I was little, I always dreamt of having a pet bear, a real live bear. Particularly a polar bear, but any bear would do. Dogs are wonderful also, I just have trouble with the smell. Needless to say, Dixie quickly won my heart and in secret when no one was looking, I'd sit and snuggle with her. She was a licker, but knew I didn't like to be licked, so she would put her face right on my cheek for a hug.
Vizsla's are know as the velcro dog. They love their people, want to please and they always stay close. They also have a ton of energy.
Mr. C always wanted a dog that could go everywhere with us and one that could keep up. Dixie was certainly that! I wanted a dog that didn't stink. Well, guess what, Vizslas don't stink! Yeah, give them a couple weeks of no bath and a 100 degree day where they are running around outside, it's like a kid, they will get a little stinky. But on a regular basis, Dixie did not have dog smell. I could pet her and not walk away with stinky hands.
Dixie certainly could keep up. In fact she wouldn't stop going when we were out. We had to put limits on her since she was still a puppy. When she was at the beach she would run and leap through the waves forever. If we'd go to the sand, she would dig like she was digging to china! She just loved it all.
At home as long as she got her hour play time/walk in the morning, she would be resting where ever most people were in the house.
Dixie was alway so happy when she was allowed to sit on the couch with us. No matter how little room there was she would find a way to fit.
After about a month of swimming and lots of encouraging with unlimited treats Dixie finally went in the water on her own. It didn't take long before she was swimming circles in the pool. She especially loved swimming to the kids and licking their faces to death. Now that it's winter, she would go and sit in the spa with us too.
Dixie would play hard and sleep hard.
Vizslas are such snuggle dogs and Dixie was true to her breed. Her second favorite place to sleep was in her cozy cave. Her first favorite place to sleep was deep under the covers right up next to Mr. C.
This picture is just cute. She loved to roll in dirt or the dead grass after we turned out water off because of the drought.
One thing Mr. C loved to do with Dixie was go out to the park so she can stalk rabbits. She would creep up to the storage bins going really slow and peek her head around waiting till she found something to charge. It was really funny to watch.
When I was cooking, Dixie loved to sit on my kitchen rug that was on top of my gel mat. It was supposed to be to keep my feet from getting sore, but Dixie wouldn't leave any room for me.
It's like a big cat! C reads before bed and Dixie would love to snuggle up right on top of him.
One of Dixie's favorite places was the desert. We camp there and Dixie would have so much fun playing in the circle of trailers, running around with her friend Dallas, occasionally coming by and sitting by the fire for about 5-10 minutes before she would be off again chasing RC cars, looking for rabbits or going shooting with a group of people. She would get so tired that we would have to put her in the trailer with the door shut to get her to rest. She would look out the window for about 10 minutes then finally give in, snuggle in her cozy cave and be out to the world.
All pooped out after spending hours in the desert chasing RC cars and playing with her friend Dallas.
After the desert, a friend there said she was going to pick up Dixie a rain jack at her work. She brought by last Tuesday. This was the last picture taken of Dixie. Later that night she went on a walk with Mr. C. She was so excited she was spinning in circles. It had been raining that day and she didn't like the rain in her face.
She went out and did her little rabbit hunt. She had so much fun. But something happened and she left the fenced in area. When Craig spotted her she was stopped. He called her and she took off into the street and in an instant she got hit. The people stopped brought her to the side walk and Mr. C picked her up. They drove Mr. C and Dixie to the hospital, but she passed in Mr. C's arms on the way.
Dixie was such a blessing to our family. I will never know why our time with her was so short. Maybe it was just as simple a little reminder to us that life can be taken in an instant and to enjoy every moment. At least that's something good we can take from it. Or maybe she gave us all the joy she was meant to give. Either way, I truly believe God uses everything for good. No matter how sad we are to loose Dixie, there is still something to take from it. We really do need to slow down and enjoy every moment more. It is too easy to get caught up in the fast pace business of life. Animals are such an amazing creation that were given to us for enjoyment. We really loved Dixie and the time she with us and it won't be long before we have another little puppy running around here again. Even so, we will always miss that little puppy that stole our hearts from the beginning.
