Dixie

[sm]

Blond hair blowing in the breeze, eyes focused out onto the Skeet Field, foot positions and stance perfect and waiting for the clay to be thrown...

The clay sailed out from low 7, and Dixie was on it. Dixie ran out onto the field and brought back what was left, just a pranching, eyes big and bright, happy face and that blonde hair just a going every which-a-way.

The clay was lain at my feet, then Dixie again took up her foot postion, stance...

"Just what in blue blazes are you doing with Dixie?" - hollered out to Dixie and Me.

"Getting this Retreiving part down. " I replied.

Dixie was a Golden Retreiver by the way - in case I forgot to mention it.

Southern Belle she was, come from good stock. She was a pup with feet too big, still she saw them clay birds being tossed the first day she come out to the range, and she KNEW - she was supposed to retreive whatever them birds were.

Shotguns: Typical Southern Belle, raised around guns, and especially Shotguns. If your shotgun case was on HER chair, she snuggled and kept it safe.
Then again she also knew if that case was taken , meant a shotgun went into it and you are not going anywhere with a shotgun [firearm] without her.


She attended a School for Training Dog Instructors and could not wait to get back home.
"Daddy, Mommy, don't ever send me to a school to teach a Yankee how to behave - made my head hurt all week, I know what I am doing, got good stock and besides I trained you two Southern Folks just fine".

Gal was good at making her points - and expressing herself. Southern Belle's do that. When a new human took up residence, she took the boy in and protected him, helped to learn to walk, and shared the chips she snuck into his room at night. Then kept him safe and warm all night long.

She liked to sign her Watercoloring , just as the boy did. Had a flair for Interior Decorating, blue paw prints just belong in a boys room...
...taught the boy to Interior Decorate too.

She liked flooded timber - especially when the timber flooded with Greeheads.
Dixie was always ready, knew you were to hit the DoNut Store first, and being as she was a Southern Belle - a Lady, Ladies go first so while Daddy gased the truck, she ate her Pastries...

Well the boat was like the one used down on the farm, she like that boat. She let everyone know about it at the Hardware store. Spied it thru the back entrance, bolted thru plumbing aisle, out the back door and jumped into it.

"Daddy can we have it - huh, huh ...puh-leeze!"

She kept the boat company and then heard a familar sound, the action of a shotgun. "Wait a second, daddy might need my help" - opens back door and assists daddy checking out a old used pump gun.

She sat on it on the way home - gun fit was to her liking.

Dove hunting, oh my goodness. Southern Belle's got this Tradition stuff down pat. When that boy was out teh first time - she showed him the ropes. Made him follow her to the BBQ area - "this is where we pig out later...check to see if anything is done even though it only 5 am...sniff...sniff...something is cooking...."

Quail, she would get that grin waiting for that explosion just down the way from the truck, always an explosion just as you stepped into the field. Dixie would be smiling with two quail in her mouth coming back - eyes big. Southern Belle's know about taking doubles and she could retrieve a double as well.

"How come she brings you your birds first and she is my dawg".
" Daddy- He gives me peppermint ,always has, he is a Southern Gentleman and knows how to treat a Southern Belle"

Kids, Dixie had a way with kids. Taught them all sorts of stuff, and play, oh she could get a kid ready for ball season tossing them tennis balls for her to chase .

She was a Lady, still didn't need a Bathing Suit, if the kids could swim in the nice fancy pool - she could too...
I mean she let the kids swim in her farm pond, fish in it and toss rocks...

~

Father Time and Mother Nature came to visit. Knew it was coming, for a bit not able to get around. She stayed a lady just the same.

She had her last boat ride back during waterfowl season, didn't retrieve, just wanted to see the ducks and see the greenheads felled.

Then she just needed to be on her bed- be it the one with ducks, or the one with quail when heading down the property. She watched the boy now bigger fish from the bed of the truck with a tarp to keep the sun off her.

She liked that portable trap , always liked them orange birds. This time she stayed in the truck bed , laying in bed. When the orange birds were brought to her, she patted the paw that brought them and grinned that grin of hers.

Sun set and the fire going, she liked the fire, but this time not hungry for marshmellows or hotdogs, instead sometime in the flicker of fire-flies and ashes she passed.

All snuggled up to a cased 28 gauge Over and Under, box of shells, hulls and her orange birds.


Big hole was dug, and Dixie laid atop her two dog beds, some orange birds, some favorite things- and then one last time the 28 gauge spoke a Eulogy. Later a little cross made from 28 ga hulls will honor her final resting spot.

The night they drove old Dixie down...

Not dark darling when we said goodbye , we wanted you see all them doves one last time.

Thank you Ma'am.


Steve

 

[Karbon]

That was difficult for me to read.


Best wishes my friend, from a guy who lost his golden way to early (just 4)...

But new days bring us great things and a new girl fills his spot today in my duck blind and at the foot of our bed.

Never replaced and never forgotten.

Only a new set of memories to invent.

 

[Oldnamvet]

I almost cried. In March I had to have Thor, my 12 year old golden, put down. The brain tumor caused him too much pain and he stumbled quite a bit on the last walk around the yard and out to my truck. Sure do miss him greeting me whenever I came home, came in from yard work, go up in the morning, whenever. He was always there to greet me. I still look for him for a second whenever I get home - then I remember.

 

[sm]

I appreciate the kind words.

Dixie belonged to some friends of mine - then again being a Southern Belle, she just treated everyone like family.

She left the way she would have wanted to go. Laying in the bed of that truck, on one of her favorite dog beds, watching the fire , the family, and hearing laughter.

Boy went to make sure she was sipping water, and then hollered out. Nobody wanted to ride up front in the cab, daddy hard time driving back to the house.

Mom and son laying down beside her, and dared not move her arm off that cased 28 gauge.

She spent one last night in the house, instead of the boy's room, the den, everyone slept in the den . Tears, laughter, even read a bit from Ruark's book...she liked that book.

She passed forward. I and others have said humans could learn a lot and be be better if they paid attention to dogs.

We humans get so wrapped around the axle about shotguns and life in general. Dixie knew the meaning of Unconditional , she knew to enjoy the moment, what was truly valuable in this thing called life.

She did not whine, ask for much - instead always there for others. Glass always have full, and made everyone she was around feel upbeat.

She had her serious side, like protecting, hunting, and retrieving. Sense of humor, oh my! Dixie was downright funny, and was a sly as a fox.

At the small town feed, seed, hardware and general store. She spied that dog bed with the quail. She already had one with ducks.

She did not care for camo, family didn't wear it, most that were around her didn't. Sure did not want a camo dog bed... She look up a person from head to toe and get a grin "who is he/ she trying to impress/ fool wearing camo".

That dog bed with quail, just made a beeline for it and plopped down...got all snuggled over in the corner where displayed.

"Come on Dixie, time to go home".
Dixie comes up the front, pulling that bed up to the front , jumps up - both front paws on counter and "we will take this too".

Just sits there on her butt, looking up at Daddy, Mommy, and the clerk...smiling really big.
"Would you pay the man daddy, you and the others can laugh later".

That one went into the den, and taken on trips. The one with ducks stayed in the boys room.

Folks brought it inside, Dixie drug into the den...already had a spot for it picked out - and that is where it went - put back after trips.

Dixie got to thinking one day at the farm pond. Seems the fishing was a bit slow, and she was wandering around the pond. She would stop - take a look, look back at the folks fishing, then take it all in.

"Ker-splash!"

Dixie just jumps in for a swim, just having a good time - so folks thought.
Boy caught a fish, them momma, boy again, daddy ....

"I was sending fish over to where you folks were...just a bonus I got to take a swim".

Frisbees: The boy was learning, and Dixie stayed with the boy, she retrieve his bad tosses and when he could not catch. Oh when the boy got the hang of it, they would spend hours with a frisbee just the two of them.

I spoiled her, what I do. Peppermint of course, then one day I bought her a hamburger. She decided to ride with me. We whipped into a Sonic.
From then on, and she is not the only dawg, pass a Sonic and she'd want to pull in.
"You bark at the speaker, they bring you hamburger, fries and Peppermint".

Moon Pies: I'm guilty again. Dogs cannot eat chocolate, it will cause serious injury - even death.

Bananna is fine. I put a Bananna Moon Pie on a portable trap. Dixie is sniffing, " that clay is different, smells like food...not orange, not really white like some targets, not a green target either".

Dixie stayed put as always, nose working a bit more than normal. I toss that Moon Pie, and she takes off to get it. She retrieves it " this one didn't break like they usually do...".
She ate about half and then brought back the other half, set down at feet, got petted, snagged the pie and wolfed it down".

Eyes looking up - smiling " do it again, I like this game".

She could spot a bananna Moon Pie anywhere.

Naturally she liked water. She would bring you the spray nozzle with the garden hose unraveling behind her " You spray me and I put on a show...got it?"

She never chewed on shoes. She would make confetti out of the newspaper, and being a typical lady, never enough toilet tissue.

More than once she'd come into the hall , down the hall with all that toliet tissue behind her. Explains why a empty roll on the dispenser all these years and tissue kept in the cabinet within arms reach.

"Go pick out Momma a new vehicle Dixie"
She wandered around about 2 minutes, sat down, barked once. She liked that shade of green and guess what vehicle Mom got?

"How'd she know this one had that engine...these features we wanted".
"I'm smart, that is why?" Dixie would look up and say.

Humans be a lot better off if they were more like dogs.


Steve

 

[Fred Fuller]

Steve,

Amen.

lpl/nc

 

[Karbon]

I'm happy she was able to leave on her terms. The best way. Best wishes again.


We had the unfortunate task of dealing with blastomycosis. With in 3 days of diagnosis, his nervous system was effected, unable to walk straight, shaking, and his vision was nearly all lost. With hopes of saving his life, we rushed him to the University of Wisconsin for experimental treatment. After a week of treatment and hopes that he may survive we got the afternoon call we had not expected. I was actually showing my truck to prospective buyer (we needed $ for the bills). Over 20% of my yearly salary, just 9 months out of college, but worth every penny.

To sum up a painful experience and story, we laid by his side this time, as it was his time to past on. It was the best investment of my life. Our time, work, money, support, the 100 miles a day to visit him in Madison, and most of all our love were not nearly enough for him.

It took a very long time before I got over him not greeting me at the door. But knowing we did everything we could for him, like he did for us each and every day…that’s just what dog owners do.

His urn sits on the bookcase at the end of our bed. He still gets greeted every morning and every night.

4 years old, taken well before his time.

 

[kudu]

Thanks Steve, it's good to remember these things. I have been down that same road a few times myself. It brought tears to my eyes.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Steve,

Great Story. Thanks for sharing. Brought back lots of memories for me too.

RIP
Daisy Mae
English Springer Spaniel
My Buddy, 1982 - 1999​

Yes, she lived seventeen years. Daisy's big trick was to get herself in predicaments, like exploring a two foot deep ditch and then realizing she was in a eight foot deep ditch. "Whine, Yip" (translation; "Dad, come get me out of this. I thought there was birds in here.") Then she lunged and clawed her way to the top, while I reached for her collar. She would bend her head down as she lunged, knowing if I could reach the collar, she was safe. Yep, I got her out of that one too.

Daisy was always birdy. It didn't matter if it was a pheasant, dove, quail, kite or an airplane, Daisy was after it.

Daisy is waiting for me, still, and we're going after those pheasants again. And she probably still won't retrieve them.

 

[bratch]

My girlfriend got a kick out of the story. We regularly feed my Border Collie Sonic peppermints and she loves to play in sprinklers.

 

[eastwood44mag]

Mine's had multiple cases of cancer, and time's running short.

Your ceremony will certainly influence ours when the time comes.

 

[sm]

Thanks for the kind words.

I/we have been known to reload some of the ashes of the dearly departed [humans or special pets] and fire a salute.

We have used locks of hair in the same manner. The first time we had saved the hair of a Child before chemo, and when she did not make it, we fired shot shells over a special spot in her honor.

In Dixie's case, we had locks of her hair -
Not dove season here, but we figured firing over the ones on the ground and scattering them was proper.

Dixie got a kick out of that I know.

 

[Oscar Orum]

Thanks for sharing.

Tears are in this fellows eye's. You speak the truth and and very well.