Dixie on one our many hikes
Catchy phrase — wonder if I can get Willie Nelson to put some music to it…
It was 1986 and there were three yellow lab puppies huddled in a plain brown box outside a grocery store. My ex-wife picked up the last one and walked into our living room uttering the immortal words – ”can we keep her?”
Her name became Princess but she was anything but a diva. She was a Lab through and through. Princess approached ponds and puddles with equal gusto. Ducks and geese took great pleasure and luring her into the lake, waiting until she approached, then taking flight and stranding her several hundred feet from the shore. Mind you this was before doggie life jackets. But Princess was at home in the water and there was never any doubt that she would make it back to shore.
The most memorable quirk of Princess’ personality was what behaviorists now call the submissive grin. Her smile was offered as more of a sneer when scolded followed by a snake-like hiss as she attempted to breathe through her teeth. The smile became more animated during greetings. Often my arrival home was met with an impressive show of teeth, a head bobbing as though she were at a Metallica show, and projectile saliva. People that did not understand this behavior thought Princess was the reincarnation of Stephen King’s “Cujo.”
Princess survived a compound fracture of her left rear leg compliments of a grumpy neighbor as well as a litter of 10 puppies (if I knew then what I know now…) Few dogs survive bone cancer and Princess was no exception She passed peacefully at the age of 14 in 2000.
I am an uncle of sorts to Maggie, the dachshund my mother said she would never own. After Missy died (see previous “dlog”), mom swore there were to be no more dogs. Then one day I found her surfing the classifieds. The next thing I knew, we were driving out to meet a rural family with a litter of wieners.
Maggie is OCD when it comes to her squeaky ball and never tires of fetch now eight years into her life. Toss the ball into a small trash basket and Maggie will tip it over, borrow through the debris, and emerge with her ball. If you have ever watched that prehistoric little squirrel featured in the “Ice Age” movies, you know Maggie.
Just last week, Maggie became lethargic and lost her appetite. X-rays revealed a herniated disk in her back that is in danger of rupturing. If it does, Maggie could be paralyzed. Growing old really sucks whether you have two, three, or four legs. Perhaps the curse of owning a dog is that they don’t live long enough.
Each of the dogs I have referenced have enriched my life and contributed to the relationship I treasure with Dixie. While I have cherished each of these dogs, Dixie is and will be the dog of my life. No relationship with humankind or beast compares. May you be so fortunate as to experience such a bond with your dog.
