Dixie Belle

A little boy, covered in mud, chased her in the storm. The small black ball of fur darted through the rain, enjoying what she thought to be a game of Tag. The eight-year-old was in a serious chase and slid into puddles with each turn. He finally caught the little pup, but she wiggled through his fingers and ran away again. That was the first time I saw the Dixie.

The little puppy grew into what seems to be a Labrador-boxer mix. It appeared that she also grew out of her family. Dixie was relegated to living tied to a tree between our property and the property of our next-door neighbor. The busy mother of three children often forgot to feed and water the dog. I got in the habit of filling her bowl with water and Waggner’s (see previous post) leftover dog food. When it rained, my son or I would sneak over to her chain and let Dixie loose so she could find shelter from the (often icy) storms. I called the humane society more times than I can remember. Nothing happened.

Eventually the neighbors move. Dixie was left behind. I changed her name to Dixie Belle to give her a little more elegance. After all, the last six months that she spent on a chain were very undignified.

Dixie Belle spent the next month or so on my back deck, staring at the house next door. It was as though she couldn’t believe the family she loved so much deserted her. Whenever a potential tenant would check out the house, she rushed to the fence and whimpered for her old family to come and find her.

I watched her and remembered what it was like to be in love with the wrong person. I remembered holding up my end of a relationship, patiently waiting for my needs to be met. Disappointments abounded. Then the relationship was over. I felt alone and abandoned, refusing to believe he would really just let our relationship end. Like Dixie Belle, I wished for the happy ending that never seemed to come.

I eventually moved on. I built a new life and learned to be more selective about the people I let become a part of my life. Dixie Belle eventually accepted Adam and me as her new family, too. It looks like both of us got a second chance for a happy ending.