Dixe Mendelsohn Thomas

Many of us have that "special" animal, and I'm no exception. For me, its this wonderful Standard Poodle, named Dixie. She is also known as "Little Bit" around the house and on the playground. She is a sister to Jackson Browne and Jessie Mae, and the girlfriend of Fritz the Black Lab, Paul the Basset Hound and Danny the Phantom Standard Poodle.

Dixie came to our family from Petfinder, in Dixon, IL. Her mother was a puppy mill dog and had a horrific life. She gave birth to six puppies, and only three survived. When we first saw Dixie we were smitten by her brother; a green eyed apricot Standard Poodle. It was a tough decision, but the gender had something to do with it, as we already had a dominant male and didn't seek any future issues. When I held her the first time, she snuggled right into my neck, so the decision was more or less made for me. I often wonder how her siblings are faring today and think about their situations and if they turned out as well as our Dixie.

Raising a puppy is quite an experience. It takes patience, persistence, love, devotion and a strong sense of humor. There are times when you want to kill them, find a new home for them or swallow them you love them so much. I always seem to fall into the later category, as she takes my heart away on a daily basis. She gives long, sweet, "Velcro Kisses" and we have named her our French Vanilla Kiss. (Jackson, our chocolate standard is our "chocolate love chunk" and Jessie Mae, our senior yellow lab is our "Marshmallow Love Girl")

My husband, Wes and I believe in the power of animal communicators. We use Terri O'Hara out of Oregon and she is an absolutely amazing woman. When she read the pet family, she said that Dixie had big plans and that she wasn't going to be just another pretty face. She has big dreams. I see it every day. Dixie, much like myself is a little stubborn, a lot independent, a big, big lover, sweet, kind, good, amiable, fun, zany, precocious and enjoys getting into mischief. My fondest memory thus far is this past week. She found a turkey carcass where I meet my friend Karen and her dog Fritz and was proudly prancing around with it as if she had caught a fox in her mouth.

When I look into Dixie's eyes I feel a love that I've never felt before. It's almost comparable to looking into Wes' eyes-the love I feel is inexplicable. She is so good, so kind, so wonderful and capable of showing how she feels about me that it makes me both proud and sad at the same time. I know her time with me on earth is short and I have to make the most of every precious minute with her. There is an energy and understanding between us that I've yet to experience. I'm just so lucky that she chose us and allowed us to somehow get into her path to rescue her.