Happy Birthday Dixie!

Two years ago today, this beautiful little puppy was born.  She was itty bitty and incredibly adoreable.  At five weeks old Steven and I brought her home and into our lives.  We named her Dixie - a tribute to all things we loved and held dear.

Don't think we're horrible people - we didn't realize how young she was at the time.  We found an ad for pure bred boxers and jumped at the chance to bring this beautiful puppy home.  It wasn't until we were driving home that I did the math.  It was April 13th and we were on the way home from a family shower in Jackson, MS.  We were to be married in June.  The breeders told us the litter was born on March 10th.  And with all the weddings plans and showers and crazy schedules, March 10th seemed like such a long time ago that we didn't even stop to see how old she really was.

We loaded Dixie up for her first trip to PetSmart the next day in order to purchase all the puppy essentials.  The "trainer" at PetSmart made us feel HORRIBLE.  She chastised us for "ripping this poor puppy from her mother too soon."  She informed me that at such a young age Dixie couldn't even regulate her own body temperature - she was an infant - and we shouldn't have her.  How were we supposed to know?  The breeders listed the litter for sale...one way or another Dixie was going to be sold to a family - I was just glad she came to us. I vowed to take care of her as well as her mother would have.

I am the reason she is so spoiled.  She stayed with Steven the weeks leading up to our wedding and I insisted that he allow her to sleep in the bed with him - after all, she couldn't even regulate her own body temperature. (To this day - she insists that her place is in the bed beside her Daddy!)  When he was out of town, I watched over her like a mother hen.  She was never out of our sight and we constantly showered her with love and affection.

Who wouldn't love that face though?  By the time she was eight weeks old she was completely house broken.  She could sit, stay and lay down.  She was the best puppy.  She was our jewel.

Dixie's first trip to the lake - she *loved* the water!

She was not too fond of the cold air and insisted on wrapping herself in the towel!

Daddy's favorite girls

We were so attached to her by the time our wedding rolled around that we decided to take her on our honeymoon with us!  Steven, more than I, could not stand the thought of leaving her when she was still so small, so the day after our wedding the three of us began our first family road trip to Destin, FL.

Dixie's frist trip to the beach.

She loved to growl at the waves!

Now, over a year and a half later, I love her as if she were my child.  In dog years, she is technically 14 and believe me - there are many times that she acts more like a moody teenage girl than a sweet little puppy, but she still makes my heart melt at some point every day.  She has literally licked my tears away as I have cried.  She serves as my ever faithful gaurd dog when Daddy is away on business.  She's my running buddy and personal space heater during the cold winter nights.  She is the.best.dog!

Spoiled??

My pretty, pretty girl.

So now that I that I have managed to solidify my place as "the crazy dog lady", I guess there is only one thing left to say.  Happy Birthday Dixie Belle!  Mommy loves you more than you could possibly know and I promise we will go for a super long birthday run when I get home tonight.  I love you!