Dixie Gets a Much Deserved Second Chance

 

All dogs deserve a second chance, plus third and fourth ones. Shelters are full of pups humans gave up. Funny, dogs never give up on humans.  

This is a story about a dog now named Dixie. What her name was before did not matter. When a dog is abandoned, it loses everything and needs a new start, like a person in witness protection. A new name separates them from their troubled past. 

Dixie lived with a senior citizen who doted on her girl. The woman’s husband had passed two years previously, and her children were living 1,000 miles away. She did a good job raising them. They were independent and had good jobs and families. Unfortunately, they had little time for their mom.  

Dixie and her mom were supposed to grow old together. The woman told her Dixie she was her last and best dog, and since she was irreplaceable, her mom wouldn’t try. 

Dogs don’t make plans. We know how easily they are disrupted. We live for today and don’t count on tomorrow. Dixie’s mom’s idea came undone one morning when she didn’t wake up. No matter how much Dixie licked her mom’s cold face, she didn't move. 

Dixie knew her mom needed help. They lived alone and seldom had visitors. The mom was lucky if the kids called once a month. If anyone helped, it would be a stranger. Dixie went to the window and barked continuously for two days until someone saw her and knocked on the door.   When no one answered, they called the police, who went inside and found they could do nothing for the mom.

The authorities took the confused dog to the city shelter. It wasn’t until Dixie received a dream visit from her mom that she understood she was on her own. The woman was highly disappointed that her children would not take Dixie. They were sure someone would adopt her, but she was a senior dog in a kill shelter destined to follow her mom into the dark. 

Dixie‘s mom knew it would have to be an extraordinary person to adopt her baby. The dog still

had lots of love to give. While Dixie was content with joining her mom, the woman wanted her pup to live until it was her time, so she began searching for kind-hearted, understanding souls with love to give. 

Don and Missy Sullivan are two people who can relate to a dog facing mortality. They both spent the last year knocking on heaven's door. It became genuinely frightening when someone knocked back. Glad they were alive and being dog lovers, the Sullivans, thanks to Dixie’s mom, saw a post about the abandoned dog and knew she must be part of their pack. 

And that is how Dixie went from death’s door to the Sullivan's couch.   They gave her a much-needed second chance, and she has given them all the love in her soul. 

I was able to give Dixie something valuable too.  Everyone needs a past.  To her new parents, Dixie’s past is unknown.  Until now.

Did everything occur exactly as I have recounted?  All we know about Dixie what we don’t know so that it could have.  Dixie has decided she would like this to be her history.  I didn’t ask why, I just figured it was much better than the original.  

We all deserve to live, die, and have someone tell our back story.