Farewell, Sweet Dixie

In Memoriam

Dixie was a very special dog. There should be a better word than special as she was extraordinary. She was an angel in the body of a four-pound Chihuahua.  She was able to touch your heart with her very presence. She spent thirteen and a half years on this earth reaching out to people with her gift. Everyone who saw her became entranced with her adorable, sweet nature. Even people who didn’t like dogs or didn’t like Chihuahuas would be mesmerized by her. She had a purpose on this earth, and it was to let people know that animals in shelters deserve a loving home just as she was fortunate to have.

Dixie was turned in by her owner/guardian in February 1997 when she was only four months old.  Just a tiny little dog weighing in at three pounds, she was alone and afraid after her brother who had been given up with her was adopted. The staff was concerned that she might be getting sick and asked Trisha Royal, the Community Outreach Director, if she would foster her. Trisha’s first reaction was “but she’s a Chihuahua!”  Trisha wasn’t fond of the breed as the ones she had known were snappy, yappy and nervous creatures.  However, Trisha did like small dogs, so they said “please take her – it will only be a little while and she is so small." The rest, as they say, is history.  She never came back to the shelter and soon was going everywhere Trisha went on outings at schools, libraries, trade shows, festivals or wherever CAP would have the opportunity to talk to people about homeless animals and proper pet guardianship. It was apparent she was truly one-of-a-kind. She seemed to know instinctively what she needed to do to win people over.

Trisha and Dixie had a symbiotic relationship that didn’t need words as they worked together in perfect harmony. Dixie was perfect in every way! People loved and adored her for her kind, sweet way of looking them in the eye and connecting with them. Children would fawn over her, and she would sit patiently in her basket while hundreds came to pet her.  If someone stopped by her and didn’t pet her, she would whimper. They would ask, “Why is she crying?” and the response was she wanted them to pet her. She considered it her personal goal to meet everyone on this earth.

During many of these outings, a donation jar would be next to her basket.  Dixie beckoned all that met her to give a donation for the many orphaned animals at the shelter. Over the years she used her angelic personality to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for CAP.  In the days before her passing, she was tirelessly working at the dog show greeting everyone who came by to give $1.00 for one of her delicate kisses and speaking at a library to children and adults about her important work of saving animals and treating them with kindness.

Sadly, Dixie went to Rainbow Bridge on July 28, 2010. We are certain that she is greeting everyone who arrives and kissing all the children she loved so much who might need her caring soul or consoling someone seeking comfort. We will miss her endearing sighs, the unconditional love that exuded from her tiny body, her precious turned up nose, her engaging smile and her delicate long legs. She was always a petite princess in her darling outfits, dresses, vests and neck adornments.  Our hearts will ache, but she will never be forgotten.

She leaves a legacy that cannot be replicated, but in the last year of her life she patiently trained her protégé Annie, another adorable Chihuahua, to carry on her mission.   Dixie has moved on to a new mission:  Guardian Angel of CAP.     

The Dixie Memorial Fund for Humane Education has been established in her memory and a memorial service is being planned for those who would like to honor her for all she gave to those to loved her.  If you would like to make a gift to CAP in her honor, please use our online donation form and designate your gift as a memorial tribute in honor of Dixie under "Gift Information." Contributions may also be sent by mail to Citizens for Animal Protection, 17555 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX. 77094.

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