The Dog Blog: March 2017

Monday, March 27, 2017

DIXIE DIDN'T MIND A LITTLE COLD TODAY.

March 17 marked the six-month half-anniversary since the death of our Lady. And today marks six months since we got Dixie (photo left) on Sept. 27.

It's hard to believe that we've had Dixie for six months. I don't know about my wife Holly, but Dixie's growing on me. If I could somehow get Lady back (impossible, I know), I'd want to keep Dixie, too.

Dixie tries so hard to please. The main aggravations I have are when I hook her to her leash or unhook her leash. She'll lie down, and I'll have a hard time reaching the hook rings.

(The other aggravations come when she wiggles out of her harness and leaves the yard, but I've written about that elsewhere.)

Dixie and I took out the trash barrel this morning (she's not a hindrance or a help), then took a short walk down the lane. She often rolls in the grass, but, thankfully, she passed on the grass today.

I wish I could walk her more often and for a greater distance, but I can't. It's probably for the best, anyway; if we go far, she'll just lie down.

Related posts

• Dixie gave me a scare

• Dixie gave me a few moments of panic

• Dixie got loose again

• Oh, no; she got out of the yard again

• Help from a neighbor

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

More entries from The Dog Blog

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• ... said the spider to ...

, • The Dog Diary (2015)

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• OOH! OOH! The stereophonic huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

Blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Good Samaritan

• The PRESS cap and my friend Mike

• Watching TV

• No luck with Billy Sims

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!

EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

DIXIE DIDN'T MIND THE COLD TODAY.

I had to go to the post office today, so I took Dixie with me. It was 24 degrees when I awoke and 29 (per Weather.com) when we left home.

I left Dixie in the car when I went into the post office. Then I got her out of the car for a short walk. It wasn't bad at first, but I quickly realized I couldn't stand any more. So we made a small circle in the parking lots, then got back into the car and turned on the heat.

Dixie was enthusiastic about taking the walk, but she really dove into the car when I opened the door. I suspect she was happy to get warm, too.

P.S.: Oddly, she wanted to go outside shortly after we got home, so I let her out on her line for five or six minutes. I guess she didn't make enough of a mess on our walk.

• Woof! (No translation needed)