mlranchtx
Sep. 28, 2009, 08:57 PM
A few weeks ago my sweet coonhound, Dixie, disappeared. She was 8 and an English Coonhound who I adopted from animal control when I lived in SoCal.
I was one of those kids who read "Where the Red Fern Grows" probably a million times. I wanted a coonhound since I was a little kid and when I was 19, I found Dixie.
Coonhounds are not for everyone. Heck, they aren't for most people. She was the stubbornest, most hardheaded dog I've ever met. But she was so sweet, loved eveyone, had the softest ears and the most gorgeous, soulful eyes you've ever gazed into.
When I first got her I lived in an apartment. I took her to the Dog Park every day and she had this habit of stealing other dogs toys and playing keepaway while she shredded the toy. :lol: I felt bad but there was a sign clearly posted that outside toys other than tennis balls were strongly discouraged. Dixie was just making sure that any toys brought in, went out in pieces.
My favorite memory was I trapped a coon in a live trap to show my husband how she hunted. We gave the coon a head start and I told hubby to keep a hold of Dixie's rope. He said, "Why? She's going to tree the coon and then we'll catch her." I said, "No, she'll climb that tree if you don't keep a hold of her." Well, hubby looked at me like I was nuts and said, "She's a dog, she can't climb a tree." Right about then, she balanced her self on the top strand of barbed wire fence reached up to the lower limb and began scrambling up the tree like a squirrel. Hubby stared in disbelief and we finally had to pull her down before she got in a fight with the coon 20 feet above ground. I'm fairly sure the coon would have won but Dixie was pretty tough.
Well, I've been hoping that Dixie maybe just wandered off too far or got picked up by someone (she once went for a ride with the UPS guy) but today I found her remains in the pasture. She was nothing but bones but her collar was a few feet away so I know it was her. We laid her to rest in our back pasture under a walnut tree. I have to put a filly down tomorrow so Dixie won't be alone for long.
I still find myself pausing to listen for her voice. It's so quiet now. I keep dreaming that she's come home. Maybe now that I have found her I will stop dreaming about her.
Oh yeah, our cat disappeared last week too... Crap, three in less than a week. I think I am out of tears.
I was one of those kids who read "Where the Red Fern Grows" probably a million times. I wanted a coonhound since I was a little kid and when I was 19, I found Dixie.
Coonhounds are not for everyone. Heck, they aren't for most people. She was the stubbornest, most hardheaded dog I've ever met. But she was so sweet, loved eveyone, had the softest ears and the most gorgeous, soulful eyes you've ever gazed into.
When I first got her I lived in an apartment. I took her to the Dog Park every day and she had this habit of stealing other dogs toys and playing keepaway while she shredded the toy. :lol: I felt bad but there was a sign clearly posted that outside toys other than tennis balls were strongly discouraged. Dixie was just making sure that any toys brought in, went out in pieces.
My favorite memory was I trapped a coon in a live trap to show my husband how she hunted. We gave the coon a head start and I told hubby to keep a hold of Dixie's rope. He said, "Why? She's going to tree the coon and then we'll catch her." I said, "No, she'll climb that tree if you don't keep a hold of her." Well, hubby looked at me like I was nuts and said, "She's a dog, she can't climb a tree." Right about then, she balanced her self on the top strand of barbed wire fence reached up to the lower limb and began scrambling up the tree like a squirrel. Hubby stared in disbelief and we finally had to pull her down before she got in a fight with the coon 20 feet above ground. I'm fairly sure the coon would have won but Dixie was pretty tough.
Well, I've been hoping that Dixie maybe just wandered off too far or got picked up by someone (she once went for a ride with the UPS guy) but today I found her remains in the pasture. She was nothing but bones but her collar was a few feet away so I know it was her. We laid her to rest in our back pasture under a walnut tree. I have to put a filly down tomorrow so Dixie won't be alone for long.
I still find myself pausing to listen for her voice. It's so quiet now. I keep dreaming that she's come home. Maybe now that I have found her I will stop dreaming about her.
Oh yeah, our cat disappeared last week too... Crap, three in less than a week. I think I am out of tears.