In Memorial

I remember the day we got Dixie. It was the summer before 6th grade. We had gone to my uncle's house in Sandersville and when we got there, his front door opened and a little dog ran out and started running around us. I sat on the porch and she came sprinting up to me, jumped on me and started licking my face. I asked my uncle what her name was and he said, "Well what do you want to name her, because she's yours. I was so excited because I had always wanted a dog. I said "Her name is Dixie". And so we took Dixie back to Milledgeville to live with us. That night, because we didn't have a pen or house for her, we kept her in a little crate in the hallway. After we had all gone to bed, I heard her start whining and so I took my blanket and went out into the hallway, put my blanket on the ground and opened her crate so she could lay down with me. After a few minutes my dad came out and told me that Dixie would be fine and that I should go back to bed. From then on, Dixie was one of my best friends. We spent countless afternoons running around and racing down the driveway. When I graduated from high school and got ready to move to Tifton, my Dad took over my job of taking care of Dixie. He got his job in Sandersville and once they had a house there, we moved Dixie's pen to that house and Sandersville became Dixie's new home. When I was home for the breaks, I would often stay at the house in Milledgeville for different reasons and I would always carry Dixie with me. She always rode shotgun. Sadly, she passed away yesterday. She was 9 years old and had been acting like she was sick for some time. She was a great dog and she was loved very much and she will be greatly missed...