Day Fifty-Four - Spa

No, the spa is not for me. Miss Dixie Doodle Dog was in dire need of some TLC. Her nails were too long, she looked like she needed a good haircut, and she definitely needed a bath! She was not at ALL pleased to be staying at the groomer's...of course, she had never been there before! When we rescued her last Fall, she had lost most of her fur due to heartworm treatments (a cruel thing for a dog to have to go through!), so we would just put her in the tub and wash her ourselves.

Suddenly, in mid-winter, she grew this massive coat of fur which was fine with us! It was cold here! We kept her brushed, but as she started to shed, which she did copiously starting in May, it was hard to keep up with the knots and matting. We needed professional help! Dog groomer to the rescue! I liked this place; they let the dogs roam freely while others are being groomed. The dogs get to socialize, rather than being caged.

Miss Dixie looks like her lovely self again!

Day Thirty-One - Strange

Dixie is a fabulous dog in so many ways - she is smart, she is cute, she is friendly. She enjoys meeting new dogs and people as we walk along the beach, which we did today.  However, she a Golden Retriever who retrieves nothing. Throw a ball...she looks at you as if to say "You ought to go and get that." Have you heard of a GR who despises the water? That would also be Dixie. She is like a sand piper - she will run along the edge of the surf...the minute it approaches her feet, she runs in the opposite direction.

She does love the beach, though...and of course, we love her!

Day Twenty-Four - Stifling

Ninety-seven degree days require some serious intervention....nothing is better than a trip to the beach! We popped the dog and some towels in the car and set off in search of cooler climates! Unfortunately for us the A/C in DB's car is not working, so I put up my hair, put down the windows, pulled Dixie's random dog hairs out of my mouth, and enjoyed the ride. We live about 45 minutes away from the New Hampshire and Maine coasts, so it is a nice afternoon trip to take. Once we got off the highway, and onto Coastal 1A, the temperatures dropped by about 20 degrees and the skies became overcast - my perfect idea of a day at the beach! Once we arrived, we lounged around, walked the dog, wandered through the incoming tide, and chilled (literally!). We wrapped up the day in sweatshirts, eating Mexican appetizers on the porch of a new restaurant while rain moved in and fell softly on the sidewalks.

Dixie the Dog

Meet our new friend, Dixie! She is a lovely Golden Retriever mix that we rescued from Alabama. She was found by a kind soul and sent to Sunshine Golden Retrieval Rescue, where we had been approved to adopt a dog. She had such a winning personality, as the rescue group described her, and we decided that she was ours. She arrived on a large transport truck, and was quite happy to head home with us.

It feels odd, yet right, to have a dog again after two years. I think that our late, great Bailey Dog would approve of our new addition!