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Crow's Column

Dixie was born January 20, 2007, this is important because normal people remember and celebrate their dog's birthdays just as they do their own even if the dog can't read the calendar to know they are another year older and therefore feel bad about it. They get dog bones or a new pillow or some other nonesuch that I imagine takes them completely by surprise. I don't imagine they get all worked about why they are getting a new bone or chew toy, they just chew it with glee and then go lay down. Oh how I wish I too could be like them.

What you are going to read and see here today is not an ordinary birthday party by even human standards, but is instead a wonderful outdoor picnic with cake and friends suitable for the most popular kid in elementary school whose overprotective and overly involved parents created invitations for everyone in the grade, even those hated by the birthday kid.

You see this is a dogpark birthday for a special dog named Polo who turned one year old. He's a real firebrand of a little dog only weighing about 25 pounds, but with enough spunk to wrestle with Dixie (see me wrestle with Dixie here) and enough dominance to pee on Anna. Yes, I mean Anna the human, not some dog named Anna by coincidence although there probably is one, Polo actually peed on Anna one time.

The dogpark, if you aren't familiar, here in Ithaca, can be virtually toured by visiting my photos. It's a huge place where you can let your dogs run off-leash and feel good about it.

The birthday party last weekend was something all new for me. I've seen pampered dogs before with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, but they are the kind of owners that force things on the dogs that the dogs don't want. Take Bitbit's bedroom for example, Bitbit doesn't want her own room, she wants to be with Britney (don't we all)! This party wasn't like that at all, in fact it was the opposite. All the dogs needs and wants were addressed and everyone was so happy, person and dog alike. There was this one incident with the Irish Wolfhound, but that can be forgiven; forgiveness comes so easily in a dog's world.

The party hosts had invited all the local dogpark regulars, in fact within our first ten minutes at the park we were introduced to everyone and invited to the party. And no party is complete without a cake right? Well Polo's humans had baked a gluten-free wheat-free cake that was good for humans and dogs to eat. I got a piece, Anna got a piece and Dixie got like 5 pieces from any and everyone, being cute has its advantages.

Speaking of being cute, Dixie is not just an exclusive model for shorebirds.org, but also landed a professional modeling gig this week at the vet. Stay tuned and I'll stream it when I get a copy from the studio or record it off TV.

If you're in Ithaca, I recommend you get a dog and come on down to the dogpark. Check the signs and see if there is a party planned. If you see a little runt running around looking for deer poop, that's probably Dixie. A guy lost a boa down there last week so watch out.

Crow

PS: Next month I won't even mention Dixie. I realize now that three photo collections and a column all about the new dog is overkill. You get the idea, we got a new dog, we like her.