Friday, July 8, 2016

Dear Abby - "Dixie the Tiny Dog" by Peter Himmelman

(1964 vintage Gaines Burger ad)



Dear Friends,

How are you doing?  How was your 4th of July weekend?  I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and lots of time with my Momma.  I did not, as you may guess, enjoy the fireworks.  Saturday night they irritated me.  Sunday night they made me shiver.  By Monday night, the 4th of July, I was ready to hide under the covers.  Enough said!  I hope they are done for quite a while.

I have a song to share with you this week.  I love it and hope you will too.  It is about a dachshund named Dixie and it is called "Dixie the Tiny Dog."  It was written and sung by Peter Himmelman. 

My Momma first heard this song some years ago online and she was so happy to find it again to share with me.   I think it captures the life of a little dachshund pretty perfectly.  That's why I have to share it with you!


"I'm a tiny dog named Dixie
I have small feet which pitter patter on the Linoleum floor.
You can hear my toenails in the middle of the night.


My tag says I belong to the Johnsons but they don't own me;
they just feed me. They just bought me one day.
No one owns me.  I am Dixie the Tiny dog.

And in the middle of the day I sit in the sun 
and I hear young children call me a wiener dog-
perhaps that's what I am.  
The Germanic term is dachshund and I like that.

I'm thin and I'm proud, no one can make fun of me.
I can slip through the bars of a prison if I were ever incarcerated 

but I don't know what I would do wrong-
my body yields no evil inclination.
I'm a pure wiener dog.
 

My name is Dixie and I go dancing cross the floor 
in the evening of the Johnsons when everyone is sleeping.
Sometimes I look for a morsel of food but they are so clean, 
they are almost anal retentive in their cleanliness habit 
and there is nothing for me. 
But I don't despair because I know tomorrow 
my Gaines Burger will be there 
and they will unwrap the plastic from them 
and feed me this succulent dish and I will eat.

And oh I've watched the German shepherds with their long necks, 
their graceful necks dipping into the toilet to drink 
whenever they want to have a drink of cool water in that well 
but I must plead, I must beg, I must whine 
for Mr. Johnson to put out my bowl 
or one of the Johnson boys to refill it after I drink it 
because I am Dixie the dog and I like water.

And in the middle of night you can see me dancing 
a small Fred Astaire tap dance with my little toenails 
they go click click click against the linoleum 
and I run down the hall and I slide 
and the back of me goes in front of me-slowly.

I'm long and I'm thin
I'm Dixie the tiny dog and I like it."



Here for your enjoyment - this is a sweet video:



Do you have a favorite song about dogs?  I am thinking of making a list of them here and would love to look for songs you enjoy.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo