MOORESVILLE, Ind. — We all need a dog in our lives. How about one who prays? Recently, I met one such special canine who goes by the name of Dixie the Praying Dog. Dixie has had quite a life so far. She is a Bluetick Coonhound which makes her special from the get-go because her breed is rather new, only being recognized since 2009 even though some have traced her ancestors to French hounds owned by George Washington. But that is only the beginning because Dixie is exceptional in many ways. She is an All-American trained therapy dog, a deer recovery dog and a shed antler dog that lives right here in Camby. Most recently Dixie has become an actress and a reality show star. Quite the resume for a five-year-old. Her “dad”, Brian, is intensely proud of her.

Let’s go back a few years before Dixie and Brian became family. Dixie’s dad, Brian Calvert, previously had three other dogs in his life that he lost in a house fire. He was devastated. Not long after that he was seriously injured. These unbelievable tragedies left Brian in a very dark place, but that was not to be permanent for him thanks to Dixie coming into his life. The depth of feeling that Brian has for Dixie causes him to tear up at times when he stops to ponder where he was and where he now is because of her. Except for the time that Brian spends at his job, he and Dixie are nearly constant companions and have flourished in a relationship of mutual love and understanding.

An experience that the two of them recently endured together tested and proved that interdependence as if in a trial by fire. Brian and Dixie were chosen to be one of twelve dogs along with their humans to be contestants in Amazon Prime Video’s season one of the series The Pack. What made Brian think that Dixie could be a winner? Well, he already knew how special she is.

In spite of the fact that Dixie’s breed is known for tracking and hunting, she still loves her nap time and would be lazy if she was allowed. But Brian has spent countless hours as her trainer honing her inborn skills and coaching her into the fine-tuned, intelligent animal that she is. When Dixie was a pup Brian would drag a piece of deer hide around the yard and let her chew on it. When she got accustomed to that she was introduced to deer blood spread around sporadically, a little bit here and a little bit there.

Eventually Brian would take a deer hoof on a stick and poke it into the ground in the woods imitating the steps a deer would take. Dixie stepped up her game and learned to track even when no blood was present. This skill has made her one of the top deer tracking dogs in Indiana, constantly in demand. Hunters will call Brian when there is no blood to track their deer. Not to worry. Dixie and her nose are expert at this. Following her keen sense of smell she can track a deer through the woods and across streams for miles where you might think the scent has surely been lost. But it isn’t lost to Dixie.

By reason of her excellent breeding and rigorous training, Dixie, a well-muscled athlete, fast on her feet and compact in stature can follow the scent with ease. This type of tracking is in her blood. And since it is illegal to release a deer-recovery dog from a leash, Brian also reaps the benefit of Dixie’s pursuit of her target through the woods. In Brian’s words, “I have to hold on to the leash for dear life, sometimes for miles.” I will let you imagine what that must be like for Brian.

So you can see why Brian and Dixie were chosen for The Pack. Actually there was more to it than being “chosen.” To make sure that they could qualify for the show but still have something unique to offer, Brian and Dixie went through a rigorous audition process – as did all the other contestants. According to Brian,” They wanted the contestants to be a little different, a little crazy, because that’s good television – but not too crazy!”

Once all the preliminaries were out of the way, Brian made another trip to Los Angeles with Dixie. Now it was time to show what they could do as a team. Each dog-man team had time with the trainers alone and with other teams. Brian likened the exercise to a therapy dog evaluation. The dogs must get along with and not be aggressive towards other people or dogs, they must not be shy of the camera or frightened by loud noises and sudden actions, they must not cry or bark when their owner leaves the room, they must have an even temperament. If you have ever met Dixie you would be smiling right now. She is the epitome of a well-behaved, laid back, sweet dog. And she loves people. She passed with flying colors.

So Brian and Dixie were in. But you may ask, what is The Pack? It’s is a global adventure series in which twelve dog-and-owner teams travel to several different locations, some of them quite exotic. Places like Los Angeles, Long Beach, Costa Rica, Mexico, New York, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Paris, Highclere Castle in the United Kingdom. The goal: competing for a prize of $750,000. From the winnings, $250,000 went go to the winner’s favorite animal related charity and the rest to the champion duo. The object and challenge of each stop along the way was a test of the dogs and their humans, not only in physical and athletic ability but also in problem-solving and puzzle-finishing skills.

In addition to this, social adeptness and cooperation of the contestant played into the scenario as well as individual experience. Brian and Dixie zip-lined together in LA, they rode in a kayak together in California (even though Brian isn’t crazy about water sports), they did a search for puzzle pieces to find clues on the USS Iowa in Long Beach. They played soccer together in Mexico, they rode in a gondola up to the top of a mountain in Switzerland to participate in a snowy and icy challenge. I don’t want to give away too many details. Just suffice it to say that Brian and Dixie have a brilliant partnership, an athlete team of two. You will want to see it for yourself.

On reflection, the nearly two months out of his life that Brian spent traveling with his beloved Dixie almost seem surreal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for which he is profoundly grateful. He wouldn’t trade it for the world. Not one to boast in his accomplishments, he gives most of the credit to Dixie. According to Brian, mistakes that were made were his alone. “I screwed some things up here and there,” admits Brian. “ But Dixie always seemed to know the right thing to do. She would pull me out of the hole. She did great. She did her normal thing.” So Dixie and Brian are a team of two. They are stars on a reality show. But that is not all.

While all these accomplishments are quite impressive, they are not Brian’s nor Dixie’s main focus in life. After returning from traveling abroad, they stepped back into their normal routine. Dixie’s first love is her work as a therapy dog where she got the name of Dixie the Praying Dog. Dixie’s dad taught her to “Pray.” Everywhere Brian and Dixie travel they touch peoples’ hearts and pray with them. There is the Vietnam vet that Dixie kissed on the cheek, the goodwill ambassador work for the Honor Flight program, TAPS on the Square in Martinsville, a visit to
the Flight 93 National Memorial and events showing her love to those special Riley Kids. Dixie reaches that part of humanity that transcends our differences. She causes us to reach deep and respond by giving to the charities that she represents. Dixie has helped to raise many thousands for these organizations. And she gives back with her love, no reservations.

Brian’s hope is that their part in The Pack will get them noticed by more people and give them a larger following. They do it all for charity. They would like to invite you to be a part of the bigger picture with them.

Watch Brian and Dixie compete in The Pack on Amazon Prime Video. It’s available NOW. If you would like to have Dixie make an appearance at your event, please contact Brian Calvert at [email protected]

Learn more about Brian and Dixie.
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ Dixie the Praying Dog
Facebook @ The Pack – Official Group
Instagram and Twitter @thepackonprime

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