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wasn’t quite ready to get a dog after all.” One final dog was brought out for her consideration. He was young, scruffy, recently found on the side of the road. He looked at her with intelligent brown eyes. “Poor thing had almost no hair on his body, just a little wisp on his tail and these adorable fluffy feet,” she recounts. “But the instant I looked into those soulful brown eyes, I knew we belonged together. There was an instantaneous connection, like he knew me and it was meant to be.” She named him Baxter, after her pal Ruffles’ talented musical son — Southern Pines’ own Buddy Holly, whose hair is always an adventure. She brought him home to CCNC and was surprised to see how quickly he acclimated to his new environment. “He was perfectly behaved from the day he got here last September,” she explains. “He walked in and hopped up on the sofa like he owned the place. His attitude was so relaxed and endearing, playful and sassy at times, with no apologies for where he’d come from, just visibly glad to be here. Anyone who met him could see it instantly.” A fortnight after he arrived, Ruffles Clement and artist Mary Schwab threw a “shower” for Baxter, whose only issue was his somewhat finicky eating habits, perhaps the result of his days in the wild. “I was a little concerned that he wasn’t eating enough to put on weight,” says Adair, who solved this problem by adding blue cheese burgers from Fresh Market to Baxter’s dry dog food for a while. He put on weight and his hair returned. “Baxter had a grand time at his shower,” she adds, “and opened every one of his gifts.” Not long after this, he went to obedience school and became the star pupil of his class. Today, Baxter — who appears to be equal parts bearded collie and Hollywood wonder dog — is a healthy, happy character with a coat of gorgeous gray hair with golden highlights who greets all visitors like the lord of the manor. “He goes everywhere with me,” admits Adair. “He particularly loves to ride shotgun in the car over to visit my mother at Belle Meade or trips up to Raleigh. He’s such a curious and loving animal; he constantly reminds me how important it is to look at the world with fresh eyes and a new perspective.” She ruffles Baxter’s hair and he looks at her with shining eyes. “This dog has been a blessing to my life,” she says. “We think we’re saving them. But I think they may be saving us.” PS
PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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July 2010
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