Dixie Mae Barnas
Dixie Mae Barnas, aka Big Momma, crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully in her home surrounded by her humans and sister dog on January 2, 2024. Her age was guesstimated to be around 11 years old. She was a Bluetick Coonhound.
Dixie was adopted November 23, 2014 from HoundSong Rescue into the Barnas family. She had been rescued by HoundSong from deplorable conditions in South Virginia, pregnant and severely malnourished. While in transit to her foster family in the Midwest she delivered her babies at a hotel. Robin Williams had recently died so her temporary name was Wendy and her pups had names from the movie Hook.
Once adopted, Dixie immediately bonded to her sister Beagle, Mabel. They have been the best of friends through the years with a bond so special it was obvious to anyone who saw them together. They tried to go on an adventure or 2 over the years by escaping the underground fence together. The two of them were always snuggled close at night, often looking more like a pretzel of limbs than 2 dogs.
In true hound fashion Dixie was a Houdini dog. She escaped every kennel/crate there ever was and then proceeded to bust Mabel out of a separate kennel as well. This led to her dad building them a “safe room” with tiled floors and walls as well a steel exterior door to keep them contained while we were away from home. The room has a window and is equipped with an Alexa for background music.
Dixie loved the outdoors and basking in the sunshine. She was the best camping companion and went on all the hikes. Thunderstorms and fireworks were her enemy which meant she would look for small spaces in closets or hampers to hide. She was an amazing garage dog while dad tinkered outdoors, napping in the driveway or on her garage bed. She would bay loudly at any and all neighbors walking by, delivery trucks, the garbage man, etc in case we weren’t aware there was possible imminent danger so close. If said danger approached the house she thought she had made a new best friend because she loved all people, and the Coonhound in her meant she would put her front paws up on everyone in greeting for a hug but looking like she was treeing a raccoon. She had the best soft, long hound ears that touched the water when she drank, and she had one single black mark on her left side in the shape of a heart.
Dixie is survived by her dad Eddie, mom Sabrina, sister Madie, brother Arlo, and sister dog Mabel.
She will be forever missed and we will carry her in our hearts always. We ask that you give your pets extra treats and love in memory of her - she was truly a lover of food and all the snuggles.
Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
Chaos, age 12 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 22nd, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services. Chaos was rescued from an abandoned building and she absolutely caused chaos with our other cats and ended up taking over the ruling of the house, which is how she earned her name, Chaos. She was very protective of everyone in the household and was very bossy to anyone that showed her any attention.
Bonnie, age 13 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 20th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services. She was an absolute gem of a girl, she would always jump onto the bed with whoever invited her into their room for even just a minute. Any chance she got, she was in someone's bed. She loved everyone she met and absolutely loved playing fetch. She didn't care that she was a big girl, she wanted to be a lap dog with everyone she came in contact with. She will be deeply missed at home but happy to know she's running happy and free across The Rainbow Bridge.
Thunder, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 13th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services. There is so much to say about fat man Thunder, I have so many favorite memories of him. He loved to go on walks around the neighborhood, it didn't matter where we went as long as he got his walk in. He was the best cuddler, waking up with him in the morning was absolutely the best thing in the world even though he would always be on my head or hair. He loved his whip cream treats even though he always got brain freeze from eating them too fast. He was the friendliest boy you'd ever meet and was very vocal. He much preferred his string toys over the toys he had to move himself. He will be deeply missed at home and I'm glad he's having a blast running freely across The Rainbow Bridge.
Rainin, age 10 months old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 12th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
Little Bear, age 10 months old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 12th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
Dude, 14 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 12th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services. I will miss the days of playing in the snow with her, the warm sunny days on our deck, and playing in the leaves in the fall. The day we brought her home to our 2 year old son who also happened to share the same birthday as him also, he was the happiest little boy ever. Dude loves his cat siblings and he always had something to say and would yell at you until things were in there rightful place, wherever it may be. He absolutely loved blueberries, apples and carrots
Maya, 10.5 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 11th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services. She was the best big sister to Wally. She enjoyed her naps and snuggle time in the evenings with whoever would show her attention. She absolutely was the Queen of the household. She was an armchair quarterback and much preferred her brother to do all of the hard work for her. She will definitely be very much missed.
Rupert, 12 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 11th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
Lucas, 14.5 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 10th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
Lucy, 6 years old, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 10th, 2026. Cremation services accorded. Arrangements entrusted to Whispering Willow Pet Funeral & Cremation Services.
