Stealing Dogs by the Dozen in Waxahachie

Thank God, one of the dozen stolen dogs has been found.

Waxahachie is a magical place, somehow. I’ve had a certain fascination with it since I first heard the name as a child.

My great grandparents, Clarence and Edna Mae, we’re married here under a mimosa tree, I’m told. Clarence was a mysterious, big-nosed man from Indiana – so he said – who spoke fluent German but who’s last name was Jones.

They like to dress up around here. Not only do they have a medieval fair every year, October boasts a massive Haunted House. And in November, around Veteran’s day, they re-enact a battle from World War II.

It’s all true.

There’s a battle on the bridge, not far from the town square where the old courthouse is. Here, you can stroll through the Stars of the Ellis County Walk of Fame where names like Horton Foote and Earnest Tubb line the street. Just last weekend, people dressed up like Nazis were marched through the streets, captured by victorious Americans.

Yes, fascists are defeated annually here in Waxahachie.

Not long ago, I spent time with Columbia University graduate school graduates one afternoon, where we ate tripped-up pies in Oak Cliff. When I told them I was going to Waxahachie to have Japanese food, one of them asked me if Waxahachie was a real place. She said she thought it was only place in plays and movies about Texas. Not some place you could actually go.

No, I told her, Waxahachie is real.

What I didn’t know, turns out, is that some people here steals dogs by the dozen. There’s a reward for folks who catch them. Here’s the poster to prove it.

#LostInHachie

#RockettCafe