DALTON, Ga. — Jordan Allen believes growing up with a dog is the “right of every child, or at least it should be,” he said.

That’s why Allen, his wife Pam and their daughters Madeline, 8, and Olivia, 19 months, traveled from Canton to Dalton on Saturday afternoon to adopt their third dog. But it wasn’t just any dog. Now called Dixie, the dog is a female Chihuahua puppy that was found abandoned at a city dump last month.

Workers at the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia had named the dog Martine after it was found in a Huggies diaper box in a mixed-paper recycling trailer at the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Convenience Center. Harvey Duncan, a Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority part-time employee, noticed the box hadn’t been broken down and flattened and that’s when the dog was found.

Pam Allen said she was searching for a dog when she came across Martine’s picture on a pet-finder website. The dog is a gift for Madeline who turns 9 on Jan. 29.

“We actually didn’t know anything about her but saw the picture and that she fit our request for a tiny dog,” Pam Allen said. She called the Humane Society and learned the dog was still available.  

“It wasn’t until we said we definitely wanted her and was approved for the adoption that we were informed of her back story,” she said. “After hearing the story it just sealed the deal. We were going to get her anyway, but there was definitely no turning back.” 

The family has two other rescue dogs they have adopted. One is from the Humane Society and the other was from Craigslist.

Madeline had no idea they were coming to Dalton to adopt another dog. 

“I’m very surprised and happy,” said the second-grader.

She immediately named the dog Dixie after the book and movie “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Her class in school is reading the book about a little girl who finds an abandoned dog in a Winn-Dixie grocery store.

Jordan Allen said Madeline has shown she’s responsible with their other dogs.

“We thought it was time she got her own,” he said. 

Pat Bell, an adoption coordinator with the Humane Society, said Dixie is a “lucky little girl.”

“She’s got a lot of energy and will be great with this family,” Bell said. “I’ve checked them out. It’s going to be a great home for her.”

Bell said between 300 to 500 dogs used to be euthanized a month in Dalton.

“The numbers have dropped dramatically because of all the rescue groups coming in to rescue them,” she said. “There is still a tremendous amount of dogs here that always need rescuing. We urge everyone to adopt from the shelter rather than buy them.”

Bell said 40 dogs were adopted last month. 

“You can’t just walk in off the street and adopt,” she said. “We’re going to know they are going into a good home.”

Pam Allen said she thinks everyone should adopt a dog. 

Madeline said she couldn’t wait to get Dixie home to play fetch with her. But first there was going to be a stop at the pet store for a new bed and other necessities.

“This is the best birthday gift ever,” she said.