Alice Hutto is continuing her daughter’s legacy of friendship and loving compassion by caring for her beloved dog, winner of The Times and Democrat’s 2007 Pet Idol contest.

The Orangeburg resident lost her daughter, Kristy, on Sept. 3, 2007, to a car accident that occurred as the avid Clemson fan was on her way to a game in the Upstate. Kristy, who was admired and respected by family, friends and co-workers, left behind a dog who had become her best friend.

The female dog, a Rottweiler mix, ambled upon Kristy’s doorstep lonely and lost with matted hair and a body ravaged by what looked like mange. The skin disease led to her being named “Itchy.”

Alice takes pride in Itchy being named a Pet Idol winner, but is also proud of how her dog has adjusted without her daughter’s presence.

“Itchy thanks all her supporters for giving her the opportunity to represent Orangeburg as the Pet Idol for 2008. Life has changed, but Itchy is adjusting to her new surroundings,” Hutto said.

While used to having acres of land upon which to run and play, Itchy had to get used to the confinements of city life when she found herself caught in the middle of a busy roadway while chasing after a squirrel.

“City life is much different. There are leash laws and traffic to contend with. More new rules and an invisible fence have been installed. She now watches people walking past her house, but she knows her limits,” Hutto said.

Itchy now loves to go on car rides and looks forward to her biweekly pedicure and bath at Zipidee Do Dogs. She also has a toy basket that she enjoys, said Hutto, noting that Itchy’s Idol status sometimes seems to have gone to her head.

“She does not like to go out in the rain and even tiptoes around in the morning when the dew is heavy on the grass. Itchy does not like to walk on linoleum or hardwood, but she prefers carpet. I think she has watched too much TV,” she said.

But, like every Idol, Itchy just wants to be loved and revels in the limelight.

“Itchy has become very social. (She) loves to be petted and enjoys attention,” Hutto said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at The TandD.com.

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