DANVILLE — If Trixie Marie Carter were a human, she’d make a good soccer player.

The little dog likes to play with an assortment of balls, including some that are bigger than she is.

Owner Carol Carter of Danville describes their playtime outdoors: “She has this long hair and she is so fast that her hair flies out back. It looks like she is about to leave the ground.”

Indoors, Trixie picks the most inconvenient times to play ball with mom, such as while Carter is doing dishes or making dinner.

Still, she finds time to play with the Yorkie-poo: “I kick the ball down the hall and I scream and clap my hands, and she runs after it and barks and brings it back. We just have a ball doing this and it is good exercise for her.”

Trixie has two balls about the size of a basketball — one blue, one green. If you tell her which color to get, she picks the right one every time.

She tends to bite — and break — the balls, which means she’s constantly getting new ones.

She also nudges a ball under the sofa, and stares at Carter’s husband, Phil, until he gets it out — even though Trixie is small enough to get it herself.

Trixie is 9 years old. Her mother was a full poodle and her father was a Yorkshire terrier. The Carters bought her from a breeder in 2000.

Before that, they had a cocka-poo (cocker spaniel-poodle mix) named Muffin. A few years ago, Carol wanted a dog and went to the Danville Humane Society several times before she found the right dog.

She was looking for a poodle or poodle-mix, and found Muffin, who was about a year old. Carter learned that the dog’s owner, whose name was Lois, couldn’t take care of the dog anymore.

About two years later, Carter responded to a newspaper ad for a treadmill for sale. When she arrived at the home, she found out the seller’s name was Lois — the same woman who once owned Muffin.

“I was happy to meet her, and she was happy to find out that Muffin had gotten a good home,” Carter said, still marveling at the coincidence of stumbling upon the first owner.

Muffin died in 1999 at age 12.

After a year, she said, “I just felt such an empty place in my heart that I checked the want ads again in the paper.” She found a breeder who had two puppies, a male and a female. The boy hid behind the couch, but the girl was out running around.

It was December, and the Carters brought her home in a fur hood to keep her warm.

Trixie had her own bed with toys, but as soon as the Carters turned the lights off, she started crying. They took her to bed with them — and that’s where she sleeps now.

Trixie is possessive of her “mom and dad.” If one is getting ready to leave, she follows him or her around, crying. And she won’t eat until both are present.

If she has to go out, she will stand on the foot of either Carol or Phil. If she really needs to go out, she’ll stand on the person’s foot and then walk to the door.

She understands numerous words, and even watches TV for a few minutes, until she gets bored.

Trixie is a good watchdog, who barks at every little noise.

She also likes to sit on the back of the couch and look at the window in the morning. Carter rubs the dog’s back and feeds her little pieces of dry dog food.

“That is our quiet time every morning,” Carter said.

“So, you can see she is very spoiled. But that is why you love your animals — and they love you unconditionally.”

Phil is retired from Hyster Co. and Carol is retired from Morris-Flamingo, and also is active in the Sweet Adelines.

The couple is busy, but still finds time to make sure their little athlete gets plenty of practice time with the balls. That sounds like a good way to bond with any pet.

If you would like to have your pet featured, contact Mary Wicoff at 477-5161, send an e-mail to mwicoff@dancomnews.com or write to Commercial-News, 17 W. North, Danville, IL 61832.