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IKE, THE PANHANDLING DOG

Many people are preparing for their summer vacations and traveling to see sights they may have seen before and loved or to go and see things they have never been to. Disneyland, Branson, Hawaii, Camping in the forest, Yosemite, Yellowstone, or maybe Mount Rushmore. But anyone traveling to Ironton, Missouri will find a famous attraction. A best kept secret, that’s what the town calls its community celebrity. It’s not an attraction, business or person, instead it’s furry with four legs.

Along Highway 21 in Ironton, at the three-way intersection, the talk of the town may come as a surprise. “He’s the biggest attraction here in Ironton.” said Sherry Miller. His name is Ike and he’s the town beggar. To the people who know him, he’s more than just a dog.

“I’ve heard him called the hitchhiker, cheeseburger, three-way dog, a little bit of everything.” So, what’s his story?

Back at Highway 21 and Highway N, where Ike sits, lays and begs day after day. “It’s family tradition I guess,” said Miller, the owner of the pooch. A tradition that Miller said started years ago. “Ike’s dad, John was the first one that hung out in the road,” she said. That legacy continues and the reason makes sense!

“Treats, treats and he gets them.” said Miller. Some say he eats better than most, and it’s worth risking his own fur. "Chicken breast from town and country. He’ll get biscuits and gravy, cheeseburgers from McDonalds. He don’t care for hot dogs because I seen hot dogs lay out there for days. So don’t give him hot dogs,” said Miller.

Ike has made a name or two for himself here in Ironton.

“The sheriff, the mayor, the Ironton welcoming committee, the highway hound, ghost dog,” Julia Dill, Facebook page creator. Now, people all over the country now know about him. “So Ike is now known in Texas, Georgia, New York, Colorado and then of course all throughout Missouri,” said Dill.

Thanks to Dill and her created Facebook page, Ike is getting likes, attention and more love than ever.

“We decided to collect those funny stories that people were telling about seeing him in the road, howling when an ambulance would pass by,” said Dill.

And now, his fame is going above and beyond to help the community. With the money from ‘Ike for mayor t-shirts’ and Ike road sign they are able to give back.

“We decided let’s support Backpack Impact. It’s a local organization, their funds send meals home with kids on the weekend from school,” said Dill. So, if you see Ike, the three-way dog, just know, he’s doing what he does best.

“He does what dogs do, but he does it out in the road and he doesn’t care,” said Miller.

Now, Ike does have a loving home just near the highway. If you happen to see him, give him a treat or two, but just let Ike do what Ike wants to do.

Many in Ironton are now mourning the loss of the pooch. Ike, “the famous panhandling hound” dog was known for lying at the intersection of 72 and Highway N. Ike’s owner, Sherry Miller, said he was hit by a car on Monday, November 15, 2021.

“Cry. That’s all I could do,” said Miller. Miller said Ike was a staple to Ironton. Community members quickly built a memorial in front of the road he would often rest. Ironton Mayor Bob Lourwood he said it’s going to take the city time to adjust to him being gone.

“Now that he’s gone, it’s taken away a subtle landmark, something we’re used too. It was always fun to see him there. It was always so fun to see people who weren’t used to the area stopping and trying to pick him up and get him to come to them with hamburgers and pizza,” said Lourwood.

Julia Dill runs the ‘Fans of Crossroads Dog’ Facebook page, an account created before his passing and created the GoFundMe account to raise money for a memorial for Ike.

“We’ll never forget Ike. He was a bright spot in our days, brought us together and uplifted us during hard times. His presence was always a welcome surprise. He meant a lot to people,” said Dill.

Miller said it warms her heart to see so many people cared about Ike. Although he’s gone, she wants his memory to be a happy one, a lot like him.

“People tell me all the time, ‘oh, I come back and he made me smile,’ and ‘he did something silly and I laughed.’ That’s what I want people to think when I think of him,” said Miller.

Not all panhandlers are created equal. Many are looked at with disdain and anger. In our passage today, Jesus says that when you do give to the needy, to not make a show of it. Let’s read our passage from the Sermon on the Mount.