Dixie got her own grilled rib-eye steak for dinner Sunday.

The 13-year-old pooch — who panics in swimming pools — was pampered after her traumatic swim and rescue from the Nansemond River on Sunday, said owner Britney Emons, a Holiday Point Estates resident.

Suffolk firefighters and animal control officers, with some assistance from a kayaker, rescued Dixie — a black Labrador mix — from the Nansemond River at 3:21 p.m. Sunday, according to a city press release.

Bennett’s Creek Landing residents dialed 911 after spotting Dixie getting pulled out by the tide while trying to swim ashore.

While first responders launched a boat and tried to coax the dog on board, animal control offices waded into the river and put a noose and harness around her, according to the release.

Emons was out hunting for Dixie when a neighbor told her about the rescue. She called Suffolk Animal Control, where Dixie was held after being checked out by a veterinarian.

“She came out with her tail between her legs,” Emons said. “She was happy to get home.

“She came in the house wagging her tail and went right to her bed.”

Dixie is a repeat offender when it comes to busting out of her fenced-in back yard in Holiday Point, Emons said. On a couple of occasions, she has escaped by digging and squeezing under the fence.

“But she usually lets herself back in the yard and waits at the front door,” Emons said. “She’s never gone near the water. She scared of the water.”

At 65 pounds, Dixie is “spoiled rotten,” Emons said. She took the dog after her father, Grant Parker, died three years ago and her mother, Joanne Parker, moved from her Western Branch home into an apartment.

“Dixie slept with my father. They ate ice cream together,” Emons said. “When Dixie fell into my parents’ pool, my father jumped in and rescued her.”

Dixie — who apparently prefers the luxury of the house, except for times of necessity — tends to make her escapes when the Emons have tried to get her to stay outside longer than she wants. The couple wanted her to stay out for a couple of hours to get some fresh air Sunday, she said.

“But we won’t leave the diva outside anymore,” Emons said. “We want everyone to know she has owners who love her.”

It wasn’t until she arrived at Suffolk Animal Control to pick up the dog at 7 p.m. Sunday that she learned of the city’s Facebook post and, later, caught glimpses of the media reports.

Emons said she believes her father is still looking out for his beloved pet.

“He has to be watching over her,” Emons said. “I know he was laughing in heaven on Sunday.”