Our four-legged companion, Gracie, turns 12 today! We brought her home when Jessie was just 14 months old. What were we thinking? A toddler and a puppy will definitely keep you on your toes. Jessie and Gracie were best friends from the first moment they met. Gracie followed Jessie around everywhere waiting for food to drop out of her chubby little fingers. Jessie’s first full sentence was “No, no Gay-cee dats mine!” I don’t remember what Gracie took to illicit such a response, but I remember that first sentence like it was yesterday.
Gracie was used and abused by many of the neighborhood children. She was dressed in feather boas, tiaras and all manner of dress-up accessories. She endured it like the faithful friend that she was. Now that her babies are grown up, she feels that kids (and some adults) are not a necessary part of her life. I tell any little one coming into our house to ignore her and she will ignore them.
Last summer, we brought home a brand new little puppy. We were worried about Gracie’s response. At first, she ignored her… well, as much as you can ignore a puppy. Now they are buddies and our sweet Mollie has helped Gracie become a younger dog. They take turns sounding the alarm to the other when it is dinner time, treat time or if there is a visitor at the door. Before we replaced our carpet, Gracie would mope around the house. Now that we have our new floors, she loves to run around so that she can slip and slide on the floors. When she is excited you will hear her nails on the floor and then a loud thump. That is her back legs falling out from underneath her and slamming on the floor. Something about that seems fun to her. I guess at her age, we are just glad that she has found something she enjoys. Although, it looks awfully painful to me!
Gracie is a mama’s girl all the way, but she still loves her Jessie. When she hears Jessie’s voice in the morning, you can see her perk up. When we got Mollie, I made Fred introduce the two dogs. I stayed outside so that Gracie wouldn’t associate me with this great apostasy. Gracie was visibly upset by this little intruder, but she wasn’t mad at Fred, Jonathan or myself. Jessie was visiting my parents when we got Mollie. I forgot to tell Jessie to love on Gracie first before she went to get Mollie out of her crate. Of course, Jessie went running to the crate and pulled out Mollie and started loving on her. This upset Gracie greatly. When Jessie tried to pet Gracie, she turned her head and walked away. I guess she expected this type of behavior from the rest of us, but expected Jessie to remain loyal. It only took a few minutes for them to make-up, but Jessie was heartbroken that she had hurt Gracie’s feelings.
We couldn’t imagine the last 12 years without our Gracie!
Gracie was used and abused by many of the neighborhood children. She was dressed in feather boas, tiaras and all manner of dress-up accessories. She endured it like the faithful friend that she was. Now that her babies are grown up, she feels that kids (and some adults) are not a necessary part of her life. I tell any little one coming into our house to ignore her and she will ignore them. Last summer, we brought home a brand new little puppy. We were worried about Gracie’s response. At first, she ignored her… well, as much as you can ignore a puppy. Now they are buddies and our sweet Mollie has helped Gracie become a younger dog. They take turns sounding the alarm to the other when it is dinner time, treat time or if there is a visitor at the door. Before we replaced our carpet, Gracie would mope around the house. Now that we have our new floors, she loves to run around so that she can slip and slide on the floors. When she is excited you will hear her nails on the floor and then a loud thump. That is her back legs falling out from underneath her and slamming on the floor. Something about that seems fun to her. I guess at her age, we are just glad that she has found something she enjoys. Although, it looks awfully painful to me!
Gracie is a mama’s girl all the way, but she still loves her Jessie. When she hears Jessie’s voice in the morning, you can see her perk up. When we got Mollie, I made Fred introduce the two dogs. I stayed outside so that Gracie wouldn’t associate me with this great apostasy. Gracie was visibly upset by this little intruder, but she wasn’t mad at Fred, Jonathan or myself. Jessie was visiting my parents when we got Mollie. I forgot to tell Jessie to love on Gracie first before she went to get Mollie out of her crate. Of course, Jessie went running to the crate and pulled out Mollie and started loving on her. This upset Gracie greatly. When Jessie tried to pet Gracie, she turned her head and walked away. I guess she expected this type of behavior from the rest of us, but expected Jessie to remain loyal. It only took a few minutes for them to make-up, but Jessie was heartbroken that she had hurt Gracie’s feelings. 
We couldn’t imagine the last 12 years without our Gracie!
No comments:
Post a Comment