It's been two weeks now since I lost my best friend, and I think I can finally write this post.
Gracie is the first German shepherd I've owned. She came my way when my ex decided she wanted a dog, and that a German shepherd is what she wanted. We looked at shelters and rescues, and one day "Diana" showed up on the local SPCA website.
She'd come to the shelter as an owner abandon. Turns out Gracie had separation anxiety and had done a lot of damage to her previous owner's back yard, and that was just too much for the woman to take, so she ended up in the shelter. We went to meet her and fell in love, so we brought Happy back to meet her. They liked each other, so we took her home.
Gracie ran with a springing, loping gait. If there were dogs that moved like dancers, she'd have been one, and so she got her name.
We think Gracie was trained as some kind of service dog but flunked out because of her nervous and anxious nature. Gracie was not a menace to cats the way a lot of GSDs are and she made a great addition to our house. She had been abused at some time -- I could feel a rib that had been broken and healed badly -- and she was super-sensitive to correction. Gracie was a gentle girl who needed to be treated gently, and as a result it was only about six weeks before my ex's dog was actually my dog. it stayed that way for the remaining four years that I was lucky enough to have her.
Gracie went to Surf and Turf with us last year, and that was the last trip she really enjoyed. Age and big dogness started to set in, and she went downhill really quickly in the last six months. I actually kept her about a month longer than I should have because I simply couldn't let her go. Up to her last day she was still having moments of loving life, but it was getting harder and harder for her.
Finaly my ex took her to the vet for one last ride. I just couldn't do it. I told her I loved her and that she was a good dog, then Sandy took her on her way.
The best thing I can say about Gracie was that she loved everybody, and everybody who met her loved her. Kids would run to her and she would greet them with a smile, wag her tail, and let them pet her. She was a great ambassador for dogkind; people who were scared of big dogs didn't feel that way after meeting Gracie.
I think Gracie is a once in a lifetime friend. I miss her every day.
Gracie is the first German shepherd I've owned. She came my way when my ex decided she wanted a dog, and that a German shepherd is what she wanted. We looked at shelters and rescues, and one day "Diana" showed up on the local SPCA website.
She'd come to the shelter as an owner abandon. Turns out Gracie had separation anxiety and had done a lot of damage to her previous owner's back yard, and that was just too much for the woman to take, so she ended up in the shelter. We went to meet her and fell in love, so we brought Happy back to meet her. They liked each other, so we took her home.
Gracie ran with a springing, loping gait. If there were dogs that moved like dancers, she'd have been one, and so she got her name.
We think Gracie was trained as some kind of service dog but flunked out because of her nervous and anxious nature. Gracie was not a menace to cats the way a lot of GSDs are and she made a great addition to our house. She had been abused at some time -- I could feel a rib that had been broken and healed badly -- and she was super-sensitive to correction. Gracie was a gentle girl who needed to be treated gently, and as a result it was only about six weeks before my ex's dog was actually my dog. it stayed that way for the remaining four years that I was lucky enough to have her.
Gracie went to Surf and Turf with us last year, and that was the last trip she really enjoyed. Age and big dogness started to set in, and she went downhill really quickly in the last six months. I actually kept her about a month longer than I should have because I simply couldn't let her go. Up to her last day she was still having moments of loving life, but it was getting harder and harder for her.
Finaly my ex took her to the vet for one last ride. I just couldn't do it. I told her I loved her and that she was a good dog, then Sandy took her on her way.
The best thing I can say about Gracie was that she loved everybody, and everybody who met her loved her. Kids would run to her and she would greet them with a smile, wag her tail, and let them pet her. She was a great ambassador for dogkind; people who were scared of big dogs didn't feel that way after meeting Gracie.
I think Gracie is a once in a lifetime friend. I miss her every day.
Gracie 
