In loving memory of Gracie

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

In loving memory of Gracie

Dear Friends,
I just haven't known what to do or say. Our little Gracie was killed in a horrible accident. We came home to find that she had been killed by a big floor mirror in our house. There was nothing we could do.

I decided to write this post so I could let you all know what happened and to also remember how wonderful Gracie was. At first I wasn't able to tell anyone...because then it would be real and I didn't want to burden anyone with such sadness. Then slowly I started to share and the love and support of friends, family and even strangers has been so healing. I'm just overwhelmed by the kindness of people.

Here are some of the things we loved and will always remember about Gracie:

When we first saw Gracie she was in such bad shape -- abused, dirty and scared. Yet she had such a gentle spirit and a yearning to be loved. I'd have to be really careful because if I accidentally tripped over her or opened the door on her she would get so scared and low to the ground as if she did something wrong. She cried all the time in the beginning. I'd wake up in the middle of the night to hear her whimpering in her sleep. I knew that I would do anything it took to erase all the pain and suffering she went through previously.

Gracie was a homeless dog at one point so she didn't know about a lot of things. She didn't know that dogs love sticking their heads out of car windows (Gina taught her how). She didn't know how to play with toys (Bella taught her how). Gracie was such a smart dog. We were amazed when she learned how to "high 5" just by watching Bella. We had never taught her yet she one day just knew how to do it!

Our Gracie was a little piggy. She ate every meal as if it were her last. One time we caught her chowing down on the crown molding. Another time Andy, Gina and I were playing the Wii and made lots of carpet fuzz. We each thought the other had cleaned it but then realized Gracie had eaten it all up! Later we put carpet fuzz on the table so she couldn't get to it. It was blowing in the air conditioning wind so she was suspicious and barked at it. Andy showed it to her. She took one sniff and then tried to take a bite.

Gracie was always a protector. Even though Bella was older and much bigger, Gracie always looked out for her. Once at the dog park there were two bully dogs who were scaring Bella. When Gracie saw this she suddenly ran from across the park to defend Bella's honor. It was unbelievable...this tiny dog barked at two big dogs and chased them away to protect her sister. Gracie was so patient with Bella. She let Bella eat first and never complained when Bella stole her toys. When we'd get ready to take them outside Gracie would grab Bella's leash every single time. It was so cute.

Gracie was such an amazing dog. People and dogs loved her anywhere we went. She was so outgoing (as opposed to Bella who is the shy sister). Most of you probably know about Gracie's boyfriend, Redford. He followed her everywhere. Once she hit her head on a chair but because he was following her she blamed it on him and barked at him. When she first met my mom she must've known that my mom was against a second dog because she acted like a perfect little angel.

We are going to miss Gracie so much. We're going to miss having her hide in the shoe case and jump out when we got home as if to say, "surprise!"...we’re going to miss how cute she looks when she sits and does her special trot...we're going to miss having her rest her head on our laps...we're just going to miss everything about her. Gracie isn't allowed on the bed but we had this stool next to the bed for about a week. She never came up until the last day. That morning we woke up to her big wet nose and kisses and she just snuggled in with us. I guess that must've been her way of saying good-bye.

My parents said that Gracie wasn't destined to have a long life. She had a special purpose in this world -- to make us incredibly happy when she was with us...to show us the dangers that lie within our own homes...to teach us to cherish every single moment we have with the ones we love because life is so fleeting. I try to think of happy memories of her...yet the pain is still so heart-wrenching. Sometimes I can't breathe and I'm physically in pain. I just think...if only I had known then I would've let her eat anything she wanted...I would've taken her to the dog park one last time...I would've spent more time with her.

Thanks so much for reading and for remembering Gracie. We're leaving for South Africa so I won't be able to respond to your comments/messages until I get back. I also promise to catch up on all the posts/calls/e-mails/messages I've missed. I hope you all have a wonderful next few weeks and truly enjoy your time with loved ones.

I'd love it if you would leave a comment or message me with memories of your pets that have passed or just your thoughts on Gracie. I'll look back here to remember Gracie and cherish her memories.

Take care,
Jenny

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i'm sorry for your loss. all dogs go to heaven!
- 9/12/2007 6:09 PM
- cant_fly_today (message)
- reply
your entry made me cry!!

i'm so sorry to hear about gracie. but she had a happy life filled with love, and that's all that she wanted out of life. both your lives were better because of each other, and i'm sure you have many wonderful memories of what a great dog she was.
- 9/12/2007 6:13 PM
- justbee (message)
- reply
i have tears rolling down my face as i read this entry. i Love my dog and i'd be crushed if something happened to him. I can't even begin to understand your pain and yet i wish that i could send you huge hugs and just be there as you cry. people that don't own dogs don't understand. they dont' know how painful it is...how they become like your child, how there are things about them that make your day better and how you don't know how you did without them. I'm praying for you. I pray that your heart will be held tightly as you mourn your loss. thinking of you and Bella...
- 9/12/2007 6:59 PM
- mytoesareblue (message)
- reply
i'm so sorry to hear about gracie. i believe that there is always a reason for the things that happen in one's life, and like you said, she was brought here on earth to teach about love and living one's life to one's fullest. may you have a blast in south africa
- 9/12/2007 7:09 PM
- buddhawish (message)
- reply
i'm so sorry to hear that gracie passed! i loved your posts about her in the past and thought it was so great that she became a part of your family. it must have been devastating to come home to find her that way. >.< i'm sure gracie was just as happy in your life as you were in hers. You have a huge heart for giving gracie a loving home. and thanx for the heads up about the floor mirrors. i wanted to buy a few for my home and worried a little that it might tip over if my dogs ran into it but i thought that there would be very little chance such a thing would happen, but now i know that it really does happen, you just never know when. feel better, like cant_fly_today said, i'm sure gracie's in heaven now.
- 9/12/2007 7:11 PM
- nomorepink (message)
- reply
what a beautiful entry. gracie was so lucky to have met such a wonderful mommy like you and share her life with your family. she's now resting peacefully in heaven hoping that you'll be ok soon too. =) have a great time in s. africa and i'll see you when you get back!
- 9/12/2007 7:12 PM
- wedBliss (message)
- reply
I am sorry to hear about Gracie!!!! I can't imagine the ordeal that you have gone through. You have opened your heart and shared your love to Gracie and I am sure she knew how much she's loved.
- 9/12/2007 8:06 PM
- LAMAY123 (message)
- reply
I have 2 maltese and I love them as if they were my kids. So I totally undertstand the love u must of have for both dogs. Im sorry to hear about Gracie but shes in a better place now. So hang in there and Cheer up soon.
- 9/12/2007 8:13 PM
- woebabyeee (message)
- reply
I cried while I was reading this because it reminded me of my sweet Monique. Gracie was as lucky to have you guys in her life as you were to have her. In the pics you can tell how happy she was.
- 9/12/2007 8:33 PM
- jin_hui_kim (message)
- reply
i'm so sorry for your loss. it must have been heartbreaking. =( i hope your time in africa helps you erase some of the pain you're feeling.
- 9/12/2007 8:37 PM
- munchkincho (message)
- reply
i cried too!! i'm so so sorry for your loss. i can't imagine how painful it must have been to lose her. thank you for sharing your story. it's so admirable the way you loved her.
- 9/12/2007 8:38 PM
- janetzilla (message)
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oh no :( i'm so sorry for your loss. we all know you loved gracie very much.
- 9/12/2007 8:52 PM
- missdior (message)
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goodbye gracie~ rest in peace. im sorry for your lost. shes definetly in heaven =)
- 9/12/2007 9:04 PM
- Crybabee (message)
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I can't believe it! I'm so sorry for your loss. :( Those are beautiful pictures of Gracie.
- 9/12/2007 10:15 PM
- tinakimchan (message)
- reply
aw, i'm so sorry for your loss. gracie was lucky to have you guys as parents. i'm sure she loved every minute of the time she spent w/ you guys.
- 9/12/2007 10:26 PM
- jeny63 (message)
- reply
i'm so sorry to hear about your loss. gracie was such a cutie & having 2 mini schnauzers myself, i have a soft spot for them. your words about gracie are so thoughtful and genuine, and made me fall in love with her too.
- 9/12/2007 10:31 PM
- benditlikebeckim (message)
- reply
I'm so heartbroken for you. Just thinking about the loss of a pet just hurts my heart. =( Gracie seems like she had a gentle loving soul. I think it's wonderful you were able to be a part of each other's lives even if it was for a short while...
- 9/12/2007 11:55 PM
- always_ss (message)
- reply
hey skippee,

i heard from andy about what happened. i'm really sorry to hear about gracie. hang in there, and take care of yourself in south africa.
- 9/13/2007 12:44 AM
- sppeng (message)
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Jenny, your story abuot Gracie made me tear up. I'm so sorry for your loss. I really admire you for taking Gracie in when she had nobody else to take care of her. She lived in a happy place, but I am sure she is now in a better place somewhere in doggy heaven. (*tear).
- 9/13/2007 5:34 AM
- Jennylee2880 (message)
- reply
OMG!! i am sooo sorry! i loved gracie and thought she was just a sweet lil dog who had such a kind spirit!! i'm so sad she's gone! i was so happy that she had a new friend in bella. i'm sad...as i'm sure you are too. i am sad that i just found out one of our budgies in tokyo passed away too. his eyesight was going and he basically flew into a wall and died. that means all our birds in tokyo are gone to pet heaven. my favorite of our tokyo birds was dango because she was a freaky kid. she didn't wanna come out of the egg and when we first brought her and her bro tango home, she basically spent almost an hour under my shirt in my armpit! she had a trick. she'd go in your shirt and go down, and come back up the outside, and she'd get mad and bite you if you didn't open up your shirt so she could do it over and over again! haha she was hilarious! very funny. a bully but i loved dango. tango was awesome too! we had tatami mats in tokyo and tango was great! i would be studying japanese on the table where you sit on the floor and tango would be on the table with me with all my pens and pencils. he'd pick up a pen/pencil, take it to the edge and drop it and watch it fall! he was so clever and sweet! he'd continue to do that. he'd also even play soccer with a little ball on the tatami mat! i miss them. haneko-chan was beautiful and she was tango's friend. it was hilarious that dango would push her off the perch and laugh (bob her head up and down. hahah ). we had to leave them all when i got misdiagnosed and had to leave tokyo, so they all passed away when we weren't there! it's ok, gracie's in pet heaven with our sweet birds too. i'm sorry for you guys.
- 9/13/2007 5:47 AM
- angelahappydot (message)
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i'm so sorry for your loss. gracie sounded like she had a wonderful life with you guys.
- 9/13/2007 6:04 AM
- huinita (message)
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I'm so sorry for your loss... Gracie was very lucky to have found a kind and gentle soul like you to take her in and nutured her back to health.. her time with you were very special.. you have learned from each... you were there when she needed you the most and vice versa.. she was very well loved.. now she is up in doggie heaven...you will be missed Gracie

try to enjoy your trip in SA... take alots of pix.. remember I live vicariously through you.. heheh
- 9/13/2007 6:05 AM
- jpjchen (message)
- reply
we also had dwarf hamsters with our birds in tokyo. rin and ku. rinnie died because her foot got stuck in the cage and she basically died upside down because her foot was stuck in the cage and i was in the hospital then so i didn't even get to say bye to her. dango always tried to flip upside down in the cage and she basicallly broke her own neck in the cage while we were in san francisco visiting my sis and bro-in-law. so we have our sad pet deaths too!
- 9/13/2007 7:07 AM
- angelahappydot (message)
- reply
I'm SO sorry to hear about your loss. :( I know how much you and your hubby must have meant to Gracie as well. Always remember the special memories that you guys shared together because in the end that's all you have. I'm sure that Gracie felt very lucky to have you and Andy as her parents. Have fun in South Africa!
- 9/13/2007 7:21 AM
- graciegrace2000 (message)
- reply
gracie sounds like she was a wonderful companion. we have a dog too so i understand how you must have felt to lose a member of your family. have a safe trip in africa!
- 9/13/2007 7:41 AM
- waiszeblogs (message)
- reply