abc dog school

ABC Dog School

Gracie Anne

Gracie is my little strawberry blonde. She was the first of the rescued pups to really get my attention, first by being so darned cute, and then by standing in the water pan. After setting down a bucket of water to replace what she had soiled, I turned to empty the pan, turned again, and she was standing with her front feet in the bucket! That was quite a sight and good for a laugh, but replacing muddy water got pretty old after a time. Sometimes I had to fill the pan several times.

   I wondered why she liked to stand in the water. Maybe it started as a way to entertain herself, or to clean her feet in a place where poop was never picked up, or the result of having some Retriever background. None of the adult dogs involved in this population explosion look anything like a Labrador, but some of the pups look like small Labs. Whatever the reason for this habit, it did fade away after a few months. Maybe it was all that screaming I did.

   Gracie is Annie's daughter, and although it is known that Annie and Chubby had a tryst, the black and tan male that was hanging around, may have got in on the act. He sired at least some of Star's puppies, and there was another black male dog there at that time, too, so it's possible that Gracie and Belle are half sisters. But we'll never know. No paternity suits are in the works.

   When the pups first came, there were two blondes and a black and tan. The other blonde already had a name, Peanut, and was very aggressive. They all played and had great fun, but when it was time to eat, all heck broke loose. There were three bowls, but the pups kept rushing from one to another, trying to eat all the food before anyone else did. It was like pecking order musical bowls. Now there is just Belle and Gracie together, and Gracie really snarfs the food down, fearing that Belle will run her off. Fortunately, Belle is a slow eater, so it works out okay.

   Gracie can be quite a pain with her constant jumping up. This is another manifestation of her desparation to survive on the bottom rung of the ladder. Sucking up to the pack leader. I was made aware of her status one day when I had let her, Belle, and Jasmine play together in the main dog yard, and it started to rain. They all headed for Jasmine's box, which wasn't big enough for everybody, and it was Gracie who got wet.

   Before I decided to keep Gracie, her owner was bringing food over in cut-off plastic detergent jugs, and leaving them for the dogs to eat out of, instead of the bowls I had out there. One day I came home for lunch, and found Gracie with a jug stuck on her head. She was weaving and pawing at the jug. I don't know if she could breathe in there or not, but she sure couldn't see where she was going. I set the jugs outside the gate with a note, alerting the neighbor to the danger of injury or suffocation. I still wonder what would have happened if I hadn't found her when I did.

   In the fall of 2006, Gracie had a brush with fame and her first car ride when I took her to audition for Sandy in the high school production of "Annie." She looks nothing like Sandy, but the dog originally cast for the part had to be euthenized after breaking his hip. The director called me because I'd had a dog in one of the plays before (see Rocky's page.)

   Gracie was willing and friendly, but, her submissiveness caused a bit of a problem. Every time someone touched her or even reached toward her with a treat, she left a puddle on the floor!    Fortunately, a girl I work with had the perfect Sandy, so Gracie was off the hook. It was Tobie and Squeak that ended up on stage, playing bit parts, but, who knows? Maybe Gracie will get another chance someday.

   When Belle was spayed, I kept her and Gracie in seperate pens, and took that opportunity to teach them to sit before getting their food dishes. This was extremely hard for Gracie, but she's doing very well now. She knows not to jump on me now, too. She's a livewire, and can jump six foot straight up, but she is learning to be a good girl.

   I don't know where she was that first winter when some of the pups were tied to fences with no shelter, or why she had a slight limp for several months, or what would have become of her. I'm just thankful that one day in April, 2006, she escaped and never went back, and now, when the temperatures are in the single digits, she sleeps warm and dry every night.

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