Happy Gotcha Day Gracie!

Today is my sis, Gracie's, Gotcha Day!!!

It was five years ago today that Mum and I went to a vet's office in Seymour, Indiana to meet Gracie and see if she was a good fit for our family. This is one of the very first photos Mum took of Gracie on the day she came home to live with us.

Mum found her on Petfinder and had heard that Gracie was taken from a hoarder that had 70 dogs just a few weeks before, and was staying with a vet's office along with nearly 20 other puppies. Very sadly the other 50 or so dogs had been put to sleep for health and aggression issues they told us. (The photo on the right, is Gracie's Petfinder photo).

It had been a bit of a long road to find me a playmate. Mum had worked with various BC rescue groups, but every time I met a potential candidate, either they bit Mum trying to get at me (yes that really happened!), or we just didn't get along well.

Sometimes, I'm not the easiest to live with. I have a bit of a reactive streak sometimes that surfaced after I was attacked at about one year old by a bunch of dogs at a park. But Mum thinks I continue to improve everyday and she helps me with my reactivity.

It was only about a year after the attack that I met Gracie. When I greeted her, I had to give her a little warning bark that I wasn't going to stand for any nonsense. She took it like a champ, turning her head to the side (a fantastic example of a calming signal for me). Mum knew she was the perfect match for me, because she took my 'stuff' really well. And we've been best buds ever since!

Mum thinks that Gracie is one of the best of the best at calming and making other dogs feel comfortable. We think that she learned that growing up in a pack of so many dogs and having to learn how to get along with all types. Even though Gracie is very good at hiding her feelings, Mum has learned many of her subtle signals and continues to learn from her everyday.

Gracie wasn't all that small when she came to live with us. As a matter of fact she was bigger than me in size even though she was only about eight months old. She was older than needing a baby jogger city select, that's fur sure! She has grown into a beautiful young 'lady' with the most amazing eyes Mum thinks she has ever seen.

I want to give a big shout out to our Gracie Girl! She's the best sister, playmate, agility buddy, friend, and confidant I could ever have. Happy Gotcha Day Gracie!!!