A State of Grace

(A video of Gracie's first 6 months is at the bottom of this page. Guaranteed to make you say, "Awwww..." Don't miss it!) 

Among the many definitions of “Grace” you will find:

a.   Divine love and protection.

b.   An excellence or power granted by God.

c.   The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

d.   The influence or spirit of God operating to regenerate or strengthen.

e.   Also called state of grace. The condition of being in God's favor.

We didn’t name our new puppy Gracie because of any of the above definitions.

We gave her this name because she was born the day before Thanksgiving – a day of saying thanks, or “Grace.” Also, as we were “trying on” our favorite names for her, this was the one name that seemed to stick. It didn’t take long to discover that her name would be prophetic.

If you’ve read our story, Duncan - The Reluctant Warrior, you know that we have a “special-needs” Sheltie. At two years old he was still frightened of people – even our friends whom he had met many times. We vowed to never stop trying to help him conquer his fears, and, over time, he has taken baby steps towards becoming more accepting of people. Previously, he had only approached one or two very special people and accepted their attention for mere seconds.

Then Gracie and her three littermates paid us a visit. Their breeder, Helen, was kind enough to bring the entire litter to visit Duncan (and us) when they were only 7 weeks old. The curious puppies were uncertain at first, but quickly gained confidence on this, their first trip away from the only place they had ever known. Duncan ran away if any one of them approached, and finally found safety on the big couch where none of the pups could reach him. He stayed there for the rest of the visit, eyeing the pups with nervousness and fear.

Helen, having no fear that Duncan would be a danger to any of the pups despite his fearfulness, agreed to our request to adopt one of them. We waited two more weeks for them to be ready to be adopted and debated which one we should take. When the day came to bring one home, we took Duncan with us for the final pick.

It was the same as before. Duncan didn’t care for any of the pups, so our choice was difficult. All the pups seemed strong, happy and mentally balanced. Any one of them would be a wonderful pet. We narrowed down the choice to two, and then, finally, one.

The first week home our pup played, explored, and slept like all puppies do. Duncan tried to stay out of her way, but she wouldn’t have it. She offered him toys and tried to play “chase.” Duncan eyed her nervously and ran away. She never gave up. Poor Duncan looked frazzled. A few times he pushed at her and stood over her to say, “I’m not going to take this much longer!” Gracie froze in place until Duncan walked away.

I think that Gracie’s submission to Duncan’s dominant action gave him confidence. He began to discipline her, gently, more and more often. Gracie continued to push Duncan. Then, it happened.  One day when I came home for lunch he took hold of the toy she offered. Gracie didn’t let go. A game of tug of war began! When Gracie finally lost her grip on the toy, Duncan ran away, stopped, and shook it at her as if to say, “Come and get it!” She chased after him in their first game of “keep away.”

It was as if a dam had been opened and the water released into a dry riverbed. Duncan let himself act with complete abandon and joy for what may have been the first time in his life.

I sat at the table, my lunch forgotten, and gave thanks for what Duncan and I had been given.

One month later Duncan continues to improve by leaps and bounds. He is learning to let go of his fears and approach people and accept their affection and admiration. He has even jumped up on the couch with our friends without being encouraged to do so. In the meantime, Gracie is doing what comes naturally to a puppy – playing, cuddling and sharing her love and joy with everyone.

As I have said many times, all of my dogs have come to me with important lessons for me to learn. Our Amazing Gracie has many years in which to teach me her wisdom, but she was already made an impressive start.

Gracie has taught me that even the smallest and youngest among us can have amazing powers to heal through their joy and love of life.

We wish you many moments of “Grace” as you learn the wonderful lessons your pet has to offer.

UPDATE: (June 8, 2008) At 6 months old, Gracie continues to amaze us. She has been nicknamed "Super Star" in her obedience class for her astounding ability to learn a command a lightning speed. I believe that she learns most commands by intently watching the teacher as the command is demonstrated. She has also shown us that she is drawn to small children, and is extremely gentle with them. Could it be that she is destined to be a therapy dog or children's reading coach? Time wil tell!

Duncan's confidence level continues to slowly improve. He enjoys his daily play time with Gracie, and we love watching them!

Gracie Quotes:

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.  ~Anne Frank

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.  ~Mother Teresa

How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
~William Shakespeare

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