Gracie

Missed dearly by owners Chip & Jonna Woodburn

A few words from Jonna:

Even when it was staring me in the face, I wouldn't allow myself to see it. But now I needed to look at it, and see it, and feel it, really, at last. I buried Gracie myself, and as fate would have it, it was a cold rainy day. I'd just held her 20 minutes ago after she collapsed going out the front door, and felt the last beating of her heart. She felt so light.

"Old smelly dog with rheumy eyes and bad breath, she's gone at last", I told myself, squatting and crying. She had deteriorated so quickly from summer to fall. It was time to let her go, but we had wanted her last moments to be at home, with us. This small, gray-faced 17 yr. old body I was looking at used to go to work with me every day to the feed store, post office, gas station, you name it. Her task was to guard the car, and she was diligent.

You couldn't get in the car without her because she was queen of wounded looks, stub tail clenched, head down, walking away so slowly. We always broke down and were rewarded with ecstatic leaps and bounds, mouth open and laughing, stubby tail pumping, and God help the guy that washed the windshield. She'd smash her face up to the window, eyes bulging, froth flying, barking to kill, protecting Mama. My boss at the feed store used to tease her by slapping me on the arm with his ballcap, and she'd get anxious, giving warning yips, and if he didn't stop, she'd jump up and nip him on his big old belly, and THEN he'd stop.

I used to feel pretty smug about a dog that would defend me until I found out she'd defend ANYONE getting picked on. Hitting was simply not allowed. She was much the lady, also. I could put a baby chick or bunny between her front legs and say "love it, Gracie", and she'd freeze, eyes slightly bulging, drool pooling on the ground on both sides, and never move a muscle. She'd never harm any animal...we used to tell her "get the kitty" (our cats), and she'd chase them all around the house,the cats loving it and playing back until they got bored and turned their noses up. We'd tell her "LOVE the kitty, Gracie" and she'd proceed to scrape and tuck them up under her belly and holding them there, the cats all disgusted looking with their ears back, till enough was enough, and she'd let them go.

Gracie, of the occasional green fog-what a dog. We'll miss her...But she's buried up close to my flower beds, under the Indian Hawthorne and pink Lilies-of-the-Valley, so she can lay close to me, like always.