Gracie,a GSP and my faithful companion of twelve years has returned to her Creator today.
I am thankful for each and every second of her life with me.
she was four years old when I got her,she had been abandoned due to unfortunate circumstances in her former masters life.
I am amazed to this day how she laid claim on me the very first time I met her and it only took about a minute.
we had met up with friends from Appleton Wis that we hunted with here near my home every year at a truck stop in Platteville Wis as that was half way for each of us and they brought Gracie with them.
I had tossed the ball for her and asked her what she thought of coming to live with me,upon returning the ball and laying it at my feet she did a big circle around me,trotted hard up to me and swatted my right leg with her entire rear end hips and all.
my friend Don said thats incredible,she owns you now and that is her way of saying so.
our journey through life together began at that moment and it has been nothing but fun and thousands of great memories have been created in that time.
today my heart aches as I am reminded of all of those great memories not only of her,but the many fantastic dogs I have hunted with over the years and now its her turn to meet up with them,and all of them waiting to guide me home when its my turn.
I want you to understand in the beginning of my tribute to her,I mention her rescuing me,that is because I had just gotten my life back after being housebound for three years thanks to a chemical injury that left me severely allergic to almost everything known to mankind including several foods.
the insecticides destroyed a part of my brain that left me without the ability to know what happy is and means and still fight to this day,Gracie did her very best to remind me daily that happy is living even if that was all there is,for that I am eternally grateful.
the ending of my tribute is telling her Creator that when He happens to be grilling something tasty in heaven that those are her favorite things and how she prefers them,trying to save Him some trouble ya know !
for any of you that have GSP’s in your life,you know what kind of energy they have,you know what kind of a pita in they can be when they take the hankering to do so.
they are loving,playful,loyal without end,they make you laugh,they make you cry,they protect you and any child that is in your house,Gracie even let us know when a grandsons diaper needed changed before we knew it,what a look on her face that was!! they are fearless,and lastly,they can break your heart when their time comes,she has turned my heart of stone into a pile of mush.
for all dog lovers,cherish every second with them,they deserve it as they give you their all every second of every day.
Gracie is kind of a record setter I guess,in talking to my vet,she has lived the longest of any GSP he has ever known,almost sixteen years !!!
I offer no apology for this being long winded and its only a brief glimpse of what she has meant to me.
RIP Gracie,here’s to you, thank you for all of your love,may your heaven be filled with millions of acres of tall grass and roosters without end,and a pond to swim in to cool off in.
thank you God for trusting me with your pet these last twelve years.
so,with that,here is my tribute to Gracie,its title is,I hope you think well of me old friend.
you rescued me when you were only four,
already trained and house broke,
with many roosters we had to even the score,
we had to make up for lost time,
as you had been abandoned,
left to fend for your own,
I am sorry you had to endure that crime,
home with me you came,
lucky you,
we both shared a passion,
hunting was our game !
your nose to the ground,
looking for that rooster,
that would fall to my next round,
on to the next bird and the excitement of the flush,
its what made us feel alive,
it made living in the moment a rush,
the statuesque held points and the head held high retrieves,
damn it Gracie,being liver and tic,
you sure were hard to find in the tall grass and leaves,
at the end of the hunt and too tired to play,
on my lap your head rests,
sleep well my friend you are the champion of the day,
when not hunting you showed who was boss,
you would not answer my call,
you would give me that haughty look and your head you would toss,
trotting out of sight,
and there I stood,
screaming at you with all my might,
you have cost me thousands over these years
worth every penny and what I have to do today,
brings me to tears.
you have been worth a hundred fold to me,
your voice is gone and your walk lame,
those old eyes I know they see,
many fond memories and I the same,
your body I nor vets can mend,
what I have to do today crushes me,
I hope you think well of me old friend.
thank you Lord for trusting me with your pet,
the love she gave,
is something I will never forget.
forgive me if it was a sin,
to sneak her something from the grill,
her begging always made me grin,
sixteen years doesnt seem fair,
oh,and Lord,
she likes her chicken raw,
and her steaks medium rare.
