In my book Always a Next One, I shared the story of how my wife and I came to rescue Gracie, a skittish little Norwegian Elk Hound pursued by a dedicated group of animal rescue volunteers for more than a month before someone finally caught up to her. Today, I'm going to tell you the story of an even more harrowing rescue attempt that happened only yesterday. This is Amazing Gracie. As this picture suggests, she's not a very big dog, perhaps slightly overweight for her size at around forty pounds. Of course, every member of our pack is special in their own right. But Gracie has endeared herself to the point she is the only dog in the pack with more than one nickname. She's also the baby of the pack. Depending on the circumstances, she has been called my sunshine because she brightens my day, our little butter bean because of her somewhat rotund body, the Chupacabra because of her feigned aggression at mealtime, and she's even been called snicker doodle, for some strange reason -- by me. I can't begin to explain how or why those words occasionally come out of my mouth when I'm talking to Gracie, so I won't even try. However, her whole body wiggles with joy when I say her name. How could anyone not love a dog that looks like a little grey German Shepherd and acts like she loves them with every fiber of her being? How could I help feeling a little more protective of her than I would, say, of a ninety pound German Shepherd who would eat you if you posed a threat to me, or my family? Compared to the mighty Ox or big, ferocious-sounding Shiloh, Gracie … [Read more...]