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savingdogs
Queen Filksinger
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The Story of Gracie
Gracie came to us many years ago, from half a state away from an old fostering friend because she was ridgeless. It occurs to me she must have crossed the Rainbow Bridge by now, as she would be in her late teens if she were still around, but ....
In any event, early on in our fostering years, we were working with two groups, one of them being rhodesian ridgeback rescue, the other a local rescue. They often had us take ridgeless ridgebacks because since we worked with the all-breed group, They could go either way.
Gracie was yellow lab and ridgeback, gorgeous dog, the prettiest "lab" you have ever seen (sorry, lab lovers, cross lab with ridgeback and you got a gorgeous dog). She was neat and tidy and dainty and so very clean, would not poop when anyone watched so not to offend, a very very nice dog and immediately became the favorite dog of my kids. For many many years if you asked them which dog was the "favorite" foster, it was Gracie. She had such a happy spirit, such an athlete, and was extremely smart.
At the time we had our own ridgeback, Sheena, and the moment that the two dogs met, it wasn't good. But Gracie had been brought to us from really far, so we told the group we would work it out. Well, they had several fights! As hard as we tried to keep them apart, a door would get left open or some such and I had to break up several fights. Gracie would get along GREAT with most dogs, but not Sheena. Same with Sheena. It was a grudge, both wanted to "rule" the house. And Gracie would occasionally have that reaction to a strange dog. I learned how to read dog body language from her! She was an alpha who wanted to be the only alpha. And Sheena, our dog, could not stand for that. I realize now my own leadership skills were probably not as good at that point, either. In any event....
I finally moved Gracie to a different foster home for awhile, but eventually came back to our house (long story) when she again needed a place to go. When she returned, a gate got left open by Trouble who was only about five at the time, and she ran down the street (while I was typing at my desk, unaware she was loose) and tried to pick a fight with a neighbor's dog, as she was walking her boxer with a bad alpha attitude.
Well this particular neighbor was one of those I-hate-everyone-around-here types and wasn't my favorite neighbor to begin with. I discovered Gracie was loose and caught her and brought her home and went over and asked how her dog was and she erupted filthy nasty language and smelled heavily of beer, obvioulsy drunk (this was early afternoon). I finally returned when her husband came home and asked if they need a vet or anything like that, apologized for "my" dog escaping and trying to fight and explained she would be gone soon, she was just a foster, and we would keep her contained better, didn't realize the five-year-old could open the gate, and we would lock it.
Next thing I know, they have written a complaint letter to the city! Full of complete falsehoods about not only the dog, but what I said to them, almost EXACTLY saying the opposite of what I told them (for instance, they said I told them I could not contain the dog, that no one could). And that I said she would never get adopted unless I "fooled" someone, and that they thought she should be euthanized and fostering not allowed in our town! Luckily we had already earned our place in town through our helping the police department with neighborhood watch, attending city council meetings regading funding for city services and painting the police department sign, so they did listen to my side of the story and we were not ticketed or anything. They knew she was a nasty drunk and Hubby and I were legitimate. She very clearly wrote in her letter that "mutts" should be at the humane society where "experts" decide if they were good dogs.
But it made me realize not everyone thinks fostering dogs is a good idea and we no longer share that information with everyone and keep it much lower cover. Forevermore after that we have tried to make sure our fosters have zero impact on our street and people were amazed how silent our house was despite having the legal limit of dogs and often 5 or 10 puppies. We have zero tolerance for barking and roaming.
Well, I was pretty embarassed and upset, and the small local group we fostered for were dragged through the mud, because at this point Gracie was a dog belonging to them. I actually WAS worried about how long it would take to get her adopted and if she would manage to escape and what my neighbor would do, if so. So Gracie was kept under tight wraps which was even harder because she would fight with Sheena. So we were tense and afraid we would have to euthanize the dog we loved so much for fighting with other dogs.
But then a miracle happened. That same week (although she had been looking for the right home for over six months) a perfect couple came forward. She wanted a lab, he wanted a ridgeback. They wanted no other dogs and were okay with the idea of having to contain a dog that fought other alphas and fully understood the issue, they had already owned a dog just like that. They never wanted kids and Gracie would be their child. It sounded perfect and even the story of what happened with our neighbor did not phase them. They wanted Gracie. They got her.
So on a bright spring day, we took Gracie to meet them. She immediately knew she was "their" dog and their perfect, neat little house was just like perfect, neat little Gracie who would only poop behind the garage. To this day whenever I see magnolias bloom, I remember the wonderful day we found them and they fell in love with Gracie, because they had a huge magnolia tree in their perfectly secure little backyard.
We lost track of them, but about five years later, Gracie helped me from afar. I was at an adoption event with a litter of pit bull puppies and they really needed to get adopted because of their age....I was only allowed to keep puppies until age six months because of the local law, and this was a pit bull and it was turning six months so I was sweating. A couple came in and wanted to adopt him, but it was Sunday and I couldn't call the references. However, when I read the references, whose name appears but Gracie's people! THEY had sent this couple to find ME to get a dog, and they had found my group, but actually became interested in my foster 100 percent by chance. I felt the twinkle from God and yes, the puppy went home with them. But at that point I learned they had moved to Florida with Gracie and she was still their beloved dog.
I hope she is still there, enjoying being a very old dog, probably still wants to be the alpha bitch, but I suspect she is the alpha bitch of heaven by now.
I know when I go over the Rainbow Bridge myself, Gracie is one of the first I will look for, I'm sure she will push her way to the front. Her adopter coming forward when they did was always what I felt was my biggest sign from God that he wants me to do this and he wants the dogs to have lives with these people, even if they are not perfect dogs. Usually, they are perfect for someone.
Gracie came to us many years ago, from half a state away from an old fostering friend because she was ridgeless. It occurs to me she must have crossed the Rainbow Bridge by now, as she would be in her late teens if she were still around, but ....
In any event, early on in our fostering years, we were working with two groups, one of them being rhodesian ridgeback rescue, the other a local rescue. They often had us take ridgeless ridgebacks because since we worked with the all-breed group, They could go either way.
Gracie was yellow lab and ridgeback, gorgeous dog, the prettiest "lab" you have ever seen (sorry, lab lovers, cross lab with ridgeback and you got a gorgeous dog). She was neat and tidy and dainty and so very clean, would not poop when anyone watched so not to offend, a very very nice dog and immediately became the favorite dog of my kids. For many many years if you asked them which dog was the "favorite" foster, it was Gracie. She had such a happy spirit, such an athlete, and was extremely smart.
At the time we had our own ridgeback, Sheena, and the moment that the two dogs met, it wasn't good. But Gracie had been brought to us from really far, so we told the group we would work it out. Well, they had several fights! As hard as we tried to keep them apart, a door would get left open or some such and I had to break up several fights. Gracie would get along GREAT with most dogs, but not Sheena. Same with Sheena. It was a grudge, both wanted to "rule" the house. And Gracie would occasionally have that reaction to a strange dog. I learned how to read dog body language from her! She was an alpha who wanted to be the only alpha. And Sheena, our dog, could not stand for that. I realize now my own leadership skills were probably not as good at that point, either. In any event....
I finally moved Gracie to a different foster home for awhile, but eventually came back to our house (long story) when she again needed a place to go. When she returned, a gate got left open by Trouble who was only about five at the time, and she ran down the street (while I was typing at my desk, unaware she was loose) and tried to pick a fight with a neighbor's dog, as she was walking her boxer with a bad alpha attitude.
Well this particular neighbor was one of those I-hate-everyone-around-here types and wasn't my favorite neighbor to begin with. I discovered Gracie was loose and caught her and brought her home and went over and asked how her dog was and she erupted filthy nasty language and smelled heavily of beer, obvioulsy drunk (this was early afternoon). I finally returned when her husband came home and asked if they need a vet or anything like that, apologized for "my" dog escaping and trying to fight and explained she would be gone soon, she was just a foster, and we would keep her contained better, didn't realize the five-year-old could open the gate, and we would lock it.
Next thing I know, they have written a complaint letter to the city! Full of complete falsehoods about not only the dog, but what I said to them, almost EXACTLY saying the opposite of what I told them (for instance, they said I told them I could not contain the dog, that no one could). And that I said she would never get adopted unless I "fooled" someone, and that they thought she should be euthanized and fostering not allowed in our town! Luckily we had already earned our place in town through our helping the police department with neighborhood watch, attending city council meetings regading funding for city services and painting the police department sign, so they did listen to my side of the story and we were not ticketed or anything. They knew she was a nasty drunk and Hubby and I were legitimate. She very clearly wrote in her letter that "mutts" should be at the humane society where "experts" decide if they were good dogs.
But it made me realize not everyone thinks fostering dogs is a good idea and we no longer share that information with everyone and keep it much lower cover. Forevermore after that we have tried to make sure our fosters have zero impact on our street and people were amazed how silent our house was despite having the legal limit of dogs and often 5 or 10 puppies. We have zero tolerance for barking and roaming.
Well, I was pretty embarassed and upset, and the small local group we fostered for were dragged through the mud, because at this point Gracie was a dog belonging to them. I actually WAS worried about how long it would take to get her adopted and if she would manage to escape and what my neighbor would do, if so. So Gracie was kept under tight wraps which was even harder because she would fight with Sheena. So we were tense and afraid we would have to euthanize the dog we loved so much for fighting with other dogs.
But then a miracle happened. That same week (although she had been looking for the right home for over six months) a perfect couple came forward. She wanted a lab, he wanted a ridgeback. They wanted no other dogs and were okay with the idea of having to contain a dog that fought other alphas and fully understood the issue, they had already owned a dog just like that. They never wanted kids and Gracie would be their child. It sounded perfect and even the story of what happened with our neighbor did not phase them. They wanted Gracie. They got her.
So on a bright spring day, we took Gracie to meet them. She immediately knew she was "their" dog and their perfect, neat little house was just like perfect, neat little Gracie who would only poop behind the garage. To this day whenever I see magnolias bloom, I remember the wonderful day we found them and they fell in love with Gracie, because they had a huge magnolia tree in their perfectly secure little backyard.
We lost track of them, but about five years later, Gracie helped me from afar. I was at an adoption event with a litter of pit bull puppies and they really needed to get adopted because of their age....I was only allowed to keep puppies until age six months because of the local law, and this was a pit bull and it was turning six months so I was sweating. A couple came in and wanted to adopt him, but it was Sunday and I couldn't call the references. However, when I read the references, whose name appears but Gracie's people! THEY had sent this couple to find ME to get a dog, and they had found my group, but actually became interested in my foster 100 percent by chance. I felt the twinkle from God and yes, the puppy went home with them. But at that point I learned they had moved to Florida with Gracie and she was still their beloved dog.
I hope she is still there, enjoying being a very old dog, probably still wants to be the alpha bitch, but I suspect she is the alpha bitch of heaven by now.
I know when I go over the Rainbow Bridge myself, Gracie is one of the first I will look for, I'm sure she will push her way to the front. Her adopter coming forward when they did was always what I felt was my biggest sign from God that he wants me to do this and he wants the dogs to have lives with these people, even if they are not perfect dogs. Usually, they are perfect for someone.
)
going into the duck pen area, so they can free range in the same area as the chickens (enclosed and safe). They are sooooooooooo happy. I feel bad we didn't have that door before. I think muscovy like grass more than ponds. Whoda thunkit? 
so I'm glad I got all these new ones and my cute little cockerel. 
