Gracie's found a furever home...

I'm sure this won't be earth-shattering news to most of you...we have decided to keep Gracie. I think I knew from the moment I laid eyes on her broken body in Buffalo, Texas, that God sent this tiny girl to us. We always hear that God works in mysterious ways and Gracie is no exception. I would not have sought to own a blind Weim or felt that we were prepared or qualified to own one. But apparently God thought differently and dropped Gracie right in our lap. When I saw the email with her sad little picture stating she was in the shelter needing picked up, something clicked. The emails went on and it was said that we shouldn't take her unless we had a foster home for her due to her blindness and medical condition. A short discussion with David later and I was replying that if someone could pull her and keep her for a night or two that we would be willing to foster her. Things kept falling into place...another volunteer could pick her up and keep her for a couple nights, our rescue president was able to meet that volunteer and drive Gracie to a midway point between Dallas and Houston. And all of this was on the 4th of July weekend! I just love how our rescue works so well together.


I spent most of that night at work online researching blind dogs. I had a long list of things to do and ideas on training. Little did I know that it would be many weeks before her blindness would even be an issue. First and foremost, she was gravely ill. She had much to overcome but she was a fighter. I remember thinking that first day of having her home, "What have we gotten ourselves into?" But, there really wasn't time for that kind of thinking. As a family, we set about the business of healing Gracie. And heal she did. She has grown strong, stubborn and sassy...just the way we like Weims!


As she became stronger, I began to think, "what next?" Obviously, the goal of any successful fostering is to get the dog adopted. I know there are homes out there that would be more than qualified (maybe more so than us) to love and care for Gracie. But to think of that would bring tears to my eyes. I just kept imagining that moment of someone actually walking out of our home and taking Gracie with them. This just did not sit well with me. She has our house, backyard and family all mapped out in her head. She knows what the pantry and refrigerator doors sound like when opened and that it means there is food available for the taking. She knows that Miley will tolerate her bumping into her and biting more than Maggie will. She knows that my girls, even though they dress her in clothes occasionally, love her to death and would never be rough with her or hurt her. She knows that we will feed her, take care of her needs and love her unconditionally.

So, I guess the title of this post is wrong. Gracie hasn't just now found her home. She found it on July 3rd when she stole our hearts.

I will definitely continue this blog so please keep coming back! We won't officially adopt her until all of her medical care is completed. Plus, there will be plenty to learn and talk about as she grows and we begin our training of a blind dog. And, as with any Weimaraner, there will always be funny stories to share. This isn't the end...it's another beginning. Even though we won't be able to foster anymore (I think 3 Weims are enough for our home), we will be making Gracie 'earn her keep' as an ambassa-dog for WRNT. She will attend Meet & Greets and events to show what our rescue can accomplish with the help of volunteers and donors. That's the up-side of this. Had she been adopted by a family outside of the rescue, she wouldn't be attending all the WRNT events and you would never see her. This way, you will have more opportunities to see her in the coming months and years and watch her grow.
Like I said...this is the beginning of a new chapter. One filled with promise!

life with Gracie...

A little word association on that title: never dull, funny, sometimes painful due to her teeth, snuggle buddy, learning curve...

Life with Gracie is always changing. We are learning something new about her personality or our lack of knowledge in the area of blindness nearly every day. Let me explain what I mean...

A couple of weeks ago, Gracie had to be de-wormed again. I was not happy and thought about how she had gotten them. The answer seemed so obvious I was kind of embarrassed for having missed it! She poops in the same area all the time. This area happens to be right off of our patio which, incidentally, also happens to be her running area. This is where she does her circles. She will poop, start running around and inevitably step in it. If we see her do it or it's bad enough to smell/see it, we will clean her feet. Otherwise, we just let her in. Well, she also has a habit of putting one paw in her food bowl when she eats. At that time, she was still too short to use an elevated feeder. We have her using one now and that's a whole other issue that I'll get to. Anyway, of course she got worms if she has been stepping in poop, stepping in her food and then eating that food! Like I said, it's so obvious with all this hindsight! We were so concerned with weight and health that we didn't even think about that. And I keep up with the poop-scooping in the backyard. We now have a small trashcan, the Walker version of a diaper genie, with a pop-up lid designated for dog poop in the backyard and when Gracie goes it is immediately picked up and disposed of. Problem solved...hopefully.

Next issue...I love my Ikea elevated dog feeders. They are metal and have three prong-like things that hold the bowls in place. It all folds down into itself. I was happy to get her into using this so that she couldn't put her foot in the food anymore. However, she goes into a frenzy when mealtime rolls around and literally can't control herself. She is so busy trying to get to the food that she hits the bowls with her foot or body and tips the bowls over, dumping contents out all over the floor. I've cleaned up tons of water and picked up thousands of pieces of dog food due to this. And, once she hears the dog food hit the floor, it's on. She switches into high gear and you can't hardly stop her. Then, if the bowl comes off the prongs, she will step into the feeder itself in her frenzy. This makes me nervous. I can just see her getting tangled up in that and snapping a leg. We are working on this issue. Maybe if we weight the bowls or attach them to the prongs somehow. Or, maybe we could figure out a way to keep Gracie from going into her hyperactive mode all together! As usual, any suggestions would be welcomed!

Teeth...thank the Lord above! Gracie lost her two bottom canines! All of our legs will be so grateful. She lost them both this past weekend and David said her adult teeth were already pushing through the gums. That's fine, at least those teeth aren't tiny needles. She is pretty mouthy right now, especially when she's tired but won't give up and go to sleep. We are working on this but it is a slow process. I know I shouldn't, but I feel bad disciplining her due to her blindness. Plus, I'm not sure of the best way to discipline her for the same reason. Thoughts?

Busy...this is her to a 'T'. She loves the refrigerator and the pantry. Go figure, they both store food; her favorite thing. She has the sounds of either being opened memorized and can hear it from across the house. If it's the pantry, she's there trying to climb into the bag of dog food. If it's the refrigerator, she's just trying to get whatever she can. Yesterday, I opened the refrigerator and she got past me before I could catch her. She tends to stretch her front legs out when she's unsure of where she is to 'feel' her way. She did this and caught the edge of a plastic pitcher with no lid on it that was half full of lemonade. Before I could catch it, she pulled it over on herself and it spilled all over the refrigerator shelf and floor. Then she's trying desperately to get into the refrigerator and I'm trying to keep her out without slipping in the lemonade. She's already slipped and has lemonade all over her. I yell for Addison to come help. What do I hear? "Just a minute" is lazily called out to me. "I don't have a minute!", I respond. Needless to say, I had a mess to clean up and a dog to wash but it all worked out. I'm sure we looked like a bad slapstick comedy. Just another day in the Walker home.

So, life with Gracie is a learning curve. Just when we have the 'kinks' worked out, another one pops up. We are taking her to an opthamologist on September 4th to get a good evaluation of her eyesight. I am not anticipating any miracles nor do I need any (more). Just the fact that Gracie is here is good enough for me. She more than makes up for these 'issues' with her puppy kisses and sweet nature. Gracie is Gracie...what else needs to be said?

gracie finds her voice...

Okay, I've GOT to get this on video to share with you all. Gracie barked for the first time this past weekend and has now realized that she can do this at-will. David said he heard her bark once a couple of weeks ago, but it seems that this weekend was when she realized she had control of this 'power'. She was outside by herself, and we all know how much she likes to be outside, but decided enough was enough. I heard her whine a little and then she just barked several times. It was so stinkin' cute! I'm sure the cute-ness will wear off and we'll be telling her to be quiet soon enough but for now, we are enjoying this newly-found talent. Since then, she is taking her cue from her older 'sisters', Maggie and Miley. They don't bark incessantly but will bark at noises outside. Gracie was sound asleep yesterday and M & M started barking at something out front. Gracie popped right up, ran in the hall where M & M were and started her baby barking right along with them. She prances around when she does this and puffs up her chest. She's trying so hard to be one of 'the big girls'. She apparently has appointed herself a watchdog now and takes her responsibility seriously!

weims and cheese for everyone...

If you missed WRNT's Weim & Cheese event, you really missed a great time! There was plenty of good food and conversation to be had. Gracie made an appearance in her formal bandage wraps (we specifically asked the vet for 'something in pastel' when they re-wrapped her tail and front legs) and princess collar. And, boy, does she know how to work a crowd! Her feet didn't touch the ground unless we took her out to go to the bathroom. I hope everyone who wanted a turn holding her had the chance. If you didn't, sorry! We'll catch you next time!
She had some friends there, too. Maggie and Jack, 2 of Sydney's mixed puppies were there. Sydney came into the rescue pregnant and has been a wonderful mom to her litter of adorable pups. Their feet didn't touch the floor, either. Nothing heals the spirit like a cuddle with a soft, warm puppy!
We had a great turnout and I think everyone had a really good time. I had made a slideshow of Gracie's journey up until now and those who were there got to see it. I will get it on the blog in the next few days. We've been busy at our house with back-to-school activities this past weekend so I apologize for the lack of posts. Believe me, it's not for a lack of material. Gracie is constantly giving me material to talk about...I just need the time to write!
Thanks again to all who came out to Weim & Cheese and a very special thank you to those who organized and ran this great event! It ROCKED!!! :o)

our good little patient...

Seriously, I'm starting to wonder if this dog can do no wrong. She has been the model patient in her recovery...she's been taking it easy, not messing with her bandages or the uncovered stitches in her belly and has showed no signs of needing any pain meds. She ate well this morning and went back to sleep with me (I worked last night) until noon. I hate to keep saying it, but here goes...Amazing! Gracie just seems to be appreciative of everything she receives and is able to do. I think we've heard her bark all of one time and she submits to the big girls, Miley mostly but Maggie, too, when appropriate. And she continues to be the sweetest, cuddliest (is that a word?) Weim! On a side note, Miley continues to be a jealous, mischievous sister. She was back to pulling Gracie's blankie out from around her last night. I guess she realized that Gracie's injuries and bandages weren't life-threatening so she could resume her bratty behavior. When this wasn't working, she pulled the pillow out from under my head twice! I could blog just on her quirkiness alone!
Anyway, I don't want to jinx us but it appears we might not need the inflatable collar. Gracie has licked her dew claw bandages a couple of times but that's it. I think she vaguely looked at her spay incision this morning and might have licked it once. She is just a perfect angel.
She must be feeling a little better because as I type she has Barbie's main man, Ken, pinned to the ground and is trying to amputate a leg. Better his leg than hers, right?
I guess that's the big news for now. It's looking good for her to attend Weim & Cheese this Saturday night. I'll put up a post about that later. Everyone is invited and it benefits the rescue and all that we do for the Gracies in Texas! She'd love to 'smell' you there!