My family lost our precious Gracie on Friday. It was sudden and unexpected. She was barely more than 2 years old. But that’s more than enough time to fall madly in love with a dog, even if she’s your parent’s dog, not your own.

Fortunately, we’d planned a surprise for my mom for her birthday (Cinco de Mayo!), so we were all home with my mom and I was able to help take care of Gracie before we took her in for the emergency surgery.

Gracie’s pain is gone, but the love she gave us and we have for her is not. In moving through my own grief, I realized that Gracie offered us so much in her short, sweet life.

You gotta do YOU

Gracie was so goofy. She was floppy and ironically ungraceful. She didn’t let her sister Coco push her out of the way of attention, as much as Coco may have tried. If Coco climbed on my lap, so would Gracie.

Gracie was also super sensitive, easily startled and suffered from anxiety. I can relate to this just a little bit and I think that’s why we developed a special bond. Though Gracie did reach out of her comfort zone to test out new people and dogs, she didn’t need to be friends with all the dogs or all the people.

All you need is LOVE

There is nothing like the gift of unconditional love that our dogs (and sometimes our cats 😉 ) give us. But it was a bit more than that for Gracie. She was such a lover. Like, all she wanted to do was give you love. Yes, she wanted walks and play time and FOOD, too. But, it was really about love ALL the time. Pleading with her big brown eyes to let her give you some love while you gave some right back to her … as it should be – to give and receive.

Every morning when I am home I would look forward to her greeting me in the morning with such excitement – it was like every day was Christmas! To be fair, Coco does the same but is also much more composed in her excitement. Gracie was unbridled!

Persistence

As I mentioned before, Gracie wouldn’t let Coco push her out of the way when we would come home or they would be playing. She’d make sure they both got equal attention. Hence Gracie climbing into my lap while Coco did as well. Or laying her head in my lap as I tried to read. Or waiting patiently right beside me while I worked until it was time to play again.

It’s something I’ve noted in dogs before – especially our Aggie (the dog we got when I was 13 after 4 years of petitioning my mom). They are persistent to getting what they want … especially when it’s playtime.

I’m sure Gracie persistently used those big brown pleading eyes on me is because she knew I’m a sucker!

Life is short, play more

‘Why are you working so hard?’ is what I would see in her eyes. ‘Love on me! Let’s go play! Another walk? Let’s explore!’ She brought so much joy to us with her playful nature.

Love, play, eat.

Repeat.

Her playfulness is what helped me with my own stress and anxiety and reminded me that playing more actually helped me work better. Not to mention you’re always present in play. 😉

Love leaves a Legacy

The next day, my mom received a beautiful gardenia bush from our neighbors as a gift with a note.
Gracie was loved by so many neighbors and friends because of her sweetness and all of the above. Now, this bush will continue to bloom as our love for her does.

It’s always sad to lose a loved one as we miss the routine of being with them, but they don’t totally leave us. We have their legacy of love and the ways they touched our lives. The way they inspired us, loved us and helped us through trying times. In this way, they’re always here. Their love lives on through us.

I know that you, too, may have lost a beloved pet who brought you joy and happiness. It’s never easy. Feel free to share your story or memory below and we’ll all laugh, cry and love together!

Hugs to you!