Gracie Sunshine

This is a blog about my dog. (As Noah would say... "that rhymes, Mommy") Well actually it is a blog about one of my dogs. Gracie, a.k.a. "Gray-Gray", "Honey", "Gray-honey", "big fat brown dog", "big brown", "Grace", etc. was born on August 8th 2000, the day after my birthday. That should of given us a hint that she would be somewhat on the dramatic side but we were just thrilled when 6 weeks later we brought home our chocolate Labrador. The first year was filled with LOTS of chewing. No matter how much we walked her and played with her she found time to chew the dining room table legs, the dining room table chair legs, the kitchen table chair legs and she even ate the kitchen windowsill. One two different occasions I came home from work to find an unidentifiable electronic device laying all over the house. It took days for us to figure out that it was the T.V. remote control. At night, we would push on Gracie's stomach to turn the channel (just kidding). This should have been our next clue that she was going to be high-maintenance in the food department.

Just how high maintenance is she? I have never owned a dog so obsessed with eating!!! Her only goal in life is to eat as much as she possible can and it doesn't matter what it is she is eating. She eats mud clods, acorns, dirt, sand, sticks... that reminds me of the time... she was in the backyard chewing on sticks when she started pawing at her nose. I just thought she got stung by a bee or something. After 10 minutes she still was pawing at her nose and I went out to investigate. I pried open her mouth to find the stick she was chewing on lodge between her top front teeth. I tried to pull it out and it was stuck. Brian arrived and tried to pull it out and it was very stuck! So... off to the Vet she went. The Vet had to use pliers to pull the stick out of her mouth and it left an indention in her top palette. After $150.00 later, we arrived home hoping she had learned her lesson. Out to the backyard she goes and immediately is chewing on another stick.

Gracie eats not only her food, but her sister's food, the food crumbs left in the garage by her food bag, the food that falls under the washer/dryer, the food that the kids drop, the food that the kids are eating but have turned their head away from, anything left on the counter, she even has a preference to margarita's and Corona's (long story). That brings me to my next story... I came home to find an entire pan of brownies and tin foil gone from the counter. I didn't worry so much about the brownies but the tin foil bothered me a bit. I called the emergency Vet to see what I needed to do. After swallowing LOTS of hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting she still was happy as a clam. More hydrogen peroxide and we finally had tin foil. You would think she would learn her lesson. NO! The next day she ate a loaf of bread and the plastic wrap with it. More hydrogen peroxide. It is a permanent fixture in our house and a regular part of Gracie's diet.

The most bizarre thing Gracie has eaten would have to be the star fish we brought back from Hawaii last summer. It lasted on our bathroom counter as a decoration all of 15 minutes before she inhaled it. If I didn't just remember putting it out I would have never known it existed.

A bit serious now... I have even taken Gracie to the vet to ask for a Pet phycologist and/or if there is a medication available to stop this insanity. Unfortunately there is not. His recommendation was to feed her green beans as a snack between meals. I don't have enough money or storage space for all the green beans it would take to satisfy her for one day. So that brings me to the end.

Gracie is a bit high maintenance but I wouldn't change anything about her. She is a very loveable, contagiously friendly, loyal dog who also happens to love chasing a ball until she drops (which thankfully helps her maintain her girlish figure). She is a part of our family that is also a bit high maintenance as well. We couldn't have found a more perfect dog!