A BOY AND MY DOG

When Gracie and Tag met, many years ago now, Gracie was barely a year and a half old, still a puppy, and Tag was… well, not a dog person.  Not that he didn’t like dogs, but he grew up with cats and exposure to dogs was minimal at best.  When Gracie and Tag met in my little apartment in Hollywood, Tag was just settling in to the couch, nervous (as was I) this being our second date sort of thing.  Gracie, my first soul mate, happily wedged herself between us, scaled my chest and demanded my attention.  She then greeted Tag by providing the finest display of her soon-to-be famous puppy laps up and around my large L-shaped sofa, riding the rails like a crazed race car driver, up and over and under any furniture or person in her way — and landing, panting on our laps.

I thought for sure Tag would bolt.  I think he thought for sure he would bolt.  But he stayed, and in a few short weeks, they fell in love with each other, probably even before Tag and me.  Gracie is my dog, was my dog… now and forever she is ours.  During Gracie’s extensive training to combat her fear aggression, Tag took the lead as her handler, her mind reader… as “Team Gracie.”  All the way through to an AKC Canine Good Citizens Certification… and beyond.  This is only a small representation of the love between a boy and my dog…

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Gracie is a special creature in that she often seems more like a human than a dog.  She wears her heart on her sleeve… or rather her collar… and she chooses to express herself in a deliberate fashion but only after her own deliberation.  My father prides himself with having taught Gracie how to hug.  My sister can make Gracie’s lips curl with such excitement just by glancing at her that Gracie is transformed into a giddy child.  Gracie kisses… when she wants to kiss… never just for the sake of a lick here or a lick there.  But when she kisses… it is with such passion and commitment that you can’t help but let her tell you how she feels.