My Favorite pet...that I rescued.

This is a true story. It’s about love, compassion and spirit. In December my son, George, asked for a dog for Christmas. We agreed to adopt a shelter doggie for him and we began our search. We were inspired to look for a dog who wasn’t very adoptable (or as I would say: “had issues”) because our friends had adopted a three-legged dog and she is just wonderful. We knew we had enough love in our family to help a pet that needed extra care.

We contacted the Long Beach Small Dog rescue because we noticed they had a three-legged dog in their adoption gallery online. They told us the three-legged one had already been adopted, but there was another dog we might like. I thanked them but explained that we were looking for a doggie who “had issues”... they said, “then you will really like this one! “

When we met Ana (her name then) we could not believe what we saw! She was practically completely furless. Her skin looked raw and painful. She shook uncontrollably and she was skittish and frightened. We found that she was blind in one eye due to a cataract and she limped. I was so concerned, I looked at my husband with the look that said, I don’t know... He answered, “We’re taking her.” We are?

To say that our family and friends thought we were a little crazy would be an understatement, but we brought her home and began her rehabilitation which included lots and lots and lots of love, good healthy food, warmth and safety. She responded almost immediately. We decided to change her name to Gracie Lou Who. “Grace” because she represents the power of grace and second chances and “Lou Who” because when we met her she was furless and her eyelashes seemed extraordinarily long...like the cartoon characters from Whoville in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

Today, Gracie Lou Who is absolutely gorgeous. She has a full body of fur, gorgeous white fur with a little red sprinkled throughout. People stop us on the street to ask what kind of dog she is. We now call her our designer dog. She is our constant and unconditional companion and best of all she appreciates and seems to cherish every snuggle and rub.

Gracie Lou Who has been an inspiration not only to us for representing the power of love and spirit, but to our friends and family who doubted a little creature with a big heart could be rehabilitated. Our children, George and Caleigh Rae have learned huge and powerful lessons from this experience as well. They now know not to give up on someone because of what they look like or because they aren’t beautiful and perfect. We ALL, every person and every creature, respond to love and care and in return we give back even more than we ever received.