by
A Little Bit of Grace
After a couple of months of searching the classifieds and the Internet Mommy found a
female Boston Terrier puppy. Not just a puppy, but a playmate for Piglet and also there
needed to be another woman in the house.
One brisk October afternoon Mommy and Daddy waited for the breeders to come home
all day. They arrived about half past five and not a moment to soon. There were two little
girls left, one bigger and the smallest one of all, the runt. It didn’t take one second for
Mommy to say to my Daddy, “I want her, the little runt”. Her body was small, but you
could see in her eyes her heart was so big and full of love.
On the ride home she slept in Mommy’s lap the whole 2 hour drive. They tried and tried to
think of a name for their new little baby girl. Precious, Peaches, Daisy, Lil’ Bit, Princess,
and then after a spell, Grace, no Gracie came to Mommy and that was it, no question,
Gracie would be the precious baby girl’s name.
When they got home Gracie met Piglet and Piglet met Gracie, then it was realized how
tiny she really was. Piggy was so excited, a little too excited, he could hardly keep from
bouncing off the walls. He had a new friend, but was she really his forever? Was Gracie
really gonna stay and play with him all the time.
As September and November passed Piglet calmed down and got use to Gracie. Gracie
grew taller and stronger. She was now the feisty one. She would take Piggy’s Blue-Bee
away and claim it for her own. She would eat, even when she was full, just so she could
push Piglet out of the food bowl.
She also had her quiet moments when she was calm and peaceful. When Gracie would get
tried she would climb up in Mommy’s lap, sometimes Daddy’s, and go to sleep. She
always felt very loved and safe in their arms. Gracie would also cuddle up to Piglet and
even though they would fight and get mad at each other, they would always come
together and love one another in the end.
As the months passed not only Piglet and Gracie’s love grew for each other, but also
Mommy and Daddy’s love for Gracie grew each and every day. Even when the two pups
would play and growl at each other when it was time to be quiet, and tear up things they
shouldn’t have, Mommy and Daddy loved their new baby girl Gracie. They would often
watch them playing and say, “Ain’t they beautiful. Look how cute that is. Ain’t she just
beautiful?” They new that one day Gracie would grow up and calm down just like Piglet
did. They new that Gracie would be with them forever.
One chilly December Sunday Piglet and Gracie played all day. They chased each other
and made laps around the yard. Even though Gracie’s legs were nowhere near as long or
strong as Piglet’s she could just about catch him, as if she could roll him over when she
did catch him, which Piglet often did to Gracie. As the day grew long it was time to settle
in for bed. Mommy and Daddy got into bed. Piggy gave his usual scratch on side of the
bed, so Mommy picked him up and he crawled under the covers. Gracie barked two little
breaths to say, “Me too”, so Daddy picked her up and placed her on the bed. Not long
after Gracie made her way under the covers she then came back out again. She made her
way to the foot of the bed and vomited twice.
Daddy said, “My baby girl doesn’t feel good”.
Mommy replied, “It’s probably just a tummy ache, she will be fine in the morning”.
As the sun came up, Gracie didn’t feel better and didn’t eat her breakfast. Mommy took
her to the vet and she was found to have parvo. Mommy couldn’t believe it. How could
this happen to her baby girl. She had loved her so much. Out of all the mean and old
dogs, why did her sweet, beautiful, little girl have to get this dreaded disease. The next
week went by in a flash, Gracie seemed to be doing better with the IV fluids and then she
was doing worse again, better, then worse. Which would it be?
Mommy went to see Gracie on Friday morning around 11:00 a.m. Gracie was still sick
and weak, but still got up from the back of her cage to greet Mommy. Mommy held
Gracie and loved her, and kissed her, and told her baby girl that everything would be OK
and that she was going to be fine. Later on that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Gracie became
much worse and Mommy and Daddy went to see her, as the vet had called, and it sounded
terrible. Mommy asked herself, “How could this be, I just saw her this morning and
although she wasn’t bouncing off the walls, she didn’t seem much worse than the previous
day before.
When Mommy and Daddy walked in, Gracie couldn’t even hold her head up to
acknowledge that her beloved Mommy and Daddy had entered the room. She just opened
her precious little mouth and vomited. After a few more tears and much more thought,
Mommy and Daddy new they couldn’t let their little Angel suffer anymore. The end of the
suffering had came for Gracie. She died comfortably in her loving Mommy’s arms, where
she had always felt the most love and peace.
Mommy and Daddy left with their baby girl in box. They placed her Blue-Bee in the box
with her little body and her Christmas collar and they buried her in the backyard where she
had played so many times. It has been four days and they are still angry, upset, hurt, and
most of all sad. Everyday they cry and then say to themselves, “Why did she have to leave
us? Did we not take good enough care of her? Why does God want to punish us? For
what possible reason did our baby girl have to die? What good could possibly come out
of her dying? It just not fair! No one understands how we feel, she wasn’t just a puppy,
we can’t just get another one. She was our little girl.”
Will they ever know? All that helps them is knowing that Gracie is not in pain anymore.
They know that even though she had a short life, it was a happy one. They know in their
hearts that Gracie knew she was loved, not just by Mommy and Daddy, but also by Piggy.
They all loved her as much as they possibly could each and every day. They cherished
each waking moment they had with her.
Mommy, Daddy and Piglet may never know why sweet little Gracie had to get sick and
leave them, but they do know that while she was here on this earth she had more love than
any dog could have in any lifetime. They know that she is now not hurting anymore and
playing with her Blue-Bee, making laps in the green grass, and eating her little heart out.
Gracie is now happy once again and just as loved as ever. Gracie will remain in
everyone’s heart not just for a year or two, but forever. She will always be missed and
never forgotten. She is now not their little angel on earth, but an angel in heaven watching
over her loving family that she will once again see, soon enough. Mommy and Daddy
were fortunate that they were blessed with a little bit of Grace in their lives even for a
short time.