A Furry Child

So, FRU & I added to our family on this past Saturday.

Meet Gracie, the Wonder Standard Poodle:
Gracie has had a rough go of it so far.

She was born to a private breeder on 10/5/07 and was in that home for 6 months. At that point, she was placed with a man who wanted to show her and her brother. Gracie, you see, comes from champion stock and it seemed only natural for her breeder to want to place her with someone who would show her.

This man (he's an animal, no pun intended) then, for some phantom reason, neglected these poor creatures. Thankfully, he's in jail right now, serving a sentence for animal cruelty. Gracie and her brother were returned to their breeder. Gracie's brother was adopted a day or two later.

Last Wednesday, I started making some phone calls to see if I could rescue a Standard Poodle. FRU has wanted her own dog almost as long as she's alive and I've been researching the best breed for us for about 4 months. I told FRU that she had to wait till spring and I fully expected it would take me at least that long to find a dog.

The planets must have all lined up properly b/c on the very first phone call, I heard about Gracie and her horrible puppyhood at the farm with that man. The first woman I spoke to gave me the number of a dear friend of Gracie's breeder and gave me some information and the breeder's phone number. So, in three phone calls, I made what turned out to be the connection that would lead me to puppy love (even if Gracie isn't technically a puppy anymore).

I drove to the Jersey Shore on Saturday with a friend of mine and truth be told, it was love at first site for me. She was scared and sticking to her mama. The breeder still proudly owns Gracie's mother, Lucy. Lucy was in a show coat with an adorable pom pom on her head, but Gracie had to be shaved down because her coat was so matted from being neglected. Poodle coats need lots and lots of attention and the man who had her did nothing in terms of grooming.

So I got her in the car and drove home to Brooklyn, stopping to pick up some supplies like a crate and some treats and toys.

When FRU called me, she went BALLISTIC when she heard I was bringing Gracie home. She was a little pissed off at me because I wouldn't let her come with me to meet Gracie. I didn't want to have to tell FRU that we couldn't bring the dog home if I got a funny feeling or if she seemed aggressive. But she was soooooo happy to hear that Gracie was ours.

Gracie spent most of Saturday cowering in her crate, with a completely bewildered expression on her face. By yesterday, she had calmed down a bit with FRU & I. She would sleep near my feet when things got quiet and she even played a bit with FRU.

I think this dog has tremendous potential to be a great pet. I will get her spayed; no need to have 6 or 8 little Gracie's running around, is there? I just want her to know that we aren't going to hurt her. She was so traumatized but her previous experiences that it will take several weeks for her to really settle down.

But hey, I'm patient...