Cyndi Admires Gracie

Hey, it's my turn to post. I'm Cyndi.

I want to introduce you to a wonderful dog today. Her human is a writer and she tells an inspiring story about her dog Gracie. In fact, her human Saralee has written a book about Gracie, The Dog Who Walked Me.

In Saralee's own words: "The story is about my dog who became my caregiver after my spinal cord injury, the initial devastating effects on my marriage, and my cat who kept me sane throughout."

We haven't read the book, so this is not a review.  (Actually, we're not even sure it's published or for sale yet.) We just all liked Gracie's story and her role in helping Saralee's determined efforts to learn to walk again, so we want to share it with you. This is an excerpt from Gracie's story posted on Christopher Reeve's Foundation site.

Amazing Gracie's Devotion
By Saralee Perel

This month, I began writing one column after another for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, but nothing clicked. I finally realized my mind's been on a subject that I've been postponing putting into words. But now it is time.

My dog, Gracie, is coming to the end of her life. From the very moment she saw me in my Miami J neck brace after my spinal cord surgery, she was no longer just my dog; she was my lifeguard. This is my tribute to my beautiful friend's life.

She was a year old when she was found abandoned on the streets of Fall River, Massachusetts. When my husband, Bob, and I brought her home, she was terrified of us.

One day, a few years before my SCI, she was next to me while I was making soup. As I often do when I cook, I was singing. When I belted out "Oklahoma," I raised my large spoon toward the ceiling for emphasis. She hit the ground on all fours and, petrified, scooted away as if I was going to hit her with the spoon. Clearly she had been abused. She wouldn't even let us hug her. You can read the rest of the story here.

Saralee has a website and a Facebook page.


And we'd like to remind you that Dogs in Brazil is in danger of losing their home and the 16 abandoned, old and/or special needs dogs they have rescued. They have fed many street dogs out of their meager earnings from their bakery that was closed when the flood and mudslides hit Brazil in January. They hauled pet food through the devastation to help dogs in harder-hit areas.

They are in a poor area of Brazil and have been trying to find funding to help. They would really like to not only save the 16 they have now but others. Dogs and cats are not valued in their area and there is no help available there. If you wonder why they only mention saving dogs, it's because they don't have the room or finances to feed and house cats too.

If I remember correctly (and remember, we furries have somehow acquired Jan's bad memory), they are wanting to open a no kill shelter to help even more animals.

Visit Dogs in Brazil blog and check it out. And if you feel inspired to donate a few dollars to help, they would appreciate it. If you would like to donate but can't, you could help by passing the information along on Facebook or Twitter or ...

Yeah!  We are celebrating having consistent DSL internet again.