Gracie Trutty/Brenneman

Gracie (2009 – July 2023)

Gracie came to us as a rescue pup, and was she ever a spitfire! It took us awhile to understand what she was trying to tell us: I need daily dog park outings, and I need consistency and structure in my schedule. As a mix of border collie and husky, Gracie was brilliant and stubborn and loved to be busy. She was the best herding dog ever, always aware of where each of us was in the house and always with a strong instinct to herd us into the same room, where she could then relax and be at ease.

Gracie loved to run. She always knew that when she jumped into the car we were going to the Dog Park. Oh, how she loved to run free there. Some called her the Queen of the Dog Park because of her bossy-pants behaviors- she did seem to take charge when activity got out of line. Gracie’s energy seemed never-ending: she loved a good tug-of-war. She had a brief career in skijoring, honoring her husky ancestry in her love of winter and snow and cold. In her younger days, she loved to jump, leaping to the high bounce of her squeaky ball. She loved her morning walks, that daily ritual of new scents and surprising creature visitations (squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, raccoons, deer, turkeys, coyote, fox).

Oh, how Gracie loved food. She scouted out specific Little Free Libraries, not because they might have a preferred book to take home, but because these LFL’s also had treats. Oh happy day: treats. She loved our mail deliverer Bruce because of what he always had in his pockets: treats. She would sit so prettily, all aquiver with expectation, and quite happily crunch whatever she was given.

Gracie tore apart her favorite stuffed animals, removing all the stuffing carefully, and played with the flattened carcasses with joy. Her very favorite, Tiger, ended up in multiple pieces but a good portion of his body still survives, and will be buried with Gracie’s ashes.

Gracie was a talker, not shy about vocalizing her wants and needs. She could tell time- specifically, an hour before mealtime, she would begin the vocalizations and nudges toward being fed. She knew when someone was due home and vigilantly kept watch for their arrival.

Gracie loved us completely without question or hesitation. In return, we loved her completely, and created a safe home for her, companioning her as best we could through scary fireworks and thunderstorms, and giving her all our attention and oodles of TLC. Gracie filled our home with her presence, and we miss her terribly.