Cheering Up Gracie

Millie Bobbie Bear was an unexpected addition to the Frazer family. After my 17-year-old sister's relationship ended, she showed up with an Australian shepherd puppy, the result of her post-breakup impulsiveness.

Millie was adorable—pretty, sociable, fluffy as all heck. Still, I urged my parents to find another home for her. My sister was about to start her first year of college and would soon move into a dorm fifty miles away. We all knew that my mother, already stretched thin, would end up caring for this dog.

But it was no use. In no time, Millie had us wrapped around her little paw, and she was quickly established as a permanent member of the family.

As was to be expected, the new puppy was fawned over. Baby Millie was showered with love and attention, and our other three dogs watched from the sidelines as she was shown off to friends and family, passed around, and endlessly played with.

Our four-year-old golden retriever Gracie was miserable. She became more reserved. Her eyes were sad, her demeanor subdued. As our youngest, largest, and only female dog, she was used to being the uncontested princess of the family. For the first time, she was having to compete for our attention, and she hated it.

People weren't being particularly considerate of Gracie's feelings, and I had noticed her becoming increasingly despondent. So one day when she was sprawled out on the kitchen floor, I laid down beside her, and we had a conversation. While giving her comforting tummy pets, I reassured Gracie that she had not been forgotten, that Millie could never take her place, and that she was still the reigning queen of the house.

And I swear, this dog understood what I was saying. Maybe not the words themselves, but she absolutely got the sentiment. She pressed her nose up against mine and gave me hugs, wrapping her paws around my shoulders and burrowing her face into my neck. We laid there on the hardwood, forehead to forehead, our eyes closed with our arms wrapped around each other.

In those moments, I felt a special connection to her that's difficult to describe. I knew that I had effectively communicated my sympathy to her, and she had just as clearly conveyed her gratitude to me. She knew that I still saw her, that I still loved her, and that I understood that what she was going through was hard. She felt my empathy, and she appreciated it.

Our relationship deepened that day. We had always loved each other, but from that point on, there was a special bond between us that Gracie doesn't seem to have ever forgotten. I became one of her favorite humans, and we grew incredibly close. When I visit my mom's house, she's always excited to see me and shower me with hugs.

These days, Grace and Millie are inseparable. In Millie, Gracie has found a playmate, a sister, a best friend. Millie has done a number on her, accidentally blinding her in one eye with a stick and running Gracie so ragged that she now has a permanent limp. But Millie has made her life so much better, and as Gracie has aged, Millie has stood by her side and helped her with the things that aren't as easy to do on her own anymore.

Gracie and I have had many special moments together since that day, but this memory will always be one of my favorites. This interaction went beyond playing fetch or laying on the couch together. It was a moment of true connection, communication, and mutual love and respect.

I once read that our dogs are just one part of our hectic lives, but to them, we're the whole world. Gracie makes me feel like I'm a special part of her world, someone she trusts and adores unconditionally. She has the biggest heart and purest soul of any dog I've ever known, and she gives the warmest hugs. Gracie is one of the most affectionate animals I have ever had the privilege to be loved by, and I will cherish those simple moments on the kitchen floor with her for the rest of my life.