Gracie

I lost my dog last week to old age and kidney disease. She was a great dog, a terrier through and through. I used to have two Airedales, but Ernie died three years ago and Gracie and I worked through our grief together. In the last three years she really came into her own, pulling out of Ernie's shadow. She was my side kick and I took her everywhere with me. She loved to sit shotgun in my car and hang her head out the window. I can't tell you how many conversations I had with people sitting at a signal because of that cute little airedale face.

Two years ago, my first posting for Illustration Friday was for the topic Choose and I did a quick sketch in photoshop of Gracie being very finicky about her meal choices. She was definitely the pickiest eater I have ever had in a dog, sniffing at steak and looking up at me like I was trying to poison her.

When I worked long hours at my computer, she would sneak up behind me and give me a loud bark telling me it was time to take a break and have some fun. One of her cutest habits was at night. We would climb into bed for cookie time. She'd eat a few dog cookies and I'd give her a long scratch, but the minute I turned out the lights, she would jump off the bed and head down stairs to sleep in her own bed and guard the house. Just before she headed out of my bedroom, she would stop at the doorway and look back at me. I would say good night baby girl, and then she would trot on down the stairs. She never missed a night.