Favorite Video Friday – Daisy’s friend Gracie

This week I’m doing something a little different for Favorite Video Friday. I’m sharing a video from our friends, Lizzie and her dog, Gracie (see below), and some pictures of my dog, Daisy.

Lizzie and Gracie live across the pond (that BIG pond we call the Atlantic Ocean) in the United Kingdom.

When Lizzie first wrote to me in May of 2009, she had found Daisy’s blog through a mutual friend, Debbie Jacobs of fearfuldogs.com. She read Daisy’s story, and her search to find her inner Lab (after spending years in a puppy mill as a breeding dog), and shared her own story about her dog, Gracie. Gracie is also “an ex breeding dog from a puppy farm” , and even though Lizzie and I and Gracie and Daisy live so far apart, we have much in common. Both our dogs are from puppy mills, both are fearful, both of us were (and are) learning how to work with our dogs and to help them to be less fearful, and both of our dogs are Labs. Yellow Labs to be exact, and not just that, but yellow Labs that look so similar they could be sisters. Maybe that’s why I feel such a kinship with Lizzie and with Gracie. We’re both going through the same things at the same time and making real progress.

When Lizzie sent me this video, I cried. Why? Because in every picture I could see Daisy as she used to be (even though it was Gracie in every photo) and I could see the progress in Gracie as I had with Daisy. There is nothing to describe the joy you feel when you see a dog that is so fearful that they will chose to hide in a laundry basket (see the video to understand) rather than come to you blossom into a happy dog who wags their tail and is happy and finally enjoying life, love and affection. I don’t know if everyone will be able to relate to Lizzie’s loving tribute to her dog Gracie, but I hope that all of you will appreciate the progress Gracie has made and celebrate her success. Lizzie – you are a wonderful mom.

“I know how much I’ve learnt from Gracie but I look at those early shots from time to time just to remind me how utterly terrified she was, and how bad she must have felt. The photos of her in the laundry basket were taken on her first day here; she saw the open door under the stairs and leapt into the basket where it was dark. I can tell you I had a job to get her out, as at that time I could not get near her!” Lizzie

As an addendum, I have added some pictures of Daisy that mirror the ones of Gracie. Can you see the resemblance?

Happy Friday everyone!

Daisy at the beginning

Daisy cuddling up next to my dog, Aspen. Her rock in a storm.

My fearful girl in the early days

Aspen and Daisy

Daisy and her first Woobie

Daisy and her friend River

Daisy, Jasper, and their friend, Mya

Daisy and Jasper, with friends, Henry and Sunny (and Bob, the man with the treats)

Daisy and Jasper having fun on a walk

Daisy - My happy girl