DIANNE’S DOGHOUSE
Life with Grace
Life with Grace is a gift to me. Our days begin early with a 6:00 AM walk up Center Street and through the woods at Freer Park, still in the shadows, the sun is rising in the East as we patrol “Candy Cane Lane”, looking for new vegetation. At the County building we are halfway through our journey.
About every other trip to the park, we run into a dog Grace knows, and there is five to fifteen minutes of butt-sniffing and tail wagging while another walker and I discuss World Peace.
For every dog lover there is nothing quite like the energy of a puppy! Grace winds me up and wears me down at the same time. After playtime is finished, we park ourselves on a bench so Grace can receive her admirers—everyone loves Grace. People see a fuzzy pup, all ears, feet, and tongue and they are smitten.
Grace and I have always had regular walking times and regular routes. Now seven years later, we still follow the same paths, but she is no longer a puppy. She has grown into a twenty-two-pound Root Beer Barrel, round sides and short legs. Dog owners still comment on our relationship by the way she maintains eye contact for more than thirty seconds. She waits for instructions, listens to me read to her and maintains respect for me every day. Every person she visits in a nursing home or church, or school is her special friend.
When Grace was one year old, we brought Joy home who is Grace’s half-sister. The girls were best friends and Grace taught her well, then five years later along came Joseph, Joy’s biological brother. Something about Joseph’s large brown eyes and fun-loving personality completed my animal family and as always Grace was the teacher.
All my dogs have a place in my heart, each one unique, each a giver, yet Grace and I share intimacy and respect for each other differently than her sister and brother. She keeps me moving. She keeps me present. We grew old together.
Blessings and love,
Dianne Hammontree: Dog Sitter, Dog Trainer, and Artist
