Say Goodnight Gracie

My husband would like to know "Out of all the houses on our street how did a little stray dog know to come to our house?"

I got the call yesterday while I was helping Hayden with homework.
"Gin, where's Stitch?"
"Sitting right behind me. Why?"
"Who is this brown dog looking at me through the fence?"

The answer was that I didn't know, but I had an idea it might be a little dog that we had seen earlier in the day at the top of our street. And I was right. She was barking at Andy like it was her house and what was he doing trying to come in the gate! He told me to watch out because she could be mean. That was before she came up to me with her tail between her legs, looking like I could possibly beat her and leaning up against my leg. My response: "Yes, she IS vicious."

We put her outside the gate, shut the gate, got the car into the garage and went back up to the top of the driveway. No dog. "Good she's gone." Turn around. Here comes said dog UP the driveway! She had gone through the neighbors yard to the back and jumped the fence into the yard. She was quite proud of herself too. Go through this procedure 3 more times with the same result as before. "Fine, we'll leave the gate open and go inside. She'll go away." Seriously? Did anybody else besides my husband think that was going to happen? I mean she's jumping to get INTO the yard. Most dogs jump to escape, not her.

So here's this dog, at this point, on the front porch. After a little whining at the front door, it gets quiet. I went to the front door and looked out thinking "okay she's gone". Or she could be wedged into the corner next to the front door shivering and looking oh so pitiful!

I told Andy to leave the gate open while he took out the trash that maybe she would move on.
She didn't.
He walked up to the top of the hill to see if she would keep going.
She didn't.
She stayed by his side the entire time looking at him with big sad puppy eyes. I give her credit for knowing who she needed to win over!!

"She looks hungry."
"Go ahead and feed her. We don't want her to starve. But, not too much. We don't want her to stay."
"Its supposed to get REALLY cold tonight."
"I'll put the doghouse together with some shavings and she can sleep in that in the pen."
"Its too windy."
"I'll move it closer to the house. And get her a blanket."

I know you're asking yourself: was she there this morning? Are you kidding? Of course she was!

I started calling her Maggie. Andy said not to give her a name. My Mom says she was thinking Gracie. It fits. She is now Gracie. My Mom is coming to take a gander at her tomorrow to see if she might want her. And that would be great. The problem? There are actually 2 and their names are: "Please Daddy?!?!" and "We love her Daddy!!!"

So, she has a bed tonight in the garage with a nice warm blanket, food and water. Stitch loves to play with her. The girls love her. She gets lots of pets and scratches from me. The cat has smacked her (we'll call that a truce.). And Andy....?

Say goodnight Gracie!