Aug

6

Dog Days: Saving Gracie.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

August 6, 2007 |

Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff 

Shortly before he turned thirty, three major things happened in Dan Dye’s life: the dog he’d grown up with, who’d shared most of his childhood, died; he and his roommate Mark Beckloff purchased a decaying mansion in Kansas City with a plan to refurbish it and sell it for a profit; and he adopted a deaf, partially blind albino Great Dane puppy he would name Gracie. He and Beckloff also had vague ambitions of going into business for themselves. Their aim was not to become wealthy, but to be able to quit their daily, soul-killing jobs and do something they really loved. Like most people with similiar ambitions they just didn’t know what they wanted to do.

In addition to her other problems, regular dog food upset Gracie’s stomach, and, on the advice of his veterinarian, Dye started cooking for her, making treats that were, well, people food, minus the salt, sugar, chocolate, onions, or any other ingredients that were bad for dogs. Cooking quickly became a passion, and, helped by friends and neighbors (including Beckloff’s mother who found a dog biscuit recipe in an old cookbook) Dye’s cooking gained a reputation.  It wasn’t long before he and Beckloff came up with the crazy idea of starting their own bakery just for dogs. It was a huge success, and Three Dog Bakery (since Gracie shared the home with her sisters, Dalmatian Dottie and Labrador Retriever Sarah Jean) is still thriving. I can speak from real experience: dogs love their treats, and they’re made to be healthy. You can also make your own, thanks to the book Cooking The Three Dog Bakery Way, also by Mark Beckloff and Dan Dye.

The real story of Amazing Gracie, though, is Dye’s relationship with Gracie. It’s impossible to explain this to anyone who hasn’t opened their heart to a dog, but they change our lives. Gracie changed Dye’s and Beckloff’s lives by inspiring a business, but, beyond that, this is a story that’s shared by everyone who’s ever been loved by a dog. Great Danes don’t typically live long. Gracie lived an extraordinary nine years, and would eventually have an heiress (but never a replacement), an abandoned, deaf, albino Great Dane puppy named Claire. Dye’s humor and frequent funny movie references throughout much of the book give way at the end to serious honesty when he realizes it’s time to say goodbye to Gracie. He does his best to say the unsayable. The love of a dog is unconditional and priceless, and Amazing Gracie reminds those of us who are blessed with it to value every moment.


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. maureen on August 6, 2007 7:44 pm

    You have my tail wagging on this one and who doesn’t like a story with a happy ending!

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