This is a repost of a piece my mother wrote about a very special dog.  Enjoy!

In the late 1980's circumstances forced us to move from our country home to the city.  Since we couldn't take our much-loved dog, Gretchen, with us, we left her with my parents in Fairfield, Idaho on the family farm.  Gretchen thrived there and she became my parent's dog.  She would go with them on their walks and follow dad everywhere on the farm.  Then she was accidentally killed.  Here is a short piece my mother wrote shortly after that happened.

Gretchen

by Roselee Sarah Reagan

Doggie Gretchen got run over yesterday and died instantly.  Grandpa had a heavy load of sand on the pickup, and she accidentally ran under the wheels.  There was nothing he could do, it happened so fast, and he felt terrible about it.  We buried her in the old creek bed and marked her grave.

Gretchen was a good dog.  She never bit the children.  She barked to announce visitors.  She loved to go with us on walks.  Whenever Grandpa took his walking stick down from its place on the shelf, she got so excited and happy.  Her joy in life was chasing the cats, but mostly they were on to her and wouldn't oblige her and run, because she never hurt any of them.  The fun was all in the chase.

One morning last summer, very early, she and I were going for our usual morning walk, when we both spied two large, lovely cranes out in the wheat field.  Now I love to have those birds around to look at and enjoy and don't want them scared off.  But Gretchen saw them only as another wonderful object for chasing.  So off she streaked to stir them up.  She was running at top speed when she heard me calling her, un-gently, and so she stopped in her tracks with little dust eddies circling all around her.  For just a few moments she stood there and looked at me.  I could see she was thinking fast and deciding.  Oh, what a choice for her!  The joy of her life, her reason for living (chasing anything that would run or fly) standing out in the field just waiting for her!  But then there I was, her mistress, the love of her life, calling her back.  Did she wonder if maybe I didn't understand about her great desire to chase?  What a choice for a mere dog.  She hesitated, but only for a few moments, and then she chose to come back to me.  And not with disappointment either, or begrudgingly.  She came bounding and running back to me, full of joy and I petted and loved her.  You see, her love for me was greater and overshadowed her natural heart's desire to chase.

There is a spiritual lesson here for me.  I want to love the Lord with ever greater and increasing devotion, so that none of my heart's desires, however natural or legitimate, should ever get in the way of my love and devotion for Him.  I want my obedience to be joyful and without hesitation.

We will all miss Gretchen.  We loved her.  She was a good dog.

[caption]Little boy loves his doggie![/caption] JC and Gretchen