Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale

It was love at first sight. Amid the frenzied barking and prancing of a house full of Great Danes, one pup was shivering in the corner. Gracie. But when Dan Dye reached her, she struggled to her feet like a clumsy foal, raised her forehead to his, and announced, as clearly as if she had actually spoken the words, You know I'm the one. Now get me outta here!
By turns funny, moving, tender, and inspiring, Gracie's tale is a treat for every dog lover. There is Gracie's first morning, racing around Dan in the snowy yard. Gracie's first determination to prove to her step-sisters, Dottie the Dalmatian and Sarah the Black Lab, that she's one of the girls. Gracie's defiant romance with a pint-size charmer named Byron, a Boston Terrier from the show more wrong side of the fence.
Then born of necessity, the eureka moment: When Gracie's delicate constitution starts turning into anorexia, Dan teaches himself how to cook, and in three days is baking her the cookies that will spur her appetite, launch Three Dog Bakery, and transform their lives forever. show less

This had been sitting on my tbr shelves for years because I am a sucker for a dog story. I didn't pick it up quickly because I know that when there's a dog on the cover, well, it is likely to end in tears and I can't always face that. We have had several dogs over the years and they've all been "very good girls," the best, who have given us more than we could ever have possibly given them. That a couple of them have been medically unusual and we've spent a lot of money to make sure they have a good quality of life for the brief time we get to share with them made me even more interested in Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff's dog memoir, Amazing Gracie, the story of a deaf, partially blind albino dog whose owners opened a dog bakery, Three Dog show more Bakery, in order to find food she'd eat.

When Dan Dye loses his beloved dog Blue, he descends into a real funk that doesn't entirely lift until a coworker takes him to meet one of her own Great Dane puppy's litter mates. This small (yes, they start out small) pup was shivering in a corner of the breeder's garage and slated to be euthanized because of her disabilities when Dan met her. Despite his misgivings, they immediately chose each other and this is the story of their life together from introducing her to his housemate's two dogs to her love affair with the tiny dog next door, from her dangerous disinterest in dog food that inspired the authors to learn to cook for her and ultimately start their dog bakery to the fame she achieved as the face of Three Dog Bakery, from her gentle acceptance of her successor to the final goodbye. Interspersed with funny and heartwarming stories about Gracie are insights into Dan's life and childhood, the way that it shaped him and the way that he finally learned to accept the past and embrace new definitions.

The beginning of the book, when Gracie is a goofy puppy and Dan is learning to make cookies for her is more relaxed and entertaining than once it focuses more on the formal creation of the bakery. Gracie is certainly still a part of the narrative then but it feels choppier, less focused on her, and more about founding the business and it quickly (at least in terms of the abbreviated timeline in the book) becoming a runaway success that brought them invitations to talk shows and the like. Although it was presented as a connected narrative, in many ways it was more like vignettes from the life of a dog and the man (yes, man rather than men as there's almost nothing about housemate and business partner Mark) who loved her. It was a sweet enough story, simple and quick. Most dog lovers will find this feelgood story of a man who rescues a dog and is rescued in turn resonates with them. Do have tissue ready for the end though because, after all, there is a picture of Gracie on the cover. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I am not usually drawn to dog stories - or pet stories in general but,this one caught my interest for some reason. The writing style is engaging - very light and easy reading. The author's self deprecating humor works and doesn't get tiresome. My only complaint would be that I wish there were more explanation about how the Three Dog Bakery went from one store to a national chain. The story jumps from the sale of a few biscuits to grand openings in several stores in one day. I would have liked a bit more background about that dynamic but, since this is Gracie's story I can understand why that was not emphasized.

Great book overall. Gracie and the Girls will steal your heart.

This is an elegant and simply-written book about a man who loved his dog. And how that dog transformed his life. Among other things, I enjoyed the authors' interpretation of their dogs thoughts. But the part I liked best was the part when Gracie was a puppy before Dan and Mark had become successful with the Three Dog Bakery. Because in those earlier chapters, Dan describes more about himself and his own life. This let me feel the importance of Gracie and the drive he had to take care of her. How can you describe two men working 16 hours a day 7 days a week baking dog cookies when they had jobs already? Those early chapters give you a glimpse into that story. I cried in the end, because as with all pets - whose lives are shorter than show more hours - Gracie dies. As a pet lover, this section really hit home. The authors really understand how it feels to watch your pet become old and sick. What was missing in the book (and why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) was the time between. What changed in the family - Gracie and Dan - as the bakery became successful. How they coped and how the felt. show less

A thoroughly endearing book, and you don't have to be surrounded by dogs to enjoy this true story. Told with love, lots of gentle humor, and remarkable insight. The message is one of hope, love, perseverence, and recognizing opportunity and potential where others may not see it. It's also a story of how we grow and learn from all the other creatures in our lives, both human and non-human.

I give this book four stars for the witty, heart-felt sections which dealt directly with Gracie. I would have liked to give it 3.5 stars, truthfully. I'm afraid the sections dealing with the author's business -- a bakery for dogs -- read more like an infomercial than a story, and much of it I skipped. Having said that, where Dye did write about his relationship with Gracie, a deaf albino Great Dane who came into his life as a much-neglected puppy, I was utterly enthralled. He had me laughing out loud and yes, at the end I was moved to tears.

This is a worthwhile book for anyone who loves dogs and understands the bond between dog and human, but don't feel bad if you want to ignore about a third of the book having to do with the business show more of selling dog biscuits. show less

4.5 stars

Gracie was the runt of the litter. A Great Dane albino puppy who was deaf and partly blind. The author, Dan, having recently lost a dog, decided to bring Gracie home instead of letting the breeder euthanize her. This is her story.

I really enjoyed this. As with most animal stories, there were laughs and tears.