It is with great sadness that we said good-bye to our beloved Gracie yesterday. She was 14 years old and had a wonderful life with her two papas, Michael and Roger. She was born 11/10/2004 to the loving Weart family in Ione, California. Her Mama, Bailey, was a hunting dog. Her litter name was “Purple,” corresponding to the color of collar she wore to separate her from the rest of the baby chocolate labs.
Gracie came into our hearts and lives as a most adorable, mischievous, blue-eyed puppy. She was only 8 weeks old when she was adopted and came home to Los Angeles with her dads. After frustrating some of the best dog trainers on the Westside, we resigned ourselves to the fact that this little girl was going to be training us, not the other way around.
Gracie inherited a big job from her sister Grace, the chocolate lab that Michael and Roger named Grace Home Furnishings after. She was to be the canine of couture home furnishings. She had her first photo shoot at 9 weeks old and was so tiny that she had to be digitally enlarged to show up in the photos! She had a little flip in one of her ears which she retained all of her life. Her ear flip, and her pearls, were here signature looks.
Gracie starred in numerous photo shoots and appeared in all our store ads for the last 14 years. She was featured in an illustrated coloring book, “Grace Around the World,” as well as on the cover of “Rover: Grace Home Edition.” She became the most famous dog in the world of interior design, and was known throughout the country as the “beautiful chocolate lab” in the Grace Home Furnishings advertisements.
Gracie had a much different personality than her sister, Grace. She was a party girl and was always up for some mischief or fun. She also had a great sense of humor, and shamelessly stole food from every one of her employees, numerous children and many clients. She enjoyed rummaging around in any handbag left within her reach as well as stealing clothes hangers and eating their cardboard covers. She had a soft spot for children, and although generally rambunctious, was a gentle soul with her littlest visitors, giving them licks and accepting their energetic pets and tugs with great aplomb. She had a fan club of kids from the neighborhood that would come in to see her after school just to say, “Hi!”
Gracie was excited to go to work every day of her life. She enthusiastically greeted customers at both her Los Angeles and Palm Springs showrooms. She LOVED her best friend Pepe, who works at the shop in Brentwood. She would run into the store each morning and search for him until she found him and then she would give him a big doggy kiss. She would sit and watch him work for hours and looked forward to their afternoon walks around Brentwood Village.
Her presence will be missed, but she will always be a part of all of us. She was a lucky girl to have been loved by so many friends and customers. She remembered anyone that was kind to her forever. She was a free spirit that was always smiling and happy. She was a gorgeous, elegant and stylish girl. She was our friend, our baby, and our constant loyal companion. She was our “voice” whenever something profound or silly needed said. She was our sunshine every morning and our warm cuddle every night. Gracie, we love you very much. Rest in peace sweet baby.
Photos by Lani
