Strays to the Rescue
Gracie
"About a year after I adopted her, Gracie and I went through the orientation for People Animals Love (PAL), an organization whose mission is 'to bring people and animals together, brightening the lives of the lonely, easing the pain of the sick and enriching the lives of at-risk children' ... Gracie and I visit the Arleigh Burke Pavilion nursing home where a number of the residents have had strokes and are unable to speak clearly. We time our visits to coincide with the end of lunch, so there is always quite a crowd seated in the common area. You should see the way so many residents, otherwise noncommunicative, manage a smile and an expression of joy when the dogs appear ... Gracie spreads happiness wherever she goes, among nursing-home residents in wheelchairs who enjoy her visits and to neighborhood children who delight in throwing sticks for her. They all love Gracie, and I do too."
— MaryAnn Griffin, director of Aging and Adult Services, City of Alexandria, Va.