Gracie
On June 10, 2007 the dog that would impact my life in ways I wouldn't have been able to fathom was born. A close family friend of ours had two dachshunds who were getting ready to have their first litter of puppies and I was over at their house all the time just waiting for those puppies. I was 10 years old that summer.
Once the puppies were born I was over there just about every day. Our friend had already secured good homes for all of the puppies, but one was not entirely spoken for. The man who would have had the last puppy was trying to decide if his grandson was ready for a puppy. Our friend had told me if he decided not to take the last puppy, she was all mine. Of course, I wouldn't be writing this if I wasn't the one who got to take that puppy home. It was meant to be. When she told me the news, it was the best day of my life!
I counted down the days until I got to take her home. I named her Gracie, to rhyme with her mother's name, Macie. Getting Gracie was proof that everything happens for a reason. Eight months prior, I tragically lost my first dog who I only got to love for one year. I was absolutely devastated and I could barely cope with it. In reality though, I never would have had my precious Gracie if I hadn't lost Brinkley.
When I finally got to bring her home the only thing that would soothe her separation pains was sleeping in my arms. We would become best friends for 16 years. You have probably heard the phrase "soul dog". Well she was mine, and I knew it long before she was gone. A soul dog is that once-in-a-lifetime dog, the one you know will always hold the most special place in your heart, the one who shared a bond you couldn't explain. Years before she passed I would have moments occasionally where I would cry, dreading the inevitable when time was no longer on our side, not able to imagine life without her. Of course the rainbow bridge cannot be escaped. She passed away on March 9, 2023, two days before we moved to Colorado, which was a mercy, because we were concerned about how she would handle the relocation in her old age, just 3 months shy of 16. But we are thankful that she lived her best life and lived it to the fullest! You can see her adventures and memories below!
I started incorporating dachshunds into my art after she passed, unintentionally, but I think it was my way of honoring her and keeping the memories close. So that, my friends, is why I started Doxie Designs. It is so much more than just another shop! It is a legacy.
Piper
The story does not end there. My husband and I knew we gave Gracie an amazing life, one we wish every dog could have, so we were not going to shut ourselves off from giving that love and wonderful life to another deserving doggo. Piper was born in Powderly Texas on March 15th, just 6 days after we lost Gracie. However we didn't know that at the time, and even though we knew we would eventually find another dog to welcome into our home, it was nowhere on the radar yet just 6 days later. I still couldn't think straight.
A few months later, the absence of pitter-pattering feet was becoming so loud. I work from home and it was just too quiet. The kind of quiet that seemed to scream. I was still grieving terribly, but I missed hearing the quiet snores and the tippy tapping of feet.
We started looking at local rescues in Colorado and officially began our search. It was bitter-sweet, but I knew nothing would bring Gracie back, so it seemed best to just give love and a home to another dog even amidst the pain. We were extremely close to adopting two separate times, but they both fell through on the rescue's sides at literally the last minute.
Shortly after those dead ends, my mom called me about a co-worker of hers having a litter of dachshund puppies that needed homes. Once I got in touch with her, the last one had been claimed, but ironically she had a friend in Powderly with a couple of puppies that hadn't found homes yet from a few months prior.
That's where we found Piper. It was May 21st, and she was 11 weeks old. For some reason no one had picked her and she was still waiting for a forever home. The gentleman sent us a picture of her, absolutely tiny and not grown into her nose yet. We immediately said yes. Since we were in Colorado, my parents picked her up and were able to bring her to us a month later. What an agonizing wait that was!
On June 20th, 2023 she arrived in Colorado. When we held her for the first time, it was very emotional, but of course our hearts were melted. We quickly found out that Piper's personality was opposite of Gracie in just about every way possible, except of course, the obsession with food (but that's all doxies!) Needless to say, it was a huge learning curve for us! But we have loved her unique little spirit ever since, and she inspires new art all the time!