Gretchen came in with her sisters, Heidi and Joni. They were born in a puppy mill and then sold to a backyard breeder where she was living in an outside kennel with several other Clumbers. She is also one of the Clumbers, Dottie led me to.

Gretchen came to me very nervous as she didn’t have any idea what was expected of her or what it meant to live inside. Her spirit was in pretty good shape as it hadn’t had time to be broken for she was not even a year old when we rescued her. At the time we were trying to rescue her, I felt it was very important to get her out of there as she was not old enough yet to produce puppies and I knew once she was old enough, the backyard breeders would probably change their minds and keep her.

She was a very small female as she hadn’t matured yet. The thought of the life that waited ahead for her was enough to make me determined to rescue her and her sisters.

Gretchen is a beautiful, sweet girl with a spirit to match. I often watch her as she moves with such grace and is so dainty. Even though her spirit wasn’t broken or her will to live, destroyed, she was still unsure of things as she had gotten very little attention. No one had taken any time with her to teach her how to walk on a leash or how to be a member of a family. She was bought for one purpose and that purpose was to produce puppies and she was hardly anymore than a puppy herself.

It didn’t take Gretchen long to warm up to me but it took longer for her to get used to my husband Edward. She seemed to get nervous when he was around but after a little time she got used to him and she was just as happy to see him, as me.

Gretchen had never had a bath or been groomed so she was quite matted and it took a while to get all the mats out. Surprisingly enough, she did well in the bathtub and was very patient at grooming time. She only had a years worth of mats so they weren’t as bad as they were on the older Clumbers. She especially enjoyed the attention and being brushed.

Gretchen loves to run and play and does great on leash and does well “off leash”. She knows exactly where the door is and runs to it when it is time to come in. She knows she now has a home inside with a family, not stuck outside in a kennel.

It does my heart good to know that she will never endure what the older females went through. She will only know what it means to be loved and cherished and her spirit will never be broken.

And one day she will find her forever home where people will love and cherish her as they should.