I adopted Gracie from a shelter in Illinois in 1996 to keep my father company when he retired. She ended up becoming closer to my mother because my father had developed Alzheimers shortly after we got her. She was a German Shepherd mix and very unique. We had 2 acres she could play in and truely had the coloring of a deer. She developed a habit of hopping aroung like a deer in the yard, and sometimes would roam just a bit further. She would often stop cars because they thought she was a deer crossing the street. About a month ago, she started acting funny and having problems with her bathroom habits, my mother took her in and had her tested. The doctor found she had a high white blood cell count but nothing to worry about. We would just moniter her eating habits and behavior. We went on vacation two weeks ago to Michigan (we live in Illinois) and of course we boarded her at the animal hospital/clinic. The doctor was notified of where we were staying and also had a number to reach us. Unfortunately our phone rang in the cottage and it was the doctor telling us Gracie had stage 5 Leukemia. My mother had promised herself that if anything were to develop in the form of cancer, she would put her down almost immediately. The doctor had said Gracie 's condition was worse and she was starting to suffer. August 15th, while on a family vacation, my mother made a decision over the phone to put Gracie to sleep and end her suffering. The doctor told us it would be in about 30 minutes and she would be in a happier place. 30 minutes later we had a moment of silence and no kidding the clouds that were lingering over our heads were replace by the sun. Good-bye Gracie...until we all meet again. This is dedicated to my mother too.