Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale [Hardcover]

Dan Dye (Author), Mark Beckloff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 2000

It was love at first sight. Amid the frenzied barking and prancing of a house full of Great Danes, one pup was shivering in the corner. Gracie. But when Dan Dye reached her, she struggled to her feet like a clumsy foal, raised her forehead to his, and announced, as clearly as if she had actually spoken the words, You know I'm the one. Now get me outta here!

By turns funny, moving, tender, and inspiring, Gracie's tale is a treat for every dog lover. There is Gracie's first morning, racing around Dan in the snowy yard. Gracie's first determination to prove to her step-sisters, Dottie the Dalmation and Sarah the Black Lab, that she's one of the girls. Gracie's defiant romance with a pint-size charmer named Byron, a Boston Terrier from the wrong side of the fence.

Then born of necessity, the eureka moment: When Gracie's delicate constitution starts turning into anorexia, Dan teaches himself how to cook, and in three days is baking her the cookies that will spur her appetite, launch Three Dog Bakery, and transform their lives forever.

Courage. Compassion. Kindness. Soul. Tenacity. And joy, above all, joy. These qualities Gracie possessed in abundance, and shared with everyone, human or canine, who had the good fortune to cross her path.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Equal parts love story, salvation tale, and rags-to-riches saga. You don't have to be obsessed with dogs to love this story."
—Philadelphia Enquirer (Philadelphia Inquirer )

"Tears will stain the pages as you read about Gracie."
—USA Today (USA Today )

"It's funny how the smallest things can change a life. Gracie was that thing. If you're short on inspiration, read Amazing Gracie."
—Chicago Tribune (Chicago Tribune )

Book Description

It's a love story. A story of salvation. And a rags-to-riches story about a dog-yes, a dog-who launched Three Dog Bakery, the burgeoning international retail chain with 31 stores and counting. There is Dan, trapped in a dead-end job and grieving the loss of his pet of eighteen years. And there is Gracie, a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a delicate constitution and penchant for small miracles. In the middle of a bitter Kansas City winter, Dan would save the loneliest pup in the litter, Gracie. And over the next ten years, Gracie would save Dan-helping him learn the meaning of happiness.

A moving, funny, inspirational tale, AMAZING GRACIE is a dog-lover's treat. There is the moment of meeting-Gracie getting to her feet like a clumsy foal and nuzzling Dan's nose. The first day in a new house-Dan's roommate and business partner Mark calling the police thinking a burglar was trapped in the back room. Gracie's romance with her next-door neighbor, a Boston Terrier named Byron. And the eureka moment-born of necessity (Gracie's anorexia-producing dislike for commercial dog food), Dan teaches himself how to cook, and within three days is baking her the cookies that will transform their lives. Though several more years would pass before The Wall Street Journal discovered Three Dog Bakery, Oprah ate one of their dog cookies on national television, and Gracie and the gang appeared on Conan O'Brien, the germ of their success was right there-in this heartfelt relationship of a man and a dog.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (September 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076111937X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761119371
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (437 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 164 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, moving -- a great gift for dog lovers April 18, 2002

By David Rain

Format:Hardcover

I laughed, I cried (sobbed, really), I fell in love. This is a sweet, sweet book and more -- a love story and the chronicle of a man coming into his own. It ranks right up there with J.R. Ackerley's "My Dog Tulip" in the annals of classic dog literature. I plan to buy a copy for every dog lover I know. I hope this book will encourage people to take a chance and rescue an animal that may not meet the standards of the AKC. Millions of dogs and cats are put to death each year in the U.S. because no one wants them, and this story is proof of the great potential for love and joy these dogs have.

73 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book for Dog Lovers Everywhere! October 24, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I just finished this wonderful book and plan on buying more copies for Christmas as gifts. This is the story of Gracie, an albino, deaf great dane puppy who inspires Dan, her owner, to start the chain of bakeries: Three Dog Bakery. It was a funny book, although the last pages will definately get to you if you've ever been through an older dogs final days.

I truly laughed out loud through much of the book... Gracie's love life reminded me of my own! Her life, although she was deaf, was full of love and devotion, but she definately had a mischeivous streak which all dog owners will relate to. This was simply a wonderful read that provided much more story than I was even hoping for. Amazing Gracie proves that dogs can inspire and teach us as well as make excellent companions!

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Touching Story of an Unlikely Canine Savior November 3, 2003

By mirasreviews HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

"Amazing Gracie" is author Dan Dye's loving tribute to his canine companion of 10 years, Gracie, a big lovable deaf albino Great Dane, who was the inspiration for his and Mark Beckloff's successful "Three Dog Bakery" business. Gracie's life was fraught with near-fatal mishaps from the start -by the age of 8 weeks she had narrowly escaped death's jaws a few times- and she always had a delicate constitution. When her finicky eating habits threatened her health, Dan was left with no choice but to cook for her. And so the beginning of Three Dog Bakery was created by a guy who couldn't cook to save his life, but undertook the task with unwavering determination to save his dog's. Gracie and Mark's two dogs, Sarah and Dottie, became the Bakery's mascots and tireless taste-testers as the business grew from Dan and Mark's kitchen to 32 stores and a hopping mail order business. "Amazing Gracie" is the story of this family: Dan, Mark, Gracie, Sarah, and Dottie, their business, and of an unlikely canine hero who went from throwaway pup to national celebrity by means of love and loyalty. Dan Dye is an entertaining storyteller who often takes a humorous tone when speaking of his and the dogs' misadventures -probably advisable when your roommate and business "partner" is a humongous slobbering deaf dog. "Amazing Gracie" is a funny, moving true tale and a reminder of how animals can touch and even radically change the lives of the humans who care for them.