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. No 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.

andquot;It's funny how the smallest things can change a life. Gracie was that thing. If you're short on inspiration, read Amazing Gracie.andquot;

and#8212;Chicago Tribune

andquot;Equal parts love story, salvation tale, and rags-to-riches saga. You don't have to be obsessed with dogs to love this story.andquot;

and#8212;Philadelphia Enquirer

andquot;Tears will stain the pages as you read about Gracie.andquot;

and#8212;USA Today

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.

Dan Dye is a co-founder of Three Dog Bakery and co-author of Short Tails and Treats from Three Dog Bakery and Three Dog Bakery Cookbook. He and Mark Beckloff live with their dogs Claire, Dottie Mae, and Joe in Kansas City, Missouri.Mark Beckloff is a co-founder of Three Dog Bakery and co-author of Short Tails and Treats from Three Dog Bakery and Three Dog Bakery Cookbook. He and Dan Dye live with their dogs Claire, Dottie Mae, and Joe in Kansas City, Missouri.

Foreword (vii)

1. Kansas City Blues (1)

2. Finding Grace (9)

3. Here Comes Trouble (17)

4. Little Miracle (29)

5. Smell the Flowers (35)

6. Sister Trouble (43)

7. First Love (71)

8. The Gracious Gourmet (93)

9. My First Christmas (109)

10. Auld Lang Syne (121)

11. A Bakery for Dogs? (135)

12. GracieAs Prime Time (181)

13. Motherly Grace (217)

14. Goodnight, Gracie (235)

Epilogue (247)