Grace arose about 6:00 AM. I took her out. The fresh, pleasant morning air made me wonder if a winter coat and hat matched the current climate. We explored for a half hour and returned. Betsy played with Grace for thirty minutes and then fed her breakfast (one cup). Grace relaxed on her own until 7:30. It was then time for “fetch and tug.” After about five of those cycles, she entertained herself with chewing on her toy.
At 8:15, I took her out. We met Jack about ten minutes later. Grace and Jack played for a short while before we had to go in. We came inside around 8:35. Betsy took Grace outside once before she left at 10:00 and locked Grace in her cage. Grace resisted Betsy, even jumping in the litter box. Betsy pulled the litter box with Grace in it to move her close enough to the cage to shove her in. Grace’s feelings were hurt by the incident, and she noticeably pouted.
When we returned at 1:20, Grace lay peacefully in her cage. Betsy let her out and told her how much she missed her. She fed Grace her lunch (one cup). I took her out to explore. Near the end of our time, Sammie appeared. They were out near the main road so we had to be careful how they played. Then we met up again at the courtyard. Sammie and Grace had a great time chasing, tackling, and chasing one another. We returned home at 3:30. Grace tried the balcony for about fifteen minutes, but opted for the ottoman—passing out there.
After about an hour, Grace was climbing the walls again. We tried various fetch and tug toys. She followed us around a bit and was pretty well behaved, considering her need for attention or something to occupy her time. Betsy spot bathed her with Selsun Blue (selenium sulfate version). Grace was a trooper with the mess and the bathing. Grace did her usual running around and shaking off to get dry after the bath.
At 5:45, I fed her (two-thirds cup). She wanted to do tricks for food, so we went through that routine. She still doesn’t get “tummy,” but she’s getting in position more easily now. At 6:00, we went outside. After about fifteen minutes we met Sammie again. They did a fifteen-minute playtime in the courtyard. Then we returned home. Finally, Grace was ready to call it quits. She jumped up on her sofa and passed out.
At 8:30, the train made a strange sound. That disturbed Grace. It was time for her to go out one last time anyway. I took her. We returned at 8:45. She came easily and willingly went to her bed where I locked her in and said “Good night.”
Tuesday
Betsy got up a couple of times this morning and briefly turned on the lights. The second time was around 5:30. That was too close to Grace’s normal time to get up. She awakened. I took her out. While making the rounds, she stopped at Jack’s apartment. It puzzled me. Then Jack and his owner emerged. The two played for a few minutes before Jack went back inside. We returned home at 6:05. Grace greeted Betsy but then came to the ottoman next to my chair to curl up and nap.
At 6:50, she brought me the tennis ball. I threw it a few times. She tossed a dental chew chip and her Kong toy up in the air. Perhaps she’s anticipating breakfast. At 7:10, Betsy fed her and gave her 200 IU Vitamin E. Then we proceeded to the need for play. She settled on sock toy for “tug and fetch.” At 7:30, she started entertaining herself with a floor mat, the litter box and a paper bag.
High Anxiety
For the next forty-five minutes Grace became intolerable. Whining and asking to go to the balcony and then asking to come back inside again. I thought that after Betsy left, Grace would calm down, but her anxiety persisted. At 8:15, she finally curled up in a ball on the ottoman and took a nap. At 9:00, Grace got up and started her antics again—going out on the balcony, asking back in, bark, silent bark, and acting out of sorts.
A Little Puppy Still Remains
I threatened to put her in her cage. She finally settled down and gnawed on her stick. Finally, we made it to 9:30. I spent fifteen minutes getting ready and we were off. The falling leaves and brisk breeze made the perfect combination to spark that remnant of puppy action in Grace. She loves to chase leaves, pounce on them, and grab them in her mouth. We did lots of exploring too. At 11:15, I had enough, and we returned home. I fed her (one cup), locked her in her cage, and left for my daily run.
When I returned, Grace lay there peacefully. I unlocked her cage, and she jumped up on the ottoman. I attended to a few chores and lost track of Grace. I finally found her in the office, lying peacefully on the piano bench. I told her to get off (but shouldn’t have). I put her back up there, but she just got down and moved out of the office. Normally, we do not like her in there because of the danger of her chewing electrical cords, or messing up furniture.
Sleep Barking
She came back to the sofa and fell fast asleep. At 1:26, she was dreaming and barked in her sleep. It’s not a real bark but just a little closed-mouth, short, whimper sound. A minute later, at 2:20, she awoke. Grace went out on the balcony for ten minutes and returned inside. Since she had shredded one grocery bag, I found her a fresh new one.
At 3:00, I took her out. She met up with Jack again and played tag. She chased more leaves and explored. I’m getting to feel like I know every square inch of this property and a fair amount of the adjoining properties now. At one point I had dropped the leash, and she spotted a dog. As she raced to meet him, I called her back and she came. I gave her a treat.
When we returned at 4:30 I fed her (two-thirds cup). Grace polished that off and then barked. She wanted to do “trick and treat.” I loaded up the treat bag and took her through the commands. She still does not quite get “Tummy.” I went out on the balcony in order to watch for when Betsy came home. At 5:30, she arrived. Grace watched her come up the walk. She then went to the door. I opened it so she could greet her on the way up.
The Case of the Missing Treats
After a royal greeting, Grace started up on me with her antics. I told her to stop. She went to the balcony. I noticed the treat bag was missing. I wondered if Grace pulled it down from the table. After about ten minutes of looking, I found Grace beneath the lounge chair licking the empty treat bag—mystery solved. Grace then came in and passed out on her sofa.
At 7:50, I took Grace out. There were not treats this trip. They were all in Grace’s belly. She did fine without them. I’m not sure she understood why the treats were missing though. We returned at 8:00. Grace went into her cage on her own at 8:10. Betsy locked the door and said “Good night.”
Tuesday
Betsy got up at 7:00 AM. We had heard no sounds from Grace. She went to Grace’s cage. Grace was awake, waiting patiently. I took her out. We made the usual rounds. Dakota was out on his porch. They happily greeted one another. It was hard to watch as Grace stood upright unable to scale the railing and Dakota scratched at the concrete pad in vain looking for a way below the barrier. He tenderly reached through the uprights to touch and hold his good friend. They reached their noses between the bars and playfully nuzzled each other. When we left Dakota would bark. We returned about three times before finally moving on.
We then met Rhino and said “Hi.” He just celebrated his third birthday, so Rhino is all grown up now. We returned home at 7:40. Betsy had breakfast already in her dish (one and a third cup). Betsy decided to skip the Vitamin E today to reduce the possibility of loose stools. After breakfast, we watched from the balcony as Betsy left.
At 9:30 we went out again. Grace found a pecan. She tossed it in the air and pounced on it. Over and over, she played the game. Slowly, cracks appeared in the shell. Then before long she had split the nut and eaten the meat. Then she found some bird seed. Grace carefully sifted through the seed to find those little morsels that best suited her. At 10:30 we came back in. Grace went out on the balcony while I got ready to leave. She was resting on the lounge chair observing below when I came to the door and sent her back to her cage. I hated to lock her in again, but I had to go to a Thanksgiving luncheon with Mom. Grace went obediently.
When I returned at 12:55, Grace lay resting peacefully in her cage. I opened the door and she talked to me as I rubbed her tummy. I fed her (one-half cup) right before taking her out at 1:15. We explored and chased squirrels before finding Tucker on his porch. They played with each other through the bars for a while. We returned at 2:30.
At 3:30, Grace had enough. She needed to play “fetch and tug.” She insisted, specifying the sock toy, so we played for ten minutes. Then she moved to work on one of her treasured sticks. We went out on the balcony for a half hour. At 4:00, Grace informed me it was time to eat. I fed her (two-thirds cup). When she finished, she insisted on “trick and treat.” She’s catching on to “tummy” not but still doesn’t have it. We played “tug and ftetch” with new toy, rag doll, and sock toy.
At 5:20, we went out. Fraggle came to the courtyard at 5:45. Grace and Fraggle had a good time mixing it up until 6:00. We went back to the apartment. Betsy and I were going out for dinner, so I called Grace to her cage. She came quickly and obediently. I praised her and locked her in. When we returned at 7:30, Grace was asleep. Betsy opened her door and gave her affection. I took Grace downstairs until 8:00. While there, Grace said “Hi” to Luna.
We returned at 8:20. Grace proceeded to work on her bully stick. At 8:50, Grace got in her cage on her own and curled up for the night. I praised her, said “Good night,” and locked the door.
Wednesday
Betsy got up around 5:40. That must have awakened Grace. Grace got up at 5:45. Betsy visited her in her cage to let her out. She likes to talk to Grace and have Grace talk back with various throat noises. Granddaddy did the same thing. I took her out. We returned at 6:40. Betsy played fetch with her and then loaded a Kong as an appetizer. At 6:50, Betsy fed her (one cup) with Vitamin E added. When she finished (about one minute), Grace grabbed her new toy (from puppy class) and chewed on it for a while.
Frenzy
Betsy left at 7:30. Grace cried and whimpered. At 8:00 Grace found the bottom of a very small clay flower pot. The object captivated her. She tossed it in the air, picked it up and ran with it, put it in the litter box and pushed it around. For about fifteen minutes, she was simply frantic. It reminded me of the effect catnip has on cats. Then her fascination shifted to digging at the hard plastic bottom of the litter-box.
By 8:30 the outside temperature had warmed above 40 degrees, and the sun shone brightly. Grace settled in (alone) on the balcony lounge chair to to take in the morning charm. At 9:30 Grace came in to tell me it was time to go outside. I put on her harness and told her to wait. Grace lay patiently at my feet. At 10:00, I was ready, and we headed out for our morning walk.
When we returned at 11:30, I fed her (three-quarter cup) and locked her in her cage so I could go running. When I returned at about noon, she lay peacefully in her cage. I invited her outside on the balcony. She stayed out there until 1:30. When she came in, she wanted a little attention. I put her harness on at 2:00. She waited patiently until 2:15 when I was ready to take her outside. I had an appointment to go to, so I had to rush her back and into her cage at 2:25. Grace came back home and went into her cage obediently. I locked the door and left.
I returned home at 4:00. Grace was doing fine as usual. I put some potatoes in a pot and put them on the stove to cook. At 4:15 we went out exploring. We came back a half hour later to check the potatoes and turn down the heat. At 5:15, we came back inside. While I prepared the potatoes, Grace went out on the balcony to wait for Betsy’s return. Just as Grace gave up waiting, Betsy returned.
One Dog Night
At 6:00 we left for dinner. Before leaving, I called Grace back to her cage. She came obediently. I locked her in. We returned home at 8:15. I took Grace out for a half hour. After a shower I went to the bedroom. Soon thereafter, Grace jumped up on the bed. We took a chance and let her stay there with us through the night. She slept well and caused no disturbance.
Thursday (Thanksgiving Day)
Grace moved over to my side of the bed at 6:20 to tell me it was time to get up. I got up, dressed, and took her out. At 7:00, Grace decided to come back inside. This is unusual, as usually I have to end the outside time. She jumped back on my bed and lay there for about a half hour. Near the end of that time she began talking. Finally, she jumped down and left the bedroom to play in the living room. At 810, Grace came to me with the silent bark, letting me know her breakfast time was about an hour ago. I gave her breakfast.
She seemed bored, so I moved her litter box back into its normal position and put her flower pot tray in it. That sparked a little of the frenzy I witnessed, but only for a few moments. At 8:30, she asked to go to the balcony. Grace did her best to keep herself entertained alternating inside and out on the balcony, staying longer outside as the temperature rose. By 10:00, I could not hold back the tide any longer. After we had traveled about 1000 feet away, I realized we had not applied the topical medicine for her leg. I coaxed her back, applied the medicine, and took her right back outside.
Play with Dakota
At the end of our adventure, we spotted Dakota. We moved to the woods area to avoid any contact with people passing by. They had a vigorous chase and wrestle session for about thirty minutes. The hill there became a further means of exercise as they repeatedly ran up and down it in their playful chasing routine. At 12:15, I brought her home. Betsy fed her and gave her Vitamin E. She drank some water and then collapsed for a nap while I went running and Betsy prepared Thanksgiving dinner. When I returned, Grace was still napping.
Trip to the Park
At 3:05, Grace awoke from her coma and went out on the balcony. At 3:30, Betsy took Grace to Bond Park. Grace enjoyed going in the big field and exploring in the woods. They returned at 5:10. Betsy fed her (one and a quarter cups). Grace had a good time chewing on a dental chew. After an hour of softening it, she threw it around like a wet noodle. Grace then became increasingly impatient. I tried going through Grace’s tricks with her. Then she continued. She insisted on going outside and started barking. Betsy decided to lock her in her cage. That calmed her down. After a few minutes, she passed out.
Betsy took Grace out at 7:55 for about ten minutes. When she returned, Grace climbed up on her sofa next to Betsy. Betsy put her in her cage for the night at 9:30.
Friday
At 7:00, we got up. Grace lay quietly in her cage. Betsy unlocked her. I took her out for about thirty minutes. When we returned, I fed her (one cup) for breakfast. She hung out in the bedroom with Betsy until 9:30. Then she got up. At 9:45, Grace let us know it was time for her morning session outdoors. We went out exploring, including sessions in the woods and belly-deep in the pond next door. At 11:30, we passed by Dakota’s place. Grace actually played with him about an hour earlier through the railing. While we didn’t see him this time, he notified his owner, and it was off to the races. Dakota came outside and they played vigorously for thirty minutes.
We returned around noon. Betsy fed her and Grace proceeded to the bed to pass out. She awoke at 2:30 and moved to the balcony. At 3:30, Grace came in and let me know it was time for her afternoon walk. Betsy took her to Bond Park. They returned at 5:00. Betsy was concerned that Grace would not always obey the “come” command for her, even when enticed with treats.
Grace came home and lay on the sofa while we ate. At 7:45, I took her outside. She met Dakota and played with him. Then she played a short while with Taz. At 8:30 we returned. Betsy gave Grace a bath. At 9:30, Grace went willingly to her cage, and Betsy locked her in for the night.
Saturday
Grace awoke at 6:45. I took her out. We explored the landscaped areas until 7:30. When we came in, Grace played “fetch and tug” and went out to the balcony and back in about four times. The 40 degree temperature was a bit low for being inactive outside I suppose. At 7:50, Grace took her flower pot bottom and rag doll toy, placed them on her ottoman, curled up and took a nap.
Long Cage Time
We were going to leave at 10:30, so at 9:30, I took Grace out. I restricted her adventures to the landscaped areas. At 10:15, we returned, and I got dressed to leave. At 10:30, I called her into her cage. Grace came willingly, I locked her in, and we left. We returned at 3:30. Grace waited, lying patiently in her cage. I let her out, and took her outside. This is the longest we have kept Grace caged during daylight. She did fine. Grace explored outside until 5:15. When we returned, Betsy fed her (one and a half cups).
At 9:00, I took her outside. At this point, I can claim a milestone that she can be led to the trash area and the mailbox with reasonable ease. We took out the trash on this outing. Also, I’m able to drop her leash and walk to a destination (like the waste station) and she will stay without my even saying the command. At 10:00, Betsy locked her in her cage.