Good Morning Olive
Grace never made it up to our bed. She whined at 6:50. I got up and rubbed her tummy. We left the house for our morning walk at 7:00 am. The weather was rainy and 40 degrees. Grace went to the south pond area. She found a golf ball. Then it disappeared. I feared she may have swallowed it. After searching the area, I found it. Grace noticed I had it and wanted to play with it some more.
Pond Play
I threw the ball in the pond area. Grace batted it down the hill, grabbed it, and ran up the hill with it. After a few minutes, it rolled into the pond. She could not find it. I saw where it went in, reached down and grabbed it. She played with it a few more minutes. Again, it went into the pond. This time, I couldn’t find it either. I threw an empty energy water drink bottle, which she batted down the hill. She also dug some more in the hole she made there.
Mystery Solved
At 8:15, we returned home. I gave Grace a shower followed by breakfast. After the shower, I towel her off. She usually moves to the side of the bathroom opposite the tub. When she shakes, Her right ear hits the rough-textured wall—mystery solved! That is why her right ear is much worse than her left ear. She is damaging it by striking it at high speed against the rough wall after I give her a shower. We decided to just treat the ears with Neosporin and keep her away from the walls when she will likely shake off.
Home Alone
We left for church at 9:25. On the way out I left a bully stick in her toy box. She jumped off of her sofa when she saw (and smelled) it. When we returned at 12:30, Grace greeted us with tail wags and kisses. About one quarter of her bully stick remained. After Grace ate her lunch, I took her outside for fifteen minutes since again it was raining.
I spotted about a third of a cup of a flour -like substance dropped at the base of a green transformer box. Grace went for it but, I directed her away from it and told her to “leave it.” As we continued our walk, I noticed it along the sidewalk about every 50 feet. I asked at the office if they knew what it was. They said they would check with maintenance Monday. When we returned, I ate lunch. Grace wanted some, so when I finished, I gave her some scraps for tricks.
Clubhouse Fun
Grace lay on the loveseat during the afternoon as I sat across from her in the chair. At 5:00, we went to the clubhouse to join a friend for a little dinner. Grace came too. She enjoyed the bigger room and different people. First, she met a toddler. She and he played hide and seek and chase. Grace was very good at adjusting her intensity level to match the little boy. She ramped up the play just slightly with him to give him some kisses. That bothered him. I called Grace off and she toned it down.
I saved back a little cornbread and some meat chunks for her. When I finished, I gave her them for tricks away from the table. Then I did seconds and repeated the process with her. By this time, Grace was getting a bit bored. Also, after eating, she needed some water. She found a puddle from all of the rain we have been having and took a healthy drink. We went back home and gathered up a few toys for her. That did the trick when we returned. It was interesting that both times we returned Grace knew the door to go to to enter the building and enter the room where we had gathered.
Grace enjoyed playing with a tennis ball and sock toy. We finally left at 8:15. Grace lay under the dinning room table. She tried to grind her nails on her front paws with the grinder. I fed her treats while Betsy very quickly and lightly went over each nail. Grace was sitting and Betsy held her from behind. Grace did fine. Afterwards, Grace lay on the living room floor while Betsy sat on Grace’s sofa and I sat in the chair. At 9:00, Grace move to the loveseat.
At 10:10, Grace did the silent bark (snapping her jaws together). I took her outside for ten minutes. When we returned, Grace curled up on the ottoman at Betsy’s feet. We finally made it to bed a little after 11:00.
Monday
Spooky Dogs
Grace made it to bed with us in the early morning. She started stirring around 6:00 and got down at 6:30. We went outside at 6:45. We saw a couple of Great Danes. Grace just sat there and stared. The calmly watched us. Finally, I tried encouraging Grace to say hello to them. She barked with that “Woof” sound that she uses when she’s spooked. That is rare when meeting neighborhood dogs. I told the owner of the Great Danes as we approached that she normally approaches with a very submissive posture. Finally, as we got closer, she reverted to her normal stance and they got to meet one another.
It turns out that they just moved in Saturday. The owner of the Great Danes said that he did not see the white power when he moved in on Saturday. Grace proceeded to the south pond area where she explored and played a bit with the plastic bottle on upper steep slope next to the pond. At 7:30, I spotted Olive about 200 yards away. We ended up running about 400 yards to catch her. They played with each other and with a toy tennis ball for forty minutes. When we returned inside, Grace had her breakfast.
Mid-Day Run
She went to the office where Betsy was and lay on the ottoman. At 9:00, she came into the living room, grabbed a thick stick from her toy box and took it to the ottoman net to the sofa for a good chew. At 11:20, Grace let me know it was about time for our run. I told her to wait and Betsy gave her a treat. We left at 11:40. We returned at12:30. I gave her a bath followed by lunch. Then Grace napped on the living room ottoman.
Olive Play
At 2:20, I saw Olive in the courtyard. We rushed out to meet her. They played for a half hour. Then we returned. Betsy had left for a doctor appointment. Grace lay on the loveseat as I prepared for my meeting. I told her “Bye-bye” as I left at 4:10. Betsy returned at 7:00 and fed Grace supper. She then took Grace out. Soon thereafter, Olive came by. They played for a half hour an then returned. We did tricks for treats while Betsy prepared supper. While I ate supper, Grace said she wanted some. I told her to wait. She did. I then gave her chicken pieces as we practiced tricks.
Ear Problem Progress
I put some ointment on Grace’s ear sores. The healing was nothing short of miraculous. The big sore on the right ear had shrunk to about one-third of its size. I treated both sores with more Neosporin. Grace came to me at 9:40 wanting to go outside. I took her at 9:55. As we rounded the corner near the car wash, Grace bolted. The leash held her back. We cautiously investigated in the darkness. It was something about the size of Grace that moved and seemed to have two eyes. Further investigation revealed that it was just an empty large plastic trash bag.
Evening Social
We moved on and greeted the Great Danes. Then we spotted Olive and played a little. Ladybug appeared next. Grace greeted her happily. We returned home at 10:20. Grace joined us on her sofa. At 11:30, we finally went to bed.
Tuesday
Grace whined briefly at 6:00 AM. I got up and returned to bed. At 6:20, we rubbed her tummy. At 6:30, she left the bed but returned to the bedroom to whine again at 6:40. She was ready to go for her morning walk. At 6:45, we left. Grace likes to head for the south adjacent lot. I had her hang around Olive’s area for a while, but we never saw her. Finally we proceeded to the section where she wanted to go.
Bolted Again
Once we were safely in the woods, I removed her leash. Almost immediately, she move up to the open area and headed toward the road. She moved persistently. There was a fair amount of traffic out there, so I began getting concerned. As she quickened her pace, I tried the recall whistle. While she looked, she decided against coming. I even showed her the treats bag. She was determined to press on—straight for the road. My calls and whistles alerted drivers who stopped. One even pulled over to try to grab her.
New Territory
Grace stopped in the middle of the road and finally returned. I put her leash back on, and we proceeded to explore new territory in the little shopping plaza with the Abbey Road Grille. As we followed a road between the plaza and the railroad tracks, I saw that white powder again along the road about ever forty feet. We proceeded past the fire station to the vacant lot next door. Then we crossed the street to explore a new pond. Grace went through an old rusty barbed-wire fence. I had to go slowly and carefully. We circled the pond. Eventually I was able to lead her back to Cary Parkway.
Morning Rest
We returned home at 8:25. I gave Grace her shower and made sure she did not shake her ears near the wall. I treated her ears again with Neosporin. The healing is almost complete now. The worst ear (right side) shows mainly scar tissue surrounding a small scabbed line that looks more like a cut. After Betsy fed her breakfast, Grace curled up on the ottoman for her morning nap. At 10:00, she moved to the loveseat and at 10:50, she proceeded to the floor by the balcony. By 10:58, she was dreaming—twitching her front paw and doing a muffled bark.
Assisted Living Visit
At 12:30, we left for our run. The first stop was an assisted living facility. Residents were happy to see her and wanted to pet her. Surprisingly, Grace was a little intimidated by the equipment. When Betsy left the room, Grace became upset and whined. After about fifteen minutes, we finished up and moved on to the park. We started off normally on the run. After a portion of a lap, Betsy stopped. Grace followed me as usual. Then as we were finishing the first lap, she shot of at high speed to meet with Betsy.
Park Play
Grace bounced between Betsy and me for a few cycles. Another man showed up for a walk. As Grace made it between the man and me, I practiced the recall. She came immediately. I gave her a treat and we proceeded along. Then she settled in to just play with the flying disk and sticks. After I finished, Grace was in the meadow with Betsy. I tried the recall again. Grace came running. Again, on each recall I gave her a treat.
Fun with Friends
At 1:15, we returned home. Grace went out on the balcony to watch for friends. At 1:30, Olive appeared. Grace rushed down to meet her. They played for twenty minutes before Olive had to leave. Then Fraggle showed up. It looks like Fraggle weighs more than Grace now, but Grace still can out wrestle her. They played for thirty minutes.
Lazy Afternoon
We returned home at 2:30. Since I was not in my chair. Grace decided she would like to use it. I removed some documents that I had placed on the seat and she dumped up on the chair and curled up for a nap. A fifteen minutes later later, she went outside on the balcony to watch for more friends. I had to leave and meet with the tax adviser at 3:30. Betsy was asleep. I just left Grace out on the balcony lounge chair. When I returned at 4:20, Grace was sitting peacefully there watching me. After coming inside, I let her back in.
Sundowning
Grace went to the loveseat across from me and napped. I went to the other room and left her alone in the living room. I returned at 5:30. At 6:30, Grace got up indignantly. I fed her supper. We ate our supper at 6:45. Grace let me know that she wanted the chicken scraps. When I finished, we did tricks for scraps. After we finished, Grace needed more stimulation. We did tricks for treats. I gave her cereal box to shred. She worked on that. Then I gave her a doggie treat followed by an empty peanut butter jar to lick out.
At 8:00, she went out on the balcony. At 8:15, she acted very excited to go outside. We ran down the stairs and looped around the south section of the units facing the courtyard. We didn’t find any dogs, but when Grace stopped, she did her business. Perhaps her urgency related to relieving herself and eating a little peanut butter. When we returned, Grace went back out on the balcony. After five minutes she came in and went to sleep in my chair. We went to bed at 10:30.
Wednesday
Betsy took Grace out to relieve her bladder at 6:00. They returned at 6:05. I told Grace to come “Up” on the bed. She joined us until 6:55. I took her out at 7:00. Betsy wanted me to hold her off on the long walk so we could do it together later in the morning. When we came in, I medicated her now tiny ear sores. Grace shredded her latest cracker box. She went out to the balcony and back in a few times before settling on the ottoman for about ten minutes. Then she went to the loveseat across from me. At 9:15, Grace had her breakfast.
Sharp Vision
At 9:30, I directed Grace down the path to Bond Park and showed Betsy the way. I pointed out all of the places Grace likes to go. I showed her the sign that had a picture of a beaver on it that spooked her the first time she saw it. Today I realized what sharp vision she must have to make out the picture of the animal from fifty yards away. It is much better than my vision. Grace did her own agility course tearing through the woods. Betsy wanted to go to the ball field. Grace found three baseballs. We played fetch with them and then headed home.
Afternoon Fun
We returned at 11:30. Grace had her lunch and relaxed on the balcony. At 12:40, we went to the park. Grace grabbed the worn basketball and played with it on some trips around the circuit. She chased the Mallard duck couple. We practiced recall three times. She enjoyed her run and responded promptly to the recall.
When we returned at 3:15, Grace took her shower and then went out on the balcony with one of her baseballs. Within a few minutes, it was down two stories on the ground. I went down and retrieved it for her. When Betsy returned at 4:45, Grace asked to come in. She met Betsy at the door. We went down to get one more bag of groceries. On the way, she wanted to turf surf. I pulled her on the turf, but that covered her in grass. Betsy used a dog brush to remove some of it. Grace had her supper at 5:30.
Munchies
After I ate, I gave her ends from my drumstick and some chicken meat for tricks. She wanted more. I gave her a doggie treat and a couple of chews. Grace went out on the balcony at 6:30 and returned inside at 7:10. She finally decided to curl up on the loveseat. Betsy popped popcorn at 8:00. Grace said she had the “Munchies.” Betsy and I shared with her as we ate our popcorn.
At 8:30, Grace became agitated. She dropped her baseball in front of me. She barked. I immediately took her outside. We went for our final walk and returned at 9:00. When we returned, Grace curled up on the living room ottoman. At 9:30, she moved to the loveseat. By 10:00, we went to bed.
Thursday
Grace came to bed in the middle of the night. After I arose at 6:00 and returned to bed, Grace started her day. She first washed and primped herself for about ten minutes. Grace then went down to check out activity outside. At 6:30, she came back to the bedroom to let me know it was time to get going. I got up, gave her tummy rubs, and tried to get her to just rest. Grace was ready to go. I took her out at 6:45.
Exploring
We started off to the south area of the complex. Next, we circled north. We doubled back to head south in the woods between Old Apex Road and the complex. We proceeded to the vacant corner lot with the pond. Grace then spotted the grey dog and did her deep bark. The dog was in the lower woods, while Grace proceeded east along the upper fence by the apartment buildings. We met at the east fence. The dog was happy to see Grace and playful with her.
I released Grace from the leash to make play in the woods easier. Then someone came into the parking lot with big bags of trash. Grace bolted, but this time I was able to recall her. I gave her a treat and put her back on the leash. The other dog went home. We headed south along the railroad tracks. Suddenly, a bird flew up. Grace had flushed out a mother grouse from her nest. I saw three eggs, but there could have been more. The grouse flew only twenty feed away on the other side of the tracks.
Nesting Bird
I directed Grace to go further south along the tracks to let the bird get back to keeping her eggs warm in the 35 degree morning. We had to walk about 500 yards away before the mother grouse finally moved from her spot and presumably went back to her nest. We headed east on Maynard to go to Old Apex Road. Grace wanted to cross over by the school. Traffic there was very thick as students being driven there to start the school day. I made her wait about five minutes until the traffic cleared.
More Morning Exploring
We explored the Cary Academy front grounds and again needed to cross the driveway. Grace did not understand why we couldn’t cross. The driveway had heavy traffic on it going both directions. We waited another five minutes for it to clear. After we crossed we went to the adjacent woods. I kept her on the leash. She wanted to go into a creek bed, but I told her “No.” We proceeded south into a spot made impassible for by thick briers. I found another way and directed Grace on paths that led home.
Home Again
At 8:25, we made it to the grounds. Grace decided to lie in the turf in the sunshine. We stopped for about five minutes, and then proceeded home. I medicated her ear sores, and fed her breakfast. It was time to refill the feeding bag from the big bag. Grace came with me and watched. She caused no trouble. When a few pieces of kibble fell, she didn’t move to them. I gathered them up and gave them to her. When we finished, I gave her a handful as a reward.
Despite the cold temperature, Grace went out to lie on the balcony lounge chair. She returned inside at 10:15 and curled up on the loveseat. At 11:45, we went out for our run. We made a stop first to drop off some papers. Next, we went running, followed by a trip to storage and then to the land. At storage, I became a little preoccupied looking around. Grace wondered away a bit, but still within sight. I whistled. She came running. Finally, we went to my vacant lot. The neighbor has a flock of guinea hens. Grace found some and had a good time chasing them away. Grace explored on her own and strayed nearly out of sight but responded well to my recall whistle.
When we returned at 2:00, I gave Grace a shower and lunch. She then went back out to the balcony to sun herself and watch for friends. At 2:40, I brought Grace inside, told her we had to leave, and we left for our 3:00 meeting.
Sundowning
We returned home at 5:30. Grace wanted to go outside. I finally made it out at 5:45. We walked for twenty minutes. Grace then had her supper. She wanted more, so I gave her a fairly thick dental chew. She wanted more. We did tricks for treats. We ate our dinner. When I finished, I gave her scraps for treats from my chicken drumstick. Grace didn’t know what to do with herself, but finally by 7:40, she went out to the balcony. At 8:00, she returned inside. She entertained herself with her baseballs.
At 8:30, she wanted to go outside. I held off, wanting to wait until 8:45 at least. We finally went out at 9:15 and returned at 9:35. Grace then hopped up into bed. We joined her at 10:00.
Friday
I arose at 6:00 and returned to bed. That was enough to get Grace started. We tried petting her to hold her off. That worked for ten minutes. She then got down for five minutes and came back. I told her to come back up. She did, but her heart was not in it. She sat up in the bed. Eventually she got down again. We made it outside at 6:40 to start our day. It was another freezing morning. I regretted not taking some gloves.
Walk in the Park
It took a while, but I finally directed Grace on the path down to the park. Once we made it there, I let her off of the leash. She enjoyed chasing birds and squirrels and just running through the woods. Grace went to the woods between the ball fields. She ran excitedly up and down the wooded bank. I let her into the ball field. There she ran full speed in the outfield chasing birds. We met a couple of Shelties and greeted them. They’re not particularly smart nor playful, but that’s just how they are.
Run in the Park
We headed home, finally making it back at 8:40. I medicated Grace’s ears, gave her breakfast, and gave her a shower taking care she didn’t shake near the wall. She then went into the office for a nap. At 9:40, I called her out to take her to the park for a run. She chased birds and waded in after ducks and geese. She found her basketball and played with that. Her recall was a bit less spirited today. When we returned, Grace hopped up on the office ottoman. I called her in for another shower. After the shower she went to the balcony.
Afternoon Trip
At 11:10, we left for a multi-stop trip to look at real estate. For most of the places, we took turns keeping Grace on the leash. At one though, we took her inside. She enjoyed the big new house and was ready to make it her home. We had her in her prissy harness for the trip. We stopped in downtown Wake Forest and ordered Mexican food as takeout. We shared corn chips with her, and I shared some beef from dinner. We also got some ice cream. I shared a very small amount of that with her also. One time I used the wrong command with her telling her “down” to get out of the car. She was confused by that. I should have said “off.”
Boom!
She slept on the trip back. At one point, she propped her head up on the armrest while she slept. When we returned home, she wanted to do turf surfing. Since she had a harness on it was much easier to do. Then as I rolled over I saw it. We were about to embark on a new adventure with our maturing puppy. I noticed a small amount of blood in the crevices of her back end. Grace had started her first heat. As some say, she is “in season.” The ticking time bomb I mentioned earlier had reached zero. I did notice that she seemed to be licking her bottom fairly frequently this morning.
Betsy sent me off to a pet store to get something to protect the carpet and furniture. Grace is a very clean animal. I expect, she will maintain things properly without any assistance. In the event she leaves a spot, I’d be happy to clean it up. Betsy still wanted something. I went to the pet store and got her a washable pair of briefs. We’ll see how it works out. We returned at 6:00. I directed Grace to the balcony to allow her freedom. At 7:00 she came inside and jumped up into my chair.
At 7:00, Betsy put the pants on Grace. Grace was very compliant. When she slid off of the chair, so did the pants. We ate supper at 7:30. I gave Grace a thick dental chew. She polished that off in ten minutes. Betsy put the pants back on Grace as she stay stretched out on the dining room floor. The odd thing about this is that normally the dishwasher running will force her to move to a quieter area.
At 10:05 we went outside and returned at 10:20. Betsy said despite Grace’s careful attention to keeping clean, she found a few spots. She put a towel down on the loveseat and had Grace lie on that.
Saturday
Grace spend a lot of time on the floor at the foot of the bed. Betsy said she was licking herself almost constantly. Eventually she got up into bed, staying near the foot. At 6:45, she got down. By 7:25, she let us know it was time to go outside. We left at 7:30 and headed for the Bond Park route. I kept her on the leash and figured we could still get her exercise at the baseball field since it was completely fenced. I grabbed a stick on the way in. After five minutes, a boy and his dad showed up. They came equipped with a big bag as if they were serious ball players.
Baseball Grace
The pair played catch in the infield as we played fetch in the outfield. After a few minutes, Grace found the game of catch too enticing. She ran to join in. They were happy to add her to their activity. She ran back and forth following the ball. Occasionally, when they missed the ball she had a chance to beat the person in retrieving it. As time wore on though, her speed declined as she tired a bit and she was less able to sprint (usually at a significant distance disadvantage) to beat the person. She continued to amaze me though.
After about fifteen minutes, more players gathered. They all enjoyed having Grace join in with them. She would move from pair to pair. After about twenty minutes, the team had gathered. As they came to the dugout for their meeting, we said good-bye. I took her to the lake to get a drink. We then headed home. Amazingly, she started running on the path. Her energy level is amazing.
We returned home at 9:40. On the way, she found a choice stick that she wanted to sit down and chew. I took it back. On the way she jumped up and pulled it out of my hand at least once. I finally brought it home for her. When we returned, Grace had her breakfast and went out on the balcony. It’s as if she knows to stay outside because of her condition. At 12:00, Grace had her lunch. I placed her water bowl out on the balcony as she returned there.
Egg Discovery
At 12:40, we left to go running. Betsy came this time. We kept her on the leash to be cautious. She seemed to be able to run with me pretty well, but Betsy took her. At one point, Grace found a very large egg underwater. She first found it, and then resourcefully rolled it up the shore. Once she moved it to shallow-enough water, she dunked down, proudly pulled it up, carried it ashore, and dropped it in the grass. Despite the fact that the shell was very thick, she cracked the shell and ate the contents. Near the end of my run, I took her around part way again. Finally, we walked to get together with Betsy. We then walked to the car. When we returned home at 1:30, Grace went straight to the balcony.
Puppy Play
At 2:15, Grace saw her friend Olive. Grace went down and played with her for thirty minutes. Then, Fraggle came and joined in for twenty minutes. Olive left and Grace played with Fraggle for about ten minutes. We returned home at 3:00. Grace went straight to the balcony. At 5:00, I took Grace’s supper to her. At 6:30, a guest came over.
At 7:30, Grace whined, and I took Grace outside. At 7:45, she met Olive and played with her. They had a good time vying for a prized stick. When Olive left, Baxter showed up. We returned at 8:00, Grace chewed on her sticks for 15 minutes. Then she went outside on the balcony. I took her outside at 10:30. We returned at 10:45. I went to bed at 11:00.