At 7:20, I got up. Grace followed me back into the bedroom as I prepared to go outside. There we exchanged morning greetings. At 7:30, we headed out — first checking out the dog park. After ten minutes of sniffing, we moved past the pool area and then toward the lake. Grace stopped at Grace Beach and did some fast running along the shore and circling around the sitting area. She found a log at the shoreline and enjoyed tearing it apart. After twenty minutes we moved north toward I-40 and Umstead Park.
Northern Route
Grace turned down by the water and meandered over to a bike trail along the lake. After walking about thirty minutes on that trail, we turned back and followed the road that leads between the Lofts and the water treatment plant. Grace stopped by the dog park again. Before long Izzy joined her. Izzy’s owner threw the tennis ball and Grace retrieved it. Izzy was nice enough but didn’t join in.
Knows the Routine
When we returned home Grace was limping. It looks like I need to keep her leashed when other dog owners are in the dog park to prevent her from retrieving. Grace had breakfast at 9:30. As I got ready for our Sunday affairs, Grace went into the master bedroom and told Betsy to open the blinds. Betsy obliged her. By 10:00, Grace was stretched out on the carpet protector in the office. At 10:10, we left for church — leaving Grace home alone.
Play and Treat
When we returned home at 12:30, Grace still lay in the office. After our usual greeting, Betsy gave Grace breakfast. Grace wanted to play shortstop. We played with the green ChuckIt! ball for about twenty minutes. After the play time Grace went back to the office to nap. At 2:30, Grace heard me getting crackers in the kitchen and marched in. I gave her a doggie treat.
Next she returned with her sock. She wanted to play tug and fetch. I told her to wait. At 2:45, I had finished in the kitchen and brought the sock to her as she rested in the office. She didn’t act interested, but as I left, she followed with the sock. We played until 3:10. Grace then returned to the office to nap.
Mail Stop
At 3:50, Grace came out and looked at me. I had a letter to mail. I figured Grace would follow me there on the way to the dog park. Instead, she decided to lie in a shady area in the thick grass by the building. She was so comfortable there, I decided to tell her to stay and walk 100 feet to the mail drop. Parked cars blocked my view of her, but when I returned, she had remained there.
Beach Fun
We headed on and before long found ourselves at Grace Beach. There she waded, ran along the shore, shredded wood, retrieved sticks, dug holes at the shoreline, and even swam one time. That is the first time she went swimming unprovoked. I’ll mark that as a milestone. At one point, she tore after a couple walking. I didn’t understand the attraction of them. She came back after she ran up to them. After an hour at the beach, we returned home.
Loves Shortstop
At 5:15, Betsy fed her supper. After supper, Grace went out on the balcony and watched the action below. I joined her at 5:30. We went inside at 5:45. After my supper, as I cleaned up, there came Miss Grace with her ball, ready for a game of shortstop. We played until I finished up. Then we went to the living room and we played for another half hour. At 7:00, I went to the balcony, leaving Grace inside stretched out on the living room floor.
Munchies
At 7:40, Betsy came out to talk with me. Five minutes later, Grace joined us limping. Betsy went inside, but Grace and I stayed out until 8:10. Then we all gathered in the living room. At 9:00, Betsy made popcorn. I shared with Grace. She enjoyed the munchies. At 9:45, Betsy took Grace out for a last trip. They returned five minutes later.
I was in the kitchen getting a snack. Grace appeared to let me know she wanted some too. I gave her a doggie treat followed by a dental chew. She then joined Betsy in the office — perched on the ottoman to watch the night action below. I went to bed at 10:15.
Monday
Grace joined us in bed during the night. At 6:15, she began to whimper. After tummy rubs and kisses, I got up. The time was 6:30. We went out on the balcony for a few minutes and returned inside. Grace was becoming impatient. I took a few minutes to initiate a hard-drive re-image on my laptop before leaving. I also gathered up some trash to take on my trip also.
Time to Go
We left about 6:40. The trash stop took a while because Grace wanted to go a different way and my hands were full. Eventually we made it over there. After dropping off the trash, I broke down a couple cardboard boxes and put them in the recycling bin. The dog park was near there, so that was our natural next stop. I decided to keep Grace leashed except in the apartment or in the dog park when no other dogs are there to help her injury heal.
After about a half hour, Olivia and Rascal showed up. Grace was excited to see her new friends again. I quickly leashed her. She and Olivia played a little, but after their greeting, didn’t do much but join in with each other whenever they found something interesting to bark at. Grace’s friends left after fifteen minutes. About ten minutes later, Grace went to the door to let me know it was time to move on.
We headed for the pool area and on the way met a toddler boy with his mom. Surprisingly, Grace was not afraid or wary of him as with other in that age group. After a few minutes of interaction, we moved on. As we walked through the sand volleyball pit, Grace enjoyed flinging sand around with her feet. Next, we headed down the grassy hill and toward the lake. As we entered the sidewalk that leads down to the lake, Grace met a Cocker Spaniel mix being walked by a man in a wheelchair. After a greeting, she moved on. While Cocker’s seem to be sweet, they do not seem to be interested in playing with other dogs.
Although, Grace wanted to test the waters on the way, I insisted she wait until we reached Grace Beach. There, I kept her on the leash. She still waded in the water and dug at the shoreline. Grace seemed to take it in stride. After ten minutes at the beach we continued on before I turned around to head home. As we were about to turn in at the sidewalk, Grace spotted a four-year-old Husky at the deck area overlooking the lake. Grace said hello to him as I talked with the Husky’s owners.
Home to Recharge
When we returned home at 8:25, Grace had her breakfast. After breakfast, Grace joined me on the balcony until the sun started to burn through the clouds at 10:10. She went inside and napped on the sofa. Grace moved to the floor at noon and to the chair at 1:00.
Dog Bed
At 2:00, the bed that Betsy ordered for her arrived. Grace wasn’t interested despite Betsy’s proddings. When Betsy invited her in, Grace jumped over the bed and onto the sofa. Betsy moved it to a corner to make it cozier. Grace put one foot in and then retreated. I offered to order Grace into it for her, but Betsy declined. She said that on the Internet it said that dogs will get into it on their own within a week.
Lickings
At 2:30, I made a sandwich. The peanut butter jar was empty, so I cut it in half to give Grace full access to licking out the remains. She went into the office and stretched out on the floor there to be with Betsy. At 3:00, Betsy ushered Grace out into the living room. When I went to the kitchen for a snack, Grace appeared. I gave her a doggie treat followed by a dental chew. When she finished, she proceeded to the one throw rug that she has considered to be her own and resumed her careful chewing routine of tassels and edges.
Rush to Play
At 4:05, I went out on the balcony. Grace followed. By 4:15 though, Grace was ready to go downstairs. Then she spotted a miniature Poodle and a mix below. Grace ran down to meet them the mix dog’s name is Bella and she likes to play too. Her owner just had only a couple minutes before they had to break up though. From there Grace headed straight for Grace Beach.
Fun at the Beach
I kept her on the leash but waded in the water with her to allow her to go deeper and swim a little. The water was very warm — 85 degrees or so. Grace did her usual digging along the shore. She found some fish guts but didn’t eat them. Then she found the half-eaten dead fish. She brought it to shore and enjoyed rolling around on it. At 5:15, we headed home. Just across from our door, we met a sweet Jack Russel / Beagle mix named Ellie Mae. Grace and she got along fine. Grace would have played more but was restrained by the leash.
Shower Trauma
When we came in, I gave Grace her first shower in the new apartment. I took her into a shower with the spray adjusted to run the thickest. This was a mistake. The noise scared Grace, but we made it through. It looks like I will need to hook up our hand sprayer for future baths. After we finished, I went to the balcony. A couple minutes later, Grace joined me on the lounge chair. At 6:05, she got down to lie on the concrete and watch through the railing.
Shortstop
At 6:30, I ate supper. Grace started to whimper. Her favorite ball was nowhere to be found. I told her to wait. When I finished, I gave her some chicken scraps. While that was nice, Grace wanted to play. Betsy finally grabbed a tennis ball. I looked around and found her ChuckIt! ball in the office. We played shortstop from the chair for about fifteen minutes.
Obedient
From 8:00 to 8:45, I got down on the floor and played shortstop with her. I threw the ball up sometimes, and many of those times she caught the ball before it hit the ground. This eye/mouth coordination qualifies as another milestone. When we finished, Grace went out on the balcony. We are still limited on our TV reception, so we are playing games by placing our rabbit ears outside. When Grace moved on the balcony, it blocked her signal. I asked Grace to move up on the lounge chair. She moved immediately and stayed there until Betsy’s show was over.
At 10:10 Grace came inside and jumped up on the sofa for the night. At 10:25, Betsy took her outside. After they returned five minutes later, Betsy told Grace to get into her new bed. Grace obeyed, but a few minutes later jumped up on our bed and settled in for the night.
Tuesday
At 6:15, Grace got up. She perched on the ottoman in the bedroom looking very much like a Borador. At 6:30, we headed out. Grace went first to the dog park. After ten minutes, she spotted a Golden Retriever being walked outside and couldn’t resist meeting a new friend. After normal dog greetings, Grace moved on.
Beach Play
Before long, Grace was making her playful sliding moves through the sand in the volleyball pit. Next, we moved down through the thick grass and made our way to the walk that takes us to the lake and Grace Beach. On the way, we met a German Shepherd that was off the leash and very highly trained. His owner said he can distinguish five written words.After taking a ten-minute dip, Grace moved on to the lake trail. It was time to check out the docks and things on the other side of the lake.
Exploring the Other Side of the Lake
The dirt trail is a bit primitive, but it was fine for walking or biking. At certain points along the way, I noticed heavy infestations of mosquitoes. One point in particular was at the point were we turned around. It had boat rentals and a sandy beach there. As we walked in the grass, there were so many mosquitoes that I could hear their wings as they swarmed in unison and hundreds lighted on me. This looks like a good place for a bevy of dragonflies or a good dousing with DDT.
We went out on a few of the floating docks there. One without rails concerned me that Grace might bolt and end up in the water. As she jerked one direction, her motion caused my radio to fall and broke the antenna. Beyond that, it still seems to work okay. On the way back, Grace wanted to stalk birds and squirrels. The problem was, I could not let her off the leash because I needed to restrict her running to help her limp heal. We also found another ball to play with and brought it home.
Nap Time
When we returned at 8:50, Grace had her breakfast and went out to the balcony to check out the action below. After a few minutes, she settled in on the sofa for her morning nap, as I prepared to go out for my run. Grace napped until 2:30.
Beach Time
As I prepared my lunch, Grace came in. I gave her some lunch. She wanted more. She then had a doggie treat, a dental chew, and some saltines. At 2:45, Betsy took Grace outside for a walk. Grace led her to Grace Beach for her afternoon swim. They returned at 3:30. About that time, the painters came up on the balcony and worked on preparing the surfaces for painting. Grace wanted to go out, but I told her know. Grace resigned herself to just watch.
Dog Park Convention
At 5:15, Grace saw a bunch of dogs out at the dog park. We raced there. At the peak, there were seven dogs there:
- Grace
- Otto
- Olivia
- Rascal
- Zeke
- Abby (white Golden Retriever)
- Lul?
Within a minute, Grace came out of her collar. I gave up on holding her back. Grace played chase and tug. Grace would run under the bench to take a break and seek refuge. By 5:55, all but Grace had left. We returned home at 6:00. Grace had supper. She was doing very well before this last outing, but after it her limp returned. While Betsy and I ate our dinner, Grace played shortstop.
Ready for Bed
At 7:30, Grace went out on the balcony. Her limp was very prominent for the first few steps. Grace stayed with us in the living room. She settled in for the night on the sofa at around 9:00. We needed one last trip out so at 9:45, I took her out and returned at 10:00. At 10:15, she came with me to bed for the night.
Wednesday
At 6:15, Grace whined softly in bed. I exchanged tummy rubs for kisses. At 6:30, we got up. Grace went to the balcony to anxiously watch for friends at the dog park and below. While I prepared to take her out, she wanted to wait for evidence of friends first.
Morning Romp at Grace Beach
We finally left at 6:55. Grace took me straight to Grace Beach. I couldn’t resist letting her off the leash to give her a better chance to play in the water. There she waded, chased a dragonfly, found and tossed a half-full small water bottle, tossed and shredded an empty milk container, and did her frantic digging at the shoreline.
After about 45 minutes, she followed an elderly jogger. I followed Grace. She tore off at lightening speed down the grassy field to the corner of the lake near the dirt bike trail entrance. It was a long distance, but she remained within sight. When I whistled, she came running back. I had to take a dog waste bag to the nearest trash container at Grace Beach so we returned there for another fifteen minutes of play, before heading back toward the water treatment plant and circling over to the dog park.
Park Play
After Grace played alone for 15 minutes there. We then left the park only to be met by a new friend named Beckham. We returned to the park to play with him. At 8:50, when we came home, Grace went to the patio to relax and keep an eye on the activity. After I left to go running at 9:40, Betsy let Grace in. When I returned at 10:20, Grace was in my living room chair napping.
Recharging
At 11:40, as Betsy was leaving, I asked her if she had fed Grace breakfast. Grace then had her breakfast followed by a doggie treat. From there, Grace moved her nap to the office carpet protector. As I prepared my brunch at 12:30, Grace came in for more. She ate her lunch, stayed by me in the dining room as I ate, and then move back to the living room chair as I cleaned up.
Afternoon Swim
At 2:30, Betsy came home. Grace was ready for her afternoon trip to the beach. While Betsy got ready to go, Grace played shortstop and tug with me. At 3:10, they left. When they returned, Betsy said that Grace showed her the way to Grace Beach but was less helpful on the way back. She enjoyed her afternoon swim. When she returned, she lay on the living room floor at the balcony doors.
Quiet Evening
At 5:00, Betsy fed Grace. We also ate our supper. When I finished, I gave Grace chicken scraps. At 5:15, Grace went down to the dog park. There she greeted Zeke and met a Pekineese. Grace was the only playful dog there. Betsy and I left her home alone until 8:15. Grace greeted us happily as we entered. At 8:45, we went outside for the last time and returned at 9:00. I gave Grace some saltines, a doggie treat, and a dental chew. Grace then stretched out on the lounge chair that we had in the living room until the painters finish working on the balcony.
At 10:00, Betsy vacuumed in the living room. The noise bothers Grace so she moved to under the dining room table. When Betsy finished, Grace curled up in the living room chair. After I went to bed at 10:15, Grace joined me.
Thursday
Grace was awake and busy primping herself early. It started at about 5:30 AM. We did our best to delay her, opening the shades to let her see out from the ottoman in the bedroom and opening the door to the balcony. By 6:50, Grace was ready to go. We took a slightly longer path to Grace Beach and spent about 45 minutes there before Grace darted off to greet a little dog being walked.
Long Way Home
The grass had been mowed, so it was more fun to run up the hill. After about five minutes there she darted down to greet a man walking. She scared him at first, but I reassured the man and whistled her back. When she came I gave her a treat. We walked toward Umstead Park and then up the hill by the water treatment plant to arrive at the dog park. Before long Beckham showed up. Grace was excited to see him. They played for a short time but then just walked around independently.
Active At Home
At 8:40, we returned home. After breakfast, Grace went out on the balcony to observe the action of painters spraying and painting the balconies with the assistance of a large cherry picker. I left to go running. When I returned home at 9:25. Grace lay on the living room chair. At 11:00, she went back on the balcony but returned to her chair ten minutes later. At 11:30, she moved to the floor to delicately chew on a throw rug.
Dreamland
After ten minutes, Grace returned back to some serious napping. She had a pretty active dream with all legs jerking and quick breathing for more that two minutes. It was fun to watch, but shortly after, she awoke. Before long she was back in her position on the floor snoozing again. At 2:30, as the painters came to the balcony, Grace jumped up on the lounge chair that we moved from the balcony to the living room.
Afternoon Swim
At 3:40, Betsy took Grace out for her afternoon swim. Grace had a great time swimming at Grace Beach. When they returned at 4:40, Grace went out on the balcony for five minutes and then balled up in the living room chair for a nap. At 5:00, Grace had dinner before Betsy and I left for dinner.
Calabash Takeout
When we returned home at 7:15, we brought Grace a doggie box of fried shrimp, french fries, and of course, hush puppies. I fed her most of the food so she would enjoy it and not wolf it down. With pieces of the two hush puppies we did tricks for treats. From 7:30 to 8:00, Grace played shortstop with me. As Betsy entered the room with the vacuum cleaner, Grace went out on the balcony to get away from the noise.
Dog Park Late Night
At 9:00, Grace went outside. She noticed some action in the dog park and made a beeline to there. When she entered, Otis and the little motteled snarly dog were there. After five minutes the small dog left. A few minutes later, Beckham joined us. By 9:20 the other dogs left Grace alone there. When we returned home, Grace lay on the living room floor as we watched TV. We went to bed at 10:00.
Friday
At about 6:00, Grace started primping herself. I mentioned to Betsy these were two mornings in a row where Grace started chewing herself earlier than usual. Considering the overcast morning, we might have expected Grace to normally remain still a bit longer. It may be that we should give Grace another flea treatment.
Morning Social
I got up at 6:20 and prepared to leave. Grace was not ready to go out yet. She went to the balcony repeatedly. Finally, at 6:40, Grace decided it was time to go outside. I directed her first to go out front. We went to the dog park. After about ten minutes, Olivia and Rascal showed up. They were all excited to see each other, but the other dogs were not particularly interested in playing.
Borador Insights
Grace meandered around the front area of the complex. Finally, we made our way down to the way to Grace Beach. On the way down, we saw the rabbit that hangs out at the sidewalk. We then met a lady with a dog that resembled a pit bull a bit, but more like Ellie with a Brindle coat. She recognized Grace as a Borador. She said she recently lost hers that died at age sixteen. She said Boradors are very emotionally perceptive.
Fun at Grace Beach
At Grace Beach, Grace enjoyed herself in the water and on the shore. She found an empty plastic bottle. She tossed and carried it in her mouth as she ran frantically up and down the shoreline. After a half hour, Grace found another tennis ball in the bushes and brought it to me. I relented and played fetch with her in the water for twenty minutes. When we finished, I tucked it under a plastic pallet for safe keeping. On the way home, she stopped and rolled in the grass for five minutes before proceeding. Then she picked up an old dark plastic bottle and brought her prized possession with her (like prey) all the way to our door.
Sleep, Eat, and Play
When we returned home at 8:45, Grace went out on the balcony. She was there when I left to go running at 9:30. When I returned at 10:15, Grace was curled up in the living room chair for her morning nap. At 11:30, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a snack. Grace’s radar was fully engaged. She hadn’t had her breakfast. I fed her. She wanted more. I gave her her regular doggie treats and some crunchy ones. We were out of dental chews. When she finished, Grace returned to the living room and jumped over her new bed to get up on the sofa.
After I finished my brunch, Grace wanted more. Betsy fed her lunch. Then Grace grabbed her ChuckIt! ball and let me know she wanted to play shortstop. We played for about an hour. I needed to go out to the car. Grace wanted to come too. As we left the apartment, Grace found some bags of fancy dog food delivered outside the door of the neighbor across the hall. When we returned, Grace lay on the throw rug by the balcony door for her afternoon nap.
At 2:00, I made a sandwich. Grace got up and went to the kitchen but did not persist there. She moved on to the office carpet protector for more napping. At 2:50, Betsy took Grace out for her afternoon swim. After they went to the Grace Beach, they stopped by the dog park. Grace played with Lucy there before coming home at 3:00. By then, the painters were working on our balcony. Grace lay on the floor by the balcony doors and kept watch.
At 5:30, Betsy fed Grace supper. After supper, Grace worked on a bully stick. While we were eating and cleaning up, we played shortstop until 6:15. At 6:25, Grace saw dogs playing in the dog park. Betsy took Grace out to join in the play. They returned an hour later. Grace came in licked my face as I studied.
At 8:30, Grace saw a friend in the dog park. I took her out. There she played with Beckham. We returned at 9:30. We went to bed at 10:15.
Saturday
Grace started stirring at around 5:00. By 5:45, she got off of the bed and moved to the ottoman in the bedroom. At 6:10, she whined and headed out of the bedroom. I got up at that point and let her out on the balcony. At 6:40, we left for our morning walk.
Exploring New Neighborhoods
After stopping at the dog park, Grace crossed the volleyball sand to the Pampas-grass-covered hills to follow her nose. From there, we headed down toward Grace Beach, but surprisingly Grace walked right past it. After rolling in the tall grass, Grace headed out to the road by the water treatment plant and up past the Lofts. This time, she went out to Weston Parkway. We ended up in the Wessex neighborhood before we finally had to turn back and come home. Grace wanted to chase squirrels, but being leashed, she had to just pretend.
On the way back, we stopped again at the dog park. A few minutes later, Beckham came in. Grace played for about fifteen minutes. Right before we returned home at 9:00, we spotted Otis. He headed to the dog park, but we just went back inside.
Deep Sleep
Grace went to the balcony and took her morning nap. She slept there on the concrete out of the rain until 2:30. She never had her breakfast, so Betsy fed her her breakfast portion for lunch. We noticed Grace had some wear and cuts on her pads. The worst was on her right palm. There it had worn through the outer layer about a quarter-inch diameter. At 4:45 Betsy took Grace to Grace Beach. Grace enjoyed playing in the water and returned at 5:45. Betsy fed her supper at that time.
Shower Fear
At 6:00, we decided to give Grace a bath. The last bath, I had traumatized her because I used the shower running from high above. She obeyed at first, but then turned and went to the office window, standing on the ottoman and placing her front paws on the window sill. She went as far as she could to get away. I picked her up and tried to console her.
This time we had the normal sprayer that we used at the previous apartment with the tub. It has a flexible hose that brings the sprayer down to her level. Still the trauma from the previous shower had her afraid. She struggled to get out. We moved her back in. She complied very reluctantly. I gave her a treat. She took only one. She was too upset to eat a treat. This is a milestone of sorts. It never has happened before. She calmed down some, as the shower proceeded but was still pretty upset. The shower was longer than usual as Betsy washed her with soap. After she finally finished, we dried her off and praised her. Then she accepted treats.
At 8:45, I took her outside for the last time. We returned home at 9:15. Grace made her way to the bed. I joined her at 9:45.