At 4:30, when I walked by, Grace was awake. I stroked her gently a few times and went back to bed. Betsy heard Grace trying to vomit at 6:30. She took her outside, but Grace did not vomit.
Early Morning Adventure
At 6:45, I took Grace back out. As we walked by the park, Grace understood the routine. After ten minutes we returned. Grace and I played with her ball that I brought with me. At 8:00, I took her out for another walk. This time she first had a large, fully formed bowel movement. Thankfully the diarrhea had finally resolved.
Grace then walked around the main building of the complex and back into the rear courtyard. I took her off of the leash since it is mainly fenced there. As Grace finished exploring, we saw a young lady with a miniature dog. Interestingly, she was brushing her teeth while walking her dog. That was a first.
When we returned to the park, Abby was there. Since Grace doesn’t run with Abby, I let her off of the leash. They wrestled a while. Then Sadie came in. I put Grace back on the leash. Grace stalked Sadie, knocked her down and wrestled her with gusto. Zeke also joined the fun. I was particularly wary of him since he was involved with Grace’s most recent injury.
Abby and Sadie left, but Zeke stayed on. Zeke was playing fetch with his owner, so I had to play ball with Grace while she was leashed. After ten more minutes, Zeke left.
Home Alone
At 9:05, Grace returned home and went straight to the balcony. While she was there, I put one-half cup of her food in her dish for breakfast. At 10:00, I called Grace inside. She came in and jumped up on the living room chair. I told her we were leaving. Grace knew the routine.
When we returned home at 12:15, Grace was lying on the office floor. She greeted us with enthusiastic wags and kisses. She then chomped the air a few times to express her disgust before going to the balcony. While we were gone, Grace had eaten the food I had left in her dish.
Scraps and Crumbs
I put another half-cup of food in her dish while she was there. Betsy took a cup of chicken broth (UHT but significantly out of date) out on the balcony. Grace enjoyed lapping it up. When she came in at 12:50, Grace ate her food and then waited in the dining room as Betsy prepared lunch.
At 1:00, I gave Grace some cheese as I put some also on my salad. Twenty minutes later, after I finished my lunch, Grace did tricks for turkey. As I was cleaning up, Grace came into the kitchen looking for a little something. I gave her a doggie treat. As I cleaned up, I noticed a cornbread dish containing only crumbs. I thought of the Bible verse that refers to dogs waiting for crumbs to fall from their master’s table. Grace enjoyed the crumbs and licked the dish clean.
Afternoon Fun
At 1:50, Betsy took some trash out and took Grace with her. Next, the stopped a few minutes at Borador Park. Grace returned at 3:35. Betsy said they met some friends with a new canoe. She also said she found two pieces of pizza next to the woods, but Betsy took them from her.
Good Appetite
When they returned, Grace had her shower and then went out on the balcony. The door was open, so at 4:25, Grace walked in and got into her bed. Betsy gave her a liver treat and a doggie treat. At 5:10, Grace began whining. After I rubbed her tummy, and she licked my face, we decided to feed Grace her supper. Grace dove into it and ate it all.
When she finished, she went into the living room to watch as Betsy prepared our supper. As we ate, Grace moved under the dining room table. At 6:00, Grace wanted more. We did tricks for a half-cup of Blue Buffalo.
Evening Jitters
After I finished in the kitchen at 6:25, Grace went out on the balcony. Fifteen minutes later Grace let out the nutso bark. I figured it was the hated white cat. Instead it was a couple of beagles being walked below by their owners. I calmed her and went back inside.
At 7:20, Grace peeked through the window and asked to come inside. She came in, got into her bed, lay down, and fell asleep. At 7:50, Betsy made some popcorn. Grace perked up with the muchies. She bummed popcorn from me first and when I finished, from Betsy.
At 8:00, Grace didn’t know what to do with herself. She looked into her toy box. I pulled out her fox. We played tug for ten minutes. Then she decided to chew on her fox on her own. Ten minutes later, Grace moved to stretch out on her side under the dining room table.
At 9:20, Grace went out for the last time. She returned ten minutes later. When we came inside, I told her, “time for bed.” She went straight to the bedroom and stretched out along the end of the bed. When I joined her ten minutes later, I engaged the remote to flatten the other side. The movement or noise was enough to spook Grace. She got down and didn’t return.
Monday
At 12:30, Grace was awake on her sofa. I stroked her chest as I passed by. At 4:45, she was lying on the office floor — again awake. I stroked her softly and returned to bed. When the alarm clock sounded, I got up. Grace was on her perch. As I prepared to go outside, Grace came to the foyer. I told her to greet “Mommy.” Grace went directly to the bedroom and gave Betsy a brief greeting. When she returned I could notice a lot of gurgling sounds in her belly again.
Fun Despite Upset Stomach
We left at 6:50. On the way, Grace took her time and did some grazing. Her stool started formed but ended up unformed. We made it to the park at about 7:00. Sadie came in about five minutes later. Grace and Sadie wrestled as I kept Grace on the leash. Abby joined soon after. Grace wrestled individually with Sadie, as a threesome and with Abby alone.
At 7:25 Grace’s friends left. Grace was content to lie on her stomach and enjoy the pleasant, though wet 63-degree morning. At 8:00, we went for another walk. Grace had a liquid bowel movement and then proceeded to the hill for a little more grazing. Perhaps she picked up a virus, but I suspect the out of date chicken broth was causing the problem now. I was a bit surprised she never threw up.
Unfortunate Leap
Grace proceed to the back fenced courtyard again. I let her off the leash. Since the day was wet, Grace had a heightened interested in following scents. She then jumped up on the grill and back down off of it a couple of times.
The three-foot jump is no challenge at all to her. She did slip a little though the second time she jumped down. The first jump down was on the landscape, but that second one was to the wet concrete. I would have preferred her not making that leap, but it was over before I could stop her.
Visitor
When we returned home at 8:45, Grace ate her breakfast (one cup) and went straight out to the balcony lounge chair to enjoy the pleasant morning. At 9:45, the maintenance man came to drain the hot water tank. When he took the drain hose out to the balcony, the mower came closer, and the sun shone stronger, Grace came in and stretched out on her back on the living room chair. Grace knew the maintenance man and did not react with any barking or concern that he was here.
When the maintenance man returned at 10:55 and used a wet vacuum, Grace left the chair pushed open the balcony door and went back out to the lounge chair. Ten minutes out there was all she could take. Grace pushed the door back open, climbed up on the chair and lay there on her stomach, panting with her elbows propped against the pillow-style side arm of the chair.
Too Hot
At 11:35, Grace heard a small dog barking, got down off of the living room chair, and stuck her head out the open doorway to investigate. She jumped back up on the lounge chair to keep abreast of the action. By 11:40, the excitement was over. Grace came in again panting to take refuge from the heat this time in the foyer.
When the maintenance man returned at 11:50, I went to the door. When Grace sensed that I was about to open the door, she quickly got up and moved out of the way. After he came in, Grace returned to her spot against the entrance door. At noon, he opened the door to finish up and leave. Grace moved to the living room, took a drink of water, and lay outside the balcony door.
As I prepared to take Grace for a run, she returned back to the foyer. At 12:10, we left. After one lap, Grace pulled her sack o’ potatoes stunt. I took her back inside and left to complete my run. When I returned at 12:55, Grace was lying motionless on her side under the dining room table.
Afternoon at Home
At 1:30, I fixed something to eat. When I finished, ten minutes later, I gave Grace a half cup of her food topped with a serving of scrambled eggs. When she finished, Grace went outside and lay on her side on the balcony floor as she napped away the afternoon in the pleasant 75-degree shade. I left her there with the door open and went shopping at 2:25.
When I returned at 4:00, I looked up to see Grace on the balcony. It looked like she wasn’t there. When I came inside, Grace was lying on the floor outside the kitchen. I gave her some light treats there. Then she and I finished up a container of ice cream to make room for the new one that I just bought. When we finished at 4:30, Grace pulled out an empty cracker box and carefully shredded it. Next she did the same with an empty cereal box.
Friends
When she finished, Grace whined. It was 4:45, so I told her to go watch for friends. She did. Five minutes later, she came in expectantly. Miley and Hannah were outside. We went to meet them. After ten minutes they had to leave, but Abby came. Grace and Abby wrestled some. Betsy joined us at 5:20. Abby left at 5:30. Grace played shortstop, catch, and fetch.
At 5:45, we went home. Grace went straight to the balcony. At 6:20, she spotted another dog below and barked at it. Betsy went out to calm her and invited her inside. Grace looked at me as I sat in the living room chair. I got up and invited her up. Grace climbed into the chair and curled up for a nap.
Active Evening
At 6:30, when Betsy went to the kitchen, Grace got up, shook her helicopter ears and went to the kitchen. Betsy gave her dinner. After dinner, Grace did tricks for treats. After we finished, Grace brought her fox toy. We played tug and fetch for ten minutes.
While we ate, Grace lay on her side beneath the dining room table. When I went to the cabinet to get a piece of chocolate, Grace arose from the dead and marched into the kitchen. I then gave her the turkey that I had reserved from my plate. At 7:30, she returned to her spot under the table as I ate my dessert. I gave her a few pieces of pie crust. She then followed me into the kitchen as I cleaned up and then lay there to keep an eye on Betsy. At 7:45, Grace followed me into the bedroom. She waited for me to invite her up on the bed and then jumped up. A few minutes later, I had to go back to the living room to plug the laptop into the power adapter. Grace stayed put.
At 9:15, we went outside for the last time. On the way down the hall, I noticed Grace had a very slight limp. When we returned home at 9:25, Grace went out on the balcony. Betsy let her in before she went to bed.
Tuesday
At 4:15, Grace lay on her perch, keeping watch over the flocks by night. I went in and greeted her before going back to bed. At 6:40, Grace came to the master suite area and made a soft whimper. A minute later she made another. I called her, but Grace stayed put. She greeted me briefly but really was just interested in getting going. It was a new day, and Grace didn’t want to miss any of it.
New Day
As I dressed, I told Grace to say good morning to Betsy. She briefly went back into the bedroom, greeted Betsy, and returned. I started out but forgot her balls. We came back and picked them up. I noticed as we walked in the hallway a slight tendency for her to limp. Perhaps it was from the jump off of the grille Monday. Grace took her time getting to the park — enjoying all of the scents along the way.
We passed the empty park and walked around until about 7:00. Then we spotted Sadie running to Borador Park. Grace followed excitedly. Grace and Sadie wrestled for about five minutes before Abby joined them. That sparked even more intense wrestling and running. When Grace’s leash became tangled, I released it. There was a stint of about a minute where Grace was able to chase her friends at full speed. I hope it was not too stressful on her injury.
Grace’s friends left at about 7:25. After playing with the ball a bit, Grace went for another walk. This time she had a couple of bowel movements. The first started out normal but ended loose. The second was runny. I think we’re about to the end of this ordeal, but apparently we have a little more time required to resolve it. At 7:45, we returned back to the park. As we play ball, sometimes I throw it about 25 feet in the air. On two occasions, Grace caught one of those tosses in the air. I was surprised. I’ll mark that as a milestone.
A Nicer Neighborhood
When we left the park shortly after 8:00, Grace was again on a mission. She took me down Winstead. I figured she would take me back down Weston and around the Weston buildings to loop back to our place. Instead, she headed across Weston Parkway and up toward Harrison. Grace almost gave up and went a different direction as we had to wait a few minutes at the light at rush hour before being able to cross.
Once we crossed though, Grace took off. She wanted to go. I wasn’t really dressed for it, but I went ahead and began to run. We went down to the fancy neighborhood. I thought to myself that she really likes nice neighborhoods. Hopefully, she’ll like the one where we’re trying to build at least as much. We ran down the main road through the 400’s before turning back and heading for home.
Heading Home
Along the way, she spotted a friendly dog on the other side of the road. She wanted to greet it, but the dog’s owner was determined to train her dog to heel. As we passed another house, a Jack Russell Terrier type dog went nutso. I told Grace, “Leave it.” She understood and proceeded on with me.
As we continued to run home, when we reached the turn-in on Winstead, Grace wanted to keep going. We proceeded down to the lake and Greenway. As we passed Grace Beach, I could tell Grace would have preferred to stop for a bit of fetch, but with my prompting she pressed on. We took the first path back up to our apartment complex and finally made it home at around 9:00.
Resting
Grace went straight to the balcony, but when she heard me preparing her breakfast, she came in directly and polished it off. Her appetite seems to be back to normal. When she finished, she went out to the balcony to enjoy the pleasant, sunny, 50-degree weather. At 10:00, Grace came inside, climbed into the chair, lay on her back with her head resting against the pillow-like armrest and quickly fell asleep.
Grace stayed home alone when I left at 10:25. At 11:20, I returned to see Grace lay stretched out asleep on her sofa. My entering roused her, but within a few minutes, she was again fast asleep. At 11:50, Grace stretched off of the sofa and went to the balcony. As I got up to make my meal at 1:30, Grace came into the kitchen to let me know she would like something. I gave her a doggie treat. When she finished her treat, she went to her perch in the office to watch me prepare my food.
When I finished preparing and eating my meal at 1:00, Grace heard me open her food bag. I gave her usual half-cup of duck food topped off with a portion of scrambled eggs. After eating her lunch, Grace went back to her perch in the office. I opened the window there to make it feel more like outdoors.
At 1:30, while I looked for my radio, Grace heard me rustle her collar. She came bouncing in expecting me to take her out for a walk. Instead, I invited her to the balcony. She stayed there for just fifteen minutes before coming back inside and getting into her bed. She curled up, let out a soft groan, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. At 2:10, Grace let out a few loud nasal snores before quieting down to dream noises. A minute later she looked up and then buried her head back into her bed. At 2:30, Grace was back to dreaming with the end of her tongue poking out of her mouth.
Ten minutes later, Grace awakened, shook her ears in typical helicopter fashion, let out a soft whine, and rolled on her back for some more serious rest. At 2:50, Grace got up again, did her helicopter shake, whined softly, and walked to the office door. She whined again. I got up to find the door shut and latched. I unlatched it, she pushed it open and jumped up on her perch.
Appetite Like a Borador
At 3:00, I made a snack for myself. Grace wanted something. I gave her a doggie treat followed by a dental chew. Grace still wanted more. She had some saltines. That still wasn’t enough. Finally, I gave Grace an extra half-cup of her food. That seemed to do the trick. When she finished she went up on her perch to watch for friends.
Play Time
At 4:30, Grace came out to complain that she had been up in the apartment through this very beautiful day. After fifteen minutes, I took her out. Grace was the first one there, but we went inside anyway. We played ball until Abby showed up around 5:00. At the time, Grace had the ChuckIt! ball I had brought for her. Grace kept it until the last ten minutes when Abby got it from her.
I pulled out the tennis ball that I had brought from her toy box. Abby ended up putting that ball in her mouth also. Finally, Abby’s owner wrestled Abby down and made her give up the balls. By then, Olivia and Rascal had come into the park. Olivia took one of Grace’s balls and Grace played with the other. Abby left, and about ten minutes later Olivia left also. Grace stuck around and played ball with me until 6:00. We then went for a fifteen minute walk before returning home.
Time to Eat
Grace went to the balcony until she saw me putting out her dinner. She came in and ate it. She then moved under the dining room table while Betsy ate her dinner. When Betsy left for church, Grace went back to her perch in the office. At 7:00, I went to the kitchen to prepare my supper. Grace came in to let me know she wanted some. I told her to wait. She lay on the kitchen floor reluctantly.
When the food was done at 7:30, Grace followed me to the dining room table. There she waited for me to finish. As I cleaned up, she looked worried that I had forgotten her. Of course, I hadn’t. Grace did tricks for turkey. At 7:55, she pulled an empty cardboard box from her toy box and proceeded to carefully shred it. At 8:00, Grace curled up in her bed and went to sleep.
One Last Time
At 9:00, Grace went out for the last time. When we returned at 9:15, she went back in her bed, but when she saw me put an empty oatmeal container in her toy box, Grace pulled it out and shredded it. When she finished, she acted like she should be given some food too since I was eating a snack. I resisted the temptation. Grace parked herself under the dining room table. At 9:30, I went to bed with Grace in her bed.
Wednesday
At 4:30, Grace lay awake in her bed. I stroked her gently and went back to bed. At 6:40, Grace came to the master suite hallway and whimpered softly. Betsy spoke to her and invited her in. Grace jumped up on the bed and responded with enthusiastic wags and kisses as Betsy and I rubbed her tummy. A few minutes later, I got up and Grace left the bedroom. Her mission was to move on with the morning.
To the Park
Grace waited impatiently as I dressed to face the 40-degree, clear morning. We finally left at 6:50, but I forgot to take some balls for park play. I turned back after walking about 20 yards down the hallway. Grace knew the routine, since this is neither the first nor last time I’ve forgotten something, and followed me back eagerly. When we made it to the park, it was empty. We proceeded on for a short walk.
When we returned around 7:00, Grace waited to hear the click, pushed the gate open, and entered. We played for about ten minutes with her orange ChuckIt! ball before Abby joined her. One time the ball bounced and as Grace tried to snag it, she sent it over the fence and down the road. The worst hazards are the storm sewers. They are positioned so water will flow into them. Unfortunately balls also follow gravity and the sewers have an opening ample in size to eat balls used for dog play. I raced out of the park and retrieved the ball before it reached a ball-eating drain, threw it back up into the park, and returned to play with Grace.
Grace and Abby wrestled a bit and played for a short time with the rope. Reggie showed up next. He’s about three times smaller than he thinks he is. Reggie did his best to try to wrestle with Abby while Grace chomped a ball. I still had Grace off of the leash when Sadie came in. Since Grace was occupied with the ball, I decided to risk it and continue to let Grace run free. That was not the best decision. Eventually, Grace put down the ball and transitioned into full run, chase, and wrestle mode. The full-speed running bursts aggravated her limp slightly. After the dogs left, we played with the ball before going out for a long walk. Grace again followed her nose and tracked scents.
Rest and Recovery
At 8:45, we finally returned home. After Grace ate her breakfast, she went outside on the balcony lounge chair. At 9:15, the sun became brighter than Grace could tolerate. She came inside, curled up in the living room chair and took a nap.
At 10:05, Grace stretched off of the chair to the floor. After taking a long drink of water, Grace lay on the floor by the balcony door. After a few minutes, Grace went back out on the balcony lounge chair. At 11:45, Grace came back inside and curled up in her bed where she stayed until she heard a knock at the door at 12:20. Grace barked. I opened the door to find a package delivered.
Time to Run
With Grace awakened from her nap and the temperature in the fifties, I decided to take Grace out for her run. We left at 12:25. It was kind of a rocky run with Grace stopping often to roll in the grass, chew on sticks, and even shred a paper cup.
At the end of the run, she set her sights on a runner running just above my pace. That at least got us home, but she ended up pulling me harder than is good for her as we ran. Her limp remained slightly evident when we walked down the hallway.
Food
When we returned home at 1:30, Grace went to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, she came in to watch me fix some food. At 1:55, Grace had a portion of scrambled eggs, a small piece of toast, and a half-cup of her food. When she finished enjoying her meal, Grace went to her office perch. I opened the window for her. By 4:00, Grace was in her bed.
As I ate a snack, Grace sat quietly next to me. I shared some saltines with her. When I finished at 4:00, I gave her a nearly empty peanut butter container. After she finished that at 4:25, she came outside the master suite and whimpered softly. I called her in and motioned her up on the bed. She came and stood there on the bed for a minute. I told her to wait. She then lay down at my feet patiently.
Evening Park Time
At 4:45, I spotted Zeke in the park. I got up, put my clothes on, and took Grace out. She played with her ChuckIt! ball as Zeke and the two little dogs also played independently. At 5:10, Abby came in. She chased Grace and wrestled with her trying in vain to get Grace’s ball.
Olivia and Rascal came in and Olivia also vied for the ball. She even beat Grace to it one time. Just before Abby left, Grace set aside her ball. Abby grabbed it. It took Abby’s owner about five minutes to get Abby to finally drop the ball. At 5:50, we left the park, but in consistent fashion, Grace headed out away from our apartment. I finally turned her around and we headed home.
Evening Food
When we arrived at 6:10, Grace went directly to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later Grace came inside to eat her supper. Betsy also gave her some chicken broth. Hopefully, the broth will not set off another bout with diarrhea.
As Betsy prepared supper, Grace first came to me to get a portion of cheese. While we ate, Grace sat silently next to me and then lay on her side there while she waited patiently for a small ration. When we finished, Grace did tricks for gourmet hamburger. When she finished, I went to the bedroom and Grace went to her bed for an after-dinner nap.
Grace went out for the last time at 9:00, returned ten minutes later, and curled up in her bed for the night. When I went to bed at 9:30, she was still there.
Thursday
When the alarm clock sounded at 7:00, Grace came into the master suite. Betsy talked to her. Grace came over to my side of the bed, jumped up after my encouragement, and gave enthusiastic wags and kisses. We returned affections, but as soon as I got up, Grace followed. She was ready to get going. After I dressed, we went down to the park.
Early Outing
Sadie was already there. Abby followed closely behind. Sadie had the ball to start. This prevented the normal craziness as Sadie just picked at the nearly destroyed the ball. Finally, Sadie’s owner gave Grace the ball. That set in motion the normal routine of Sadie and Abby wrestling while Grace watched and chomped on the ball. After five minutes, Reggie came in and joined the fight with reckless abandon — again acting as if he were just as big as the other dogs although he was about half their weight and a third their size.
By 7:30, all dogs left except Grace. The water was turned on at the car wash, so I took the balls to be cleaned and gave Grace one of her balls to keep her occupied. Shortly after I returned, I took Grace out for a walk. I was particularly interested in how her stool would look this time. Grace had two bowel movements during our extended walk, and both were normal. The chicken broth that Grace had the previous night did not disturb her digestion. It was from a new container that had a fresh date on it. The previous container had an expired date. That likely was the cause of her diarrhea.
During the walk, and even in the dog park, Grace continued to sniff out and try to eat dog feces. She hadn’t done that since we were at the other apartment. (We’ve been here about five months.) I believe her system was so messed up from her bout with the medicine and the diarrhea that she’s trying to restore lost nutrients. Hopefully now that she’s okay she’ll back off from that behavior.
Grace took me over to the new apartment complex next door. At one point, she went into a fenced area along the building that ended in a dead end. She first considered climbing the wall and looked at a gate to a steep metal stair. Then she turned and followed me out the way she came in. Once free, she bolted as if she saw a squirrel to chase and ran right past me. Thankfully she stopped after about fifty feet allowing me to pick up her leash. As I led her past the park, Grace looked up at me with those sweet brown eyes as if to say, “Can we go in and play?” I directed her on, and she moved on without protest. It’s hard doing that.
Morning Rest
At 8:20, Grace went home, ate her breakfast, and went out on the balcony. The temperature was 45 degrees, and the sky was overcast. Twenty minutes later she came inside, climbed onto the living room chair, and curled up for a nap. At 9:40, I heard a brushing sound coming from her area. It was her tail wagging while she slept. As I moved, I made a slight sound. Grace opened her eyes, but closed them immediately.
At 9:50, Grace got down onto the floor, took a long drink of water, and lay in the sunlight on the carpet in front of the glazed balcony door. At 10:30, Grace got up and went to the balcony lounge chair. An hour later, Grace whimpered at the door. I let her in and she proceeded straight to the foyer to lie there on the cool floor. At 12:40, I left Grace home alone.
Afternoon Food and Exercise
When I returned at 2:15, Grace was on her perch. I greeted her there. Five minutes later, we were off for a run. Grace delayed some, but we were at least able to get a reasonable level of exercise. When we returned at 3:00, Grace went to the balcony. At 3:15 she came in as she heard me cooking food. When I finished eating at 3:30, Grace enjoyed a late lunch of a half-cup of duck food topped off with a portion of scrambled eggs.
When Grace finished eating, she went back out on the balcony. At 4:30, she came back inside and started grouching about going outside. I told her to wait. She went under the table and waited. At 4:45, Grace went out to the park. There she met Abby followed by Sadie. The usual play routine followed. At 6:00 Grace came home and had her supper.
Winding Down
After supper, Grace went out to the balcony for thirty minutes before coming inside to watch Betsy cook dinner. As I ate, Grace sat next to me. I gave her some saltines as I had some with my soup. When I finished supper and began to clean up, Grace hung out in the kitchen with me. I told her to wait. Obediently, Grace groaned and lay on the kitchen floor.
At 7:30, Grace did tricks for Blue Buffalo. She really loves that stuff. When she finished at 7:40, Grace went back out on the balcony. Five minutes later, Grace came inside and curled up in her bed. After a thirty-minute nap, Grace was back out on the balcony. At 8:55, she started barking. I brought her inside and ten minutes later she went out for her last walk. When she came in after ten minutes, she went directly to her perch.
Friday
At 3:30, Grace lay awake on her sofa. I stroked her a few times before heading back to bed. At 6:40, Grace whimpered softly. Betsy called her into the bedroom. She waited politely for me to invite her and then jumped up on the bed with wags and kisses. As soon as I got up, Grace was done with greetings though and was ready to go out.
Morning Snack and Play
Thursday, the apartment has a pizza restaurant come by and sell ready-made pizzas. Grace sniffed out a piece that was discarded in the woods. She went at least fifty feet out of her way to find it. She took it to the park to enjoy it there. After finishing her prize, we went for a short walk. When we returned, there were still no other dogs there.
After I cleaned the balls at the car wash, Grace played ball with me. Abby was first to join Grace. They did a little wrestling, but it’s kind of hard with a ball in your mouth, and Grace wanted to retain possession of the prized ball. When Sadie came in about fifteen minutes later, the real action began.
Sadie and Abby wrestled and ran while Grace stayed close to the action and rapidly chomped on her ball. When Abby took a short break, Grace and Sadie mixed it up for about five minutes. All dogs left around 8:00. I took Grace’s balls by the car wash and cleaned them off before returning home.
Lazy Morning
When we arrived home five minutes later, Grace went out on the balcony. When I fixed her breakfast, Grace came in and ate it. She then got up on the chair to take a morning nap.
At 9:00, I left Grace home alone. When I returned at noon, Grace was in her bed. She was ready to go outside. We went for our run. After the first lap, I stopped back home to pick up a letter that I needed to mail. I left Grace in the hallway with her leash looped around a fire water faucet. A moment later, we headed back down for our second lap.
Exercise and Food
As we passed by Grace Beach, I decided to let Grace go there if she expressed an interest. She did. I unleashed her, and we tried to fetch the stick in the water. It must have been a bit cold for her, because she fetched only a couple of times and was reticent to go in deeper than wading level. We played ball a short while on the beach. After about ten minutes, her heart was not in it. We headed home.
At home, Grace went directly to the balcony. When she barked, I called her inside and gave her a shower followed by a treat. She went to her perch as I prepared my meal. After I finished, I gave Grace one-half cup of Blue Buffalo topped off with scrambled eggs. When she finished, Grace came to the kitchen looking for more. I gave her half of a dog biscuit. That seemed to satisfy her. When I finished in the kitchen, Grace went back to her perch.
At 4:10, Grace came out to let me know she was ready to get going. I told her to wait. She went under the dining room table and lay down there. Ten minutes later, she came in and gave me the look. I told her to wait. Grace went to her toy box and pulled out a cardboard box to shred. When she finished, she went out on the balcony and after a few minutes barked at a dog way off in the distance. At 4:35, Grace became more insistent, whimpering and staring at me. At 4:45, I gave in and we left.
Fun and Lonely
Abby and Sadie were in the park when we arrived. I forgot to bring a ball for Grace. Grace wrestled because she had no ball to chomp on. Her friends left at 5:00. We took a short walk and returned home at 5:15. Grace had her supper. Then as we were heading out, we didn’t make it clear to Grace that she wasn’t coming with us. She pranced toward the door. Then we had to repeatedly tell her “Bye-bye.” It was hard to leave her like that.
When we returned at 8:00, we greeted each other with enthusiasm, but Grace also let us know that she was not happy about being left alone at her active time. Betsy gave her a couple morsels of food from our supper. Grace did tricks for Blue Buffalo. That helped her get over her lack of stimulation. When she finished, Grace went out on the balcony to watch the night activity.
At 9:05, Grace came in from balcony and went out for her last walk of the day. Ten minutes later, Grace returned home and went to her perch. When I went to bed at 9:35, Grace remained on her perch.
Saturday
At 5:30, Grace was still on her perch watching out the window. After gently greeting her, I returned to bed. At 6:50, Grace came into the bedroom with a soft whimper. Betsy invited Grace up on the bed. After our usual greetings, Grace left for the park at 7:00.
More Friends
Suki followed Grace into the park. Ten minutes later, Abby joined them. Grace mixed it up wrestling with Abby and playing chasing games at Abby’s slower speed. Peaches (a sweet year-old lab/hound rescue mix) came in but mainly just watched the action of Grace and Abby.
At 8:15, Grace left the then empty park and went for a fifteen-minute walk before returning to the park. Grace played ball and did some digging until 9:10, hoping Sadie would show up. She never did so Grace went home.
Rest and Relaxation
After a short shower, a treat, and breakfast, Grace went to her perch. I opened the window for her to give her a better connection to the outdoors. At 10:30, Grace went to the balcony. Betsy had moved the lounge chair to face the dog park and make Grace’s entry and exit easier. It worked well and Grace seemed to adapt just fine to the new arrangement.
At 11:30, Grace came inside and returned to her perch. I noticed a cracked nail on her right front paw. It was almost off but not quite. I used my nail clipper to free it from the rest of the nail. Grace stayed on her perch.
At 2:00, I made a meal for myself. Twenty minutes later, Grace had her ration of scrambled eggs and half-cup Blue Buffalo. At 2:30, after I cleaned up, we went outside running. When we returned at 3:00, Grace went out on the balcony. She came in at 4:00, and lay on the dining room floor.
Evening Play Time
At 4:50, I spotted Abby playing in the park. We raced down to meet her. Grace went at it with Abby, repeatedly knocking her down and fake mauling her. They had a great time. After about twenty minutes, Grace wanted to play ball. Abby still wanted to wrestle, but with a ball in her mouth, Grace could only evade and frustrate Abby.
By 5:30, dusk had arrived, and Abby left. Grace saw another dog on the far side of the complex and raced to see it. She ran right past Olivia and Rascal who were headed to the park. After we caught up with the dog, Grace introduced herself in her patented low-threatening way. When she finished, she returned to the park and there played ball. Peaches showed up again, but didn’t join in the play.
At 6:00, we returned home. After Grace had her supper, she came in and licked out a dish before settling in under the dining room table. I told her to wait as I ate my dinner. After dinner, Grace did tricks for fish. When she finished, Grace went to her perch to watch. At 9:00, Grace came into the living room and got into her bed. At 9:15, Grace went out for the last time. She returned home ten minutes later and went back to her perch.