At 6:00, I got up. Grace met me in the living room. We did our usual greeting. Grace wanted to go outside. It was not time. Grace resigned herself to go to her perch while I went to study in private.
Like Old Times
By 7:00, Grace was ready to go. I took her to the park. The temperature was 39 degrees and the sky was clear. After Grace played ball for ten minutes, she saw her friend Abby heading to the park to join her. I quickly gathered up the balls. They were off! They played with full energy for about twenty minutes.
Then, Coolie came to join them. Coolie looks a lot like Sadie, and being the same age as Grace and Abby, we couldn’t help remembering fondly the play that trio had for many months. This trio was also playful and for a time, it was similar with Abby and Coolie wrestling and Grace watching while chomping on the prized ball.
Bird Watching
At 7:45, the dogs left and after a short time of ball play, Grace decided chasing soaring crows would be more fun. Grace proceeded to the dog run next door. There she played ball there for about ten minutes. Then, a Pit Bull mix dog came to socialize with Grace through the fence. After a few minutes, the Pit Bull left. I threw the ball a few more times until the soaring birds again caught her eye. The time was 12:50, the temperature had warmed to the mid 40’s, and the sun shone brightly.
Grace headed down the adjacent woods to Winstead, across the bridge, and up to the Greenway. There Grace saw the man standing on the hill with the Greenway at his back and Lake Crabtree in front of him. Grace was captivated by the plane. She barked and tugged on her harness.
It was Sunday afternoon, so I had to be careful to not let her run off. When the people traffic subsided, I let her off of the leash. She raced down the hill and across the open field with her head up watching the flying machine. After about fifteen minutes of this high-energy workout, Grace was ready for the break. The man landed his plane and said he had to stop for a while to let his fingers warm back up.
Deer Prize and New Friends
I met Grace at the water’s edge as she waded along the rocks and drank the cool lake water. I grabbed her collar, brought her near and put her harness back on. We then headed for Grace Beach. We passed the beach and as we rounded the corner, Grace playfully rolled in the leaves accumulated along the shore. When she got up she met two Pomeranian mix dogs. The lady with them commented on how lovely and well-behaved Grace was. They greeted and went on.
Grace turned into the large meadow. She found her deer legs and promptly began gnawing on them. Then, two playful dogs joined Grace in the field. The ladies with them released their two dogs. They ran and chased each other. I let Grace loose too. She ran toward them with the deer leg. The owners of the other two dogs were a bit disturbed by the deer leg. Still, the three dogs did run around together a bit.
Their dogs ran out of sight up toward the Greenway. Grace followed. I called and whistled for Grace as the other two owners ran to catch their dogs. After a couple minutes, there came Grace with her prize still in her mouth, running to return to me. The other two dogs followed her.
Afternoon Crunchy Snack
Grace worked on the bones for about an hour, eating a fairly large bone, separating bones from each other at the joint, and eating down about half of the lower leg. I marvelled at the crushing power she had in her back molars to demolish those bones. She also enjoyed the joints, marrow, skin, tendons, and muscle that she found while she worked.
It was approaching 3:00. Despite the 55-degree temperature and sunshine, my thumb was getting numb from the cold and steady wind. When some dogs walked by, I took advantage of the distraction to get Grace moving away from her bone treats.
Balcony Watch
When we finally made it home at 3:00, Grace went to the balcony and lay there on the lounge chair watching the activity below. At 3:30, when Grace barked at the black Labrador with which she had a run-in, Betsy called her in. Grace went to the living room chair to relax.
At 4:15, Grace was back to the balcony to soak up some more fresh air and sunshine. Always vigilant, at 5:00, Grace peered through the window to see us eating. She came inside and ate her supper but then returned to the balcony. After twenty minutes outside, Grace came back in, curled up in the living room chair and took a nap.Forty minutes later, Grace stretched off of the chair and moved to her sofa to continue her nap. At 6:30, Grace went back to the balcony. When she saw us eating at 6:45, Grace came in.
Sundowning
As I cleaned up, I gave Grace the container from the cornbread to clean. Then, I gave her a doggie treat. Grace went back on the balcony for ten minutes but returned to see if I had anything else for her. While she didn’t have any duck food all day, the deer bone was a good substitute.
Grace went to her toy box and found a pine cone to shred. Then I gave her a toilet paper roll. We were just counting down the minutes before Grace stops sundowning and gives up for the night. At 8:00, Betsy was munching on O’s cereal. Grace said she had the munchies. Betsy relented and gave her a few.
After she finished, Grace returned to shredding her latest piece of cardboard. When she finished at 8:10, Grace started whining. Betsy told her to fetch her ball. Grace didn’t. Instead she lay back down next the scrap of cardboard and then pulled her pine cone back out of her toy box for more shredding. I finally relented. Grace did tricks for duck food. When she finished at 8:20, Grace went out on the balcony.
At 8:30, Grace came in. She was still restless. I comforted her and told her to wait just a few minutes, and I would take her outside. She finally went to the foyer to wait. Five minutes later she moved to the loveseat. At 8:55, Grace went out for the last time. Grace delayed as I wanted to go to the waste station. When I dropped the leash, Grace froze and watched me. When I returned, I picked up the leash and told her “Good stay.”she then resumed her sniffing. When we returned ten minutes later, Grace stretched out on the sofa and went to sleep.
Monday
As I was sleeping, I was pleasantly surprised to find a puppy nestled up against my legs. When I got up at 6:00, Grace was still there but awake. When I returned to bed, Grace had moved on to the living room chair. Forty-five minutes later, I got up and dressed. The temperature was 35 degrees and the sky was clear. Frost had covered the ground and the car windshields. Since Betsy was staying home, I didn’t bother warming the car and clearing the windshield.
Lot’s of Business to Do
When we went outside, the sun was just about to come up. Abby had just arrived at the park. I released Grace after we crossed the road. Grace delayed a bit, going back into the bushes. I actually beat Grace to the gate. When Grace entered, the play began. Abby had a ball in her mouth. Then, Grace took it. When Grace dropped it, I took it and put it in my pocket. Abby’s owner had already gathered the other two balls.
While I went to get some clean water and clean off the the ball that I had, Grace had her first bowel movement. Of course, this is unusual. When I opened the gate to return, Grace went out the gate. I called her back and she came. This also was unusual. Within ten minutes, we figured out why. Grace did another large bowel movement in the park. The source of this bulk was the deer leg feast she enjoyed the previous afternoon. She had one more small one before we finally returned home.
Spooked
At 7:30, Abby left. After a few ball tosses, we moved on. Grace followed her nose and led me again to the Lofts next door. At 7:45, Grace entered the small dog park there — staying just five minutes. She then proceeded along the fence that borders the steep hill down to the river below.
As we went, Grace spotted something white in a tree. It was either a piece of cloth or paper caught in a branch about thirty feet up, but at about eye level from our position. Grace barked repeatedly at it until I had her move on.
Morning Adventure
Eventually, we made it to the gate that leads down to the drainage area, the woods, and Winstead. As I unlatched it, Grace used her paw to push the gate open. She then proceeded toward the steep slope that heads 50 feet down to the river. We stayed near the crest, at times in a bit tenuous position, until the slope became manageable. Grace walked along a downed oak tree as she deftly navigated the wooded course. She then went to the water’s edge.
When we reached a point where a drainage tributary entered it, I could tell Grace was about to jump. I released her leash just in time, and she jumped. I followed behind about twenty feet. When I caught up with her, I found that she was headed under the bridge. I directed her back up the hill to the point where the road enters the bridge.
When she hit the pavement, Grace shook off the dried weed twigs clinging to her back and began to limp a bit. Once on on the grass, her limp subsided. The sun shone brightly upon the frost-covered open fields along the Greenway and illuminated the lake. About 100 yards ahead, a large flock of seagulls congregated. When I released Grace to run in the high, open field to the left, the birds launched like a big white cloud.
Continuing to follow her nose through the frosty turf, Grace quickly found the drainage pass below the fence and went to the unmowed, weed-covered, adjacent area. I called her. She figured it would be okay to stay along the fence and proceed toward the river. I moved back to where she entered and called her again. A minute later, after some more sniffing Grace came back to my side of the fence and continued her adventure from there.
Grace ran across the field and down the steep hill to the field next to the river. She romped happily in the lower area near the river and then up and down the unmowed slope. At that point, I spotted a large dog over by the bridge that crosses over Interstate 40. I led Grace the other way. She went willingly. Although Kiko was approaching on the Greenway, Grace was more intereseted in running free than in socializing I lost sight of her and figured she headed for the deer legs. As I proceeded that direction, I found Grace climbing the grassy hill area across from Grace Beach.
Grace then went down the unmowed, steep slope and directly to what has become more of a deer foot than leg. She ran with it and tossed it playfully. Grace then sped off to the hill between the meadow and the apartments. She climbed the hill to the road terraced into the hill. I lost sight of her as she travelled along the road.
She then came down as she approached the lake and made a beeline to the other half of the deer remains. Grace let me leash her there. She then went to the Greenway to roll in the leaves and meet Kiko. Grace and Kiko played on the leash for a minute. Then we walked together up to the apartments.
Need My Space
When we returned home at 8:45, Grace went out on the balcony. Grace heard the sound of her food being poured into her dish. She came in, ate her breakfast, and retired to her sofa. At 10:00, Betsy came in and sat next to her on the sofa. Grace tolerated it and shared some affections. Five minutes later, when Betsy left, Grace got up and went to the sunny 50-degree balcony.
At 12:15, Grace and I left to go running at Borador Pond Park. Grace followed me except when she spotted something to chase. At one point, she took off like a shot from one end of the path, across the link between the two ponds, to the other end. When I finished the last lap, Grace had made the turn for another. I called her as I headed for the car. She came. I buckled her up in the back seat. She didn’t like it, but put up with it.
Our next stop was the land. When we arrived at 1:15, I noticed that the portable bathroom had been blown over on it’s side. I filled three empty gallon jugs with water from the well. I had hoped to go home from there, but Grace wanted to explore. She settled with walking the perimeter of the lot. When we finished, I secured Grace in the back seat, and we went home.
Food Shark
When we arrived at home at 2:00, Grace had a bath followed by a doggie treat. As usual, she then went to the balcony to enjoy the 60-degree weather. At 2:15, I began cooking my food. Grace came in and parked herself in her bed in the dining room. I told Betsy to watch the shark operate.
I put a portion of duck food and scrambled eggs in her bowl and let them cool. Grace stayed put. When the eggs were cool enough I put them out for Grace at 2:30. She stealthily moved in for the kill and consumed her lunch.
Busy Awake and Asleep
When she finished, Grace made her way to her perch. As she sat there looking out, I opened the window for her. When I prepared my meal, I emptied a cereal box. I put it in her toy box for her. At 3:10, Grace came into the living room, checked her toy box, pulled out the box, and shredded it.
Five minutes later, she came to me with her fox. She wanted to play tug and fetch. After playing and removing the last remaining squeaker, she retired to the living room chair at 3:30. By 4:30, Grace was dream barking. Fifteen minutes later, I spotted Bailey playing in the park.
Friend and Foe
Grace raced down to meet her friend. After a spirited greeting, the interaction degenerated to simply trying to secure and maintain possession of the prized ball. Zeke came in, but he was in his own world. When Abby came in, things changed. Bailey went after Abby and Grace attacked Bailey. It was quite a fun time for fifteen minutes until they tired. Zeke left first. The three played ball for a while longer. Then, all three went home.
As Grace headed home, she picked up the scent of the hated white cat. She pulled on the leash and excitedly tracked the scent. She raced along the border of the woods and barked loudly. The cat was gone. Grace turned and went inside. When we arrived home, Grace went straight to the balcony to further scout the hated white cat.
Sundowning
At 6:15, when Grace saw someone pushing a cart, she barked. I comforted her, and she stopped. Grace then came inside and lay on the living room floor. There she did some more shredding of the box. At 6:25, the sundowning started. Grace brought her fox toy to play tug and fetch. As I played, I pressed the squeaker that she had removed. That got her attention. She persisted until I gave it to her. After she played with it like a cat for five minutes, Betsy took it from her. After a bit of grouching, Grace finally gave up and lay on her side in the living room at my feet.
At 7:00, we could heard a person knocking at a door down the hall. Grace perked up her head. When it stopped, she lay back down. At 7:30, I went to the kitchen to fix some supper. Grace followed and watched me patiently.
When I finished, I gave gave her a small portion of my meat and cornbread on my plate for her to clean up. When she finished at 7:45, Grace went out on the balcony. Ten minutes later, she came inside as I was fixing some peanut butter crackers. I loaded her small Kong with duck food and capped it off with peanut butter.
When she finished at 8:05, Grace came to me and wanted more. I told her to wait and cleared the tiny foyer to give her some place to wait. Grace picked up her Kong and tossed it into the kitchen. That’s her way of telling us she wants it loaded up again. Instead, I had her do tricks for duck food. When she finished at 8:15, she continued to sniff — looking for any missed morsel of food. Then she went to her perch.
At 9:35, I took Grace out for the last time. She was limping noticeably. When we returned ten minutes later, she went to the balcony.
Tuesday
At 6:30, I got up to find Grace in her bed. She was in no hurry to get up and go until I got up. I gently stroked her there. When I came to the living room and she knew I was getting up, Grace got up and shook herself. At that point, we did tummy rubs and kisses on the living room floor. As I fired up the laptop, Grace squirmed on her back. I went over to her and gave her a stimulating back rub.
Morning Play and Adventure
We looked outside. I checked the weather forecast. The temperature was 50 degrees, and it was raining lightly. The forecast called for rain trailing off late afternoon. At 7:00, we went out. Despite the wet, dreary weather, Grace went straight to Borador Park. She was ready to play. She played ball for about ten minutes. Then, Abby came to meet her. Abby seemed a bit sluggish and Grace only moderately enthusiastic. They did get in about ten minutes of true puppy play before we both had to leave at 7:30.
Betsy needed me to drive her to work. I put Grace in the back seat and attached the doggie seat belt to her harness. We left at 7:40. When we returned home at 8:00, Grace went straight to the park again. There we played ball for about a half hour. When Grace lay on the ground to rest, I replaced the bucket water with fresh and cleaned the tennis balls. When I returned, Grace was not interested in further play.
Eating and Dreaming
When we returned home at 9:00, Grace went to the balcony. She came inside ten minutes later and looked at her dish. It was still empty. Grace got up on the living room chair for her early nap. I freshened her water and put out her breakfast which Grace ate immediately. When she finished, Grace looked outside before returning to her chair.
At 11:15 as Grace was dreaming, her tail tapped rhythmically against the seat cushion. Grace got down from the chair and moved to the floor to lie on her side at my feet. I suppose she avoided her sofa because I had left some plans spread out on two-thirds the length of it. At 12:05, Grace was dreaming again — running and dream-barking.
Dreary Start
At 12:20, I began cooking some food. Grace watched expectantly from the living room. I put the duck food in her dish and topped it off with a scrambled egg. At 12:30, when it was cool enough I put it out Grace ate it hungrily.
She then parked herself next to me as I ate. I gave her a small square of toast followed by and equal-sized piece of pancake. Grace then went to the balcony door to look forlornly outside at the rainy day. At 1:00, Grace jumped up on her sofa for another nap.
Clearing at Last!
At 2:15. Grace could tell that the rain was finally clearing and began to let me know it was time to get some exercise. I told her to wait. She got up and went to the balcony for five minutes and then returned inside to complete shredding some cardboard. Grace became more insistent, coming up to me and licking my face. She then started the air chomps.
We left for the park at 2:35. When we arrived at 3:00, I had to figure out my new phone number. It took twenty minutes for me to retrieve it. Grace waited patiently — staying near and sniffing. After I called Betsy and gave her the new number, we began our run. At one point, Grace started to respond to the barking neighbor dogs. I called her off, and she came immediately. I praised her. We finished at 3:50 and headed off to the store.
I decided to tie an old leash to the headrest support. The trick was to keep it short enough to protect her while making it long enough for her to be able to move comfortably and to lie down. I stopped at the grocery store for ten minutes. I unhooked Grace to allow her to move around, but when I returned, she was in the same position as when I left her. I praised her and gave her a treat.
When we returned home at 4:35, we dropped off the groceries and turned around and headed back to pick up Betsy in my car. Grace was happy that we were heading off on another trip. I strapped Grace in the back seat so Betsy could sit in the front. When we arrived at 4:50, Grace waited for five minutes but then became impatient. I unbuckled her, tilted back the passenger seat, and directed her up. After a couple of minutes, Betsy appeared. I directed Grace to the the back seat and buckled her in. When Betsy arrived, she happily greeted Grace.
When we returned home 5:10, Grace went straight to the park. It was sloppy and no dogs were there. We played ball for a few minutes. Grace was not interested. We left. As we headed back, Grace met a young couple who likes Grace as they stopped to get their mail. They greeted her as she calmly greeted them.
Food and Tricks
When we returned home at 5:30, Grace went to the balcony. When I put out her supper, Grace came in, ate, went to the foyer, and then went to her bed. When I saw her there, I called her to the shower. After we finished, Grace had a doggie treat followed by a couple portions of light treats. At 6:00, Grace came into the living room and curled up on her sofa.
At 6:15, as I began eating my supper, Grace sat next to me. I shared with her four saltines. As I finished and cleaned up, I told Grace to wait. At 6:50, Grace finally lay on the carpet outside the kitchen. She kept her radar out. When I filled a small bag with duck food, Grace perked up and came by my side. It was finally time for tricks for treats. Grace happily went through her paces. When she finished, she was satisfied. She then went to her perch.
The Hated White Cat
At 9:00, Grace barked excitedly. It wasn’t her nutso bark — but almost. I concluded that she spotted the hated white cat. She came into the living room anxious to get outside. It was time for her last walk of the day anyway, so I quickly put on some clothes.
As I rushed to get ready, Grace looked at me as if to say, “Please hurry. Time is slipping away.” Grace excitedly patrolled the edge of the woods to assure the hated white cat was nowhere to be found. When she returned at 9:15, Grace went to the balcony for five minutes and then came inside and went to bed.
Wednesday
When I got up at 6:50, I looked around in the dark for Grace. She wasn’t in the chair. She wasn’t on her sofa. She wasn’t in her bed. Then I heard her move. She was lying on her side near the entrance to the master suite. I had walked right past her. After briefly greeting me and Betsy, Grace was ready to go. At 7:00, Grace was off to start her day. The temperature was 42 degrees and the sky was clear. The ground was still wet from all of the rain the previous days, but the pavement was drying out.
Gathering at the Park
Grace headed for Borador Park, but then veered to the right to head down the way out of the apartment complex. When she reached the main entrance road that heads to the office, I directed her to turn around. Reggie had entered the park, so I told Grace she needed to go play with friends. Grace then headed to the park to play.
After greeting Reggie, Grace showed little interest in playing with him. Both dogs just went their separate way. When Abby showed up though, everything changed. Suddenly, Reggie was the rabbit that Abby and Grace chased. Reggie tried to hold his own, but he became the one being pursued. That went on for about ten minutes. Then, Reggie left Abby and Grace to play with each other. They did their usual chase-and-wrestling routine. As usual, Abby’s white coat revealed that she was having a good time rolling in the mud.
Morning Adventure
Around 8:00, Grace headed for the door. She wanted to go out to the grass to do her business. It was time for Abby to go anyway. After walking through the grass at the entrance, Grace went straight to the dog run area at the Lofts. There she played fetch for about fifteen minutes before tiring of it and moving on.
Next Grace went to the gate that took us down to the adjacent drainage and wooded area. She looked back at me to tell me to open the latch. She pushed the gate open and proceeded down the slope. Grace found a small piece of deer pelt. She playfully batted and tossed it in the air. She then worked on it a while as a tasty morning snack.
Next, Grace headed for the woods. She wanted to go down the very steep slope to the river, but I told her “No.” Next she walked on the trunk and through the branches of the downed oak tree. It was tough for me to keep the leash and navigate around the big tree and through its branches. It was no problem of course for Grace — other than having to worry about running out of leash.
After I threaded my way through the tree branches, I followed Grace down a more gentle slope to where the road meets the bridge. Grace led me up to the Greenway and then down toward the lake. Grace found another deer pelt. This too was a tasty treat. Along the shore, there were lots of balls that had washed up and then were deposited as the high water drained down. I picked up three of the best tennis balls to throw over to Grace Beach.
Grace too found balls. She went for two children’s balls slightly smaller than a soccer ball. She picked them up and tossed them a few times and moved on. By the big drainage device, Grace went across the rocks and nearly into the water. Then, as she tried to roll in something, her back foot slipped and her hips fell into the lake. She got up and shook off immediately. She tried that same trick again. This time she didn’t slip. Instead, she coated her shoulders and face with the fragrance of dead fish.
At that point, I decided it was time to move on. When we approached Grace Beach, I threw the three tennis balls where I had thrown others previously. Grace wanted to turn in, but I directed her away. Then, as we went past the meadow across from Grace Beach, Grace wanted to go in. Perhaps she wanted to check on her deer bones and deer foot. Again, I told her we had to move on.
Finally as we emerged from the Greenway to the apartment area, Grace spotted a Husky mix. He wanted to say hello to Grace, and Grace wanted to meet him. The owner of the Husky tried to discourage it. Grace sat still, watching him across the parking lot and letting out a soft whine. Eventually, his owner took him down the way we were headed. As we followed behind, the Husky kept turning around to try to make contact with Grace.
Finally, his owner spoke saying she was concerned how her dog might react because he was recently attacked and injured at doggie day care. I assured her that Grace was very good with animals that have problems socializing with other dogs or people. She gave it a try. Grace was careful to take a very non-threatening posture, and they were fine. They sniffed each other for a few minutes before we went our separate ways.
Bath and Breakfast
The time was 9:15. When I took Grace home, I led her directly to the bathroom. It was time to get to work on that very strong dead-fish odor. I washed her with two types of soap. By the time I finished and gave Grace her treat, thirty minutes had elapsed. That was a long shower. When she finished, Grace went out on the balcony for a few minutes. It was funny to see steam rise from Grace’s coat as we watched her through window in the balcony door. Grace came in after a few minutes.
I fixed Grace’s breakfast, and she ate it immediately. When she finished, Grace got up into the living room chair and took a nap. At about 11:30, Grace started perking up. She slowly brought her front legs under her and then extended them over the armrest. Grace watched me carefully as I started putting on my jacket.
Trip to Borador Pond Park
At 12:15, Grace came into the foyer. I buckled her up, and we were on our way. I used the leash already tied to the headrest to keep Grace safe in the front seat. She was a bit annoyed by the constraint but seemed to catch on to its purpose.
When we arrived at 12:40, Grace took off across the field to the edge of the pond where the geese where gathered. The heron had already taken flight as we entered. Grace followed me around and again resisted getting into a barking match with the neighboring dogs. A couple of times I whistled to assure Grace was not down there. She wasn’t and quickly raced to catch me and let her momentum carry her far ahead.
After the fifth lap, Grace looked back. When she saw me heading for another lap, she continued around. After the sixth lap, Grace continued around. When I saw she was headed the wrong way, I whistled again. Grace came quickly, and got up in the seat. After I snapped her in, I drove Grace home.
Shower, Snack, and Sleep
Once home at 1:35, Grace had another shower followed by a doggie treat. She then went out on the balcony. I began to prepare something for myself. At 2:30, I put out Grace’s famous duck and scrambled eggs. She watched though the balcony door window. When she came in, I told her it was hot. Grace was careful as she began eating her food.
When Grace finished her food, she sat next to me to remind me to share some toast and pancake with her. I gave her a small square of each. When we finished, Grace curled up in her bed and went to sleep. At 3:30, Grace got up and went to the balcony. Thirty-five minutes later she came inside and got up on her sofa. After staring at me form across the room, Grace curled up for her late-afternoon nap.
Package Treat and Play
At 4:30, Betsy told me there was a package at the office. Grace perked up — her front legs extended down off the side of the sofa. I got up and dressed to go. Grace followed me to the foyer, and we were on our way. Once we made it outside I told Grace we were going to get a treat. Grace happily proceeded downstairs, past the dog park, to the office. Grace sat facing the treats jar. I gave her one. After enjoying her treat, she headed for the entrance. I needed to wait to pick up my package. When it arrived, we headed back to the park.
Grace played ball for about ten minutes minutes before Zeke came in. They played individually for about fifteen minutes. Zeke then left. After playing for another ten minutes, Grace welcomed Reggie in. As with Zeke, they happily greeted one another and then went on to doing their own thing. As Grace returned home, she greeted a prospective tenant, and I thanked the office manager for Grace’s treat.
Dinner and After-Dinner Nap
When Grace returned home at 5:30, she went to the balcony as I checked out the package. Grace came in at 5:45 and looked at her dish. It was empty. I filled it, Grace ate her supper, and returned to the balcony. As I fixed my supper and Grace could tell it was about ready, she came in. She sat next to me and watched me as I ate. I left some turkey scraps, a small amount of rice, and some bits of cornbread on my plate. I put it on the floor. Grace happily cleaned it up.
At 6:15, with the lights out in the room, Grace went to her bed for an after-dinner snooze. At 7:00, with the lights still out in the living room, Grace moved to the chair to join Betsy and me in the living room and take another nap.
Seeking Attention Before Bed
At 7:15, I went to the bedroom to study and write. A half hour later, Grace came into the room with one of her puppy toys in her mouth. She whined. She wanted to do tricks for duck food. After we finished, Grace played on her own with one of her puppy toys.
At 8:00, Grace came back in. I invited her on the bed and lowered the light. She came up and stayed for twenty minutes. Then, she got down and went to the living room chair.
At 9:30, I took her out. When she returned ten minutes later, Grace went out on the balcony. When she came inside, she wanted a little something else. I gave her a doggie cookie followed by a dental chew. When she finished, Grace curled up in the living room chair for the night. We finally made it to bed at 10:30.
Thursday
Some time in the middle of the night, Grace spotted something and began to bark. The most likely suspect would be the hated white cat. Betsy got up, calmed Grace down and directed her into the master suite. When she came inside, Betsy closed the doors to keep Grace away from the windows.
Early Morning Start
At 6:40, I was awakened by a very soft whine. Next to the bed and beneath the window, lay a very pretty black Borador puppy. It was Grace! I reached over to her and we shared affections. Grace then got up, did a stretch and a helicopter ear shake.
She was ready to start her day. I delayed for a few minutes to check the weather and my emails. The temperature was about 40 degrees and the weather was wet and dreary although not raining.
Morning Antics
At 7:05, we went outside. and Grace went to the park. It was pretty sloppy. The park was empty as we entered. Grace played ball a bit and just looked and sniffed around. At 7:30, Grace left. She went straight down to the lake this time. As we past the big meadow, Grace headed in. She first found a fish head. As she instinctively tried to dive into it, I quickly pulled her back. As Grace proceeded further into the field, I unleashed her.
I was amazed that in a ten-acre field, Grace sniffed out the widely scattered pieces of deer legs that she had left there. She snacked on the deer leg bone for a while, and then found the deer foot about 100 yards away. She playfully ran with and tossed the foot for about five minutes before moving on.
Next, she climbed the steep hill to the Greenway and went down towards the lake. She found a small bit of remaining deer pelt there and both chewed on and tossed it playfully. Then, she did what I hoped she wouldn’t. Grace went back down to the dead fish on the shore and rolled in it. For the second day in a row, she would need a soap bath!
Grace proceeded over to the woods behind Grace Beach and explored there. After about twenty minutes, I leashed her and led her back home. As we passed the field, Grace wanted to make another pass there. I dropped the leash and she took off with the leash trailing behind her. After about five minutes, she returned to the deer bone and enjoyed some more chewing. There I grabbed the leash.
Suddenly, Grace sensed something up near the apartments. That was sufficient to lead her back toward the path that led home. As we went up the first walk to the apartment, we met what she sensed. It was Kiko and her owner. After Grace and Kiko exchanged pleasantries, they moved on.
Hairy Shower
When we made it home at 8:55, I took Grace straight to the shower. I sniffed her to try to isolate the spots that needed special soap attention. The problem seemed to be isolated to her collar and the sides of her face — especially the left side. The face is the part I hate to do the most, but Grace was pretty tolerant. After about five minutes of scrubbing and rinsing, we made it through.
When we finished and I towelled her off, I gave Grace a doggie treat. I did notice the past few days that Grace seemed to be shedding a bit more than she had in the past. The shedding was about half as much as when we started into cold weather a month or so previous to that, but it had picked up.
Pedicure
My next challenge was to do her claws. I had bought a claw clipping tool at the pet store about a week previous but was waiting for the right time to actually do the trimming. I didn’t know how she would react since this was always traumatic with the grinder.
Grace went to the balcony door window to look out. I told her to sit. I then took her front paws and clipped the claws, one at a time. Grace did not put up any fuss. What a difference from using the grinder!
Vigilant
When I finished, Grace curled up on the living room chair for her morning nap. At 9:40, I put out Grace’s breakfast. She got down, ate it, and returned to her chair. At 9:50, Grace heard something outside, barked softly, got down to watch out the balcony window. When I opened the door, she looked for a moment and then returned to the living room chair to resume her nap. At 11:40, Grace got up, sat at the balcony window, and looked out intently. When I let her out on the balcony, she got up on the lounge chair and lay there carefully watching the action below. At 12:20, I got up to get ready to go for our run. Grace watched. She didn’t get up until she was sure she was going and that I would be leaving soon.
False Start
At 12:25, I made it out the door, but as we headed to the first floor on the elevator, I realized I had neither my car keys nor my wallet. When it stopped, I pressed the button to the third floor, apologized to Grace, and waited to go back up. I had forgotten things before, so Grace was familiar with the routine.
She does really well going back and neither balks nor complains. I leashed her on the fire water valve nearest our door, went inside, grabbed my keys and wallet, locked the door, took Grace’s leash, and headed back downstairs. When we got into the car, I buckled Grace up in the front passenger seat.
Run in the Park and Treat
When we arrived at 12:50 at Borador Pond Park, Grace was careful to keep an eye on me. She went into the park when I went in. After my second lap, after Grace rounded the corner to head for lap three, she looked back at me to be sure I wasn’t turning back to the car. She seems to want to keep an eye on me more now or at least doesn’t want to be left there alone.
I needed to pick up a few groceries, so we went home a slightly different route. When we arrived at the grocery store at 1:30, I unhooked Grace from her seat belt, and told her to wait. When I returned, it was as if she hadn’t moved. I praised her and gave her a treat. As I was opening the treat bag, Grace began to drool. I gave her a little more for good measure.
Treats, Park, and Packages
When we returned home at 1:55, Grace had her second shower of the day. This one was just a quick rinse-off, but it still earned Grace a doggie treat. When she finished her treat, Grace went out on the balcony. I then began fixing some food. Grace came inside at 2:25 to keep an eye on me. I fixed her duck food and scrambled and eggs. Grace waited patiently in the foyer. At 2:30, I gave Grace her delicacy. When she finished eating, Grace went to the living room chair for her afternoon nap.
Around 3:05, Grace heard something and checked the park. There she saw her friends Hutch and Finn. Grace started to whimper and went to the foyer. Grace sat there as I readied myself. I could tell Grace felt an urgency to go out to meet her friends before they went inside. Five minutes later, I was ready. We raced down the stairs. In the outdoor walkway leading to the stairs, we met Grace’s friends. Finn had grown just in the few days we hadn’t seen him. The three dogs enjoyed greeting one another for a few minutes before Hutch and Finn moved on.
I figured there might be a package to pick up at the office anyway and the afternoon sunshine was inviting, so I didn’t turn back but instead led Grace to the mailbox area to check for packages. Sure enough, we had some packages in the office. I told Grace we were going to get a treat. As we passed the park entrance, Grace delayed, but I repeated the word treat. Grace headed straight for the office. Once there, Grace had her treat a staff member retrieved the packages for me. She asked whether or not I could handle them. I told her I would take the small ones and give Grace the large ones.
After we picked up the packages, we went to the park. Grace was content to lie in the sunshine and sniff around most of the time. She also played some ball. After thirty minutes, Reggie came in for about ten minutes. Grace and Reggie had little interaction. Shortly after Reggie left, Grace returned home also.
Sundowning
At 4:20, when we returned home, Grace went to the balcony for fifteen minutes. When she came in, she resumed her watch from her office perch. At 6:45, Grace came into the living room and insisted on going for a walk. As we emerged from the elevator and went out the walk, we met Betsy. Grace went for her walk and returned ten minutes later.
Grace wanted attention. She did tricks for duck food. It was still tough for Grace. She wanted me to play with her. We played tug with her fox toy for a little while. Then, she chewed it on her own. Grace didn’t know what to do with herself from 7:30 to 8:45. Finally she gave up, got on her sofa, and curled up of the the night. At 9:10, I took her out. When we returned five minutes later, Grace went to her bed.
Friday
As I walked by at 4:00, Grace was in her bed. I briefly petted her and returned to bed. At 6:50, the alarm sounded. Ten minutes later, I got up, and felt a warm spot on the carpet as I left the master suite. With any other dog that would sound like trouble. What I’m talking about here though is not a wet warm spot but a dry one. Grace does not leave wet spots. I suppose Grace had just been lying there and, as a result, had warmed the carpet. She was at the balcony door looking out the window. I opened the door for her, but she didn’t want to go out on the balcony in the 31-degree cold.
Call of the Wild
At 7:10, we went out. Abby was already there. I let Grace loose, but she delayed in the bushes for a minute or so. She finally ran up, and they were off to the races. By 7:25, Abby’s owner had to leave. Grace played ball until 8:00 and then she moved on.
Grace headed straight for the dog run at the apartments next door, but on the way she met and greeted Lucy. At the dog run, Grace looked over the panoramic view of the woods and lake. The call of the wild was too much for her. She turned and headed for the woods and drainage area.
She took me to the gate, and when I lifted the latch, she used her paw to push the gate open. open. Within minutes, I learned that “the call of the wild” involves scents. Grace followed her nose to a portion of the deer pelt. She spent a while chewing on it and eating it. Grace spent a lot of time exploring the woods there. It became burdensome to keep up with the leash, so I let it go for much of the time. At one point, I released it a split second before she jumped over a drainage stream.
When she went down to the river, I headed for the road at the bridge. I called her and she came running with the leash trailing behind her. Our next destination was the fields flanking the Greenway. Once we were in the field to the right, I removed Grace’s leash. She went straight for the drainage gap beneath the fence. I called her back. After a minute of checking out the area, she came.
From there, she ran across the field, down the steep slope to the river, and around to the other side of the river. I lost sight of her and quickened my pace to catch up with her in the field across from Grace Beach. When I reached the field, I couldn’t see her. I whistled. Grace ran up the steep, slope toward Grace Beach. I think she thought I was up there. I whistled some more and called her. She looked my way and came back down.
Next, Grace ran through the field and up the other steep slope toward the apartments. There, I lost sight of her as she travelled on the terraced road. After five minutes, I began whistling for her. About five more minutes later, she appeared at the end of the road closest to the lake. I wanted to leash her, but she wasn’t quite ready. Grace took off again running free into the field. After more whistling and calling, I encouraged Grace to came to me and leashed her. At that point, she did a lot of rolling in the grass and leaves.
When she finished, we went up the walkway to the apartments. As we emerged, there was Zeus — the white Husky mix that we had met the day before. This time, they socialized for just five minutes. When they finished, Grace finally, reluctantly went home.
More Play
When we arrived home at 9:10, Grace went to the balcony. At 10:10, Grace spotted Hannah and Miley in the park. I resisted, but Grace wanted to go. Five minutes later, I took her. Grace played with the dogs and had a good time stealing kisses with the owner’s little boy.
When we returned home at 10:40, Grace went back to the balcony to enjoy the sunny 40-degree morning. At noon, Grace came inside and looked expectantly at me. At 12:10, we left for the pond park. Grace chased the gray crane from one side of the lake to the other. She found the net and tossed it a few times and chased some other birds in the woods. When I had to return to the car after two laps, Grace had rounded the bend. She stopped and looked back. She thought I would be coming back but wanted to be sure. When I returned, she proceeded merrily on her way.
When we finished, Grace came and jumped into the passenger seat. I snapped her in and we were on our way. When we returned home at 1:35, Grace went straight to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, I called her inside to take a bath. It was just a quick rinse-off this time, but it still earned Grace a doggie treat.
When she finished, Grace went on her perch. I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t return to the balcony, but I believe now the reason was she needed to nap. I tried opening the window for her, but she acted like it was cold so I shut it. At 2:30, I fixed Grace’s special afternoon meal — duck and eggs. Grace moved to her bed to be closer to the action. After five minutes, as I ate Grace walked over to remind me it was time. She was right. I put the food out. Grace followed and happily ate it.
Grace then returned to her perch. At 3:20, surprisingly Grace again came out, went to the balcony, and got up on the lounge chair to watch the action below. At 3:45, Grace was wearing down. She came inside, curled up next to me on the sofa and took a much-needed nap.
At 4:30, Grace spotted Bailey out at the park. We raced down to meet him. They greeted enthusiastically. Then Grace chased Bailey for a couple of minutes before they reverted to just playing fetch. After fifteen minutes, Abby came. That set off the sparks. Grace launched into action with a full-force attack on Bailey — chasing him and knocking him down. After five minutes, Abby joined in and Abby and Grace ganged up on Bailey. After about ten minutes of that, I gave Grace the ball to chew while Abby and Bailey mauled each other.
Next Hutch and Finn came in. Grace is always happy to have more dogs in the park. She settled down to mainly watch at this point. Abby left followed by Hutch and Finn. Zeke showed up and finally came a Basset Hound. It was getting late. The time was 5:45, and we needed to pick up a package at the office. I told Grace it was time to get a treat. Grace took me to the office. Grace enjoyed her treat, and I picked up a package.
As we passed the park, Beckham joined Zeke. Grace and Beckham greeted through the fence. Beckham also lifted his leg our way, but I believe Grace evaded the stream. On the way home we met the Australian Shepherd that lives in our building and shared the elevator.
Sundowning
When Grace returned home at 5:55, she went to the balcony. Five minutes later, she came in to eat her supper. She then went to the foyer while we ate ours. Betsy was concerned about Grace. She called her over. I gave her a small piece of turkey. When I finished, Grace did tricks for turkey followed by tricks for duck food.
When she finished, Grace went to the kitchen. At 6:50, she went out on the balcony. Five minutes later, Grace returned inside but didn’t know what to do with herself. She sniffed around and looked in her toy box. She grabbed her puppy toy and took it to the dining room floor where she lay down next to it. That didn’t do the trick.
She returned to her toy box. Then she let out a low growl. Betsy went to her toy box to try to find something else for her. None of those things did the trick, so Grace moved on to the kitchen to be with Betsy who was preparing a dessert.
A minute later, Grace came back to the living room to get a long, refreshing drink of water. Grace finally settled on shredding a cardboard box from her toy box. After a few minutes of shredding, she grabbed her large Kong and threw it on the floor. Then she looked up at me and gave me a chomp gesture — showing her front teeth as she does with that move.
We played fetch for a few minutes with a small section torn from one of her two fox toys. Grace then settled down to chew on it. Five minutes later, she was back after me to play tug and fetch with her fox scrap. At 7:25, Betsy found a tick on Grace. After she removed it, Grace went up on her perch and napped.
Thirty minutes later, Grace was climbing the walls and whining. She looked at me and whined and then went to the foyer. At 8:10, I finally gave in and took her out for the last time. When we returned at 8:20, Grace whined. I gave her her toy puppy. Then she gave me an air chomp. She looked at the balcony door and growled. Betsy let her out on the balcony. She returned home two minutes later and went to the kitchen to be with Betsy.
Betsy brought me a piece of chocolate cake. I had to eat it at the table in order to deal with Grace. As we ate, Grace watched. I gave her a doggie cookie followed by a dental chew. Then, she went to the kitchen to hang out. At 9:00, Grace gave up and went to her perch to konk out. When I went to the kitchen to get a snack, guess who showed up? I gave her a few light treats. Grace then moved to lie under the dining room table.
Saturday
At 6:30, I got up and found Grace lying next to her bed on the floor in the dining room. We greeted. I grabbed my smart phone in another room to not disturb Grace who was still resting in the dark. As the day dawned, Grace got up.
Early Morning Fun
At 7:10, we left for the park. I took a detour to check the car in the back lot. Grace took her time walking up to the park. By the time we arrived, Abby was there. Grace and Abby did their usual run and wrestling routine. For the last fifteen minutes, Abby grabbed the prized ball. Grace stayed aloof for a while but then engaged Abby in wrestling. At the very end, Abby dropped the ball, and Grace grabbed it.
When Abby left at 8:00, Grace played ball with me. Despite the 32-degree cold, Grace didn’t seem to tire of the game. I, on the other hand, did start getting cold and decided to go home. When she returned home at 8:50, Grace went straight to the balcony. When Grace saw me put out her breakfast ten minutes later, she came in, ate it, and moved to the living room chair for her morning nap.
Rest and Recharging
At 9:50, Grace got up and went to the balcony lounge chair. A half hour later, Grace came inside and curled up on her sofa. After forty minutes, she returned to the balcony.
I began preparing a sandwich a little after noon. At 12:20, Grace spotted me and came inside. I didn’t have any scrambled eggs for her, so I just gave her a half cup of duck food. When she finished she began whining or talking.
Sensual Overload
At 12:35, we left to go to the flea market. Grace’s senses were energized from the moment that she arrived. She excitedly sniffed and explored the new environment filled with people, cars, and shops. When we went inside, Grace went to a pet store and got a pig’s ear.
Betsy gave her that treat to eat while I browsed a another store. Grace met some other dogs as well as many people who enjoyed meeting her. When I went to get the car, she and Betsy enjoyed a soft pretzel.
Thrill of the Chase
When we returned home at 2:20, Grace went out with me running. The first lap around was rather non-eventful. By contrast,the second lap was a thriller. As we approached the bridge over the river on Winstead, Grace quickened her pace. Grace was on the trail of something she had been tracking for months. As we crossed the bridge, I looked up to see a herd of four deer about 20 yards to the left.
Grace wanted me to let her free to chase them, but instead I ran with her. The deer headed to the Greenway and down to the lake. It looked to me like they were trapped down there between the lake and the fence. At that point, I let Grace go. She took off like a shot after them.
Three of the deer went through the gate (which I did not notice was open). The fourth ran back up the hill toward the Greenway along the fence. Grace caught up with it, went after its hind leg, and scared it into running into the fence.
The deer bounced off of the fence and ran down along the lake shore before turning up across the Greenway, along the river, across the field and into the woods. Grace followed, but even with her impressive speed, could not catch the deer which does about 45 mph.
Grace did well though as she streaked after the deer. A guy with a fancy camera had a great time recording the action. Grace put on quite a show! I caught up with Grace about ten minutes later, but it took another ten minutes before she would let me near enough to leash her. After having tracked those deer for months, she was not about to let that fun end quickly.
Storm and Calm
When Grace returned home at 3:00, she went straight to the balcony. After ten minutes, Grace spotted friends at the park. We raced down to join the fun. Grace met Peaches and Lucy. At the gate, Grace was excited to get in, but Peaches was aggressively growling at Grace. Peaches had still not gotten over her run-in with a Pit Bull the week before.
Something Peaches did set off Grace. She tore after Peaches with an aggressive growl. I’ll mark this as a milestone. Her actions were more along the playful line though also fairly aggressive. She went after the harness of Peaches and tried to knock her over.
After about twenty seconds, the dogs calmed down and things became pretty boring. Peaches did chase Lucy for a few seconds. Grace simply invited all of the adults to throw the ball for her to fetch. When Lucy and Peaches left, we left too. I stopped by the mailbox and my car on the way back.
At 3:50, when we returned home, Grace went to the balcony. When she came inside twenty-five minutes later, Grace had her shower followed by a doggie treat. When she finished enjoying her treat, Grace went to her bed and took a nap. After the action of that afternoon, Grace was ready for a nap.
At 5:15, although it appeared Grace was asleep, as soon as I brought out some shredded cheese for my salad, Grace’s radar detected the distinct sound of the plastic bag. She perked up her head. I called her over and gave her some. When I finished eating at 5:30, Grace did tricks for chicken scraps. Fifteen minutes later, Betsy filled the ends of a bone with dog food and peanut butter and gave it to Grace. Grace skillfully, methodically worked on her challenge.
Fifteen minutes later, Grace went out to the balcony. She returned inside five minutes later and went to her perch. After about an hour there, she came into the living room — making lots of talking sounds and wanting to play tug. She was beside herself, talking and coming after me to play tug and fetch with her. After an hour and a half of Grace working me over, I finally decided to take Grace out early. When she returned at 8:40, Grace got up on the sofa a Betsy vacuumed. There she remained as we went to bed.