Grace awoke at 6:30. Betsy took her out and was impressed with how Grace responded to the “stay” command flawlessly. They returned at 6:50 and Betsy loaded up a Kong toy and gave it to her. Grace finished with that in less than ten minutes. Then she and Betsy played fetch and tug with a sock. Betsy fed Grace at 7:30 (one cup). Betsy locked her in her cage at 9:10.
We returned at 12:10. Betsy fed Grace (one cup). Then we went downstairs to play with Dakota. After play time, we went exploring. We met Lady and a new tan Lab named Cooper. After saying “Hi,” we moved on to lounging on the grass. She she lay with her tummy up, I would say “good Tummy” and give her a treat. She still doesn’t get that one, but she’s happy to receive the treats. After we returned at 1:15, Grace spent about twenty minutes on the balcony. It has a southern exposure, so she gets hot out there after a while.
When she came in, she went to the kitchen floor to cool off. After I turned on the dishwasher, she retreated to her cage—presumably to avoid some of the noise. After ten minutes, she moved back to her sofa.
At 3:15, we left for the park. Grace enjoyed the wide open spaces. She said “Hi” to a handful of dogs. We went to the pond and Grace waded around up to her belly. There was a fair amount of excess bread thrown to ducks that drifted to the shore. We returned at 4:30. Betsy fed her (two-thirds cup). That was not enough. I put Grace through her paces with her tricks. She’s still not getting “tummy” yet, but we’ll get there.
At 6:00, I took Grace to empty the trash and then pick up Betsy’s car at Sunrise Assisted living. Along the way, she collected two more treasures (broken tree limbs). As we drove into the parking lot we saw Sammie. We played with her for about ten minutes and then went upstairs. I put her two new treasures on the balcony. She went on the balcony for about a half hour, came in on her sofa for an hour, and then went back out on the balcony at 7:50. At 9:00, we went out one last time. When we returned fifteen minutes later, I told Grace it was time for bed. She went to her cage, and I locked her in for the night.
Monday
A 5:55 AM, Grace yawned. I almost got her up then, but instead waited until 6:30 when she made her usual whimpering noises. We were out back homs at 7:15 when Dakota appeared. That was good for a rollicking half hour of puppy play. When we returned, Betsy fed her (one cup). Grace then napped on the sofa for about an hour. The temperature was pleasant outside, so I invited her to join me on the lounge chair. By 9:30, she was ready to go outside. We went exploring in the pond at the vacant lot next door and returned at 10:10.
At 10:20, I locked Grace in her cage and left for a short shopping trip. When I returned at 11:40, I let Grace out. She told me it was time for lunch. I fed her (one cup). At 11:50, we headed out to play with Dakota. It turned out Fraggle was there to start. That lasted until 12:45. When we returned home, I locked Grace in her cage while I went running. At 1:15, I returned and opened her cage. Grace lay a the entrance for about an hour. Then she joined me back on the balcony lounge chair. Unlike this morning though, she was more anxious for me to take her outside rather than hang around on the balcony.
At 3:15, I could hold her off no longer. We went outside. At 3:55, we returned and went to the balcony. By 4:20, she was ready for dinner (two-thirds cup). As usual, it wasn’t enough. We did tricks for some more. She still does not understand “tummy.” Also, it looks like “heel” may be messing up “stay.” We’ll keep practicing. After supper, we went out on the balcony. At 5:15, Grace started complaining that it was time to see Dakota. Unfortunately, I received no call. After fifteen minutes she calmed down.
During dinner, Grace was particularly difficult—barking and jumping up with her front paws on the table. Betsy appeased her anxiety with the Kong toy. By 6:40, we had to go out. We met Tucker and said “Hi.” We returned at 7:40. Grace passed out on her sofa. At 9:30, Betsy dragged her little “sack of potatoes” off of the sofa and walked her to her bed. A very groggy Grace knew the routine and went to her cage willingly. Betsy locked her inside and Grace returned to sleep.
Tuesday
Betsy’s alarm clock sounded at 6:00. I took Grace out. Betsy had told her to just do her business and come back. The crisp morning air and noticeably stronger breeze tells me the warm weather of the past few days will be only a memory. I tried going out on the balcony with Grace, but after a couple of minutes, Grace wanted back inside. Grace brought me her tug squeaky toy to play “fetch and tug.” We did that for about ten minutes. Trying to hold her off from breakfast, despite the 51 degree temperature, I tried the balcony with her again. It was 7:00 and the darkness of pre-dawn had now passed.
By 7:30, Grace wanted in. We went inside, and I fed her (one cup). After complaining a bit that she wanted more food, she tossed her Kong toy around, sniffed looking for something to scavenge, jumped up on her sofa, curled up in a ball, and took a nap. About an hour later, she got down and walked back to the balcony door. We went out until 9:00, when she asked to come back inside. She found one of her treasured sticks and started chewing.
At 9:40 we went outside. It had started raining lightly about fifteen minutes earlier. The ground remained dry enough to walk around normally. Grace did her rounds and we returned at 10:30. I locked her in her cage and left. It 12:05 I returned. Grace was standing in her cage waiting. I fed her (one cup). Then we went outside. The rain intensity had increased and the ground was no longer dry. As soon as she relieved herself, I directed her back upstairs. She went out on the balcony while I ate lunch.
At 1:00 Grace came back inside and lay on her sofa. At 1:50, I got on the floor to clean up some of the splinters that Grace left from teething on one of her treasures (sticks). After that, I gave her a tummy rub. At 2:00, we played “fetch and tug” with a sock. One time she caught the sock in the air. We finished at 2:30. At 2:50, Grace spotted something down in the courtyard and barked. It was Fraggle.
Marathon Wet Playtime
We ran down to meet her. Fraggle could now be trusted enough to go off leash. Grace even leaped over Fraggle on a full run. Grace had a great time with her—playing over an hour. Jack came by and joined in for about a twenty-minute span of time. Grace was a superstar, running fast, darting around the benches, and finally finding a stick and baiting Fraggle to chase her. We returned at 4:00. Grace got up on the ottoman and passed out.
At 4:30, I fed her (two-thirds cup). As usual, we had to do tricks for more food. I then had to leave the house for a couple minutes. Grace was on the sofa. I figured I’d take the risk and test her. When I returned, she was sitting nicely on my chair (part of the sofa set). I directed her back to the sofa. Grace started barking at me. I was seated in my chair and the sock lay between us. She wanted to play “tug and fetch.” We did that for fifteen minutes. Grace moved on to the bully stick while I ate dinner.
The Graduate
At 6:15, Grace went to her final puppy class. She walked through some obstacles, did “stay-come,” and then walked through tunnel. Grace did these tasks with ease. She received a certificate of graduation and a squeaky toy. We returned at 7:40. Grace continued to work on her bully stick. At 8:00 she went out on the balcony lounge chair. At 9:00, Grace came in and went directly to her cage. Betsy said “Good night,” and locked her in.
Wednesday
Grace awoke at 6:35. Betsy played with her for ten minutes. We went out at 6:45 and returned at 7:05. The 33 degree temperature and absence of dog friends encourage me to direct Grace back inside quickly. Betsy gave her a loaded Kong toy at 7:00 and fed her (one cup) at 7:15. She came to me to play “fetch and tug” for about fifteen minutes. At 7:35, she moved to her sofa, for a nap. At 8:05 Betsy left. Grace whimpered as she left. I let her out on the balcony to watch Betsy leave.
Then Grace came back in—whimpering some more. I did tummy rubs for a few minutes and let her out on the balcony again. After five minutes, she returned inside, went to her empty food dish, and whined. I gave her the Kong toy that had a wafer treat stuck in the far end. Grace knows to throw the toy on the floor to release the treats, but she is not as aware that she can dislodge a stubborn clog by biting the toy. I’m sure, that will come. After a few minutes, she got the embedded wafter.
Grace still wanted something. I tried to console her. Then the phone rang. It was a reminder for her final vaccine. When I completed the call, Grace had discovered her wooden stick. She then continued her task of turning it into splinters and satisfying her need for teething. That lasted for about ten minutes. Then she went through her toys. She had left her new squeaky toy on the balcony. She asked to go out, retrieved it, and came back in to work on removing its tags.
Old Friend
From 8:40 to 9:10, we played “tug and fetch” with her new toy and a few minutes with the tennis ball. She went back out on the balcony for about five minutes. Then, she took her new toy into the old litter box tray (her first bed) and curled up in it.
Go for Ride
At 10:30 we “went for a ride” to the store just down the road. I left Grace in the car while I filled the gas tank and also for a ten minute stint while I got something at the store. I told her to “stay.” She waited patiently and watched for my return. She resisted any chewing or destructive behavior. By 11:15, the temperature had warmed to about 50 degrees, and the sky was clear. Grace went out on the balcony and stayed for a little over an hour. I fed her (one cup) for lunch.
Spooked
She squirmed on her back and whimpered. I scratched her back. She licked me appreciatively. She then jumped up on her sofa for a nap while I ate my lunch. While cleaning up, I turned on the disposal. Grace opened her eyes disapprovingly. I turned it off about ten seconds later. Grace resumed her nap. At 2:15, Grace got up. She seems to have a problem with fleas, but I could not find any. She started barking looking in the direction of the wall. I think she was spooked by a light spot from the sun shining on the wall.
Fraggled
We went out at 3:00 and explored for an hour. I practiced weaving her through a line of bushes. She did the exercise with ease. I locked Grace up at 4:15 and went running for thirty minutes. Shortly after I returned, Fraggle was out in the courtyard. Grace played with her until 5:40. I fed her (two-thirds cup). She seemed okay with it, but about ten minutes later, we had to finish out with tricks practice and treats. She napped on the sofa for about an hour. Grace got up and demanded some “fetch and tug.”
At 7:30, we went outside for fifteen minutes. After she returned, Grace hit the sofa for some serious napping. Betsy put her to bed at 8:45.
Thursday
At 6:00 AM, Grace awoke. I got up first. Betsy had been jumping up and paying a lot of attention to her. Today Betsy stayed in bed, but Grace still wanted the attention. She meandered, in no hurry to go out—stretching, yawning, and rolling over on her back. We went outside for fifteen minutes and returned. Grace followed my lead especially well. When we returned, Grace played “fetch and tug” with her sock toy.
Flea Check
I mentioned to Betsy that the past few days Grace has acted like fleas were bothering her. She would squirm on her back, scratch around her neck, and whine, I checked her but never found any. Betsy said she was about a day and a half overdue on Grace’s monthly flea medicines. Betsy said she doesn’t like to overwhelm her with medicine, so she just gave her the topical flea medicine. She said she will give Grace the Heartguard Plus tonight.
Separation Anxiety
After giving Grace the flea medicine, she gave her a treat. Then Grace proceeded to work on some serious teething on a stick. Betsy fed her (one cup) at 7:30. When Betsy left, Grace was more upset than usual. I let her out on the balcony to watch. When she came in, she wanted to go outside and persisted. I took her out at 7:55. On the way, I worked on using come and leash leading to weave her around bushes. She did not do as well today. Perhaps it was because she wore a collar rather than a harness. I did it a second time with her a few minutes later. That time she did an acceptable job. We explored until 8:40 when we returned. Grace was not ready to come in at that time. I regretted not having the harness on her. I will not make that mistake again.
When we came in, I gave her her usual treat for coming. She settled first on the ottoman and then on her sofa. By 9:30, she asked to go out on the balcony. She poked her head through the bars, so I tried to get her in that position. By the time I made it downstairs with the camera, she had removed her head from between the bars. I tried for about ten minutes to coax her to put her head out, but to no avail.
Trip to Vet
At 10:30, I left to visit Mom at Sunrise. I returned at 12:10 and fed her (one cup). I quickly prepared and ate a sandwich and whisked Grace off for “a ride.” I repeated the phrase many times to try to teach her the meaning. I think she’s catching on. I mentioned the itching. The vet saw no evidence of fleas.
I asked about feeding. He said we were doing great. They checked the computer program. It said two and three quarters cup plus treats or three cups without treats. Counting the treats, I’m a little over, but at least I’m close.
I asked about her nails. The vet said they are fine. As long as they do not touch when she is standing, they’re good. He checked Grace’s eyes. The drops that Betsy applied worked. He saw no further evidence of eye infection.
I pointed out two very small spots on Grace with missing fur. The vet did a scraping and determined that she has demodectic mange. He said it is all around and could be on our skin. Grace’s problem stems from an immature immune system. He said we did a great job detecting it. He said since Grace has only two tiny spots, we will use the topical approach. The medicine, called Goodwinol Ointment, was prescribed to be applied daily. He also said 200 IU Vitamin E and Selsun Blue can help. They also sent us home Heartguard Plus for 26 to 50 pound dogs. Today Grace weighed in at 34.1 pounds.
Grace traveled there and back gracefully. When she returned home, she napped until 3:30. She wanted to play. We played “fetch and tug” with her new toy and then with the squeaky toy sock. She settled back with the new toy from puppy class. After a few minutes, I noticed that she had pulled a considerable amount of stuffing out if it. The stuffing by itself was fun too.
At 4:30, I took Grace out. We took out the trash, explored, got the mail and returned home at 5:30. The wet grass seemed to heighten Grace’s olfactory sense. She excitedly and rapidly When she returned home, I fed her (two-thirds cup). I did some clean-up. She still insisted that we practice tricks. She still doesn’t do “Tummy,” but it took less effort to get her to do it. When we finished, she moved on to her bully stick. It started getting a little short (about three inches), and Betsy said she didn’t want to risk her choking on it. I soaked another one that she had worked on previously.
When I finished eating, I took my milk cup (half full) and put it on the floor beside my chair. About fifteen minutes later, I noticed a lapping sound next to me. I was puzzled because Grace’s water bowl was behind me. When I looked down, there was Grace, joyfully lapping up her milk. Betsy returned home at about 6:15. Grace heard her footsteps and waited anxiously for her—greeting her at the door. It was quite a love-fest.
Some dental chews that Betsy ordered came in today’s mail. She opened them and gave one to Grace. Grace set aside her bully stick and began working on the dental chew. At 7:40, Grace said she needed to go out. Betsy took her. They returned at 7:55. Grace continued with her dental chew and finished it. At 8:10, she put herself to bed. I locked her cage and told her “Good night.”
Friday
Grace got up at 6:30 AM. Betsy was in bed. She sneezed. Grace raced to her room, bounded on the bed, and gave Betsy her royal morning greeting. We returned at 6:50. Grace came back a second time to visit Betsy in bed. Betsy gave her a loaded Kong toy at 7:00. Then she gave Grace her Heartguard Plus. That lasted a couple of minutes. Then we played “fetch and tug” for about fifteen minutes. Betsy fed her at 7:20 (one cup).
She watched Betsy leave and mourned the loss. We played “fetch and tug” with sock toy and new toy. Grace further disemboweled the new toy and made some very short trips to the balcony. She finally settled on chewing one of her treasured sticks at 9:05 but was really ready to go out. We explored until 10:20. I called Grace into her cage, locked her in, and went running. I returned at 10:55, let her out of the cage, showered, dressed, called her back to her cage with lunch (one cup), locked her in, and at 11:15 left for a luncheon.
Extended Outdoor Time
I returned at 1:45. We went out exploring until 3:00. I tied Grace up and told her to “stay” for a couple minutes while I ran upstairs to get the car keys, drivers license, tennis ball and flying disk. On the way out, we said “Hi” to Luna. I told Grace we were “going for a ride.” She’s catching on to that phrase now as I repeat it. We went to Bond Park. We frolicked in the grass; played “fetch and tug”; splashed in the water; chased squirrels; said “Hi” to dogs, children, and dogs; and explored. When we returned home at 4:40, I fed her (two-thirds cup).
When Betsy returned home at 5:30, Grace was sleeping and didn’t have the energy to give Betsy her usual royal welcome. At 5:55, Grace barked. I thought it was the moon through the window, but she persisted. I had intentionally omitted the command session. I tried that next. That seemed to do the trick. She then settled in with her treasured stick for a five minute chewing session.
While we ate, Grace wanted attention. I told her to wait until we finished. When we were done, Grace reminded me. We played “fetch and tug” with both the sock toy and new toy. She had done further disemboweling of the new toy and while we played, the disabled squeaker fell out. Betsy disposed of it. After about twenty minutes of play, Grace got on her sofa and fell asleep.
At 9:00, I woke Grace up and took her out. Grace spotted Rumba and wanted to play. He was aloof as always, but Grace gave it her all. At 9:25, we came home and ten minutes later Betsy put her to bed, locking her up for the night.
Saturday
Grace awoke at 6:20. I got up and petted her for about five minutes. and took her out. She checked for any food scraps in the parking lot between cars. We explored until 7:00. She led the way home. When we returned, Grace jumped up on the bed to say “Good morning” to Betsy. Then she curled up on the quilt next to her.
At 8:00, Betsy and Grace got up. Grace sat expectedly waiting for breakfast. Betsy fed her (one cup) and gave her 200 IU Vitamin E for her skin problem. We’re supposed to do that and apply the cream to spots for thirty days. Betsy pulled the sheets protecting the leather sofa and ottoman off to wash them. Grace seems to have opted to lie in the sun on the floor rather than on a towel on the sofa.
At 10:30, we went exploring until noon. She found a baseball and removed the cover. Betsy fed her (one cup). She spent about an hour out on the balcony. At 1:15, Grace got back up on the sofa and conked out. By 3:00, she was ready to play. We did “fetch and tug” for twenty minutes and then she went out on the balcony. At 3:30 we went out for our afternoon explore. We returned at 5:00. Betsy fed her (three-fourths cup). Grace then took a nap on the sofa while we ate supper.
At 6:00, she was ready to play. We played fetch with her and then gave her a grocery bag to shred. Betsy put her clean sheet on Grace’s sofa. Grace napped there until 8:10. I took her out, returning at 8:40. I called her to bed and she came.