Sunday
Although she awakened an hour or so earlier, Grace remained quiet while we slept and rested. At 7:00, she sat up. I took her outside at 7:10. We returned home at 8:15. Betsy fed her (one cup plus Vitamin E). She could tell something was up as both Betsy and I dressed to go to church. At 9:00, I took her outside. We returned at 9:10.
Pick Up the Car
Betsy left a few minutes later. She left Grace uncaged, sleeping on the love seat. When we returned at 12:05, Grace was on the floor near the balcony door. She did no damage. I took her across the street to Sunrise. She crossed effortlessly. I had planned to take farther down the street, but she objected. Instead, I just had her get into the car, and I drove the car back home.
Chew Needs
We returned at 1:00. I fed her lunch (one-half cup). Grace wanted something more. I gave her a dental chew. That lasted about ten minutes. For lunch, Betsy and I had the rest of the fish from last night. That sparked Grace’s interest. I saved back a little for her, but as I was eating the rest found some small bones. I decided against it. Betsy gave her another bully stick, which satisfied her need to chew.
Afternoon Outing
The weather was sunny and moderate with the temperature in the low fifties. After playing sock toy with me for about ten minutes, Grace went outside. She returned inside at 3:20. After a couple minutes of puppy play with the small flower pot, Betsy took her out for a trip to the pond by the school.
When they returned at 5:20, Betsy said that Grace chewed her leash in half in seconds. She played in the pond. Betsy fed her (one cup). I gave Grace a bath. Grace played fetch with the tennis ball. At 8:30, I took her outside. We returned home at 8:45. She then stretched out on the sofa next to Betsy to relax before bed.
At 10:30, we finally went to bed. Betsy directed her to her cage. This time she left the door open.
Monday (Christmas Eve)
Grace waited until 6:20 to jump up on our bed to greet us. I took her out at 6:30. Grace discovered a discarded McDonald’s bag. It contained at least one french fry remnant. After ten minutes of scavenging the bag contents, she moved on. Then we spotted Fraggle! That was good for over an hour of chasing and wrestling. We returned home at 8:20.
Disappearing Act
At 8:30, I gave Grace breakfast (one cup plus Vitamin E). After she at her food, she disappeared. I checked every room and the balcony. I looked under the beds. She had vanished. I started rechecking. The office area and the bed room are two rooms that have been off limits for her in the past. This is because they contain furniture and cables that we really could not tolerate a puppy destroying.
As mentioned before, Grace has discovered the best view she can find in the house is from the office window with the low window sill. It turns out that’s where she was seated. We had some laundry hanging between her and the window that partially blocked my view of her. At 9:40, she tired of that and walked out into the living room. She didn’t know what to do with herself until she found I had re-stuffed the head of new toy. The project of carefully, methodically removing the stuffing from it, occupied her attention for a while.
Short Stay
At 11:00, I went running. Grace was lying on the ottoman. I told her “Good-bye.” Betsy was home in bed with a headache. When I returned about a half hour later, Betsy was up with Grace still on the ottoman. I praised her and gave her a treat. Betsy fed her at 12:00. I took her outside at 12:10 and returned home at 1:00.
Shredding Fun
I gave Grace an empty large oatmeal container. She went to her work in methodical fashion and completed the fun in about fifteen minutes. Betsy went shopping, so Grace and me held down the fort—I with my laptop and Grace curled up keeping track of me.
At 2:45, she had enough resting. We did a little tug and fetch with the tennis ball, but she soon discovered her bully stick and renewed the project on that that she started last night. By 3:15, I had to switch out bully sticks since the one she had was getting small enough that she might try to swallow it. She continued with that until Betsy returned home at 5:00.
Spreading the Love
At 5:10 we went to visit Mom across the street. I showed one of the residents Grace’s tricks. She found a little popcorn on the floor and cleaned that up. Grace was good and brought smiles to the residents but was also quickly bored. By 6:00, she was climbing the walls. We returned home at 6:15.
Betsy fed her supper (three-quarter cup). We ate supper while Grace went to the office and took a nap. At 7:45, Grace emerged and joined Betsy on her sofa.
The trash needed to be taken down. I knew if I waited until Christmas, there could be an overflow at the dumpster. At 9:00, we went down. Grace stopped just short of the trash bin. There’s a fire hydrant there. I placed the loop over the top to keep her leash secured. She was happy to stay there and chew on a discarded cup she had found. We returned home at 9:15.
By the time I showered, Grace had already curled up on the bed. I raised the covers, snuggled up next to her and we all went fast asleep.
Tuesday (Christmas Day)
We noticed Grace awake at a little after 6:00 AM. She washed herself and remained calm. At 6:50, I got up and took her out at 7:00. Christmas morning was particularly calm and peaceful The weather was clear. The air had a slight chill to it but was milder than most mornings.
We said “Hi” to Rumba and his owner’s friend out on their patio. Around 8:00, we greeted a lady with a pug dog. She was wearing just a T-shirt and tights. That’s partially a reflection of the mild morning weather. About fifteen minutes later, Grace picked up a scent. She started running. When we turned the corner, I knew what had stirred her. Brantley was standing in the back. Grace spent twenty minutes playing chase. She would dart in and out of bushes and turn on a dime to evade her faster and larger playmate.
Keeping Her Distance
At 8:40, we returned home. I fed her (one cup plus Vitamin E). She then retreated to the office on the floor. She basked in the sun. We’re still trying to understand this latest desire she has to go there. It could be to get away from us, or it could be she wants some time alone. Of course, she does get time alone when we leave for various events, like church, but perhaps she needs more. She finally emerged around 12:20.
At 12:30, I took her outside. She didn’t find any friends on this outing but did run on her own. We returned at 2:00. Grace went outside on the balcony. I went running. When I returned, Grace must have heard or smelled me. She wanted inside. She came in and hung out in various rooms on the floor.
At 5:00, Grace started to get impatient. She wanted to play tug and fetch with a ball. At 5:15, I fed her supper (three-quarter cup). After eating she was back to wanting to play. This time it was with the tennis ball. At 5:30, I took her outside for fifteen minutes. When she returned, she jumped up on her sofa and took a nap.
At 7:30, Grace wanted more attention. Betsy gave her a dental chew. After that, she gave her a new bully stick. Grace did a pretty good job occupying herself, but eventually became listless again.
At 8:00, Betsy took her outside. They returned at 8:10. Grace insisted on playing fetch with new toy. Eventually she settled down to perform another careful lobotomy of it. At 9:00, she stood at the door. This was a bit unusual given that she relieved herself just an hour earlier. I took her out for fifteen minutes. When we returned Betsy was in bed. Grace jumped up on the bed as I showered and prepared to join them about fifteen minutes later.
Wednesday (Day after Christmas)
I got up at 6:20 and returned to bed. The alarm clock sounded at 6:50. I dressed and took Grace out at 7:00. The grounds were wet from rain and the rain was still falling. The moderate light rain continued with no wind and a 43 degree temperature. Grace went out to the grass, turned around and tried to go up the stairs. I led her back out there and told her to pee-pee. She obliged me. I praised her and gave her a customary treat before directing her back upstairs. I’ll log this as two milestones—one for her bladder endurance and another for her command response.
Grace immediately grabbed new toy and insisted on tug and fetch play. We did that for about ten minutes. She found the new bully stick that Betsy gave her last night and started on that project. Eventually, she tired of that and curled up on the sofa until noon. I fed her lunch (one half cup plus Vitamin E), and then took her out.
Wet and Messy
There was a brief lull in the rain. After fifteen minutes, we spotted Dakota. He’s back! They said “Hi,” but couldn’t play because of the messy weather. We returned inside and Grace resigned herself to more napping. By 2:50, Grace had become impatient with just hanging around. She brought me sock toy for tug and fetch. Her front paw action is becoming particularly annoying. She uses them not only to scratch my arm but also to paw at the edge of the chair or sofa seat.
Finally at 3:00, I took her outside. While the ground was messy, the water had stopped its descent from the sky. She explored the full property but had the best time at the big hill on the adjacent lot. She would throw a stick up in the air, grab it in her mouth and race up and down the hill in a circle. It looked like good exercise.
At the end of the outing, Grace smelled Dakota out on his patio. They played with his ball and each other through the rails. There’s some red clay in front of that patio. It left Grace fairly messy. I gave her bath. She tolerated it fairly well. After I dried her off, she curled up on the chair. I told Grace “bye-bye” and to be a “good girl.” She understood. When I returned she was there where I left her.
Shortly after I sat on the sofa, Grace curled up next to me. At 5:15, I fed her (three-quarter cup). She returned to her bully stick until Betsy returned at 6:30. She gave Grace a dental chew. After that project, Grace returned to me with a sock for tug and fetch. I decided to work on tricks for treats. We did tummy, worked on roll, and then I worked on getting her distinguish between a tennis ball and Kong toy. That will take more work. At 7:50 she acted like she spotted a friend from the office window. We checked from the balcony but saw none.
She returned to the office to play tug and fetch with sock toy with Betsy. Grace bounce between Betsy and me for about a half hour before settling down on the sofa. At 9:30, Betsy took her outside. They returned ten minutes later. Grace lay down on her sofa and passed out. In the middle of the night, she found her way to our bed and joined us for the rest of the night.
Thursday
Grace awoke around 6:00 but remained still. Betsy stroked her gently. At 6:40, suddenly she jumped off of the bed. I checked outside, but saw nothing. We went outside at 6:50. Around 7:15, we spotted Dakota. They both had lots of energy and did lots of running. They played until 7:50, when Dakota had to go inside. At 8:00 Grace joined me on her sofa to rest.
Shopping Spree
At 9:15, we went off shopping. Grace hopped right in the car when I opened the door. The first stop was a Harris Teeter, to check for some flowers. They did not have much at that one, so I returned to the car in a few minutes. Grace was seated in the driver’s seat, watching attentively. A man in the car next to me commented that it looked like she was going to drive off. It was pretty cute.
We moved on to another grocery store to pick up a few items. This time it took about ten minutes. Again, Grace waited patiently for me to return. The final stop was The Fresh Market. They have a florist there. I was able to pick up a dozen fresh roses there. When we returned, I told Grace to be good and that I was leaving. She was on the floor then. When I returned in a half hour, she lay peacefully on the chair. She disturbed nothing.
At 1:00, I fed her (one-half cup) and let her out on the balcony. While the temperature was in the forties, the sun shone brightly on the southern exposure. A few minutes later, she spotted some dogs. She desperately signaled me to take her out. We quickly went out, but we found none of her friends. I believe it was just a couple of dogs that don’t play. We just proceeded to make the rounds. We stayed in the front area this time.
At 2:30, we returned home. I made a few phone calls and then took off for another ride for errands. First, I dropped off some eyeglasses. Then, we went to pick up some eyeglasses at another store. We went to a department store to get another size for a Christmas present. I drove to the hardware store to get some nylon rope to repair Grace’s leash. In the same shopping center we drove over to the grocery store area. I stopped in at the laptop store and discussed tablet computers with an expert. Finally, I picked up some ice cream and returned to the car. Grace waited patiently.
When we returned at 5:15, I fed Grace (three-quarter cup). I told her I’d take her out to check for friends. We hooked up with Fraggle. They played until I had to leave at 5:55. Grace came in and collapsed on the sofa. After about an hour, Betsy gave Grace a dental chew. When Grace finished that, she proceeded to the bully stick.
I took her out at 8:30. We returned fifteen minutes later. Grace got in bed with Betsy, while I did some more work on my laptop and then prepared for bed. I joined them at 9:30.
Friday
The alarm clock sounded at 6:05. We were already awake. I finally got up it 6:20. Grace followed when I started getting dressed to go out. We left the house at 6:30. The temperature was a brisk 32 degrees. I noticed while picking up her waste, steam rising from it. I’d never seen that before. Finally, we met up with Brantley. They played for about a half hour. We returned home at 8:00 and, I fed her (one cup plus Vitamin E).
Power Out
At 9:00, the power went out. I decided to go running. I told Grace to be good. On the way, I noticed Fraggle outside and asked if she wanted to play. Her owner said with the power out, this was a good time. They played for an hour and a half. We noticed that power came back on around 10:20. We returned home at 10:30. Grace went out on the balcony for fifteen minutes. When she came in, she curled up in the chair. At 11:45, Grace moved to the sunny area next to the balcony doors.
At 12:15, I fed Grace lunch (one-half cup). At 12:30, I went out running leaving Grace free in the house. As usual, when I returned at 1:00, all was well. The sun came out. Despite the cold (low-forties temperature) she went out on the balcony. At 1:30, I called her in to take her to run errands. I dressed her in her pink (prissy) halter an leash.
Going for a Ride
We stopped first at a department store. I returned after ten minutes. Grace was seated patiently in the driver’s seat. We moved on to a grocery store for five minutes. Grace was seated up in the back seat when I returned. When I dropped of a package at a UPS store, I brought Grace with me. The ladies in line immediately gravitated to her and petted her.
They could easily pick out the Labrador in Grace but with her chest covered, were unsure about the mix. They knew she was not pure Labrador because of the few white markings that were not covered and her smaller size. I told them she was a Borador and the father was a slick-coat Border Collie.
Finally, we stopped at the gas station. The lady on the other side of the pump was a long-time dog owner. She has collies. I explained to her Grace’s mix and then told her Grace’s name. She loved the name. (We do too!)
When we returned at 3:00, Grace curled up on her sofa with me and took a nap. After a dream, she got up and picked up her newest little toy that I found on the grounds yesterday. It’s a mouse-sized stuffed bear. She wanted to do tug and fetch. That would have destroyed it. I restricted it to just mild tugging. She eventually relented and went back to working on her bully stick.
Dakota Play 2
At 5:00, I fed her (three-quarter cup). I took her outside to look for friends. At 5:30, Dakota’s owner said he would get up with us within the hour. We returned home. I prepared and ate a salad. Grace waited patiently. At 6:10, Dakota’s owner called to let me know that Dakota was down waiting to play. At 6:40, we came back inside. She came to her sofa and lay down next to me.
Winding Down
At 9:00, Grace got up and started chewing on one of her sticks. Betsy realized that we had not given Grace a dental chew today. I gave her one from a new bag. It looked larger than those we had been feeding her from the previous page. At 9:30, I took her out. We returned ten minutes later. She came in and worked some more on the dental chew.
Spooked
Out of the blue, Grace barked. That’s unusual. I assumed she was barking at Betsy who was eating a small dish of cereal. We told her to be quiet. A few minutes later, she barked twice more. I investigated more closely. Grace is not a barking dog. She will only bark for good reason. She was positioned about four feet from the space heater that Betsy had moved and turned on. I turned it off and moved it back out of the room. That solved the problem.
Grace stretched out on the sofa. We went to bed at 11:30.
Saturday
In the middle of the night, Grace moved from the sofa to join us. At 7:10, she wsa ready to get up. We went out at 7:20. It was soggy with a light rain with a temperature of 39 degrees. We saw Sammy for a few minutes but spent the bulk of the time just exploring the grounds. Near the end of the time outside, the rain picked up. At 8:45, Grace actually led me to the stairs. I followed her up.
Obedience Milestone
When we came in, I grabbed a towel and called Grace to the bathroom. Grace retreated. I persisted. She came reluctantly. This is another milestone—coming despite her strong desire not to come. It was a very brief rinse-off of her feet and legs. I then wiped down her wet coat and we were done. I praised her and gave her a treat.
Morning Down Time
It was past time for breakfast. I fed her (one cup plus Vitamin E) and noticed her water dish was dry. Despite my best efforts, on rare occasions, I’ll find this. After breakfast, she curled up on the sofa. When Betsy got on the chair, Grace moved there and curled up with her . It was a tight fit, so after some loving, Betsy gave up her seat.
Afternoon Outing
I fed her lunch (one-half cup) at noon. At 12:30, we headed out to a park with a pond and walking trail. We were the only people there The path must be about a half mile. We did a five laps. Grace ran with me. This is another milestone! She preferred to run in spurts rather than trot, but until Betsy called her, she stayed with me. She had a really good time romping around with her cute tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.
Car Savy
She impressed Betsy with her car manners. She goes into the car on command. She sits up in the passenger seat like she belongs there. Still, if the car goes more that about 35 miles per hour, she tends to want to lie down. When we slow down, she perks up and enjoys the scenery.
When we returned home at 2:00, Grace went out on the balcony to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. At 3:00, she came in. I gave her a dental chew. That satisfied her for about twenty minutes. She went back on the balcony. At 4:00, she barked. I assume she thought there was a friend outside. We went out, but there were none. We did hook up with Cato though for about ten minutes. I forgot my mailbox key so we returned to pick that up, went back down to the mailbox, and returned home.
Evening Play
At 4:40, Dakota’s owner called. Grace raced down the stairs. Dakota was at the bottom of the stairs to greet her. They played for about twenty minutes. During that time, I was able to call Grace back from play twice—another milestone. They also met up with Taz, but she was not interested in playing. Grace returned inside at 5:10. While Betsy was vacuuming, Grace didn’t know what to do with herself. She finally went out on the balcony.
Betsy fed her supper (three-quarter cup). She then gave Grace a dental chew. Earlier in the week, someone who hadn’t seen her in a week noticed that Grace had grown taller. I weighed her. She came in at 41 pounds. By 7:00, Grace was out of sorts again. I decided to do tricks for treats. She did them well. She’s even getting “roll” better. I then worked on getting her to distinguish between ball and Kong and to fetch the specified one. This will take more work. After we finished, Betsy and I busied ourselves in the kitchen.
Setback
At 7:30, Betsy saw Grace squatting down and leaving a puddle on the floor. This is her first accident in quite a while. It’s always a disappointment because we hope that we could be beyond that. The trend here is worth noting. Almost all of her accidents happen at about the same time—after supper or during our supper. That also seems to be the time of highest anxiety for her. I need to understand this better and come up with a solution. Perhaps I should alter the time to go outside to incorporate that time.
After cleaning up the puddle, I took her outside and walked her until she completed emptying her bladder. When we came in ten minutes later, Grace jumped up on the chair and took a nap. At 9:00, Grace wanted to go outside again. When we made it to the bottom of the stairs, she started tracking. The faster I walked the faster she went. I started running and she ran faster. It turns out she was tracking her friend Brantley. Alas, she was just in time to greet him from afar as the climbed the stairs back to his apartment.
We returned home at 9:10. Grace settled down on her sofa for the night. About fifteen minutes later, Betsy ran the garbage disposal. That disturbed Grace. She looked up at the noise disapprovingly. When it stopped, she settled back in for her sleep time. When we went to bed she remained there.