Time Change
The time changed so Grace’s clock was right on time. She got up at 7:15 AM EDT. We made it outside at 7:30. The weather was cool and clear. Early in her exploration along the main road to the west, Grace found a large morning sticky pastry. Then she found a pastry roll and ate that also. She found two more of them, but I couldn’t let her gorge herself with that bread also, so I put it in my pocket to take home for another time.
Morning Walk
I wanted to take Grace back down Chatham, but she was content to stay closer to the complex and explore the south and east woods. On the way back home, we first met Beretta. A little later, we greeted Jack. We circled back around the north side of the complex, before returning at 9:00 AM. I prepared for church and left at 9:35. Betsy followed at 10:15, leaving Grace home alone.
Home Alone
When we returned at 12:30, Grace lay stretched out on her sofa. She obviously was still recovering from yesterday’s marathon play session. She even walked as if she had some sore muscles. I fed her lunch. While Betsy prepared our lunch, Grace lay contentedly on the dining room floor. She also worked on cardboard rollers and a box that I gave her this morning.
Endurance
I saved a piece of fish for her. When I finished, we practiced commands as I gave her bits of the fish. At 1:30, she went out on the balcony. At 2:00, she came back inside. She whimpered by the door at 2:20. It had been nearly six and a half hours since she was out, so I took her. It turns out she had no urgent needs but likely did just want to have some time outside and not have the beautiful day pass her by.
Agility Fun
We went down to the lower east woods. I had her stay before the obstacles that crossed the path. I then directed her to come and jump. She did it perfectly. We came back to the courtyard at 2:35. Grace greeted Sammie, who was not feeling well. At 2:45, Betsy came outside and took Grace to the park. They returned at 4:15. Betsy said Grace went almost far enough in to swim but then returned. Grace had a shower and then went out on the balcony.
Fun with Friends
At 5:00, Grace began to whimper. Olive and Flo were out in the courtyard. I rushed her outside. Both Olive and Grace were still recovering from the marathon playtime Saturday. They chased a ball some, chased each other a bit, and enjoyed just hanging out together. At one point, a couple walked by. I could not call Grace back. When we returned home at 5:45, Grace had her supper. After supper, she promptly stretched out on the sofa for a nap.
At 7:15, Grace moved to the floor near the balcony doors. At 7:30, she moved to the balcony. Grace came inside at 7:30. She stayed in the living room occupying herself until I took her outside at 9:20. We returned at 9:40. Grace got up on her sofa to go to bed.
Monday
Morning Play
Grace never came to bed with us for the night, opting for the sofa and office. At 7:25 from the office ottoman, she spotted Olive. I let her out on the balcony to alert Olive’s owner that we were coming. I dressed quickly. Olive met us on the way downstairs. Grace and Olive were thrilled to get another chance to play. They played until Olive and Flo had to leave at 8:10. Grace had a few distractions during the time, but she did not bolt. I was able to call her back with treats.
After Olive left, Grace proceeded to the east area along both sides of the road. I restricted her from going to deeply into the woods on the far side of the road. She then crossed back to explore the south woods and pond. She focused on lots of sniffing. When we returned home at 9:00, Grace took a quick shower and then had breakfast. After breakfast she curled up on the office ottoman to watch and rest.
Greeting Strangers
At 11:00, the repair men came. Grace greeted them cheerfully. I then put her out on the balcony. They worked for a while and had to return later with a part. At 12:15 they said they would be gone for a couple hours to get another part. After she had lunch, we went out for a ride. The first stop was the UPS store where we dropped off a package. Grace enjoys going with me into the store, so she came with me. From there we went to the park to run. We returned at 1:15.
Afternoon Travels
Grace went back out to the balcony. At 2:15, I started taking some things out to the car. Grace saw me and was a bit concerned. I reassured her and let her inside. As I prepared my final box to go out, Olive and Flo appeared. I took Grace with the box. They played for fifteen minutes. I then took her on my next trip.
We made our first stop for thirty minutes. I took a plastic bowl of water with a top. When I returned to the car, I gave her some water, which she enjoyed. We travelled back to the apartment. I had Grace wait in the car as I went in for a few minutes. We traveled to the next stop. Grace waited in the car for another thirty minutes. We made another stop and then went home. Grace was her usual amazing self—waiting patiently for each stop.
Tricks for Treats
At 6:00, we returned home. Betsy fed her supper. We then ate ours. Grace wanted more. We did tricks for treats. The main focus was jump and working on the new trick crawl. She’s close on crawl, but I won’t log it yet. Grace stretched out under the table. While she slept, she made a different sound, squealing in her dreams. She seemed to be awake at 8:30. I took her out for fifteen minutes.
After we returned, Grace acted like she wanted some munchies. I gave her a treat. Then Betsy popped some popcorn. We shared it with her. Grace really enjoyed eating what we were eating. At 10:00, she lay by the balcony doors and fell asleep.
Tuesday
Walk in the Rain
Grace slept with us most of the night. The alarm clock sounded at 6:50. We finally made it outside at 7:20. It was raining enough that I needed an umbrella. At times it rained hard enough to make it uncomfortable for Grace. I shortened the leash and told her to heel. That kept her under the umbrella. She seemed to understand and did well. We returned home at 7:45. She appreciated being towelled off after we came back inside. She whimpered some because she didn’t get her normal morning outing time.
Discovering Fountains
Grace jumped up on the ottoman and rested patiently as I worked on the laptop. At 9:50, we left to meet someone regarding real estate in downtown Cary. After the short meeting, I took Grace around the grounds to explore for ten minutes. She found the fountains interesting but a bit frightening. We then proceeded to the credit union. There Grace waited patiently in the car for about fifteen minutes. When I returned, I let her explore the park next door for about fifteen minutes.
New Friends
We returned home at 11:00. Grace entertained herself while I worked getting ready for my meeting with a tax advisor at noon. Grace had her lunch at 11:50, right before I left. Grace greeted me happily when I returned. at 3:00. At 3:15, we left for the park. Grace found a little Schnauzer/Poodle mix that liked to play and knew how to play properly. Grace played with it for about ten minutes before it had to leave.
As we started lap one, Grace spotted a tiny dog. It was intimidated by Grace’s size and was not able to play with her. After one lap, Grace proudly ran past me with a large catfish carcass. As we completed lap two, Grace spotted a large wire-haired dog that also had not been socialized. Grace tried her best, but the dog did not understand how to play, which is pretty sad.
Royal Welcome
At 4:15, we returned home. Grace took a bath and then went out on the balcony to watch for friends. At 5:10, she spotted Betsy. When Betsy rounded the corner to climb the stairs, Grace let me know she wanted to come in. She went to the door and greeted Betsy as she entered the apartment. Grace had a quick supper. By then Betsy had changed clothes and decided to take Grace back to the park.
Fun at Park and Home
They returned at 6:30. Grace found no suitable playmates, there, but enjoyed the fresh air and exercise anyway. After we finished supper, Grace wanted to do “tricks for treats.” We worked on jump. I started with chair height. The problem was, she didn’t clear the chairs but stepped over them. I had to lower the barrier to banker’s boxes to help teach her again what jump meant. She properly jumped the boxes. I then added cushions and pillows to raise the barrier to chair height. When I went back to the chairs, she was properly jumping them. It’s hard when she tries something but doesn’t quite get it. I can tell she is doing her best and wants to please. Grace is a joy to train.
Preparing for Night
After that, Grace wanted more. I gave her a treat. That was enough. At 8:00, she got up on her sofa and took an evening nap. At 8:50, she got up and went to the door. She had no urgency, but she knew it was time for that last trip out before bed. We returned at 9:25. Betsy had just made a Boston creme cake. As she ate it, Grace watched. Betsy got up and gave her a chicken and sweet potato dog treat instead.
As we stayed up, Grace figured she could stay active too. We turned out the lights, and Grace promptly stretched out on her sofa and went to sleep.
Wednesday
At 3:50 AM, Grace jumped into bed with us. After a while, she fell asleep and began to dream. At 7:30, we started our day. Today was the day of the big morning trip. I had heard that it was possible, but we never tried it. We made a four-mile loop through Bond Park and back. Grace didn’t understand at first, so we didn’t really get started until twenty minutes into the walk.
Big Dog Circuit
We went to the Fox Hunt section of the Cary Greenway and walked the path along the water. Grace jumped in occasionally along the shore to grab a stick or piece of trash. Grace enjoyed a quick morning snack provided by a slice of bread left along the way. We made it to the other side of West Chatham Street and then out to Bond Park. I wondered as we walked if the gravel bothered Grace’s feet. They didn’t seem to, but I wondered why not.
I had forgotten to take treats with me. The area of the park we entered was deserted and isolated, so I decided to let Grace off of the leash. She enjoyed the extra freedom to explore, chase birds, and romp in the woods. Surprisingly, she did not approach two people passing by. As we neared a parking lot, I told Grace to wait and come, but she just pressed on. Eventually, she paused long enough for me to grab her tail. At that point, I put her back on the leash.
We were now out of the woods and travelling along park roads. I was a bit uncertain regarding the correct turns, but it turned out that I made the correct turns. Suddenly, Grace picked up the pace. She began running. She was pulling me as she ran. It was all I could do, just to keep up. About 500 feet ahead of us was a lady walking two dogs.
We finally caught up with them. One was a Borador and the other a Golden Retriever. The Borador had markings that approached Grandaddy. That included white on its nose and speckled white on her paws. The dog’s owner said it weighted fifty pounds. It was about three inches taller and longer than Grace. Its owner said it is a natural in the agility course, but does have some destructive tendencies in the house.
We continued running on the sidewalk as we continued back home. As we approached our apartment complex, Grace spotted a neighbor dog. Grace playfully jumped at him and chased him while they remained on their leash. As we headed inside we met Jack and immediately after Jack, Fraggle. Grace played ping-pong, bouncing between Jack and Fraggle. When Jack left, Grace and Fraggle mixed it up for another fifteen minutes.
Rest and Relaxation
When we returned home at 9:30, Grace ate her breakfast. I gave Grace an empty egg carton. She really enjoyed shredding it, one cup at a time. She also worked on a couple of thin cardboard rollers. Grace was pretty tired. She slept most of the morning. I gave her half of one of her rolls that she found earlier this week. At noon, we went on another trip to downtown Cary to pick up some documents. She was dragging a bit, but she’s always ready to go. We returned home at 1:00. She dragged herself through the dormant turf grass, covering herself in the cuttings.
Sleeping Hard
When we returned, Grace had lunch. She wanted more. I gave her a treat, followed by a dental chew. Grace slept on the love seat and then moved to the sofa. On the sofa, she breathed noticeably hard as she slept. Often now she likes to prop her head up on the armrest as a makeshift pillow. At 2:00, I gave half of a dinner roll that she had found Monday. At 3:10, we left for the park. When we arrived, Fraggle was already there. I let Grace loose, but she was reluctant to enter the park until I came in.
Park Play with Fraggle
Grace and Fraggle played their rough-house and followed me around the track once or twice. Then Fraggle gave out. Grace continued to easily follow me as usual. The last lap, I ran with her leashed up. She followed me much better than the previous time I tried a couple of months earlier. We pressed on to our next stop. I had to stop in for about ten minutes. Grace waited patiently in the back seat of the car. From there, we returned home. Grace wanted to roll around in the turf, but I eventually got her to come upstairs. She had her supper. After supper Grace the rest of the dinner roll and a treat.
Happy Greeting
We left for church at 6:45. When we returned at 9:00, Grace met us at the door with her royal welcome. I took her outside for twenty minutes and we returned. On the way back, she found a nice stick and brought it with her. We did tricks for treats. She did all of her tricks perfectly. It was very impressive. She found a cracker box I had left for her and worked on shredding it. I went to bed at 10:15 as Grace lay on the floor with her shredding project.
Thursday
Grace joined us in bed in the early morning. After tummy rubs, we went outside at 7:30. Our trek today circled the complex in the crisp clear weather, but focused on the south and east woods. It must have been near freezing because my hands were cold. The first stop was to greet Cato. They like to play, but it is hard on the leash. Grace grabbed a two-by-four and brought it up to the turf area for a good chew. Then she brought a short, fat limb to the turf area and tossed it around playfully for a few minutes before chewing it.
Ear Sores
At 9:00, we returned. We first washed off her muddy paws in the tub. Grace then had breakfast. She wanted something else so I gave her a piece of the other dinner roll that she discovered earlier in the week. At 9:30, I looked at the sores on the inside of each ear almost at the tip. The sore on her right ear was about a quarter inch by an eighth inch in size and the one on the left about a third as big. Betsy noticed them about a week ago. I tried applying Neosporin to them Wednesday, but I saw no evidence of improvement. I decided to take her to the vet.
Trip to the Vet
We went to the vet at 10:00. Grace weighed in at 47.8 pounds. Both the vet and assistant were very impressed with Grace (both physically and mentally). He said the problem related to how small the blood vessels are in that spot and that circulation is impaired (vascular problem). He said we caught it early and prescribed Synotic W/Gentocin two or three times daily for two weeks. If that steroid doesn’t help he said there are more aggressive options we can try. While we were there, they gave Grace her her Bordetella vaccine.
The vet said he saw no evidence of her being close to her first heat. The vet and the assistant both commented on how well-behaved she was and how beautiful her coat looked. Grace did tricks for the assistant and earned treats. While waiting, I read a periodical that announced a Tarheel Dog Show at the Jim Graham Building on the NC State Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 23 between 10 AM and 2 PM. It includes a chance to try agility equipment sounds perfect for Grace.
Sleeping it Off
When we returned at 11:00, Grace went out on the balcony in the sunshine despite the chilly air in the low forties. I finally called her in at 1:00, gave Grace her first medicine treatment, and fed her lunch. After lunch she wanted a dental chew. I gave her one and then noticed Fraggle out in the courtyard. Grace left her treat to race after her friend. They played for about twenty minutes. Grace found a two liter plastic soda bottle and played with it for a few minutes. I grabbed her front legs and took her turf surfing.
Having a Ball
When we returned home at 1:35, Grace resumed work on her dental chew. At 2:40, we left for the park. Grace met a couple of dogs on leashes and a little white Schnauzer, who was pretty playful but no match for Grace with respect to energy and endurance. She found a worn out children’s basketball. It was on the other side of the fence, so I reached over the fence and got it for her. She worked a few seconds, and amazingly was able to grab it. She ran proudly with her new toy and batted it around playfully. The next time I saw her carrying it, it had lost about one third of it’s air. We left at 3:35 and headed for the store. I went inside for fifteen minutes. When I returned, Grace was patiently waiting. I stopped at another store for ten minutes. Grace again waited patiently. We made one more stop for five minutes and then headed home.
Good Puppy
At 4:50, Grace had another shower. She likes to roll around in the dormant turf grass and lately the brown clippings have been coating her. I used the shower to rinse most of them from her. She went out on the balcony until 6:00. When she came in, as she sat on her sofa, I gave her ears their second treatment for the day. I used a cotton swab this time to distribute the medicine. Grace then ate supper. I gave her a couple treats and a dental chew. When I finished my dinner, I gave her a piece of my chicken and had her go through her tricks. Grace breezed through them.
Afterwards, Grace enthusiastically shredded two or three Trader Joe’s bags. At 7:30 stretched out on the loveseat and went to sleep. At 8:20, she was dreaming and making repeated squeaking noises as she barked in her dreams.
Friday
Grace joined us sometime in the early hours of the morning. At about 6:45, she got out of bed, and went to the office to watch for friends. At 6:55, the alarm clock sounded. I got up and took Grace out at 7:10. Grace spent most of her time in the south and east woods. Sometimes she bolts when playing with other dogs or in this case from me. While off of the leash and in the woods, she took off and would not be recalled. I followed her to an area where she left a deposit on the grass. The point is that she prefers to do her business in private.
Pole Cat
Grace carried her largest tree to date. We can call it a milestone of a sort. It was a pole seven feet long and about two inches in diameter. It was actually larger, but a piece broke off as she picked it up. After carrying it about fifteen feet, she dropped it and grabbed a thicker, crooked, piece of dead wood about two feet long. We had to return home sooner than usual so I could attend a meeting at 8:30. Applied medicine to her ears and then fed her breakfast. I left at 8:20.
I returned at 9:00. Grace was resting where I had left her. After a bit more paperwork, I asked Grace if she wanted to come with me. She acted like she wanted to stay. I left again and returned at 10:15. Again, Grace lay peacefully on the ottoman where she was when I left.
Active Dreams
At 12:07, I saw her dreaming again. Her paws, front and back twitched in rhythm to what likely was a fun and active dream. It lasted a couple of minutes before calming down. I marvel not at how hard she plays, but also how easily and often she sleeps, recharging her batteries. At 12:15, she awoke. I applied more medicine to her ears as she stayed very patiently. Grace then had her breakfast and a treat. After that, she worked on bag shredding.
Park Play
At 12:40, we left for the park. There, Grace found her ball and again batted it around and carried it around the path. The next thing I saw, the ball was in the pond. Every effort Grace made to get it pushed if farther offshore. The wind was blowing to bring it back to the spot she went to retrieve it. I figured the next lap around, I would grab it for her. As I rounded the bend on that next lap, there was Grace with the ball. She had successfully retrieved it.
Good Wait
After we finished at the park, I made some stops at stores. Grace was her usual patient, good self. Each time I return from a stop of any length, I reward her with a treat. Often her mouth drools in anticipation. We had a few wooden hangers on the floor behind the passenger seat. I noticed she started to chew on one of them. Of course, she thought it was allowed since it looked like a stick to her and sticks are permitted. I told her no and gave her a stick.
After I stopped at the bank, I let Grace come out for a walk. She found a couple of bones in the bushes and ate them. After that snack we crossed the street to Bojangles. We found little to scavenge there so we returned to the main shopping center. There we met someone who has a Labrador Retriever mix (a male). She claims that Grace at seven months still has more skeletal growth. Her dog is about 60 pounds and is mature. After about ten more minutes of walking, we headed home.
Afternoon Rest
We returned at 3:00. I gave Grace a treat as I prepared my food. She worked on a box that I gave her, slept on the loveseat for a while, and then went out to the balcony to relax on the lounge chair in the pleasant 62 degree air. Grace came inside at 4:25 and hopped up in my chair and rolled up in a nice tight ball. In fairness, her ottoman had my computer case on it.
Evening Antics
Betsy came home at 5:10. Grace then had her supper. After supper, I treated Grace’s ear sores. She wanted more, so I gave her a very thick dental chew. She had a good time working on that for about an hour. Grace wanted more. We did tricks for treats. I forgot to work on the new crawl command. Every other command worked like a charm. When I went back to the kitchen for a snack, Grace pranced in there expecting something. I gave her a treat.
She resigned herself to rest on the loveseat. After dark at 8:00, Grace looked at me impatiently awaiting her last trip out. She rolled up on the ottoman. At 8:30, I took her outside. When we returned at 8:50, Grace jumped up on her sofa and rested her head on her pillow. The next time I looked her pillow was on the floor and Grace had turned 180 degrees stretched out on her couch. Apparently she kicked it off of the couch.
Saturday
Olive is Back!
In the early morning, I noticed that Grace had come to bed. At 7:00 Grace started to whine. I looked outside. There was Olive. Grace was very excited to see her best friend. I frantically dressed as Grace jumped up on the door. As we rounded the stairway to the first landing, Grace acted like she might jump over the railing. As she hit the final stairway down, Olive came up to greet her. They rand down to a play area.
Grace fetched a ball, and Olive tagged along somewhat. They did very little wrestling and roughhousing. After 45 minutes, Olive had to go home. Grace went to the south woods area. I let her off the leash. She proceeded to the east woods. As the train approached, I put her leash on. When it passed by, Grace bolted to get away from the noise. She went so forcefully, the latch gave way. Grace ran to the dapple gray dog in the grounds. I caught up with her as she found some of the wood that she dragged up. I put her leash back on her.
Social Butterfly
We made our way toward the townhouses. Grace started to explore the woods when Triscuit and Teddy showed up. Grace ran to meet them. Teddy had just had major surgery, so I had to keep Grace from being very playful with him. As they left, Grace spotted the other two dogs from the townhouses. The owner wasn’t interested letting them play, so Grace just said hello.
At 9:15, we returned home. Grace had her breakfast. Then, I worked on her ears. Today they did not look good. They were not worse than when she went to the vet, but not better either. The right ear looked like an open sore. Grace was very patient and compliant as I attended to her sores. She then went to the ottoman perch in the office. I had forgotten to give her a bath. Her feet were muddy from the northeast area and her body had pond water from the south pond.
Relaxing
After her bath, Grace jumped up on my chair. I think she wanted me to sit with her, so I tried to fit on there with her . It was a bit cramped, so I pulled the ottoman over next to the chair. At 11:00, Grace had attention lavished on her from both of us, rubbing her tummy and petting her. At 11:10, she got down on the floor. At 11:30, she went out on the balcony.
Trip to the Park
At 12:30, I took Grace to the park for our daily run. Today the “church” across the street was having a carnival. It was quite an event—taking all of the parking spaces (usually completely empty) at the park and lining the school roads with cars. We had to park along the school driveway at the far side of the park. Rather than walk all the way to the entrance, I stepped over and Grace jumped over the fence in a spot where it had been pushed down.
There was a man there with a toy-sized dog that feared dogs Grace’s size. I was able to recall Grace and put her leash on her. Grace showed the dog there was nothing to fear as she approached in a submissive position and with her tail wagging. That didn’t seem to matter. The man would not let them try to play. Grace moved on and found the big basketball again. A family came through the buxhes from the little shopping plaza next door. Grace ran to greet them.
Lost Leash
Somewhere along the line, I dropped her leash. I looked repeatedly for it as I rounded the path but could not find it. That was particularly distressing since I had to walk Grace back to the car through the mob of cars and people going to the carnival across the street. She jumped the fence as before and got loose. I tracked her down and lured her with treats. She did pretty well considering I had no leash. We finally made it to the car and drove back the driveway clogged with cars on both sides.
Double Dip
As we carefully made our way, Betsy waved us down. Luckily, she had an extra leash with her, so she took Grace back to the park for a second round. Betsy played fetch the ball with her as they enjoyed the warm sunny day. I went off to the store and bought a replacement leash. After I returned. Betsy pulled up with Grace sitting very properly in the passenger seat. When Grace saw me, she lit up. I opened the door for her. She jumped out and greeted me.
Coming Down to Earth
The pool area is locked here, so two young ladies decided to lay a blanked on the courtyard turf and lie out in the sun that way. Grace saw them and went over to greet them. She would have gotten on the blanket with them, but they were not ready for that level of intimacy. After she came into the apartment Grace went to the balcony for about thirty minutes. When she came in, I took her to the shower to rinse her off.
Grace then jumped up on the loveseat, with her head propped up on the armrest and drifted off to sleep. By 4:05 her sleep had progressed to heavy breathing that’s similar to snoring. At 5:30, Grace got up and went to the kitchen. Her timing is still a little off from the time change. I treated the sores on her ears as she stood still patiently. Betsy gave her supper. At 6:00, we had supper as Grace lay calmly at my feet. After dinner, we did tricks for treats. Grace did them all with ease. I worked on teaching her crawl. She doesn’t quite understand, but she’s getting there. Her sharp front claws got the back of my hand and drew blood as we practiced it.
After dinner, I went to the office to do taxes. Grace followed me there, lying on the ottoman. At 8:00, she went out on the balcony. The pleasant 70 degree air was perfect for a nice snooze on the lounge chair. At 9:30, Grace went outside for the last time. When we returned, I gave Grace the remainder of the antler while Betsy and I had a bedtime snack. At 10:15, she curled up on her sofa and went fast asleep.