At 6:30, I got up and greeted Grace who lay beneath the office window. I gave her tummy rubs and she gave me kisses. At 6:45, we headed out. Grace continued to be less active than normal. Almost immediately she met up with Ada. They greeted with enthusiasm, but then Grace showed little interest in her usual wrestling. Ada did her best to engage Grace, but Grace was more interested in just chewing on a stick — even while Ada chewed on Grace’s leg. After about twenty minutes, Grace went her separate way.
Sniffing
Grace followed her nose most of time and stayed within the apartment campus. At 8:00, Grace returned home and ate her breakfast. After breakfast, she retired to the office. When we left for church at 9:20, Grace was still there. At 1:00 returned home. Lying crouched at the end of the hall facing the foyer. Greeted us enthusiastically with wags and kisses. After the greeting, Grace had her lunch.
Park Play
At 1:50, we left for Bond Park. We met up with the Labrador Retrievers up to the left on the dirt path. One of the dogs was named Marley. The other was older and while sweet, did not have much interest in puppy play. Grace fetched a stick a number of times and ran around some, but lacked her usual boundless energy.
We continued to the dock and clubhouse area taking the path in the woods rather than the paved path. We stopped at a little isolated lake access point. There Grace wadded around and dug in the water at the shoreline. When we made it to the dock, Grace found her next passion — sniffing out food. Her main find was bread pieces thrown into the water for the ducks and geese. She even found a submerged dog biscuit.
Dragging Home
At 4:10, we returned home. Betsy said Grace was really dragging on the last leg home. She almost felt like she needed to carry Grace up the stairs. When the made it to the apartment, Grace plopped down on the floor next to the balcony. At 4:20, Betsy let her out on the balcony.
Evening
At 6:00, Grace saw us eating supper and decided to come inside. She ate her supper and then did scraps for treats. She had a problem performing the paw command. We think it was because she was sore or injured. She even tied to give me her left paw instead of her right. Grace went out on the balcony to rest and watch.
At 7:00, she spotted Olive. We rushed downstairs. Grace mainly played with Olive’s ball (a ChuckIt!). We returned home at 8:00. Grace came into the living room and curled up for the night on my chair. At 9:00, she moved over to the loveseat instead perhaps to reduce the disturbance from the television. I went to bed at 10:00.
Monday
When I arose at 6:30, Grace was awake on her office ottoman perch, watching the new day dawn. We went downstairs at 6:40 and proceeded to the southwest corner of the complex. Although Grace had been inside since 8:00 PM the previous day, she exhibited no urgency to relieve herself. There she met Ada. They played for about a half hour. Grace showed some restraint with her play with Ada. It seems she’s a bit annoyed by Ada’s style of play. Ada will nip at Grace’s ears and feet, where Grace limits her attention to take-downs and neck control. It’s as if Ada is playing a different game or violates the rules.
Extended Morning Time
After exploring the east woods, Grace walked around the complex some more. When we returned home at 8:00, Betsy said she saw Olive. We turned around and ran to find her. We went south, where we saw her last, but couldn’t find her. We then turned west to see if she was headed home. Still we found no sight of Olive. When we doubled back past our entrance, we spotted Fraggle.
It was a black dog play-fest. Olive had to leave after fifteen minutes. Grace and Fraggle played until 9:20. When we came back inside, Grace ate her breakfast. After breakfast, Grace went back out on the balcony. At 11:20, we left for Salem Pond Park. The maintenance crew was there today. One worker was spraying weed poison. Betsy kept Grace on the leash and away from the area where the poison was being sprayed. Grace as disappointed that she couldn’t run free.
Home Alone
When we returned, at 12:10, Grace ate her lunch. After lunch she curled up for a nap beneath the office window. I left Grace at home with Betsy as I went to a meeting from 1:00 to 2:00. When I returned, Grace was sleeping in the office. A UPS delivery came with a knock on the door. Grace didn’t stir. At 3:30, we left to make some stops at a phone store and some apartments. We took Grace with us. She enjoyed the ride and behaved herself as usual.
Winding Down
When we returned, Grace spotted Ada. Betsy took her over to play, but Grace decided she wasn’t interested. Grace ate her supper and went back out on the balcony. She came inside at 8:30 and curled up on my chair. At 9:00, I took Grace outside for the last time. We returned at 9:15. As I prepared my snack, Grace wanted something. I gave her an empty ice cream container to lick out followed by a dental chew. Grace jumped up on the loveseat and went to sleep.
At 10:15, she came back into the kitchen as I was eating. I gave her a doggie treat. She lay under the dining room table. I prepared for bed.
Tuesday
I took Grace outside at 7:00. I had arranged to meet someone out at the lot around eight o’clock. I told him to call me on my home wireless phone. As we headed out, I grabbed a phone. Unfortunately, it ran out of batteries at about 7:15. At 7:25, I left Grace with Olive’s owner and Olive and raced up to get another phone — returning two minutes later. At 7:33, he called. I again left Grace and raced up to get my wallet an keys. Grace went with me to the land.
Fun at the Lot
We met the man there and walked the lot. Grace followed along and played in the woods. I did a couple of recalls with her as she approached the road. She came but not as quickly as I would like. When we returned home at 8:45, Betsy was gone. Grace went into the office and lay on her back there to rest. At 10:00, she went out on the balcony lounge chair and from there moved inside to my living room chair at 10:20. At 10:50, she moved across to the loveseat for some serious snoozing.
Leash Run
At 11:30, Grace went with me to go running. We ran on the leash. Grace stopped four times. She seemed to want to stop to take a breather. She would always pick a grassy area in the shade. On the way back, she grabbed a six-foot-long pine branch. After she carried it about 100 feet, I broke of the big end into a piece about two feet long and gave that to her. Along the way I would take it from her to lure her to get up and move on.
Afternoon Alone
When we returned at noon, Grace had her lunch. As I prepared for a meeting, Grace went out on the balcony and relaxed there. When I left a 12:35, Grace came inside. I told her “Bye-bye.” When I returned at 4:45, Grace greeted me with wags and kisses. She snapped her jaws. I gave her a dental chew. At 5:00, Grace had her supper. After supper she wanted more as I prepared a sandwich for myself. Grace had a doggie treat. She then went to her toy box to rip apart various containers and toss and chew various toys. Her newest toy that she found a few days ago was a small stuffed toy with a defective squeaker in the shape of an acorn.
New Toy
Betsy bought her a ChuckIt! ball that was delivered yesterday. I unwrapped it and gave it to Grace. It’s the size of a baseball, but she still liked the texture of it and enjoyed tossing and chewing on it. At 5:45, we spotted Fraggle and went down to play. When Betsy returned with groceries, Grace greeted her with tail wags. We returned upstairs. Grace went into her cage and lay down. This was unusual.
Friends
After a few minutes, she went to the office to watch for more friends. At 6:30, she spotted Ada. They played for thirty minutes. Betsy called me in for supper. Grace was not ready. She had business to take care of. After five minutes, she finished, and we proceeded inside. While we ate, Grace had disappeared. She was lying in her cage again. Perhaps she likes the cool feel of the plastic bottom.
Grace ate some chicken bone end scraps and kept her eye out for more. At 9:00, Grace went outside. She spotted Fraggle returning home from ball practice. Grace and Fraggle wrestled for about twenty minutes. When we returned home, Grace lay under the dining room table. I went to bed at 10:00.
Wednesday
At 6:30, Grace started to whine. Betsy invited her to bed. Grace came up but after a few minutes was back down. We got up. Grace gave me wags and kisses. She brought the two new ChuckIt! balls to us to play. We did a small amount of fetch, but Grace really wanted to go outside. At 6:50, we went outside. Fifteen minutes later, Betsy took Grace, and I returned to the apartment.
Upset
Betsy and Grace returned home at 7:50. Grace had her breakfast and retreated to the office ottoman as things became a bit tense between Betsy and me. She moved to the office floor about fifteen minutes later. I think she senses these things because they seem to make her sad.
Overheating
At 11:40 I took Grace out for a run. We again had to go on the leash. Again, she stopped about four times during the trip. I waited each time while she caught her breath and cooled down in the shade. At 12:10, we returned home. Grace went straight for her cage and lay there while I brought her her lunch. After lunch she napped in the office until 2:10. As I prepared my food, Grace emerged. I gave her the doggie treat bag containing remains. Grace then had a dental chew.
Little Monster
I put the empty doggie treats box in her toy box. She pulled it out and shredded part of it. She tried going to the balcony, but at this time of day with an 87 degree temperature, she lasted only about five minutes. When she came in, she acted as if she wanted some attention. I gave her tummy rubs while she gave me kisses. Then I noticed on her forehead, in front of her left ear, a tick. It was fastened really tightly. Grace seemed to know I was helping her and lay still with her head extended. After working on it for four minutes, it finally came loose. I followed it up with some antibiotic salve.
Getting Out
After lying next to her toy box, at 3:00 Grace moved to the office ottoman. At 4:15, Grace expressed agitation by doing her chomp, chomp. We went for a ride to pay an auto repair bill at the shop a few miles away. The hot car was a challenge, but Grace did okay. In the air conditioned office, Grace enjoyed the cool air and stretching out on the cool ceramic tile floor.
Evening Alone
When we returned home, I prepared something to eat. At 5:20, Grace came into the kitchen to remind me it was time for her supper. After supper, she went back to the office ottoman. Grace stayed home alone at 5:45 until we returned home at 8:15. Grace greeted us with wags and kisses. She expressed her agitation with more chomp, chomp. We went outside for thirty minutes. On the way back, she said hello to Jack through his patio railing.
Another Monster
At 8:45, Betsy checked her for ticks and found another opposite her elbow. Grace again understood we were helping her and remained still. Betsy invited her on the sofa and Grace jumped up to lie with her. When I went to the kitchen for a snack, Grace popped in. I gave her a doggie treat. She proceeded to beneath the dining room table. She was there when I went to bed at 10:00.
Thursday
When I got up at 6:15, Grace was on the office ottoman watching the action below. As I returned from the bathroom Grace greeted me with morning kisses. We did lots of pets and tummy rubs too. It was warm outside, so I went with just a t-shirt and running shorts. Without pockets I carried Grace’s treat bag in my hand. As I moved the bag I noticed that Grace was salivating. I felt compelled to give her a treat.
Morning Adventures
Next, Grace spotted Ada. They played for about fifteen minutes. Most of the time the play was fairly calm, but they did mix it up a little. Perhaps it was just to early for serious wrestling. Next we went down in the south woods. Then a dog barked. It was the dapple gray dog. Grace ran up to meet him. They said hello and chased for a few minutes. After that, Grace went back to the north pond area. There she found a golf ball, tossed, and batted it around on the slope. It’s fun to watch her get up on her hind legs and pounce on the ball with her front paws extended as it rolls down the steep slope toward the pond.
Grace proceeded to the east woods where she eventually found a bone. She enjoyed chewing on it for about twenty minutes. By then it was 8:05 and time for breakfast. I picked up the bone as we headed home. By the time we made it to the middle of the courtyard, there came Fraggle from behind. Fraggle was quick to spot the bone and repeatedly tried to get it from me.
Grace and Fraggle played until 8:50, when they finally broke up and came inside. Grace drank water while I prepared her breakfast. After breakfast, she began working on the bone, but Betsy took it from her. She said it was too small and she might choke on it. At 9:15, Grace went into the office to relax.
Run and Stop
At 10:00, we went out for our run. Today was another run on the leash. It involved a number of stops as before. Two were for bathroom breaks, but the remaining six were for Grace to take a breather. We stopped and met a hound mix dog. We also met someone whom was disoriented and whom I tried to help. We finally made it home at 10:50.
Delayed Feeding
At 12:30 I went on the balcony, Grace followed. When I came in at 12:50, Grace followed. When I went out to the car, Grace went to the office to watch. I left at 1:10. When I returned at 2:15, Grace greeted me with wags and kisses. I hadn’t fed her lunch, and Grace was a bit put off by that. I immediately corrected my oversight that and followed it with a doggie treat. Grace then retreated to the office. At 2:45, she jumped up on the loveseat across from me.
Balcony Time
At 3:00, I went out on the balcony. Grace stayed inside. When Betsy came home at 5:00, she let Grace out. Grace gave me lots of wags and kisses. We stayed outside for a half hour while Betsy vacuumed. At 5:30, Grace spotted Cato and Ellie outside. We rushed down to meet them. They played only ten minutes. When we returned, Grace had her supper. After supper Betsy gave Grace a bully stick, which she polished off in less than thirty minutes.
Betsy and I ate supper at 6:00. Grace did tricks for scraps afterwards. We then went back out on the balcony. At 8:30, I went outside but five minutes later she spotted Olive. We rushed down to play. They had a good time chasing, wrestling, and playing tug. At 8:50, she returned home and wanted to go into the office, but Betsy had shut the door. Grace whimpered. I opened it and Grace perched on the ottoman to watch the nighttime action below. By 10:30, she was stretched out on the floor asleep.
Friday
At 4:30 AM, Grace whined very softly. Betsy got up and took her out. Grace had a runny stool. We expect the cause was the bully stick. At 6:30, she began to whimper again. We made it outside at 6:45. Grace was a bit put off by my delay by the way. Because the temperature is heating up and Grace seems to overheat when we run on the leash without breaks or a pond to jump into, I’ve decided to do my running first thing in the morning while the sun is not out and it is in the cool of the morning.
Early Morning Run
We ran to Bond Park and part of the way back as Grace wanted to take the long loop home. Grace stopped less than she did in the heat. We returned at 8:15. Grace had her breakfast. Grace stayed home and lay on the loveseat as I did some work on the computer and then took the car into the repair shop. For lunch,I gave Grace some milk to drink and some cheese before giving her her usual breakfast to try to help resolve her digestive distress. We followed that up with a dental chew.
Lonely Afternoon
Grace returned to the loveseat to relax as made a meal for myself and then worked on the laptop. At 1:35, I left for an appointment. I returned at 4:30 and made a sandwich. Grace wanted something. I gave her a doggie treat and told her to wait for her supper. Betsy returned home with a pizza at 4:50. At 5:00, Grace had her supper. When I finished, I gave her a couple bytes of cheese and bread from the pizza.
Car Wash
I took Grace out to wash the car at 6:00. I had her stay while I moved the car to the car wash area. I wondered if it would throw her, but she did okay. I tied her up nearby so she could watch me and relax in the shady lawn. She drank water from the hose a couple times. At one point, she spotted Olive. They played with an empty bottle rather than with each other. After fifteen minutes, Olive went home.
Grace did her on-the-leash chase game with Cato for a few minutes when he came by. She stayed tied when I returned the car to the parking spot. She then stayed when I cleaned out the inside of the car. When she heard a strange sound in the woods, she bolted to the fence. She came back immediately though when I recalled her. When we returned home at 7:40, Grace and I retreated to the balcony.
Late Night Play
At 9:45, we went outside for the last time. We stopped and spoke with Baxter’s owner for about twenty minutes. Next, Grace wrestled with Fraggle for about ten minutes. When we returned home at 10:30, Grace joined me back outside on the lounge chair to take in the pleasant night air by the moonlight. We went to bed at 11:15.
Saturday
I got up at 6:15. Grace was in her usual morning spot — perched on the office ottoman looking out the window. When I went back to bed, Grace came by the bedroom and whined softly. I came to her and we exchanged our usual morning greetings. At 6:30, we went outside and started our run. As we passed Olive’s place, she came out. Grace and Olive had a good time wrestling and hanging out with each other. After about an hour, Olive went back inside. We then set off for our run. Grace’s runny stool problem had completely resolved.
Grace Impresses
On the way, we met a dog named Georgia. She was a German Shepherd / Corgi mix. Grace was her usual charming self. Georgia was pretty good with Grace, but she did snap at Grace when we left. Georgia’s owner said that Grace was a very impressive dog and that her name really suited her. Grace did not need to stop as much as previous days — even after all of that Olive play.
Staying Out of the Way
At 8:00, we returned home. Grace ate her breakfast. Grace and I went out on the balcony for about fifteen minutes. Betsy then joined us to say “Good morning” to Grace. We moved to the kitchen. Grace stretched out on the floor there. I tried to avoid her but brushed over her body with my foot. That was enough to encourage Grace to find another spot. She could tell we were busy and stayed out of the way.
Startled
At 11:00, Grace and I took out the trash and mailed a letter. Suddenly, on the way to the trash, Grace heard a strange sound. Jumped away from it, turned and responded with her big-girl bark (a deep “woof”). It was just on of the hundreds of air conditioning units. This is another in a long line of new things Grace will learn in her young life. When we returned home at 11:15, Grace lay on the plastic floor of her cage to be cool. She then moved to the carped by the balcony door.
Welcome Visitors
At noon my brother and nephew came for lunch. Grace greeted them happily. Grace had her lunch and wanted more. She then had a doggie treat followed by a dental chew. My brother said he liked her better this time because she was less excited. She caused no disturbance as we ate.
Want to be Loved
While we talked, Grace rested peacefully on the floor. At 2:00 our guests left. As Betsy and I embraced, Grace was noticeably hurt. We made sure to come back to Grace and show our love to her also. Grace slept on the floor by the balcony while Betsy and I talked. I was on the chair and Betsy was across from me on the loveseat. When I moved to join Betsy, Grace promptly moved to the chair. I presume this was so she could keep an eye on me.
Activity Deficit
At 4:30, Grace was getting antsy. She had only had her 90-minute morning jaunt and the short time out before noon to take out the trash. She still needed another hour or so just to get close to her exercise needs. Betsy was not ready to take her to the park, so I played fetch and tug with her for about fifteen minutes. I then made a sandwich. Grace wanted more from me. I gave her a doggie treat and told her to wait.
Young Dog, New Trick
At 5:00, Grace had her supper followed by a dental chew. Grace went to the cool foyer floor to await her outing with Betsy. Finally, at 6:00, Betsy took Grace to the park. When they returned home at 7:25, the little Borador puppy gave me her usual enthusiastic greeting. Grace waited patiently as we ate our supper. At 8:00, we did scraps for treats. Grace did her ticks flawlessly. Then I taught her “back.” She learned it with gestures in just a few tries. I’ll not register it until it is completely understood from just the verbal command.
Betsy mentioned that Grace had been in the pond. Grace had not had a shower in about four days since we had been staying away from Salem Pond Park. After her shower, Grace jumped up on the covered ottoman in the living room. After she dried off, she moved to the office to be with Betsy.
Mouth Distress
At 10:30, Grace went outside for the last time before bed. While outside, she ate a piece of something that became lodged somewhere in her mouth. I tried to help her by running my finger under both sides of her tongue. I heard a crunch. We returned at 10:50. When we came inside, she still struggled. I tried the finger maneuver again. Again, I heard the crunch and this time seemed to work because there was no more distressed tongue movement.
At 11:00, she lay on the floor by the balcony doors for a few minutes and then jumped up on the living room chair for the night.