Week Thirty-Nine

Grace Week Thirty-Nine

Early Morning Visitor

Sometime around 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM Grace joined us in bed. She is so considerate and careful not to disturb us, it’s difficult to detect when she joins us. At 6:15, she jumped down to look for friends. Olive often comes down around that time, so she knows her fishing will likely pay off. This weekend though, Olive was at the beach. Of course, Grace did not know that. We went out on the balcony for a while. The morning breeze was particularly fresh, cool, and comfortable.

Morning Walk

By 7:00 though, the siren sound of the hunt beckoned strongly. We set out for our morning trek. Grace first met Ada. While it took a while for them to get warmed up, they eventually had some fun with each other. They chewed a stick for quite a while, but finally transitioned to wrestling and roughhousing.

Ada still has the sore on her shoulder. The first vet said it was a pimple. A second one diagnosed it as a tumor. It doesn’t seem to be healing though. The young lady walking Ada said Ada does lick the wound some. I wonder whether Ada may be aggravating the wound and preventing it from healing. As with Grace’s mysterious ear sores, sometimes the solution is much simpler than it may first appear.

Grace explored the east woods next. She went down to the railroad tracks. I saw a ground hog running from the clearing into the weeds. Grace missed seeing it but moved that direction following her nose. As the train whistle volume increased in the background, I hastily directed Grace back to the woods. She picked up a heavy stick/log and brought it to her shredding spot in the grass. After working on it for a while, she went to the pampas grass by the pool. Although it had been trimmed just a few months ago, I had already grown thick. It was a great place to hide and explore. Jack walked by and Grace spotted him. Jack acted like he might want to play chase, but after a few minutes, changed his mind.

Grace returned home at 8:30 and went directly to the balcony to watch. Now that her head does not fit between the rails, she must become more creative to get a clear view. She will stick her nose through and get her eyes in the gap or position her chin on the deck between her outstretched front legs and look beneath the rails. Oh, to be a little puppy again!

Home Alone

Grace had her breakfast at 10:00. We left for church ten minutes later. When we returned at 12:10, Grace was standing there waiting for us in the foyer. After our standard greetings and I quickly changed clothes, Grace and I went out on the balcony. Lately, Grace has been getting more vocal — especially with soft whimpering and whining. I do not know what’s bothering her. It could be the warmer temperature, it could be fleas (but I haven’t seen them), it could be lack of friends, it could be feeling cooped, or something else. I do know she’s pretty tolerant before she objects to anything, so it does concern me.

Lunch Treat

At 12:45, we went inside as my lunch was ready. Grace lay down in the foyer and napped. I even put leftover fish in her bowl, but she did not budge. At 2:00, I got up to get a piece of chocolate. Grace was lying in the living room chair awake. She perked up as she heard paper crinkle. The fish scraps were still in her bowl. On my way back to the balcony, I pointed out the fish. Grace happily ate it and moved to the floor by the balcony doors.

Lots of Kisses

At 2:30, Betsy let Grace out on the balcony with me. Grace proceeded to give me a face-washing. Then she chewed a stick, whined some more and finally lay on the deck to take a snooze. At 3:00, Grace and Betsy went to Salem Pond Park. They found the tennis ball that they left there last week. Grace stayed cool by taking dips in the pond. When they returned, Grace greeted me with enthusiastic kisses and parked herself with me on the balcony. I called her in to the tub, and Betsy gave her a shower. After her shower she returned to the balcony with me.

Missing Friends

At 5:10, Grace had her supper. We skipped lunch and gave her a full cup for supper (the same amount of food). Grace then went to the office ottoman to watch out the window as Betsy left for church. At 7:00, Grace had had enough. She had been whining off and on for about thirty minutes. Then we saw Jack. By the time we made it downstairs though, Jack was gone. Grace spotted Fraggle on her deck. Grace ripped the leash from my hand and the two played through the bars. Olive was home from the beach trip but sleeping. After talking with neighbors, we returned at 7:45.

Grace joined me on the balcony at 8:15. At 8:45, Olive walked by but did not have time to play. At 9:00, we went outside and returned at 9:10. Grace and I ate popcorn together. When we finished at 9:30, Grace went to the office for the night. At 10:00 she came in and worked on an empty oatmeal box for five minutes. Then I thought she wanted up in my chair so I moved to the sofa. Grace then jumped up on the sofa next to me. That’s where she stayed when I went to bed.

Monday

At 1:30 AM I got up to use the bathroom. Grace was still on the sofa asleep. At 6:00, she jumped up into our bed. We did pets and kisses and a bit more of resting. Another emotionally charged shouting incident ensued around 7:00. Grace seemed to weather it better this time. Perhaps she is getting used to it. I’m sure it still hurts her though.

Soggy Run

At 7:20, Grace and I left for our run in the park. It had been raining and continued to sprinkle on and off. Grace seemed to run with a speed that I hadn’t seen in a few months. I was surprised that Grace missed seeing a rabbit twice. The third time around she finally saw it and chased it into some tick weeds. When we returned, Betsy was leaving to go to a class. Grace did not want to continue inside until she understood that Betsy was gone. At the apartment, Grace took her usual shower and then ate her breakfast. After breakfast, she lay on the floor by the balcony doors  and fell asleep.

Alone Again

Betsy and I left to resolve an issue at our new apartment at 10:40. When we returned at 2:30, Grace greeted us happily. After going outside for fifteen minutes, we returned to the apartment, and Grace had some lunch. She wanted more. I gave her a dental chew. She went into the office. As she heard me go for the graham crackers. When she finished, Grace jumped up on the loveseat across from me and went to sleep.

New Friend

At 5:00, we left to go back to the new apartment. After Betsy quickly signed a new lease, she took Grace to the dog park area. Grace met a Border Collie / Golden Retriever mix named Otis about the same size and age. Betsy said they enjoyed playing chase before I got there. When I saw them, they played tug and keep-away with a tug rope toy. At one point, Grace jumped up with both front legs around Otis’ neck. This really spooked Otis who responded with a vicious growl. Grace backed off immediately but also growled back. Otis’ owner broke up the action.

Sundowning

We headed home as it was about to rain. We returned at 7:00. By then, it was raining fairly hard. Grace went to the office to relax. At 7:30, she came into the kitchen to remind us to feed her supper. She wanted more. I told her to wait. After supper, she did scraps for treats. After that, she wanted more. I gave her a dental chew. After she finished that, she went to the balcony to watch the action. At 9:00 Grace came inside and curled up on the living chair.

At 9:35, we went outside. When we returned ten minutes later, she headed for the office but turned back. The light was on, and she was ready to go to bed. I turned off the light. Grace proceeded back into the office. At 10:15, I went to the kitchen to get a bedtime snack. When Grace heard the cellophane-wrapper sound, she came marching into the kitchen. I gave her another doggie treat. When we finished, I turned out the lights, but Grace wanted out on the balcony. I let her out. When I went to bed, Grace joined me.

Tuesday

Grace slept with us through the night. At 7:15, we got up. Betsy mentioned that Grace looked heavy. She still weighed in at 51 pounds. We left to go running at 7:30. Grace stayed with me closely as I ran. She also seemed to have increased speed and energy. She’s still not up to the peak she had achieved before her heat and before we switched to the higher calorie food, but she continues to improve.

Morning Watch

When we returned home, we walked around a bit. Grace tried her best to approach a dog her size that was poorly socialized. After five minutes, we had to give up. When we returned, Grace had her breakfast and then came out on the balcony with me. When I went inside to do send a fax, Grace jumped up on my place in the lounge chair. At 11:50, Grace spotted Betsy returning and got up to greet her. I opened the door and Grace could hear Betsy’s footsteps, but Grace wouldn’t stray. When she saw Betsy she came up the stairs, she wagged her tail, stretched, and happily waited for Betsy.

Lazy Afternoon

We returned to the balcony. Betsy then gave Grace a fresh doggie treat. I went inside at 12:15. Grace followed and lay on the foyer floor. She slept there as I prepared and ate my lunch. We’re attempting to wean her from lunch, and today she seemed fine skipping it at noontime. When Betsy and I went to the living room, Grace joined us, getting up on the sofa. When I went to the balcony at 1:30, Grace followed.

At 3:45, Grace moved to lie on the foyer again. At 4:15, Betsy took Grace for a walk. Grace preferred walking to a shady spot and plopping down. Even her meeting with Fraggle was pretty reserved. After an hour, Betsy gave up the idea of walking, and she returned with Grace. She then gave Grace supper. After supper, Grace came back out on the balcony with me and stretched out on the floor.

Friends Watch

At 6:30, we sat down to eat and Grace went to the office to watch for friends. Five minutes later, she spotted her friend, Olive. Supper would have to wait. Last Friday was the last chance they had to play. We raced down to meet them. They played keep-away with a ball and did a lot of wrestling with each other to gain possession of it. After an hour, we came home. On the way, we passed the weekly pizza stand. Grace said (with my help), “I’ll have a piece, please.” It didn’t work.

Smart Puppy

When we came back in, I gave Grace the shower she should have gotten this morning. When I finished my dinner, we did scraps for treats. We just did the back and crawl commands. She has learned back well enough now to claim it as a milestone. Then we moved back out to the balcony. Grace never ceases to amaze me. At 9:30, she jumped up on the lounge chair with me. I stroked her lightly as I did some studying. At 10:00, we went out for the last time and returned at 10:15. Grace went to the office, and I went to bed.

Wednesday

Grace joined us in bed in the middle of the night. At about 6:30, Grace got down to watch for friends. At 7:20, Grace whined softly to let us know it’s time to get going. We went outside at 7:30. Grace followed her nose across the courtyard, next to the car wash to the other side. Then, she started climbing up the brick wall! She reminded me of a drug-sniffing dog. About half-way up there’s a narrow ledge. I wondered if perhaps an animal had walked on the ledge. I saw nothing.

Mexican Fiesta

Then I looked up. The building has some window-style air conditioning units. There was one right there. Above the unit was a large-size white foam plastic food takeout container. I opened it up. It contained a full meal of chicken breast, Mexican rice, and re-fried beans. I gave Grace the chicken breast. She enjoyed wolfing it down. She then ate some of the rice. When she started slowing down, I put the container back where I found it. Betsy had come out by then, so we headed off for our run.

Fun in the Park

Grace chased the tennis ball as Betsy walked around the path. Despite the hefty early breakfast, Grace ran energetically. It’s good to see her getting back to her old super-athlete form. She followed me around for my last lap. When she saw Betsy ahead, she let out her big-girl bark. She may not have recognized her with the big had on. Grace streaked for her and Betsy greeted her with open arms.

Explore and Eat

After we returned home, Grace saw a squirrel and chased it to the fence. We then explored the back side of the east fence, looped around to the north side, and then hit the west side of the complex. After crossing the main road, we spotted Jack and returned to the other side. Grace and Jack played for a couple minutes before Grace moved on to the south side. Before home she made another stop at her feeding station to polish off the rice and most of the re-fried beans.

Morning Nap

When we returned home at 9:10, Grace took a shower and went to the office to take her morning nap. At 10:45, Grace came into the living room and acted like she wanted to jump up on the loveseat across from me. I moved some items in the way and she got right up. After tummy rubs and kisses, she drifted off into short nap. At 11:10, she moved to the cooler foyer floor to resume her rest. At 12:20, Grace emerged and hopped back on the loveseat, propping her head on the armrest and watching out the balcony door windows.

Fun with Fraggle

At 1:45, Grace wanted outside. I took the trash out. On the way, we met Fraggle. They played until 2:30. When we returned, Grace went back on the balcony. At 3:50, she spotted Fraggle running through the courtyard and whined. I told her to leave it because it didn’t look like the owner had time to stop and play. Grace understood and went to the foyer floor to nap instead.

Missing Companionship

At 4:15 I left to move some things to storage. When I returned at 5:15, Grace wanted to go outside, but I really didn’t have time to take her. At 6:10, I took her out for ten minutes. Then we left for church. When we returned at 8:45, Grace greeted us with tail wagging as she walked from the office. She spent a couple minutes licking my face. I gave her a dental chew and doggie treats, but Grace wanted more.

Alone Again

We did tricks for treats. That’s what she wanted. She did all of her tricks, including back with skill. When she finished, we went outside for a walk. Despite her eating all of that Mexican food, Grace had normal bowel movements. Apparently, the food agreed with her. When we returned home, she went to the office ottoman to watch for friends. When we went to bed at 10:00, Grace joined us.

Thursday

Early in the morning Grace must have gone to the office. I wonder whether we were disturbing her, she was too warm, or she just wanted to sleep alone. I saw her lying against the lateral file beneath the window. When I finally got up at 7:15, Grace was on the office ottoman, watching for friends. She saw me as I walked by. We did our morning tummy rubs and kisses right there.

Morning at the Park

My laptop would not start properly. While I was messing with it, Grace whined softly. At 7:30, I got dressed, and we went out for our morning exercise. Grace ran with me at the park. When she ran ahead, she would look back to make sure I was still coming. It was cooler, so she spent less time taking dips in the pond. They cut the grass there a few days earlier, making it easier to run in the grass and discover balls.

Grace found a hard yellow-plastic ball the size of a tennis ball. She playfully tossed it in the air, chased it, and pounced on it. When we finished running, rather than go to the car as usual, I decided to play fetch with her for a while. Our first task was to find the yellow ball. I knew the approximate location and directed Grace there telling her to “fetch ball.” She found it as we approached the area where it lay.

Grace had a high level of energy and wanted to keep playing fetch in the meadow. She’s developing keen eye-mouth coordination that she demonstrates by catching the ball in the air after it bounces. After about fifteen minutes, she found a baseball. We played fetch with that also. After all of this exercise, I figured that Grace was getting hot and perhaps thirsty.

I directed the fetching closer to the pond. Grace playfully jumped in and frolicked around in the weeds around the pond chasing flying insects. When she cooled off, I directed the fetch game closer to the entrance. Grace didn’t seem to want to quit. I hid the first ball by a tree so she could play with it the next time we came. We brought the baseball home.

Learning Two New Tricks

Once we made it to the picnic table by the entrance, I worked on teaching Grace two more commands. The over command means to climb over an object. This is distinguished from the jump command which means to fly over something. She learned over immediately with my gestures and luring with a reward. I won’t claim it until she can do it verbally. One time she slipped and caught herself. I don’t think it hurt her, but it’s tricky for her since a picnic table’s hard surface is not something she can grip with her claws. Under was not immediate, but it looks like it will be easy.

Our next stop was the post office. We arrived at 9:00 AM when it opened. Grace waited patiently. I gave her a treat as usual when I returned. Then we went to the indoor storage area where we live.

Grate Pause

As I directed Grace out of the car, she hesitated. There was a drainage grate right below where she would exit the car. The one-inch spaces in the metal cover revealed the hole below. Grace’s paws are not much wider than the space, so her caution was understandable. I immediately understood the problem, shut that door and opened the door on the other side of the car. Grace happily jumped down, and we were on our way.

Waning Appetite

Grace felt a little confined there and impatient as I moved items to gain access to the desired boxes. When we left though, Grace happily went with me down the hall, out the door and into the car. When we returned at 9:00, Grace took her shower, ate her breakfast (I thought), and went to the balcony to relax and sleep. When Betsy left at 10:50, Grace perked up and watched intently. when she drove away, Grace settled back into her sleep mode.

At 12:15 the first rains came associated with the season’s first named tropical storm. The rain served to just make Grace’s nap that much more relaxing. She had no desire to come inside as I ate my lunch. The rain was letting up some as I returned to the balcony to join her. At 2:00, I took Grace outside. The rain had diminished to a light drizzle. By 2:15, we returned as the rain resumed again.

Betsy and I left Grace alone at 2:35 as we left for an appointment. Grace was curled up in my chair when we said “bye-bye.” When we returned at 5:45, Grace was in the chair where we left her. It had been raining most of the time and Grace likely just napped there. We went through our customary tummy rubs and kisses. As I readied to feed Grace, I noticed her bowl had food in it. It looked like it was untouched. I showed it to her and she polished it off. Apparently, she hadn’t eaten all day except for the usual treats for coming inside, taking a shower, and waiting.

Fun in the Pond

When she finished, she went to her toy box to select various cardboard boxes and rolls to shred. At 7:00, Grace wanted to go outside. The rain had stopped, so we headed out. As we went along the south border of the complex, Grace spotted Trixie over by the south pond. They played chase and retrieve and spent a lot of time in the pond. Trixie loves the water. Grace is fine in the water but prefers to wade rather than swim. Somehow, Grace found the head of the dead goose and brought it up as a play toy.

At 7:35, we went to the car wash to rinse her off. She tolerated it. When we returned, Grace had a shower with soap. After her shower, Grace returned to her shredding. At 8:00, when I went to the kitchen Grace came in. I did tricks for treats with her. I can now mark the over command as mastered and another milestone. After tricks for treats, Grace lay on her sofa and went to sleep.

Friday

Around 3:00 AM, Grace came into the room and whined softly. Betsy invited Grace into bed and Grace jumped up. Betsy and I had switched positions. That troubled Grace. I moved back to my normal position, and Grace relaxed. Before long, we were all back to sleep. The morning was a wet and overcast. Grace stayed in bed while I worked on my laptop. At 7:15, Grace began whining and gesturing that she was ready to get going. I grabbed an umbrella and we started off on our trek.

 

Fun in the Rain

As the first named tropical storm moved up the coast, we received bands of rain. Grace seemed invigorated by it all and was especially charged up to follow scents. By 8:00, I had had enough, and we came inside. I towelled her off and gave her breakfast. The rain started to clear again, so we headed out to the park with Betsy at 8:30.

After the first lap or so, the rain started up again. Betsy took shelter under some trees, but Grace had a great time sloshing around in the meadow. She found the ball that I had hidden the last time we were there. Betsy and she played fetch with it. After I finished my run, Grace still wanted to play fetch. We played for another ten minutes and then returned, soaking wet to the car.

At 9:00, we made it home and Grace went to the balcony before I could get her into the shower. She enjoyed the warm, moist tropical air and just watching the action below from her perch. A 10:50, I joined her there. At 12:15, Grace saw Fraggle. We rushed downstairs, but by the time we made it down there, she was gone. We returned back home a few minutes later.

Grace hung out with me mostly on the balcony despite heavy rains at times. By 5:15, Grace was ready for supper. We had successfully skipped lunch. When we do that we give her two cups of food for supper, rather than a cup and a half. She’s eating her food these days not with quite the urgency or fervor.

Missing Friends

Grace was really missing her time with friends. The rain had really put a damper on things. From the office ottoman she watched patiently. Then at 7:00, it happened. There was Olive! Grace raced to the door and whined for me to hurry. We flew down the stairs and ran to meet her good friend in the courtyard. Grace played chase and keep away the ball with her for about an hour. The bocce ball court became a wading pool that added to the fun. Grace carried the ball back with her and said good-bye to Olive.

On the way home, Grace spotted Fraggle on the porch. I had just plastic flip-flops on, and was on a slope of the wet grass at the time. Grace easily pulled me down as she darted to meet her friend through the rails. Fraggle couldn’t come out to play, so after a few minutes, we moved on toward home. There was Jack on his patio! Having learned from the previous fall, I was able to release the leash. Grace did her best to interact with him through the rails, but he wasn’t particularly interested.

Grace returned to the house and lay on the sofa. At 10:30, I interrupted her one last time and we went outside for five minutes. When we returned, Grace jumped back up on the sofa and went to sleep for the night.

Saturday

In the early morning, Grace was in the office, watching for friends. She would whine every fifteen minutes or so. At 7:15, we headed out and went to the park. There was just a fisherman there. Grace just had to run up to him and say “Hi.” After the greeting, she followed me around the course. It was cool and damp, so she had no need for taking frequent dips in the lake. She enjoyed chasing birds across the meadow. Her speed continues to improve. I’d say she’s now back to about 95% of her former (pre-heat, pre-food-switch) speed.

Having a Ball

When I finished running, we played fetch with her ball for about fifteen minutes. Grace sniffed out an interesting clump of dead grass. Then I noticed she was bothered by something. She was being bitten by ants. The clump was infested with them. They did not appear to be fire ants, but they were nasty enough that Grace likely learned something from the incident. Then, we headed off to storage. It’s not too fun there for Grace, so I played fetch with her down the long wide corridors of storage garages. After about an hour, we moved on.

We went to the land next. Snoopy wasn’t there, but Grace had a good time chasing Guinea Hens and trailing behind me. She’s getting accustomed to where our territory is located. We finished there after fifteen minutes and headed home. Grace started to clean the mud off of her paws and legs. I told her we would get her a shower. She stopped. When we came home, she had a shower, ate a late breakfast, and went to her spot on the floor by the balcony doors to nap.

Low-Maintenance Dog

At 11:00, Betsy gave Grace a brushing with the FURminator. Grace seemed to understand what Betsy was doing and just continued her nap while being brushed. I asked Betsy if she’s noticed any fleas. Betsy said she hadn’t seen one in about a month. I hadn’t either.

Sunshine After the Storm

By noon, the sky had started to clear, and Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair. At 1:30, Betsy and I went downstairs to load a few things for moving into her car. Grace wanted to go too. Now there was scant hint of the wet weather we had been seeing the last few days. The sun shone brightly. I left Grace in the grass near the car.

Grace knows to stay when I drop her leash. After about five minutes or so, I could tell that although she was enjoying lying in the grass and breathing the fresh air, she was also getting hot. “Get those troops out of the hot sun,” my dad used to say. I promptly gently picked up her leash and led her to a shady spot under a tree while I finished up. Grace really didn’t want to leave that soon, but dutifully obeyed as I coaxed her back to the apartment.

As we climbed the stairs, we noticed Betsy was moving her (electronic) piano down the back flight of stairs. We met her at the car, and I helped her load it in. After we finished with that load we returned to the apartment and Grace went back to her spot by the patio door to sleep. I forgot to remove her harness and collar. At 2:00, I noticed that and set things straight.

Showing Her Stuff

At 5:00, I took Grace outside. We returned home at 5:20, and Grace had her supper. After supper, she went to the office as Betsy and I went out for dinner. When we returned, we brought  our dinner guests with us. Betsy made it to the apartment first, opened the door and let Grace out. She greeted me happily on the landing between the second and third floors. We all went upstairs and Grace went through her paces flawlessly performing her tricks. After she finished, she expressed her impatience with a chomp gesture.

We went outside. Grace had an encounter with the Great Danes and demonstrated her submissive approach to put them at ease. Then Fraggle showed up. Grace and Fraggle wrestled for about fifteen minutes. Our guests got a really good idea of who Grace is. When they finished, we went back to the apartment and Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair to sleep. At 10:00 Grace came in and jumped up on the chair as we went to be.