Grace got off of the bed at 5:30. She stayed on the floor in the bedroom. When I got up at 6:30, she was in no hurry to go outside. She wanted me to play tug and fetch with the sock. At 7:00, we left for Borador Park. After a half hour, Olivia and Rascal came. Olivia’s owner tried to get Olivia to do what Grace does fetching the ball. Of course, that takes a smart dog and a fair amount of training.
Don’t Bother to Play
At 8:00, we left the dog park but returned a couple minutes later as two little dogs came in. Grace was her usual non-threatening self as she tried to assure the dogs. Unfortunately, they had no interest or ability to engage in doggie play.
When we returned home at 8:15, Grace had her breakfast followed by a doggie treat. Grace curled up in the living room chair for her morning nap. At 9:10, we left her home alone and returned at 12:30. We greeted Grace still in the chair where we left her. Grace had her lunch followed by a doggie treat.
For lunch we had soup, crackers, and chicken. Grace said she had the “munchies.” I gave her a few saltines. When I finished, Grace lay beside me as I finished my lunch. I gave her chicken scraps for tricks. We practiced the roll trick. It’s almost as if she had to learn it again from scratch.
Fun at Grace Beach
By 2:00, Grace was getting anxious to play. She wanted to play fetch and tug with her puppy toy, but I refused. Instead we played with the sock and her ball. At 3:00,we left for Grace Beach. There Grace met and played with a seven-year-old boy from our church. He was good at throwing the tennis ball to her to catch in the air. This is a milestone. They also played fetch along the water’s edge.
At 4:30, when we returned home, Grace went straight to the balcony. When Betsy called her to the shower, Grace refused to come. Instead, she lay in a very cute “tummy” position. I grabbed her and carried her to the shower. After her shower, I gave her a treat and she returned to the balcony. At 5:15, she came in from the heat and lay on the cool foyer floor.
Sundowning
At 5:30, she went out to the kitchen. Betsy gave her supper. Grace wanted more. I gave her a doggie treat because Betsy had given Grace a dental chew before supper. Grace then offered her the deer antler. Grace finally gave up and went to the office ottoman to watch for friends. At 6:55, Grace went to the bedroom and jumped into bed. At 7:45, Grace heard something and came out.
Marking to the Max
There were dogs in Borador Park. Grace went to meet Olivia and Rascal. After fifteen minutes, Olivia’s owner went back to get a flying disk. Grace now tries and succeeds at catching the disk. I’ll mark this as a milestone. After fifteen minutes more, Beckham joined the fun. The interesting thing with him was that he lifted his leg on me! I was wearing beach thong sandals, so it was a straightforward process of walking to the car wash and rinse off my legs, feet, and sandals.
When we returned home at 8:45, Grace went directly to bed but as soon as I made the slightest sound in the kitchen, Grace marched right in. There’s nothing wrong with Grace’s hearing nor her appetite. Grace had two types of doggie treats and then moved to bum a corn chip or two from Betsy. At 9:30, she returned to the bedroom and went to bed. I joined her at 9:55.
Monday
Grace got up at 4:45. At 6:20, she stood at the side of the bed and whimpered. I got up. At 6:35, she came into the living room and whimpered. We left for Borador Park. After a half hour, Olivia and Rascal joined us. Grace is always to have friends around even if they are not playmates. Grace played fetch with me and with Olivia’s owner. After fifteen minutes they left.
Puppy Play
At 7:45, Chowder came in. Grace and he greeted each other. Then Sadie came. At that point Chowder snarled at Sadie. Apparently, Chowder didn’t like Sadie playing with her friend, Grace. Chowder’s owner decided to take her out. Grace and Sadie did their usual high-energy play. At 8:15, Sadie left and Grace followed.
Invasion Alert
When we made it home at 8:25, Grace had her breakfast and stretched out on the sofa to nap. The sun was streaming in and obviously bothering her. We moved the blinds, but it wasn’t enough. Then there was a noise out on the patio. Grace responded with her big-girl bark. It was the painters doing more work there. She settled down immediately as soon as she knew what was going on.
Grace looked at me in the chair and then moved to the loveseat on the shady side of the room. At 9:30, Betsy sat next to her. A few minutes later, Grace retreated back to her sofa. I said good-bye to Grace and went running. When I returned at 11:00, I greeted her (tummy rubs and kisses) where I had left her on the sofa.
Office Visit
At 11:30, I went out to the apartment office and took Grace with me. I was concerned that she might delay things. She was pretty good, just trying to sit in the shade a few times and immediately coming on when I coaxed her. As we approached our stairway, Grace met Bogie and Lucy with a couple of dog walkers. Grace happily greeted the walkers and dogs.
Afternoon Activity
When we came in, Grace had her lunch followed by a doggie treat. After chewing daintily on the throw rug, Grace went into the bedroom and into her bed. At 1:00, she came out and wanting to go swimming. We told her to wait. She decided to entertain herself with a stuffed puppy to you and her deer antler. At 1:20, she went out on the balcony. The temperature was 88 degrees, and the sun was bright.
At 1:30, the heat even in the shade was too much for Grace. She came in and lay in the foyer next to the door. At 2:00, she complained. Then she returned to the foyer. At 2:30, Betsy took Grace to make some copies and then drove to the other side of Crabtree Lake. While at the copy center, Grace charmed some customers, but barked at others. The ones she barked at looked unsavory. Betsy had to take her out. Grace spent only a few minutes wading there, despite the heat.
Evening Play
When they returned at 4:30, Grace went out on the balcony. At 6:00, she came in, and I gave her a shower. She responded to my call and accepted the shower obediently. After the shower, I gave her a treat and Betsy gave her supper. After Grace ate, Betsy and I had supper. Grace played shortstop while we ate. When I finished, Grace did tricks for pork. We worked some more on getting roll back. When we finished, Grace had a dental chew.
At 7:30, Grace spotted activity at Borador Park. Betsy rushed her down. She played with Zeke, Olivia, and perhaps some others. At 8:30, Grace returned and stretched out on her sofa for a nap. Betsy and I went to bed at 9:00. Grace followed sometime later.
Tuesday
Grace jumped off of the bed at 5:30 and lay in the master suite hallway. At 6:30, she whimpered. I got up. She played on her own with a Chuck-It! ball. At 6:45, we saw Olivia at Borador Park. We left to meet her, but by the time we arrived, Olivia was walking away. After fifteen minutes at the park, we did a short walk outside and returned.
Morning Play
At 7:30, Beckham came in. Grace and Beckham had a two-minute time of energetic chasing. Fifteen minutes later, Sadie came. Beckham left a few minutes later. Grace and Sadie played hard as usual. Izzy showed up for about five minutes mainly just to observe.
At 8:15 with all but Grace gone, Grace left the park and walked a circle by the pool entrance and returned. Grace really wanted to go back into the park, so I relented. She just wanted to lay on the moist wood chips in the shade and cool down.
At 8:30, we headed home. On the way, we spotted Betsy heading for the pool. We followed and met her there. After a greeting and watching her enjoy the warm water, we headed home. Grace continued her foot-dragging routine, but with some coaxing, we made it home.
Morning Nap
Grace ate her breakfast. After breakfast, she jumped up on her sofa and stretched out for her morning nap. At 12:00, Grace had her lunch followed by a doggie treat. She then returned to her sofa. At 1:00, she went out on the balcony. The cloudy weather blocked the sun, but the high temperature and humidity made it feel like a sauna.
Wet Afternoon Walk
Betsy took Grace out at 2:30. Five minutes after they left, The rain came. They continued to Grace Beach anyway. After five minutes of splashing around in the rain, Grace came back. I met Betsy and Grace in the parking lot. They proceeded to Borador Park. I continued to the office. Grace wanted to follow me, so all three of us went to the office. I picked up a package while they explored the clubhouse.
Grace barked a few times inside but then calmed down. I left as they went upstairs to check out the business center. The rain had let up, as I approached our apartment building the rain picked up again. I considered driving back to get them, but by the time I got my keys it let up again. Grace and Betsy returned home at 3:30. Grace want straight out to the balcony.
Evening Play
Grace saw Loki out in the park at 5:00, but a couple minutes later they had left. Grace went out on the balcony until 5:35 then she came in and played with a baseball. While we ate supper, Grace played shortstop with a baseball. Grace did tricks for chicken scraps was we continued to work on roll.
At 6:30, the dogs gathered at the park. Grace joined Abby, Olivia, Rascal, and Sadie. Grace played with Abby and Sadie. Zeke came about ten minutes later. The first four dogs left in a big wave at 6:50. At 7:05, Loki came in and left at 7:20. Zeke left five minutes later. Grace returned home at 7:30 and went straight to the balcony.
At 9:00, Grace went outside for the last time before bed. When we returned at 9:15, Grace went to bed. The spot where she usually sleeps had suitcases on it, so she went to another spot. When I came in, at 9:30, I moved the suitcase and directed her to her usual spot. She moved immediately.
Wednesday
When I go up to use the bathroom, it was 4:30, Grace was awake but quiet. At 5:00, she slipped between the twin beds trying to not intrude on my legs. I lifted her back up. At 5:30, she got down off of the bed and went to the living room. She came back to the bedroom and whimpered at 6:00. I got up and dressed. At 6:15, I let her out on the patio. She wanted to take her baseball with her, but I had her drop it first. I could be dangerous to someone if it fell on him.
Off to the Beach
We went out at 6:45 and returned at 7:10. She didn’t do anything rigorous but ended up with a severe limp. Grace was confused by the different routine. She ate her breakfast at 7:45. We let her out on the balcony at 8:15. We headed out at 9:00. Grace stayed in the back seat and rested. She was not particularly comfortable with a harness and a seat belt connector. We made it to a touristy place on the water with a few restaurants at 11:40. We finally gave up after Betsy found their menu woefully limited.
We made our way to Caswell Beach. We ate at a deli followed by a Dairy Queen banana split. Grace had some of my hamburger, some of Betsy’s tuna melt, and a little bit of ice cream and whipped cream from a banana split. After lunch we continued down to Caswell Beach on Oak Island. It’s dog friendly, and we could find a spot far enough away from others to allow Grace to run free. By now, there was no evidence of the limp she had earlier in the morning.
Beach Play
She shot through the sand like a bullet, chasing birds and kicking up sand. She seemed less intimidated by the waves this time compared to the first time she went to the ocean. I went back to the car and got a tennis ball along with some water. Grace loved running after the ball and sliding in the sand as she reached it. We gave her bottled water with my hands cupped to provide her a suitable drinking cup. After an hour, we returned back to the entrance area and sat on some elevated benches. About a half hour later, the rain started, and we left.
Exploring a New Place
We went to Southport to check out the place we were going to stay. It was a nice three-bedroom single-story townhouse. Grace liked the screened patio out back that overlooked the golf course. A little dog came out back and the dogs exchanged barks. Then suddenly Grace burst through the screen and onto the golf course. Running free on the golf course had to be the most fun a one-year-old Borador could have. She flew through the turf like an eagle in flight. She flashed out of sight. I whistled for her to come. After a minute, she returned still moving at lightening speed. I grabbed her and connected the leash. I’ll log this as a milestone for fast, free running.
Travelling Home
We decided to go back home and left at 5:30. Grace slept as we travelled back. At 7:30, we got takeout at Wendy’s. I fed Grace her dog food. Then we shared a hamburger and fries. When we returned home at 8:15, we noticed a white cat near our car. When Grace got out, she quickly sniffed it out and took off after it until the leash stopped her. We walked up to the dog park for a relaxing few minutes and ten minutes later returned home.
Grace went out on the balcony until 9:00. She then stretched out on the sofa. When I went to the kitchen, Grace followed me. I gave her a doggie treat. She then returned to the sofa. Grace went to bed at 10:00. I joined her there at 11:00. That was quite a day!
Thursday
At 5:15, Grace jumped off of the bed. At 6:55, she whined. We did tummy rubs and kisses. At 7:20, we left for Borador Park. At 7:55, Chowder showed up. Grace and Chowder played chase for a few minutes. Then Sadie came followed by Beckham ten minutes later. Grace and Sadie had their usual great time. Beckham joined in some but was a bit aggressive with his growl. At 8:15, everyone disbanded. After she walked around the buildings, Grace returned home at 8:35.
Shopping Spree
At 11:00, we left for Brevard. Grace jumped in the back seat, and Betsy drove. Our first stop was at Tanger Outlet near Graham. It was the type with stores arranged around outdoor walks, with roofs and shelters. Betsy went shopping while Grace and I walked around.
We met a number of people who wanted to pet Grace. Some “dog people” understood how to interact with her the best. When Grace heard a dog bark, she was quick to respond with her big-girl bark. The sound reverberated up and down the long outdoor corridors. Grace enjoyed that. After a ninety-minute stop, we were back on the road.
Barbecue Lunch
Our next stop was about fifteen minutes later at a barbecue place. Grace had her normal dog food lunch first. We also had water for her in a dish on the floor behind the front seat. We brought the take-out into the car with Betsy and me seated in the front seat and Grace in the back.
I shared the barbecue and french fries with Grace. Yesterday we missed the Calabash-style fish dinners with hush puppies. This time, Grace finally got some hush puppies with this meal. We would reach back between the front bucket seats while Grace positioned herself behind them in the middle. She was very polite to wait for only what we gave her.
After a half hour, we were back on the road. Grace napped some, lay quietly awake some, and sat up to look out the side windows occasionally. Now she’s tall enough that when she sits, she can see out the side window. At 4:45, I tilted the back of my seat back to give Grace some attention. She returned the favor with a massive kissing session.
Arrival and Visits
Grace then stretched out for one last nap before we reached our hotel. At 5:40, we arrived. After signing in to our room, we headed off to Bryan Center. Grace had her supper in the parking lot. Then she visited with Betsy’s mom, being her usual friendly self. We shut the door to allow her to roam the room.
At 7:15, we went to Tore’s Place to visit Betsy’s dad. There the grounds are fenced, so Grace can roam more freely. When we arrived, Betsy’s dad had a stray cat in the room with him. I whisked Grace back outside where we played fetch with the tennis ball until 8:00. When we returned inside, the cat was gone, so we played shortstop in Betsy’s dad’s room.
Betsy’s dad threw the ball for her to fetch a few times. Grace got it and retrieved it but did not understand that she needed to place the ball in his hand because he is too disabled to pick it up off of the floor. I think we should be able to straighten that out.
Late Night Fast Food
We left there at 9:15 and went to Wendy’s for some takeout supper. We brought it back to the room to eat. I shared most of my hamburger with her. Grace then had a dental chew followed by a doggie treat. As I ate an apple, Grace watched. I gave her a piece. She set it down. As I ate, she acted like I should give her another. I pointed to the one I gave her. Grace then ate it and we shared the rest of the apple with me.
At 10:00, Grace got up on her own bed. She looked very pretty sitting there. She stretched out and tried to sleep. At 10:50, I finally made it to bed.
Friday
Early in the morning, Grace whined. She was being fooled by the lights outside the window in the pool area. We didn’t respond. She calmed back down. At around 5:00, the dumpster service truck came. That seemed to go on for a half hour and both us and Grace. Betsy finally shut the window.
Good Morning
At 7:15, Grace was on the floor in the corner next to me in the bed with her head up. She again whined softly. She was very cute. I got up and took her outside at 7:30. At 8:00, when we returned, Betsy had gone to breakfast. Grace had her breakfast followed by a doggie treat. When Betsy returned at 8:15, I went to breakfast.
When I returned at 9:00, Grace gave me the royal greeting, standing up on her hind legs to kiss my face. At 9:30, I took Grace with me to the auto repair shop. The car made a whining sound when the steering wheel was turned — especially when the car was not moving or moving slowly.
The shop had a sign on the door saying, “No Pets.” Grace stayed in the car. The mechanic came out, looked under the hood, saw the steering fluid leak, and topped it off. He said we would be fine until we made it back home.
Morning Visit
We stopped back at the hotel for about an hour. Grace jumped up on the bed and napped until we left. At 11:05, when we arrived at Bryan Center, We found Betsy’s mom in her room. She was happy to see Grace again. We played shortstop there until 11:30.
Betsy then took Grace for a walk and found Betsy’s mom and me in the dining room. Grace is not allowed in there, so I switched off with Betsy staying and me taking Grace.
At noon, I took Grace out to give her lunch. When I made it to the car, I remembered her water bowl was back at Betsy’s mom’s room. We went back to the room and retrieved the bowl. We returned outside and Grace had her lunch beside the car. After lunch, we went back outside the dining room and waited.
Afternoon at Tore’s
At 12:30, we headed on to Tore’s Place to visit Betsy’s dad. As soon as we went inside the gate, Grace began playing chase. When we went inside, we played shortstop. We went outside to play fetch. It was interesting to see she preferred to run in the grass beside the sidewalk avoiding the concrete walk when possible. This is further evidence that it is injury to her pads that causes her limp. She then returned inside for some more shortstop play.
At 2:00, Grace found the cat we met the day before. She became very excited. The fur between her shoulders stood up as she barked and lunged toward it. Betsy had to bring Grace back inside. We tried to take Grace back out to orient her to cats. Grace stalked the cat’s scent and then went nutso again when she saw the cat. We brought her back inside.
At 2:40, Grace finally gave up and lay down at the door to take a nap. At 3:00, Grace went outside. Her mission was obviously to find that cat. After circling the area, she found it clean. People who hadn’t seen Grace in months marvelled at how she had grown since she was a puppy. She then went outside and crossed the road.
Cruisin’ an Airstrip
Grace walked the grounds of a medical building and spotted a man with a small dog across the field. We motioned and approached each other. His dog was also about Grace’s age, friendly and playful. It looked like a Jack Russell Terrier. Grace ran with her in the tall grass of the 40 acre field.
The man then showed me the runway. It was a level strip of land that was mowed clear. We walked in the field first. Eventually Grace and her new friend Cinnimon played the chase game. When we returned at 3:45, Grace came in to get a drink and crash. After a half hour, she had finally cooled down.
Stalking the Cat
Grace went back outside. Again, Grace was on a mission to find the kitten. It was sitting in a chair at the building closest to the entrance to the complex. I brought her near the kitten. Grace finally saw the kitten and started her same routine. I tried to calm her and bring her closer.
After some effort, I was able to reach the kitten and pet it while still holding the leash. This puzzled Grace. She moved within three feet, but then she started her barking fit again. We walked to the back area. After ten minutes, we returned to the kitten. Grace seemed little better behaved than the previous times. This will take more time.
Dinner Treat
At 5:20, Betsy’s dad gave the leftovers from his beef stroganoff and cooked cabbage. Grace cleaned the plate. It looked like it was washed and polished when she finished. At 6:00, Betsy came back with some food from Wendy’s. I shared part of my hamburger and some french tries with her.
Tough Evening
At 7:00, we left and went back to Bryan Center. After a short good-night to Betsy’s mom, Grace went back outside for some peace and fresh air. At 7:30, we returned to the Hotel. Grace walked around the grounds. We went to the room at 8:00. Grace jumped up on the bed and stretched out for the night. There was quite a bit of tension in the air between Betsy and me. Despite the conflict, Grace appeared to ignore it although she likely didn’t. This is one time I hoped she didn’t hear what was being said, because if she did, it certainly would have been stressful to her. At 10:00, we finally went to bed with tension still high.
Saturday
Although Grace spent most of the night in bed, by 7:30, she was on the floor and ready to go outside. I took her out at 7:45. We did our normal rounds near the hotel, we then went down to the next intersection. Grace found three road kill carcasses along the way. The first was a full skeleton of something like an opossum or groundhog. Grace briefly sniffed it and moved on.
Exploring
Next she found something that looked like two pancakes. Grace rolled in that a few times. Then she sound the remains of a bird. It looked like feathers connected together. Grace rolled in that and the grass near it also. I wondered what that was all about. Could it be to disguise her scent, to make her more attractive to other dogs, or to make her feel more powerful. Grace also seemed very interested in the river below as we crossed it on a bridge. This seemed to be the widest river that she had seen up close.
We turned around at the road by Fish Camp. As we headed back, I could tell Grace wanted to cross the main highway. At the crosswalk we crossed. I wondered whether Grace could ever learn to push the crosswalk button or recognize the cross symbol. We crossed and walked around the credit union. As we walked the grounds, I wondered why the driveway contained multiple signs indicating the parking was for members only. The building was out in the sticks.
As we walked back toward the highway, Grace turned west. She found the Estatoe Trail. It went along the river and was paved with crushed gravel. We saw an makeshift path down to the river and Grace went down to the fresh, clean water. I would not let her off of the leash, so she came back up. Perhaps that’s why she wanted to cross the road earlier — to see the river. We proceeded upstream about a mile before turning around. The way back was downhill, so I ran with her.
Complaining
At 8:30, we returned to the room. Betsy was just going to breakfast. Grace had her breakfast followed by a doggie treat. When Betsy returned at 8:45, I went down for my breakfast. Betsy said Grace was upset that I had left her and began making talking sounds. I’ll mark this a a milestone. The former Borador we knew, called Grandaddy, also made those sounds, but he was about 12 years old.
We went to Bryan Center at 10:30. When we arrived, Betsy’s mom sat near the entrance watching the birds. We all went outside with Betsy’s mom. The weather was partly cloudy and pleasant. Grace played in the liriope. She’s getting to where she does the nutso bark at more things — including passing friendly dogs. We obviously need to work on breaking this new habit. At 11:15, we went back inside. Grace lay on the floor as I read the newspaper to Betsy’s mom.
Entertaining a Crowd
At 11:45, I took Betsy’s mom to the dining room as Betsy and Grace went back outside for a walk. At 12:15, Betsy and Grace came by the dining room entrance. I switched with Betsy and took Grace to the car. There, Grace had her lunch. I fastened her leash to the trunk next to the grass and began using my laptop. Grace wanted to be closer to me. I moved her leash to the door. Betsy came outside. We went back in. I took her mom to look at the birds while Betsy walked Grace.
After fifteen minutes, I heard Betsy and Grace. There were about five residents gathered around the bird cage. Grace came in and gave me the royal greeting. The residents were thrilled with Grace. Grace did a few tricks for them. Over and over in this trip, complete strangers would see Grace and say she was beautiful or lovely. At 1:00, we took Betsy’s mom back to her room and said good-bye.
Afternoon Fiesta
We went to a Mexican restaurant. They said they would bring a table outside so we could eat with Grace. Grace enjoyed tortilla chips and chopped steak.
At 2:00, we returned to the hotel and went back to the Estatoe Trail. Grace enjoyed it even more this time. She found multiple places to get to the river. We let her off of the leash at the water. One time she went swimming. Grace was good, but off the leash would not respond to recall if she spotted another dog. She also did the nutso bark, confusing the dogs and owners as we said she was friendly.
At 3:45, we returned to the hotel. We tried to get Grace into the bathtub. Grace whimpered. Betsy insisted on having some water in the tub. Perhaps that is what spooked her. Finally, I had to put her front legs in. Grace finally relented and put up with the bath.
Evening Fiesta
At 4:15, we headed off to take Betsy’s dad to dinner. Her dad needed a lot of assistance. At this point he is barely capable of riding in a car rather than being transported by a professional. We used Betsy’s dad’s car because it was better suited to transporting him. Grace and Betsy rode in the back seat. Grace seemed to understand that Betsy’s dad needed a lot of assistance. She was very patient and very good.
We went to another Mexican restaurant. They offered no option for Grace. We decided to each order a meal and tag team with Grace outside. Grace mainly sat on a bench outside the restaurant. After placing her order, Betsy did take Grace up one street and then returned. The tag team approach worked pretty well with Grace despite the light rain outside. After dinner, we got cones at McDonald’s. Each of us shared some of his cone with Grace. After transporting Betsy’s dad to his room, Grace lay on his bed while we spent about a half hour with him.
At 9:00, we returned home. Grace went directly to bed while Betsy and I studied and watched television. At 11:30, we went to bed.