At 2:30, when I walked by, I stroked her softly as she lie on the sofa. At 5:00, Betsy looked in the living room and saw that Grace had moved to her bed. By 6:45, Grace was ready to go. She stood in the living room and whined softly.
Patient Puppy
I did some studying first. Grace waited patiently on her perch. At 7:20, we went out to the park. Ten minutes later, Abby joined her. After the usual ball-hogging and fetch interaction, Abby left at 8:00. Grace left the park to go for a short walk and returned ten minutes later.
At 8:25 Grace came home, had her breakfast, and went to the balcony. Five minutes later, she spotted Sadie. Grace came in expectantly. It was very hard to turn her down, but I had to get ready for church. When we left at 9:10, Grace was lying in the living room chair.
Afternoon Fun
At 12:30, when we returned home, Grace greeted us with wags and kisses. We told her “Good bye-bye,” embraced her, and gave her a treat. Five minutes later, Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair in the warm sunshine.
At 1:15, Grace went out for her afternoon romp. She went first to Grace Beach. There she fetched the stick in the water and played shortstop on the beach. After a half hour, she continued around the lake along the bike path. I had to run to keep her from dragging me.
On the way back, she again stopped at Grace Beach before going to the level field across the Greenway. There she located a dead catfish, tossed it playfully and rolled in it. Grace is great at sniffing out carcasses and food. This was just another example of that skill. I’ll mark this as a milestone to indicate her keen ability to follow a scent.
Clean-Up and New Friends
At 3:00, when we returned home, Grace had her shower with soap to remove the dead fish smell. After her shower and a treat, at 3:10, Grace went out on the balcony. After five minutes, Grace spotted dogs in the park.We raced down to the park to meet three new dogs: Langdon (Spaniel), Cramer (Golden Doodle), and Stella (Golden Retriever). Later Zeke, Oliva, and Rascal showed up as the new dogs left.
Evening Antics
At 4:40, when Grace returned home, she went to the balcony. At 5:20, she came in and had her supper. After she finished supper, Grace started sundowning. She went to her toy box to find an empty cracker box to shred. When she finished five minutes later, Grace whined softly. I went over and showed her some affection. At 5:40, Betsy pulled out the Furminator and worked on Grace’s coat that still was in the process of major shedding. At 5:50, Grace curled up in her bed and took a nap.
At 6:10, I went into the kitchen to get a snack. Grace marched in and gave me the look. I gave her a doggie treat. After enjoying her treat, Grace moved to lie under the dining room table. An hour later, Grace moved to her bed in the living room. At 7:25, Betsy sat down on the loveseat and began eating some pie. Grace, always vigilant for goodies, got up and watched Betsy intently. Betsy relented and gave her a piece of pie crust which Grace thoroughly enjoyed before returning to her bed.
At 8:00, Grace climbed upon her sofa. Despite a loud movie playing just a few feet from her, at 8:25, Grace fell fast asleep and began snoring softly. Five minutes later she awoke, but by 8:50, Grace drifted into sleep again.
At 9:20, Grace went out on the balcony. Five minutes later, she returned inside. She made her last trip out at 9:45. Grace returned inside and curled up in her bed ten minutes later. At 10:05, I went out to the kitchen to get a snack. Grace came in to get a doggie treat. When she finished, she went to her perch in the office.
Monday
At 5:00 as I walked by, Grace lay resting quietly on her sofa. I rubbed her chest softly. As I returned to walk by five minutes later, Grace had, in the darkness, melted into the chair. At 7:00, Grace came into the bedroom and whined.
Park Play and Recovery
I got up and at 7:10 took Grace outside. We walked past the empty park. Five minutes later, Abby entered. Grace focused on maintaining control of the prized ball. At 7:30, Sadie came in and sparked the usual wrestling match with Abby while Grace watched and chomped on the ball. When Abby took the ball, Grace took a stint with Sadie for a few minutes until Abby was ready and switched back.
At 8:00, Grace returned home, ate her breakfast, and went to the balcony. Grace came in at 8:45 and climbed up into the living room chair. At 9:15, Betsy combed her with the Furminator to deal with Grace’s shedding. While she’s doing a fair amount of shedding now, this is a lot for Grace. Grace has a slick coat. The amount of shedding she does is far less that what you experience with a long-hair dog.
Let’s Go!
At 10:00, Grace went to her perch. I opened the window to give her a better connection with the outdoors. At 10:50, Grace came back to the living room and asked to go out on the balcony. She stayed there until 1:20. She came in grouching. Ten minutes later, I took her out with me to go for a run. When we returned home forty-five minutes later, Grace went straight to the balcony.
As I began to make a sandwich at 3:15, Grace noticed and came inside. Five minutes later, I gave Grace a Kong loaded with Blue Buffalo. When she finished, Grace went to her perch. At 4:15, Grace came into the dining room to wait rather impatiently. A half-hour later, her patience ran out and she walked into the living room giving me a chomp-chomp.
At 4:50, we went to the park to meet Abby there. Play was restricted to vying for the prized ball and playing limited fetch. Grace usually wins any fair fetch match against Abby. When Abby left at 5:15, Zeke, Olivia, and Rascal came in. Grace continued to focus on her ball.
Recharging
When returned home at 5:45, Grace went straight to the balcony. She came in for supper at 6:10. When she finished supper and a long drink, she moved on to the kitchen. At 6:35, I gave Grace a doggie treat and ten minutes later a portion of cheese. When we finished our dinner at 7:15, Grace did tricks for treats.
At 7:30, checked the balcony, but returned to her sofa five minutes later. She finally gave up for the night. At 9:30, I took her out for the last time, and when we returned ten minutes later, Grace climbed into her bed and went to sleep.
Tuesday
At 4:50, I found Grace awake on her perch. After giving her a few gentle strokes, I went on to bed. At 6:30, the alarm clock sounded. The snooze brought it back ten minutes later. Despite the alarms, at 7:00, I got up to find Grace still balled up on her perch. Five minutes later, Betsy went to the office to greet her. As I followed, Grace came out.
Something Different
At 7:10, Grace went outside and we walked to the park. Abby was there. Sadie followed. The play took the usual sequence with most of the action between Abby and Sadie. Grace concentrated on playing with and chomping on the ball. At 8:00, after the dogs left, Grace led me a different direction as if she was on a mission.
She stopped at a flower bed and found something in a newly cultivated bed of flowers that she found tasty. After five minutes, I decided that was enough fertilizer or whatever, and we moved on. We went out to Weston Parkway and circled around the Weston buildings. I then led Grace through the wooded buffer to our parking lot and back home.
Food and Fun
At 8:35, as I scooped out Grace’s breakfast, I watched Grace drool as she waited. When she finished enjoying her meal, Grace went out on the balcony. Five minutes later, she spotted a Hannah and Miley and decided it was time to go back out and play. Grace played with them until 9:00. When we returned home five minutes later, Grace went back out on the balcony.
An hour later, Grace came in and climbed into her bed. As she continued to lie there, at 11:45, I waxed her paws in preparation for a run at Borador Pond Park. We left for park shortly after noon and arrived at 12:30.
Grace greeted her Flatcoat friend, chased soaring hawks, ran in the newly exposed dry areas in the smaller pond. At 1:00 we left the park and made three short stops. When we returned home at 1:30, Grace had her shower, a treat, and the remains of an ice cream container.
At 2:30, after I completed my meal, Grace had a half-cup of Blue Buffalo topped off with a portion of scrambled eggs. Grace wanted a little more. I gave her some light treats. That was enough, and at 2:40, Grace went to her perch.
At 4:35, I began to dress to take Grace outside. Grace noticed and came out. At 4:45, we left and went to the park. There Grace played with Zeke, Abby, and Sadie. There’s something fun just to be with a bunch of dogs in the park. She’s happy to have the prized ball secured between her front paws, lie on the park floor, and watch the action. The job of Social Director fits Grace perfectly.
Home Alone
When we returned home at 5:30, Grace had her supper. Fifteen minutes later we left to go to a dinner leaving Grace home alone. When we returned at 9:10, we gave Grace a doggie treat and took her outside. Ten minutes later, Grace returned, got into her bed and went to sleep.
Wednesday
At 5:15, I stopped by Grace and gently greeted her in the living room chair before going back to bed. At 6:40, after a second alarm clock signal, Grace stood at the open door outside the master suite. I called her in. Grace came and jumped up on the bed with tail wagging and kisses abounding. Betsy and I greeted the cheerful puppy with warm affection.
Time to Play
When I got up, Grace gave me multiple air chomps to let me know that she was not happy with the delay. At 6:45, we went outside. After the moisture Tuesday night and the 28-degree temperature of the morning, I had expected a lot of ice on the car windshields. Surprisingly, they were clear. Perhaps the wind and low humidity evaporated the moisture before it had time to freeze.
We passed by the empty park to do a brief walk. When we returned five minutes later, Grace grabbed the large ball and batted it around playfully. The tennis-sized ball was outside the fence. I brought it in, but Grace didn’t go for it.
When Abby arrived, Grace guarded the big ball. Abby tried to get it from Grace but failed. Abby had her usual temper tantrum and then resorted to chewing wood chips. Then Abby came in and the usual play sequence started. Abby wrestled and chased Sadie while Grace, who had now gotten the smaller ball, ran along side them obsessively chomping on the ball as she watched the action.
Then, Reggie joined the fun. That made it four dogs chasing and two dogs attacking Sadie. Sadie loved all of the attention. By 7:30, all the dogs but Grace had left. After a short time of fetch and catch, Grace went back out for a walk.
At 7:40, we returned to the park for a session of shortstop, catch, and fetch. At 8:00, we left the park and walked again for about fifteen minutes before returning home. Grace had her breakfast and then went directly to her perch in the office.
Going for a Ride
At 10:25, the phone rang, and Grace went to balcony. An hour later, she came inside and lay under the dining room table. At 11:30, we left to run errands. Our first stop was the bank. I did the drive-in window so I could stay with Grace and she could receive a treat. When we finished they sent back a treat. We thanked them, and Grace enjoyed it. Next we stopped at the gas station. There I mailed a letter and filled up the tank with gas.
At 12:30. we arrived at Borador Pond Park. This time, Grace found a dead turtle. She ran with it a bit and then discarded it. She also had fun chasing the hawks. I get the idea that she wants them to stay away from her territory. As we were finishing the last lap, Grace streaked off ahead of me. I lost sight of her and started to whistle. Then I spotted her with the friend that comes about that time. Grace came running. I turned and together we returned to the car. We drove off at 1:00 and went to self-storage. At storage, a couple who met Grace previously came by. They greeted each other happily.
Going for a Treat
We left ten minutes later and arrived home at 1:40. After her shower and treat, Grace went to her perch to watch me prepare some eggs. At 2:30, she ate her portion. Since we had to leave again in an hour, I took Grace out again. I told her we were going to get a treat. She knew where we were going. When we arrived, Grace went straight to the treats jar and started nudging the top. I gave her a treat, thanked the staff, and picked up the package they had waiting for us.
On the way back, we stopped at the park for a few minutes and played games with the ball. At 3:25, we left the park and went on a short walk. At 3:35, I dropped Grace off in the car while went back to the apartment to pick up a few things.
Ride and Return
At 3:40 we left to go get the oil changed. Grace found something in creeping cedar and spent about ten minutes sniffing it out. The manager asked about Grace’s age and marvelled at how well-behaved she is. We raced home to make it for the evening playtime.
When we arrived at 5:10, there were just a couple of little dogs there. A few minutes later Zeke came in. After ten minutes, Abby followed. That sparked Zeke to do the intense wrestling match with Grace. Abby joined in. Grace sought refuge under the bench. When she emerged, she was limping again. Grace played fetch and frustrated Abby by always winning. Next, Olivia and Rascal. At 5:45, the dogs left, and we returned home. Grace enjoyed her supper. She then went out on the balcony.
Last Fill-Up
At 6:00, Grace stood outside the balcony door looking in looking very much like a Borador. I let her in. She lay under the dining room table as I ate my soup. I shared some of my soda crackers with her.
At 6:30, Grace wanted something else. I gave her a Kong with her Blue Buffalo duck topped off with peanut butter. When we finished eating, Grace brought a toy puppy and then tug toys to play fetch. At 7:30, she finally got into her bed and rested. When she saw Betsy eating some bread while seated on the loveseat. Betsy gave her a dental chew. Grace took it to the dining room to work on it. When she finished, she returned to her bed and settled in for a nap.
At 9:00, Grace went outside for one last time. When we returned ten minutes later, she went directly to her bed. I turned out the lights and ten minutes later went to bed also.
Thursday
At 4:00, Grace was on the sofa. I gently stroked her side and chest before going back to bed. At 6:50, we went outside. Grace sniffed around a bit. Then we spotted Sadie out in the park. I started the car to warm it up. Then we went up to meet her friend.
Morning Play Time
Abby followed directly behind us. The normal routine ensued with Grace chomping the ball as she watched her friends wrestle. After ten minutes, Abby took the ball and Grace wrestleed with Sadie before Abby and Grace switched off again.
At 7:30 the other dogs left. Grace played fetch, catch, and shortstop for ten minutes. Then we went for a short walk and returned for more play with the ball. At 8:00 we left the park, took another walk and returned home at 8:15. Grace had her breakfast, went out on the balcony and returned inside to lie on the living room chair.
At 8:25 we left for the park. When we arrived, Grace found her turtle carcass and playfully ran with it in her mouth and tossed it. Grace followed me around fairly closely. As we finished the last lap, her friend came in. Grace ran to meet the dog and its owner. Since she Grace had an appointment, I had to call her back. She came running obediently and jumped into the car.
Trip to the Vet
At 9:30, we arrived or Grace’s appointment. She acted normal until we headed for the examination room. Then suddenly, she put on the breaks, stiffened, and tried to leave. I picked her up and took her in. The staff left the door open so she wouldn’t feel so closed in. They gave her treats and finally a dental chew. While she ate the treats, she was too upset to work on the chew.
I’ve never seen Grace like this before — both nervous and afraid. The closest I’ve seen is when she’s being attacked by other dogs in aggressive play. It could be one of three things:
- The previous time she tried jumping up on the counter and fell off.
- The previous time she waited in a closed room for 45 minutes.
- The previous time the doctor gave her a shot and a close exam to check for puppies.
The doctor found no evidence of puppies and after a thorough exam of her paws and joint mobility, could only conclude “a soft tissue” injury (tendon or ligament) for her limp. He prescribed two weeks on the leash and then moderate exercise for the following two weeks. He also prescribed Previcox 227mg (non-steroidal anti-inflamatory) once a day for five days. I objected to the limited exercise. He said it was necessary to get past this. If it persists he said, it could become chronic. He prescribed 50mg Benadril twice a day as a sedative if needed.
The vet also again commented on Grace’s exceptional coat. Grace weighed in at 57.7 pounds. That’s the first dip in her weight we’ve seen. I’ll log that as a milestone. Grace also received her Leptospirosis adult booster and Distemper/Parvo adult yearly vaccines. As we checked out, Grace put her paws up on the counter near the treats. A staff member gave her one. When we made it to the car, Grace calmed down and began working on her dental chew.
Rest and Nourishment
At 10:30, when we returned home, Grace went straight to the balcony. At 12:50, Grace determined that I was cooking in the kitchen and stood at the door waiting for me to let her in. When I did, she came to the kitchen and dining room to let me know she was ready for some food. As I ate, she jumped up on the living room chair. When I finished with my meal, I gave her a portion of scrambled eggs. When she finished, she curled up in her bed and went to sleep. Two phone calls at 1:30, didn’t even phase her. I suppose the shots are having some effect on her. At 2:00, she was snoring and dreaming.
At 2:50, Grace got up and went to the balcony door. She went out for ten minutes and returned as she determined I was in the kitchen. She told me she wanted a little something and fetched her large Kong. I put almost a half cup of duck Blue Buffalo topped off with peanut butter. She ate that while I had a snack. When she finished, she came under the dinner table, licked my leg softly, and lay there while I finished. When I went to the living room, she returned to her bed and curled up for some more napping.
Friends Watch
At 4:05 the dishwasher stopped running. Grace got up out of bed, squirmed on her back against the carpet, shook her helicopter ears, and went to the new expanded perch that I set up for her the previous night. I also cleaned the window then to remove nose marks. She seemed to like the new arrangement.
At 4:45, Grace was ready to go out. I told her we were going to get a treat. She knew where to go. As we passed the park with a non-friend in the park, Grace glance in but knew she had a primary goal. When we went inside, she went straight to the jar. I picked two pieces. I gave her one piece and she looked for more. When I gave her the second piece, she knew she had what she was supposed to receive.
Modified Play
After waiting about five minutes, we received our package. When we returned to the park, Zeke was there. This was really tough. I decided to keep her on the leash to protect her from running too hard. Grace seemed to understand her limits very quickly. It didn’t make it any easier for me though. If Grace has a ball to chew on, that helps a lot. In the future, I’ll bring at least one ball for her.
Abby came next. Grace watched without a ball, looking for her chance to grab it. Abby’s owner found another, so that increased the odds that Grace could have something. Then Olivia and Rascal came with a ChuckIt! ball. Grace grabbed that and chewed on it. Olivia preferred the tennis ball to her ball anyway.
When Sadie came in, Grace erupted into wrestling. It was almost as if she remembered wrestling with Olive and Fraggle on the leash. She went after Sadie with abandon, knocking her down and mock-attacking her throat. Then Abby took a turn with Sadie while Grace chewed on a ball.
Supper and First Pill
When we returned home at 5:50, Grace had her bath. When she finished, I gave her a doggie treat and she went out on the balcony. She barked at a dog. I went out and calmed her. When she came back inside at 6:10, Grace had her first pill, followed by her supper. When she finished, she went to her new, expanded perch. At 6:40, Grace spotted Betsy coming home and whined softly. When Betsy came in Grace came to greet her. Grace wanted to jump up on her, but didn’t want to mess up her dress clothes. Betsy bent down long enough for Grace to kiss her.
Grace pulled out a ball to play with. I tried shortstop, but she didn’t go for it. She pulled out her fox toy. I did a bit of tug with her, but after a minute, she seemed happy just to chew on it on her own.
At 7:30, we ate supper. When we finished, Grace came in and asked for a little something. I gave her a doggie treat. She wanted more. We did tricks for treats. That satisfied her. At 8:30, Grace climbed into her bed. At 9:00, she moved up to her sofa. Betsy took her out at 9:05. When Grace returned five minutes later, she curled up in her bed for the night. I turned out the light, at a snack and went to bed at 9:25.
Friday
At 6:20, Grace whimpered. This was a bit unusual. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now I know it was likely the pill I gave her last night. At 6:30, Grace came into the bedroom. At 6:45, we went out.
Morning Action
As we passed the park, it was empty. Grace understood the routine. We went for a walk. Shortly after we returned, Abby came in followed by Sadie. Grace, again on the leash, ignited into play with Sadie. It really did remind me of the old days on the leash wrestling with Olive and Fraggle.
Grace dominated the match with Sadie until Abby’s owner gave Grace a ball to chop on. Grace then reverted to her usual behavior of chomping the ball intently while watching the match between Sadie and Abby. I decided in the future to come to the park armed with balls to keep Grace occupied.
At 7:30, we came back upstairs to get the key in order to warm up the car. Grace came with me and sat in the passenger seat like she knew what she was doing. At 7:45, when Grace returned home, she ate her breakfast and then went to her office perch.
Charming for Treats
At 8:55, we left to go turn in a building permit request at the municipal building. Grace was a hit there as usual. She also earned three treats from the staff for being so cute. An hour later we returned home and I dropped her off to stay alone.
When I returned at 1:00, Grace greeted me with mixed emotions. While she was happy to see me, she was not particularly happy that I left her. I told her “Good bye-bye!” and gave her a treat. Five minutes later, I took Grace out to go running. When we returned at 1:50, Grace went out on the balcony.
Adverse Reaction
At 2:30, Grace spotted me in the kitchen. I let her in and gave her a doggie treat. At 3:30, Grace had her second pill and a half-cup of her food topped with eggs. At 4:00, Grace went to the balcony. Five minutes later, Grace returned inside whining, wanting to go outside. I told her to wait. She went to the foyer sitting and lying and whimpering fairly continuously.
At 4:35, I finally relented and took her out. As we descended the second flight of stairs, Grace began to vomit. Up came her lunch and I suspect her pill. I hate those unnatural drugs. After researching it, this was one of them. It’s something that was pulled from the market for humans. She threw up on three steps and the landing.
I cleaned up what I could with a dog waste bag and then returned to the apartment to get some paper towels. After wiping up the areas on the stairs, we headed on down. Grace also has loose bowels.
Wrestling Fun
At 4:45, we went to the park to play. Before long Grace’s friends Abby and Sadie were there too. Grace wrestled and chased pulling me and doing her best to corner Sadie. When she knocked Sadie down, Grace would wrestle her with high energy.
After a lull in the action, Grace went to the park door. She wanted out. She had never done this before. She hurried to a grassy area and tried to relieve her bowels again but settled for just attending to her bladder. When she finished, she returned to the park and played with her friends.
Sick Puppy
At 5:30, the dogs left. On the way, Grace attended to her diarrhea problem. Fifteen minutes later, she returned home and went to the balcony. At 6:30, she came inside and curled up in her bed. She was clearly not feeling well. At 7:00, Betsy gave Grace some chicken broth and a half-cup of food. At 7:30 she had more broth and another half-cup of food.
At 7:40, Betsy took her out for the last time. She seemed to perk up going out for the walk and barked at some other dogs also out for a walk. At 8:10, Grace returned home and went straight to bed. When I went to bed at 8:30, Grace joined me, curled up and went to sleep.
Saturday
At 2:00, I found Grace in the office, sitting on her perch watching out the window. I stroked her gently and went back to bed. At 6:30, Grace whined softly. I noticed her stomach growling and counted about six distinct times in the following half hour.
Restrained Park Play and Walk
At 6:45 we went outside. With the park empty, we walked by and took a short walk before returning. We played catch, shortstop, and catch. When Abby arrived at 7:15 I leashed her. After a while, I realized that she doesn’t run with Abby anyway so I removed the leash. Abby tried to get Grace to wrestle and to steal the ball from her, but Grace wasn’t interested.
After Abby left at 8:00, we resumed our play. Ten minutes later, Grace threw up again. This time there was almost nothing that came up. I hate those new drugs and I hate that I didn’t pay closer attention to what it was that I gave to her. It won’t happen again. We left the park and went for an extended walk.
We explored the fenced area behind the main building, the hill that separates this complex from the new one, and part of the area for the new complex. There Grace did some limited grazing. Grace found the new little dog park just beyond the hill. It was much smaller and not nearly as nice as the one we have.
Friend Watch and More Play
When we returned at 9:10, Grace went to the balcony. Five minutes later, Grace spotted Sadie. Betsy asked me to try using the elevator to take Grace down also in order to limit the impact on her healing tissues. When we arrived, Grace and Sadie wrestled.
Sadie would run around the park and Grace would try to corral her and jump on her to take her down. They seemed to end up in about the same spot near the middle of the park for their wrestling. After about fifteen minutes, Sadie went home.
Rest and Short Run
When Grace returned home at 9:30, she went out on the balcony. The warmer weather was a welcome change from the pre-winter blast earlier in the week. Betsy made Grace some homemade food using chicken and rice and gave it to her outside. Grace enjoyed her special meal.
At 11:50, I took Grace running with me. She stopped a few times but not enough to mess up the run. Then on the second lap, by the dog park, Grace pulled the “sock o’ potatoes” trick. That was it for me. I took her home and dropped her off there. I then continued my running. When I returned at 12:15, Grace was lying on the balcony lounge chair.
Not Feeling Well
At 1:30, Grace came in as I was in the kitchen cooking. She parked herself under the dining room table as I ate. I gave her a ration of scrambled eggs in a small glass dish.
At 2:10, Grace moved from the dining room to her bed in the living room. There she curled up and rested her head against the side of her bed as if to block the light from her eyes. Ten minutes later, she repositioned her head deeper into her bed to block the light. I shut the blinds. Grace made a soft groan.
Five minutes later, Grace sat up in her bed, looked at her sofa, climbed up there, curled up in her normal position against the arm, and went to sleep. At 2:30, a truck was backing up and made that beeping sound. Grace lifted up her head and groaned. I went over and comforted her. When I finished, I returned to the chair across from her as she looked at me and around the room. At 2:35, she let out more groans before putting her head down for a nap.
Resting
At 2:55, Grace heard children playing and very slowly stretched off of her sofa — her hind legs trailing on the sofa as her front legs supported her on the floor. I moved from my chair in case she wanted to jump up there. Instead, she sauntered into the office and climbed up on her perch at 3:00.
As she seemed to be positioned a bit differently there, I noticed something on the window sill. There I found more vomit, mostly dried. I cleaned it up and opened the window for her. I also wiped off a small spot on her sheet. Grace tried to help with that spot on the sheet, but I took care of it.
At 3:10, when Betsy got up from her nap, Grace came into the living room and started to whine. Betsy prepared some more chicken and rice for her and gave it to her. Grace ate it immediately and ate it all.
Trip to Grace Beach
At 3:15 I took Grace out to Grace Beach. On the way she found some dog dirt and rolled in it. Then she saw a cream-colored Labrador Retriever fetching a stick in the water at the beach. Grace could not compete because her shorter legs prevented running sooner, but she swam at least as fast as her opponent to grab and tug away the stick.
Grace played some more fetch with me. Although she liked it and would likely have done more, I leashed her rather than give her a chance to bolt. When we made it to the hill, Grace rolled in grass to dry off. She then had a partially formed bowel movement. As we headed home at 3:50, we met Betsy. Grace continued her walk with her. There they met a dog named Bella and played on the leash.
Hungry
When Grace returned at 4:50, Betsy gave her a shower with some mild shampoo. When she finished, she gave Grace some chicken and broth and a half cup of her food. At 5:55, Grace started to work on Betsy in the kitchen giving the impression that she was “starved.” Betsy relented and gave Grace a half-cup of Blue Buffalo. Grace ate it and returned to the kitchen for more.
When Grace put out the plates for our dinner, Grace stood inches away from them. She was careful not to touch them. She then lay under the table to wait for what we might give her. When I finished, she did tricks for a small portion of turkey. When I returned to the bedroom, Grace came in and looked at me expectantly. She wanted to do tricks for treats, but we did not want to overfeed her. Although I invited her to join me in bed, she turned and went back to join Betsy in the kitchen. Betsy gave Grace another half-cup of her food.
Grace wanted more. I went in at 6:50 and did tricks for treats with her using just the light treats. When we finished, Grace pulled out her fox toy to play tug. After a few minutes, she was content to chew on the toy independently, and I returned to the bedroom to do my work. Grace then went to her perch.
At 8:00, Betsy has some fresh apple pie ready. Grace came into the kitchen and said she would like a little something. I gave her a doggie treat. That satisfied her. When she finished she lay under the dining room table. At 8:15, Betsy turned out the lights and Grace moved to her sofa to go to sleep. 9:00 out. 9:10 back. her bed