Sunday
At 7:20, Grace sat at the end of the master hall, motionless, watching silently. I got up and greeted her. She jumped up on the bed to greet Betsy before getting down to start her day. After I dressed at 7:25, we headed for the park. Abby was already there.
Morning Park Play
Grace grabbed the prized ball. Abby chased Grace trying to get the ball. At one point, Grace played chase with Abby. Grace positioned herself opposite Abby on the far side of the hollow log. Grace then made moves back and forth to fake out Abby before darting to the bench. She repeated the circuit around the log and bench about six times. Grace then let Abby catch her up against the fence but still guarded the ball.
After all of the running, Grace was thirsty. The car wash water had been turned off, so the water bucket was empty. Grace licked the frost from the surface of the bucket. When Abby left, Grace dug a couple of holes. She went at it very methodically and carefully for about ten minutes. I wonder if she dug them to look for water.
Just as I decided to take Grace out for a walk, Sadie showed up. Grace and Sadie mixed it up some with wrestling and chasing. The problem was that Grace was a bit tired from the high-energy play with Abby. Grace did the circuit with Sadie about four times before they both just stopped and went their separate ways.
Ball Discovery and Home
After Sadie left, Grace went out for a walk. She eventually made her way down to Grace Beach. There we found the soccer ball on the lake shore near Grace Beach. I picked it up, took it up the hill and threw it down. Grace played fetch with it for about fifteen minutes before we headed home. When we made it back at 9:25, Grace took a shower, ate a treat, and then enjoyed her breakfast. When she finished, she went to the balcony.
At 9:55, I saw Grace sitting facing the balcony door waiting patiently and silently to be let in. She came in and went to bed. At 10:10, we left her home alone. When we returned at 2:00, Grace was still in her bed. the balcony door was open, but it didn’t appear that Grace had moved from her bed. We decided to eat dinner before taking Grace outside. She tried to be patient but became a bit peeved by the long wait.
Fresh Air at Last!
When I finished my turkey, I gave her a half-cup of duck topped off with turkey scraps. Grace finally got to go outside at 3:00. She headed for the park, but I redirected her away from it. She then went back to the field across from Grace beach. There Grace played fetch with the soccer ball. She had now done enough damage to it to have caused a slight air leak. This made it much easier for her to grip. Grace tried to play tug using it, but with one hand I was no match for her grip.
At 3:35, Betsy came to join us. She took over as I returned home. While they relaxed at the top of the hill, Grace spotted a rabbit down the steep slope. She raced through the briars to try to catch it. Once free, Grace did her independent running routine. Finally, Betsy threw the ball. That got Grace’s attention, and she returned to Betsy. After some more play, Betsy leashed her.
Supper and Bed
When they returned home at 4:50, Grace went to the balcony. An hour later, she came inside and went to bed. Betsy said that that Grace had been wading in the lake and needed a bath. Ten minutes later, I gave Grace a bath followed by a treat. After Grace ate her supper, she returned to her bed.
As we ate our supper, Grace wanted something too. She sat next to us and stared us down. I told her to wait. When we finished, Grace did tricks for her duck food. She then returned to her bed and mothered her toy puppies there. At 7:45, Grace climbed up on her sofa to nap there — leaving her puppies in the bed. At 8:45 when I went to the kitchen, Grace watched. She started to stretch off of her sofa. When she saw I wasn’t getting anything interesting, she just moved back down to her bed. At 9:15, Grace went out for the last time. She returned five minutes later and went straight to her bed.
Monday
At 5:00, Grace lay motionless in her bed. I didn’t disturb her and went back to bed. At 6:20, the alarm clock sequence started — alarm, snooze, alarm, snooze, alarm. After about the third alarm, I got up. The time was 6:45. Grace was stretched out on her sofa. We greeted each other. Grace then got down and started her protest to get going. I told her to go greet Mommy. She walked in to see her but didn’t stick around.
Morning Outing
At 7:00, we left for the park. No dogs were there, so we went for a short walk. When we returned, there were still no dogs. The water was turned back on at the car wash, so I took two balls along with the pail to freshen things up. As I was leaving, Abby showed up. Grace and Abby chased, wrestled, and did that cat and mouse game around the hollow log while I was gone. When I returned with clean balls and a pail of fresh water, Abby and Grace were waiting. Grace sat patiently and intently watching while Abby climbed up the fence wildly.
I threw the prized ball in first. Grace won the fetch challenge. Then I threw in the other ball. After picking it up, Abby discarded it in favor of drinking some fresh water. As I entered, she was there to inhale the water even before I put it down. After I put it in place, she drank some more.
Five minutes later, Sadie came in and the usual Sadie vs. Abby wrestling match ensued. Grace chomped the ball as she followed their every move. At 7:30, the other two dogs left. Grace played ball for fifteen minutes. She then went out for a walk. Grace went over to the apartment complex next door. She met a tan dog using her usual non-threatening approach. After they greeted, she moved on. Then she saw a white Lab/Boxer mix. Grace barked and then nearly pulled my arm off to get closer to it. I finally tore her away.
Recharge and Ride
When we returned home at 8:30, Grace curled up in the living room chair. She did a fair amount of whining there for the first five minutes. I put out her food, but she wasn’t interested. At 9:25, I showed Grace her food again.As I was reloading her smaller food bag from the big bag, she finally got up and ate her food. When she finished eating, she curled up in her bed, burying her face in the side cushion.
At 9:50 as I headed out the door, Grace decided to go with me for a ride. When we arrived at the builder’s office, one lady petted Grace. After staying for about ten minutes, we proceeded to our next stop. I was in the store for about 20 minutes, leaving Grace in the car. I returned with a package but remembered that I needed to check something else. When I returned five minutes later, Grace was on the driver’s side floor.
We arrived at Borador Pond Park at 11:35. Grace enjoyed chasing the gray crane. The crane would fly from one side of the pond to the other. Grace would typically make it fly and then run to the other side to send it back. She did this on four separate occasions. When we finished, we returned home — arriving at 12:30.
Food and Rest
Grace went straight to the balcony. She stayed there until 1:30 when she determined that the scrambled eggs were cooking and about ready. I gave her a half-cup of duck food topped off with scrambled eggs. When she finished, Grace curled up in her bed for a nap.
At 3:15 Grace moved to her perch. As I fixed a sandwich and ate it, Grace didn’t budge. I gave her and almost-empty ice cream container. As she licked it out, she was smart enough to move it to the carpet to keep it from sliding on the solid kitchen floor. This is a milestone. When she finished, I gave her a dental chew. She then went back to her perch.
Afternoon Park Play
At 4:15 and saw another dog in the park. I mentioned the word friend. That was a mistake. Grace got down and began protesting that I should take her out. I finally relented at 4:50. Zeke was already there. Abby followed. Grace ran and wrestled shortly with her. Abby left, but Hannah and Miley came. A short aggressive greeting between Sadie and Miley set Grace into play mode. She took off after Sadie with wild abandon. That lasted for a few minutes before Grace moved on to other interests.
While there, Grace did some more serious digging. It was good exercise and hopefully helped grind down her claws a bit. After the dogs left, Grace returned home and went straight to her bed.
Dinner and Bed
At 6:00, I prepared my supper and gave Grace hers at the same time topped off with some turkey. When she finished, she came by the table and tried to see if she could get some more. I told her “all done.” She understood and went to her bed.
By 6:30, Grace lay there snoring. At 7:00, she moved up to the sofa to continue her relaxing. Then at 8:25, a TV show included a barking dog. Grace perked up her head. She went to the balcony, barked a few times and returned to her bed five minutes later. Grace then whined until I took her out at 9:00. When we returned at 9:10, Grace went straight to bed.
Tuesday
At 4:00, Grace lay motionless in her bed when I walked by. After the alarm clock sounded twice, I got up to find Grace lying in her bed awake but in no hurry to leave. At 7:00, we left for our morning trip to the park. Once we were outside, Grace took her time sniffing around. Ice had formed on the car windows, so we stopped by the car to start it up and let it run.
Morning Play
Abby was already in the park. Grace ran to meet her friend. They played limited chasing. Grace focused most of her attention on the ball. After Abby left, Grace played ball for a few minutes. As I decided to take her for a walk, Sadie came in. Abby returned shortly thereafter. The trio did their usual routine. Abby and Grace had two separate rounds with Sadie. When one shifted to wrestling mode, the other took the ball in her mouth.
When the other dogs left, Grace played ball for a few minutes before she too left. I took Grace down to the car wash and leashed her there. She waited patiently. After I cleaned the prized ball and returned it to the park, Grace went exploring first to the grounds of the Lofts apartments next door. At one point, she saw a dog looking out the window at her. That spooked her. Grace let loose with her nutso bark. After a minute of barking, Grace moved on at my prompting.
Late Breakfast
At 9:15, Grace came inside and curled up in the living room chair. I put out her breakfast, but she wasn’t interested. At 9:20, Grace began whining. I gave her a couple of toy puppies to make her feel better. That seemed to console her, and she settled in for her morning nap. At 10:15, Grace stretched off off the chair and curled up in her bed to continue napping.
At 11:30, Grace was in dreamland. At 11:50, Grace got up, walked over to her dish, and ate her breakfast. She then moved over to the carpet by the balcony door and lay there.
More Exercise, Food, and Sleep
At 12:10, we went out for our run. Grace stopped a few times (more than I would have preferred), but we made it. When we returned home at 12:50, Grace went straight to the balcony.
As I took a shower, Grace did a little nutso barking. She stopped on her own. At 1:30, I gave her a half-cup duck food topped with scrambled eggs. When she saw me put it out, she came in and ate it. When she finished, she returned to the balcony lounge chair to enjoy the overcast afternoon in the mid-fifties. At 2:05, Grace came inside and curled up in her bed for an afternoon nap.
Time to Go!
At 3:20, Grace sat up, climbed on her sofa, and continued her nap. At 4:10, Grace whined to go out. She did so again at 4:15. Both times, I told her to wait. She finally gave up and rested. At 4:30, Grace stretched off of the sofa, whined and sat staring directly at me. I relented and took her out.
On the way there, she saw the black Poodle. Grace barked aggressively at it, but I restrained her, and we moved on. This is very uncharacteristic of Grace. It may be the unnatural poodle cut or the way it moves. In the park, Grace did some digging, played a bit of ball, and played keep-away from Abby while she was there. Zeke came in after Abby left. Zeke and Grace played ball independently. At 5:30, the UPS man drove over by my entrance. I leashed up Grace, and we ran over to pick it up. We then returned to the park. At 6:00, Betsy came home with supper from Wendy’s. We raced home to meet her.
Frosty Bedtime Snack
When I finished, I gave her some of my Frosty followed by a dental chew. At 6:30, when we went into the living room, Grace got into her bed and went to sleep. At 8:50, Grace went out for the last time. When she returned, she jumped up into my bed.
Wednesday
Grace spent the entire night in bed with us. That’s a milestone at least for recent times. As I recall, she stopped sleeping with us when she started into heat. Perhaps she now knows she will not be bearing puppies and will not be risking leaving discharge — until the next heat.
Rise and Shine
At 6:40, Grace started to stir. After sharing morning greetings, Grace and I got up about five minutes later. After I dressed, we went down to the park. When Grace arrived a few minutes before 7:00, there were no dogs there. I had Grace move on for a walk first. After five minutes, Abby appeared, and Grace raced back to the park. Grace and Abby played in restrained fashion. At 7:40, Abby left.
Beckham came in a few minutes later. Before long, he was jumping on her. Beckham’s owner asked if Grace was starting another heat. I told him, “No, she is past that.” Beckham’s owner took him out of the park. I took Grace out for a walk. Beckham then returned. By 8:05, Sadie showed up. Grace and Sadie enjoyed their usual high-energy play but only for ten minutes. Sadie’s owner had to get to work.
Longing for Puppies
When Grace returned home at 8:20, she went straight to the balcony and climbed up on the lounge chair. As I cleaned up things in the kitchen, Grace watched me through the balcony door window. I had also put her breakfast out.
When Grace came inside at 8:50, she jumped up on the living room chair and started to whine. I placed her toy puppies in nursing position. That helped, and Grace settled down.
Doing Better
At 9:50, Grace moved from the chair to her bed, curled up there, and took a nap. At 10:40, Grace heard something and barked. We left to go for a run five minutes later. Grace did better than usual this time. We made only a few stops along the way. When we returned at 11:25, Grace went to the living room chair. I left to go out for lunch at 11:40, leaving Grace home alone.
When I returned home at 1:45 Grace was in her bed with one of her larger toy puppies. When I made a sandwich at 2:30, Grace came in looking for a treat. I told her to go eat her breakfast. She did. This is a milestone. Grace knew what I told her to do. When she finished I loaded a Kong with duck food and peanut butter. When Grace finished, she went to her perch.
Afternoon Park Play
At 3:55, Grace came into the living room to remind me she needed to go out and play before supper. I told her to wait. She went out on the balcony. Grace spotted Olivia out in the park at 4:05. It was early, but I relented. Grace arrived there at 4:10 and began playing ball. Over time Zeke, Reggie, and Abby joined her. The play continued to be mostly reserved for playing ball. Abby came in with two balls in her mouth that she had taken home previously. One had a working squeaker. That became the new prize.
Abby almost lost the squeaky ball to Grace. Then Olivia made some kind of move that spooked Abby. Abby reacted violently. Abby’s owner took her out of the park. Shortly after that, all of the dogs left except for Grace. I took all three normal-sized balls to clean and told Grace to wait. She immediately lay down. When the balls were cleaned, I returned and gave Grace her choice of balls. Of course, he picked the prized ball.
Active Evening
As we headed home, Grace found some red licorice. She enjoyed the flavor and made it past the chewing experience. When she returned home at 5:30, Grace went out on the balcony. At 6:15, she started barking. When I went out and calmed her she stopped. When I went back in she started up again. As I went back out to calm Grace, Betsy came in.
Grace greeted Betsy and then wanted to sit next to me on the loveseat. We cleared it off, Grace came up, and curled up next to me. At 6:40, some sound spooked her. She did her very restrained muffled pre-bark. She then got up and stood by the balcony door window. She then went out.
At 6:55, Grace came back inside and returned next to me on the loveseat. At 7:10 we sat down to eat, Grace moved under the dining room table. As she looked up at me, I told her to wait. She put her head down and lay there patiently. When I finished, Grace did tricks for turkey and duck food. I worked on left and right commands, but Grace wanted to do her standard tricks. I finished the session with them since she enjoyed them so much.
Starving Puppy
As I was cleaning up, I realized that Grace hadn’t had her supper. Betsy fed her. Grace ate it and then came to the kitchen for something else. I checked her dish. She had left about a quarter of it. I sent Grace back. She finished it. And returned. I then gave her a doggie treat. When she finished, Betsy gave her an impossible-to-destroy deer antler.
At 7:45, Grace joined me in the living room, getting into her bed as I was seated in the chair. At 8:50, Grace went outside for the last time. When we returned home fifteen minutes later, Grace went to the balcony. By the time Betsy went to bed, Grace had come inside and curled up in her bed.
Thursday
At 5:50, Grace lay awake on her perch, watching out the window. I stroked her softly and returned to bed. At 6:50, I got up to find Grace lying on the dining room floor. We did our usual tummy rubs and kisses. I told Grace to go greet Mommy in bed. She did. She’s been doing this for at least a week now, but I’ll mark it here as a milestone.
Morning Fun
At 7:00, Grace went out for her morning romp in the park. Abby was just entering as we left. Grace took her time and arrived at the park about five minutes later. The interaction between Abby and Grace again was limited to ball focus. I went down to the car wash to get some fresh water and clean a couple of the balls.
When I returned, Sadie and Reggie had joined them there. That livened things up. Grace limited her interaction though to chasing the combatants and chomping on the ball. At one point, both Abby and Grace were observing and chomping while Reggie engaged Sadie in dog play.
Running Free
After the dogs left, Grace went for a walk. After ten minutes, she returned to the park. Grace played there until 8:15. I decided to take her home at that point. As I opened the gate, I missed clipping the latch on Grace’s collar. She bolted. I got her to come by the narrow way near the park gate, but she ran so fast, I could not grab and hold her.
Grace shot off across the apartment access road to the side by Winstead. I moved over there and headed toward home. Grace streaked by a few times and then went around the far end of the building. As I waited, Suki and her owner appeared. I told them about Grace being loose. We waited. Grace went by and greeted them, but neither of us were able to grab her. When Grace came by again. Suki’s owner was able to catch hold of Grace’s collar, ending the latest bolting episode.
I really can’t blame Grace too much for this. I’d been running her on the leash to try to get her limp completely healed. She just wanted to turn on the afterburners and go for a nice free high-speed jaunt. She came back. She didn’t get hurt. No harm was done — assuming she didn’t aggravate her limp injury.
Rest and Running
When we returned home at 8:30, Grace went to the balcony. She stayed there until 9:45, when she returned inside she sacked out in her bed. At 11:15, as I prepared to go running, I asked Grace if she wanted to come. She did. Grace did better than usual, keeping her stops to a minimum. At the end of the run, she saw a pair of Poodles. Grace raced to meet them, went into her non-threatening posture, and greeted them. When she finished we returned home.
At 11:50, Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair. She stayed there and was quiet most of the time. Then she barked. I told Grace to stop. She turned and looked at me through the window. She obeyed and stopped. At 1:00, I put some scrambled eggs on top of her uneaten breakfast. The sound of the the fork against the plate or the smell, got Grace’s attention. She came in, ate her food, and jumped up on the living room chair for a nap. By 1:25, Grace was snoring softly, yet when I moved, she opened her eyes, stopped snoring, and changed position.
At 2:00, when I started making phone calls, Grace moved from the chair down to her bed. There she started her whining routine, getting antsy I suppose. She finally decided to go up on her sofa and watch out the window from there. After a while, she stretched out and continued her afternoon nap.
Friends at the Park
At 4:15, Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair to watch for friends. At 4:30, she spotted Sadie. Grace went down to the park to play. She and Sadie concentrated on balls. When Abby came, Sadie and Abby wrestled while Grace watched and chomped her ball.
After a while, Abby stopped and chewed a ball while Grace and Sadie ran and wrestled. Zeke, Olivia, and Rascal came next. Abby left because she doesn’t get along with Olivia. Grace played fetch while Olivia howled (as usual) each time she lost the contest.
Packing it In
At 5:30, Grace returned home and went to the balcony. A half hour later, I put her supper in her dish. Grace came in and ate it all. She then moved beneath the dining room table to wait for scraps. When I cleaned up, I gave Grace a doggie treat followed by some pizza crusts. Grace then went to her perch to do some muffled barks as Betsy worked out on the deck, putting up Christmas lights. Grace let out some more muffled barks.
At 7:30, Grace went out on the balcony. The Christmas lights spooked her, so I had to go out there first before she would venture out. She then climbed up on the lounge chair and set her watch. At 8:00 Grace came in and got into her bed. At 9:00, she went outside for her last walk. When she returned at 9:10, she went to the balcony lounge chair to enjoy the balmy (for December) night air.
Friday
At 4:00, Grace was in her bed. I stopped by and stroked her softly before returning to bed. At 6:40 and at 6:50 the alarm clock sounded. When I got up, Grace was lying on the living room floor. After our usual greeting, Betsy came in and greeted her as well. She used the Furminator on her for a few minutes. By then, I was dressed, and we were off. The weather was balmy for the first week of December.
Morning Puppy Play
Abby was already in the park when we arrived. Grace and Abby ran and wrestled. Sadie came shortly thereafter. All three joined in for about five minutes. Then Grace and Abby alternated with the ball while the other mauled Sadie. By 7:30, Abby and Sadie both left. Grace left too.
Grace walked over to the Lofts. From there, she headed down our normal running path toward Umstead Park. She proceeded into the Greenway and down the path that circles the lake. Grace ran fast enough to pull her collar and restrict her breathing. She wanted to go loose and chase some squirrels, but I couldn’t trust that she would stay with me with bicyclists there to temp her to follow them.
Rest and Recharging
When we returned home at 8:50, Grace went to the balcony lounge chair to enjoy the pleasant morning air. At 10:20, she came in and went to sleep on the living room chair. At 11:40, as I headed out to get the mail, Grace got up to go with me. When we returned ten minutes later. Grace found a shady corner on the balcony and went to sleep.
At 1:45, I gave Grace her eggs to top off her uneaten breakfast. After she ate all of her food, Grace went to her perch. I opened the window for her to let her continue to enjoy the warm, fresh air.
Afternoon Ride
At 2:00, as I got ready, I told Grace I was going for a ride. She jumped down and came to the foyer. Our first stop was the post office. On the way in, the lady parked next to me could not help noticing Grace and commented on how cute she looked sitting in the passenger seat as my “side-kick.” She had a dog with her that resembled Sadie seated in the back seat. The line was slower than usual and Grace became a bit tired of the wait. She put up with it though.
We went on to our next stop — the vet’s office. Once we went into the building, Grace wanted to leave. I just purchased another flea pill (Comfortis). As soon as I paid the bill and took my purchase, Grace pushed the door open and we were out of there! Our next stop was the grocery store. After ten minutes, I returned to find Grace nestled on the floor of the passenger’s side.
Longing to Play
At 3:00, Grace returned home and went directly to the balcony. There she watched for friends. She saw Olivia and Rascal at 3:15 and came inside expectantly. I told Grace, “No.” She understood. I’ll mark this as a milestone for that word. She settled back down to watch some more. At 4:45, Grace came in to let me know it was time to go. Although there were no dogs there yet, I went ahead and took her.
At the park, all of the balls were gone except the large one. Hannah and Miley followed Grace in. A flood of dogs followed: Abby, Libby, Zeke, and Sadie. It was quite a party, and Grace loved it! I played with her with the rope until Abby pulled the rope from me. Grace took it back from Abby. Then Abby’s owner took it away. Grace ran around with the other dogs and just tried to make herself friendly toward her friends. The dogs left as quickly as they came.
Food and Tricks
When Grace returned home at 5:50, she went to the balcony. Betsy put Grace’s supper out at 6:00, and Grace came in to eat it ten minutes later. When she finished, Grace got into her bed and attended to her toy puppies. Betsy gave Grace her Comfortis tablet in a pill pocket followed by a doggie cookie. At 6:30, Grace returned to the balcony lounge chair to watch the activity below.
When I finished eating, Grace came inside. She did tricks for turkey. She wanted more. Grace did tricks for duck food. When a phone call interrupted Grace’s session, she barked. As soon as I hung up and resumed, Grace was fine. When she finished, Grace went to her perch. Before long, she was stretched out on her now-modified longer elevated bed.
At 8:50, we went out for the last time and returned at 9:00. Grace got into the living room chair as I went to bed.
Saturday
A 5:00, Grace came into the bedroom at the foot of the bed. I invited her up. She sat there for a minute before settling down. Betsy was concerned that perhaps the Comfortis was upsetting her stomach. She took Grace out in the rain at 6:20. They did a short walk around the building and returned at 6:30.
Wet Play
At 7:00, I got up and took Grace out for her morning outing. It was still raining. As we approached the unprotected area, Grace detoured and took the hallway route to approach the park. When she reached the end of the hallway, she had to face the rain. After thirty seconds, she was fine with it. Grace went to the empty park and played ball with me. After fifteen minutes, Abby showed up. By then the rain had stopped.
Grace lost her ball to Abby immediately because she was not vigilant in protecting it. They ended up sharing the ball somewhat by playing fetch with it. When Grace got the ball Abby would chase her some and Grace would move her mouth away from Abby’s grasp. After fifteen minutes, Abby left. Grace also left to go for a walk.
Go Buddy
Grace went down to the Greenway near Grace Beach. She encountered some dedicated runners and insisted on running ahead of them. One of the runners said “Go Buddy.” Another commented on how hard it was for her to run while having to tug me slowing her down with the leash. Despite the leash, she was spirited in running ahead of them. We proceeded to the end of the Greenway, came up Winstead, and returned to the park.
Grace played ball there until 8:55. One time she snagged the ball in the air thrown about twenty feet high. That was impressive. It was a wet mess out there. When Grace began to dig, I told her “No.” She immediately obeyed. When she returned home at 9:00, Grace had a shower followed by a treat. I was shocked how much mud she had on her. After her bath, Grace ate her breakfast and climbed up on the living room chair for a nap. Betsy then came in and gave her some tummy rubs for about ten minutes.
Morning Nap and Afternoon Treat
At 9:35 Betsy went out the door. Grace whined, whimpered, and stretched off of the chair. She then curled up in her bed and took a nap. At 12:15, Grace came into the kitchen wanting something for lunch. I gave her a Kong with duck and peanut butter. When Grace finished that, she returned to the kitchen and twice bounced the Kong at my feet to request more. I told her to wait. Grace went to her perch.
At 12:30, I gave Grace the rest of a half-cup of duck food topped off with some scrambled eggs. When she finished, she did an air chomp and went under the kitchen table. I tried to calm her. She went to her toy box, pulled out some empty cardboard boxes, and shredded them. When Betsy left for the afternoon, Grace whined. She went out on the balcony to watch Betsy leave. After five minutes, Grace returned inside, and I gave her a nearly empty peanut butter jar to clean out. That’s always fun.
Afternoon Activity
At 1:15, Grace barked softly. She had finished her peanut butter project and was back on her perch. As she sat and watched intently out the window, I opened the window for her and left her there. At 2:20, Grace returned to her bed. Twenty minutes later, she went to the balcony to observe the activity below from there.
At 3:15, Grace went out running with me. Grace grabbed the leash and tried to lead me. Grace saw a lady running ahead of us and ran to catch her. When we finally made it, I was about exhausted. Grace stopped a bit, but it wasn’t too disturbing to my run. When we returned at 3:50, Grace went to the balcony. After fifteen minutes, she came inside and got into her bed.
Restless
At 5:30, I put out her supper. She stretched out of her bed, walked over, and ate it all. When she finished, she went to her perch. Grace made a sound at 5:40. A few minutes later, Betsy returned. Grace and Betsy happily greeted each other. She also greeted me — as if I had just come home too. Grace went up in the chair for a few minutes before returning to her bed.
At 6:00, she seemed restless. Of course, this is her sundowning time, so that’s to be expected. I placed her play puppies in feeding position. She whined and turned to bite her back. I used the flea comb on her but found none. We did tummy rubs and kisses for about ten minutes. Then Grace decided she wanted to go back out on the balcony. After five minutes, she was back inside. She came to me with a toy, insisting that it was time to play. After all, I didn’t take her to the park that afternoon.
From 6:15 to 7:15, Grace played fetch with the handball. There was a break in the middle. While we ate our dinner, Grace lay on the foyer floor. When I got up to clean up in the kitchen, there was Grace with her ball. She flipped it insistently on the kitchen floor. I had to repeatedly kick it for her to fetch. Finally, she had enough and went to her perch.
As I got something cool to eat from the freezer, Grace came in looking for a little something. I gave her a pizza crust followed by a dental chew. When she finished, at 7:45, Grace went to the balcony for five minutes before returning to her bed. Betsy then began vacuuming and directed Grace into the bedroom and into the bed with me where Grace settled in and rested.
Unexpected Compliment
At 8:55, Grace went out for the last time. We met a lady along the way who observes us from afar. She offered that my wife and I are “the best dog owners in the world” for the way we take care of Grace.
I’m sure that’s a bit of a kind exaggeration, but we do try to do what’s best for her. I will say that Grace is deserving of having the best owners in the world because she’s a wonderful dog. We’re blessed to have her. At 9:05, Grace returned home and went to her perch.