At 4:00, I found Grace in her bed. I stopped by and stroked her lightly a few times as I returned to bed. At 5:50, I got up to find Grace on her perch. I raised the blinds for her to look out and then went to study. Grace seemed to be familiar with the routine, but at 6:45, she came to my door and whined. I told her to wait. She went to her sofa and curled up in a ball to wait.
Morning Outing
At 7:00, as I prepared to take her outside, Grace went to the bedroom. She looked for Betsy and found her in the other twin bed rather than the usual one in which she normally sleeps. Grace made a few soft sounds to let Betsy know she was there. Betsy didn’t respond. Rather than disturb her Grace left the room. A minute later, Grace tried one more time with the same result. Grace then gave up and went out with me to start her day.
Grace took her time a bit sniffing around in the ball-eating bushes below the park while Abby waited. When Grace finally made it up to the park, she and Abby had a good time chasing one another and wrestling. At 7:30, they were both done and ready to go. Grace delayed for some sniffs on Clump Grass Hill and stopped for a minute at the small dog park, but other than that delayed little in going for the gate to Grace Woods. After she was through the gate, I unleashed her.
High-Traffic Morning
The traffic was fairly heavy on Old Reedy Creek Road as apparently there was some biking and running events planned for the area. I tried to stay with Grace as she crossed the bridge. When she went Grace Weeds, I went there too to encourage her to avoid the Greenway entrance area that was littered with cars and people.
We entered the park under the fence. From there, Grace went down to the lake shore by the water flow control platform. From there, Grace went up back across the Greenway to find a deer leg. She worked on that for the rest of the time, separating two leg bones by crushing the two associated joints. She enjoyed the activity and the treat.
Breakfast and Home Alone
At 8:20, Grace headed home. Ten minutes later when we arrived, Grace went to the balcony. She returned inside five minutes later when she saw me put out her food.
After breakfast, Grace went outside on the lounge chair to enjoy the 45-degree, morning sunshine. At 9:10 I called Grace inside, she jumped up on the living room chair. We left her home alone.
Mouth-Watering Treat
At 12:50, I greeted Grace as she lay on her perch. I told her I was going to get her a treat. She heard the sound of the cellophane wrapper. When I returned with a doggie treat, she was drooling.
Unlike some dogs that have thick, slimy, white drool, Grace has human-like clear saliva. One drop was on her leg and another on her perch, and more falling from her mouth. She enjoyed her cookie there.
Afternoon Walk
At 1:10, after I changed my clothes, I took Grace out for an afternoon walk. She went out back and down the entrance walk nearest Grace Beach. At the meadow, she met a Retriever dog and played in the field with it. They ran out of sight. By the time I caught sight of Grace she was on the other side of the river.
She seemed to be acting strange by lagging behind the other dog. I didn’t know if she was concerned about losing me or if it was something else. I wondered whether she would try to swim across the river to meet me, but I headed for the Greenway and she did too.
Fun at a Shore
She went down to the shore near the water-level control platform. She saw a crane on the far corner and tried to bark to make it move. I didn’t want her to go into the water there. After two minutes, I went down. That was enough to make the bird move.
Then, Grace found a hardball. I tossed it along the bank of the hill ad toward Grace Beach. My objective was to move her that direction. She then went into Grace Thicket. At that point, I went down toward the beach to throw the ball near the shore where I threw the other balls for future use.
Injured Paw
I lost track of Grace and backtracked looking for her. Then, I turned as saw she had already been to Grace Beach and was at the Greenway looking for me. When I caught up with her I leashed her. She seemed to be favoring her left paw. She would hold it up in the position of the paw command. She also was difficult to get to walk. It didn’t seem to matter what the surface was she was walking on.
An Asian Indian family asked about Grace. The two girls asked to pet her. They were very gentle with her, Grace was good with them. Because of the difficulty I was having with getting Grace to move, I picked her up and carried her about fifty feet. When I put her down, she walked for me reluctantly. I did it one more time on the way home.
When she made it home at 2:25, Grace went to the balcony. She stayed there until 3:30. She came in limping badly with an obvious issue with her left paw. She got up on sofa. We examined her. I found nothing visible other than small cut on the palm pad of left foot. Grace made no complaints to joint movements. Betsy soaked the paw for a minute and then put some paw lotion on her. Grace then napped.
At 6:15, I started making my supper. Grace limped into the kitchen. Her regular food bag was almost empty, so I mixed in half duck food. She ate it immediately and lay on the living room floor. I felt bad for her so I gave her a doggie treat. When I was cleaning up, she heard me messing with her duck food bag and limped back into the kitchen. I gave her another half cup of duck food. She would normally get that for doing tricks, but she was in no shape for that. When she finished she limped up on her perch to watch for Betsy’s return.
At 8:40, we lifted Grace into a portable cart, and I wheeled her downstairs. When we returned at 8:55, I put Grace in her bed. Ten minutes later, she limped over to her sofa for the night. Betsy said Grace moved from the sofa to the chair and back after I went to bed.
Monday
Grace was on the sofa when I got up at 6:50. At 7:10, I put her in the cart and wheeled her downstairs. As we came out on the walk, Abby was leaving the park. Grace jumped out of the cart and walked to the other side of the building. I finally put her back in the cart and wheeled her to the elevator and back home.
Injured Puppy
When we returned at 7:35, I put Grace on the balcony lounge chair. Betsy covered her with a towel and a blanket. When I put out her breakfast, Grace came in and ate it. She then got up on the living room chair. I called the vet and scheduled an appointment for 8:30.
We left at 8:15. I carried Grace this time like when you burp a baby with her front legs supported by my shoulder. When we arrived at the veterinarian’s office, I parked the car and carried Grace inside, holding her in front of me. When she arrived, she started to tremble. That lasted most of the visit. She panted and drooled. The shaking would go in waves on and off every few seconds. I had never seen this level of anxiety in Grace. I’ll mark this as a milestone.
When Grace came back from the X-ray, she seemed to feel better. It was as if the manipulation and further examination of her relieved some of her pain. When we went to the check-out counter to pay, she was fine. She was focused on getting her treat.
Home Alone
When we came home, I carried her back inside and placed her on the balcony lounge chair. I then prepared to go to my doctor appointment. When I left at 10:10, I put her in the living room chair and told her good-bye. I returned at noon. Grace was still in the chair. I gave her a cookie treat. When she finished, she went outside and lay under the balcony lounge chair.
I went running at 1:30 and returned at 2:00. The maintenance people were in the apartment. They said that Grace didn’t move the whole time they were there. She looked reasonably comfortable, but stayed under the chair.
Afternoon Snacks
At 2:45, I gave Grace a duck food and eggs picnic out on the balcony. I forgot to put the Metacam 10ml medicine on the food, so I quickly grabbed it away from her before she finished. When I put the medicine on and gave her the food back, she sniffed it and wouldn’t eat it. At 3:00, I added more duck food. That was enough to get her to clean it up.
At 3:10, Grace made a few talking sounds. I told her “Good talk” and gave her some food. At 4:20, I prepared a nearly empty peanut butter container for her.
Recovering
At 4:45, Grace went out for a walk. Abby was in the park. We went in. Both dogs were ready to play. I kept Grace on the leash. At 5:10, Grace went to the gate. We went out, she did her business, and returned. Abby wasn’t ready to play, so we turned around and went home.
Grace got up on her sofa. A few minutes later, Betsy came home and happily greeted her recovering pet. At 6:20, Grace got up and did her chomp-chomp. I had to refill her smaller food bag from her larger bag. Grace sat next to me. I let a small amount fall for her. When I finished, I gave her a small portion in a dish. Then, I gave Grace her normal portion in her bowl. When she finished, Grace went on the balcony. She returned inside fifteen minutes later.
Herself Again
At 6:50, Grace took her large Kong and threw it on the floor. Grace was back. I filled it with duck food, capped with peanut butter. When she finished that at 7:05, I gave her the almost empty peanut butter container with the remains from the half cup of duck food that went into the large Kong. When she finished that, we gave her chicken scraps.
Betsy started eating dessert. Grace wanted a treat too. I gave Grace a doggie cookie. When she finished that, I gave her a dental chew. At 7:40, Grace was done and went to her perch to watch out the window. At 9:05, Grace went outside. When shee returned ten minutes later, Grace curled up in her bed (now moved in front of her sofa) for the night.
Tuesday
At 1:00, Grace was on her perch awake and looking out the window. I greeted her gently as I returned to bed. At 5:00, Grace was back in her bed.
When I got up at 6:30, she was lying on her side on the living room floor. There we greeted one another. As I got ready, Grace and Betsy said their morning pleasantries.
Morning Romp
We left for the park at 6:45. Grace had no limp. At the park, I tried to limit Grace’s play to just shortstop to reduce stress on her feet. No dogs showed up. At 7:20, we went to the car and headed for the lot. There, we waited for the construction manager and the excavation manager to show up.
I let Grace off of the leash after Snoopy came outside. Grace used her freedom to track down the cat and chase it up a tree. I then grabbed Grace and leashed her. When the contractors arrived around 8:15, I discussed the work they would be doing with them as Grace stood next to me. I then talked with our neighbor as we watched some of the work going on.
At 9:15, we finally left to go running at the park. After driving for five minutes, I received a phone call from someone I was going to meet at the lot. We turned around and went back. We walked the lot for about fifteen minutes. When we finished, we got into the car and headed back to Borador Pond Park.
Grace enjoyed the crisp morning and ran with me as we did our usual three-mile run. After the second lap, Grace met a nice lady and her five-year-old daughter. They enjoyed meeting and greeting Grace. Grace then moved on to proceed with her run.
Town Hall
Our next stop was the Cary Town Hall to talk about inspections and connections. Grace propped her font paws up on the counter hoping for affection and a treat. Grace charmed the ladies at the inspections desk. They were ready for her. After they gave her one dog biscuit, they couldn’t resist giving her another. Grace was very appreciative and very well-behaved.
Next, we stopped by the finance desk to check the water meter connection procedure. It was a bit of a wait there. The clerk offered me a seat across the hall, but Grace had already settled in on a carpeted mat at my feet, watching out the window. I didn’t want to disturb her.
Grace met more people there who were enchanted by her. As we went outside, a lady shouted from behind us asking if she could pet Grace. I told her “Of course.” Grace also obliged and spread the love.
Afternoon at Home
When we returned home at 11:25, I realized that Grace hadn’t had her breakfast. Grace went out on the balcony. When I put out her breakfast, she came in, ate it, and then returned to the balcony.
As I began making my food at 2:15, Grace came in and lay on her bed. when I finished eating, she perked up to let me know it was time. I gave her a dose for a 25 pound dog this time. I tried putting it in a pill pocket, but it didn’t all fit. Perhaps I’ll try again next time and reshape it before I put the liquid in. I put the remainder in her duck food and scrambled eggs snack. When she finished, Grace went back outside on the lounge chair.
At 3:00, Grace came inside and went to her perch. When Betsy came in, Grace and she greeted happily. At 5:20, I took Grace out. She went to the park. There were no friends there. Abby went for a walk instead of coming in with Grace. Grace played ball.
Quiet Evening Disturbed
At 6:05 she returned home and had her supper. She then went out on the balcony to watch. At 7:00, she came in as we ate supper. I made her a small loaded Kong. When she finished that as I cleaned up, she wanted more. I gave her another. I gave her scraps from two chicken drumsticks. Finally, she had a dental chew. She played a very short range shortstop game with Betsy and a little bit with me.
At 8:00, she went out on the balcony lounge chair to watch for interesting activity below. Grace came inside at 8:15 and went for her bed. I got up and took her out. Ten minutes later, she returned and curled up in her bed for the night.
At 11:05, when I walked by, Grace slept on her sofa. Two hours later, she was asleep in her bed. At 3:20, Grace barked from her perch. It was the hated white cat. I calmed her, shut all of the blinds, and returned to bed.
Wednesday
At 6:05, the alarm clock sounded. I got up and found Grace in the dining room against wall next to where bed used to be located. There we did tummy rubs and kisses. As I got ready to go, Grace moved to the living room floor. At 6:15, Betsy called Grace to come into the bedroom. Grace wouldn’t go until I led her in. Grace then greeted her.
Dixie and Deer
As Grace waited for me to get off of the computer, she brought her puppy toy over to play fetch with me. At 6:45, we finally left to start our morning outing. Grace walked by the empty dog park and headed on between the main building and the pool. There she spotted Dixie. Grace trailed her until they could meet and greet one another. Then Olivia and Rascal joined in the reunion. Dixie’s owner called it a floppy-ear gathering.
Grace continued on to the gate that leads to Grace Woods. As usual, I unlatched it, Grace opened it, and I let her off of her leash. She checked out the woods nearby and made it to the bridge ahead of me. We entered together at the Greenway gate. Grace followed scents along the fence to the right before going across to the left, under the fence into Grace Weeds, and back to the field. She found and briefly chewed on some deer legs.
Birds and Ball
Then, she spotted a gray heron on the large pipe that crosses the river. Grace took off down the hill to the river. She barked at it, but it wouldn’t move. Grace then ran round the dirt bridge to the other side to get closer to the bird. That was enough to get it to fly towards Grace Woods. Grace ran out of sight. Five minutes later, she came running happily towards me.
Grace went down to the lake near the water level control platform. There she found a tennis ball. She brought it to me and tossed it my way to tell me to play fetch with her. I threw the ball as far as I could. She would run to keep up with the throw and catch it on the first bounce. When she tired, I would revert to shortstop to give her
A small flock of seagulls landed along the Greenway. Grace had ha chance to catch her breath. We practiced left, right, and back commands during the shortstop game.er eye on them. I told her to wait as I removed her harness. When I finished, she ran after them, clearing the area. After we played some more ball, Grace saw a gray heron flying from the lake to the river. She shot off down the hill and along the fence to the river as fast as the bird flew until the bird flew over the fence.
When she returned, I leashed her, and we headed home. We took the first path back to the apartments. As we neared the parking lot, Grace stopped, sat, and stared as she saw another dog. That standoff went on for five minutes before the owner of the other dog said he wanted to pass by without interacting with Grace because he was concerned about his dog. His dog obviously wanted to play, but I told Grace to move on. She did.
Relaxing at Home
When we returned home at 9:00, Grace went to the balcony. She came in a few minutes later, but I hadn’t prepared her food. I took her dish, washed it, added the food, and put in a half-dose of her medicine. I tried to use a pill pocket, but that was a complete waste. I ended up giving Grace pieces of the pocket as a treat.
When Grace finished her breakfast, she went out on the balcony. At 9:45, she came inside, got up on her sofa and went to sleep. At 10:40, Grace talked, got up, and moved to her perch as I worked on paperwork moving between the living room and the office.
Treat, Run, and Explore
At 1:00, Grace went for her afternoon outing. First stop was the office to pay the rent and get a treat. Grace went to the treats container and sat without being told. I gave her the treat which she thoroughly enjoyed. We thanked the lady in the office and returned to the car.
Grace next went to Borador Pond Park. There she did her usual chasing of birds and running freely around the course. The cooler temperature was a bit less comfortable for me, but it was manageable with the right mix of clothing.
Next, we went to the lot. There, I hooked up the power to the well again. Grace did pretty well with sticking around and coming when called. She did wander off once or twice toward the neighbor’s, but she didn’t cause any trouble and returned within a reasonable time after I called her back.
Something Different and Winding Down
When we returned home a 2:45, Grace went to the balcony. At 3:00, I put out a duck food snack for her. When she finished, I prepared a small duck food Kong and put it in her empty food dish. Grace stood by it and whimpered. I don’t understand why she didn’t remove it. I picked it up and placed it down on the floor. Grace was fine with that and proceeded to work on her Kong. When she finished, Grace went to her perch.
At 3:30, I left Grace home alone. While I was gone, Betsy fed Grace supper, two duck food large Kongs, one large Kong with regular food, and a treat. When I returned at 8:45, Grace greeted me at the door with kisses. Five minutes later, I took her out for her last walk. Ten minutes later, she returned inside and went to her perch.
When she spotted me getting a snack, she marched into the kitchen. I gave her a dental chew. When she finished, Grace went back to her perch.
Thursday
At 1:00, Grace was lying in the dining room against the wall. When I got up for the day, I met Grace lying on her side on the living room floor. We greeted with tummy rubs and kisses. While I sent a few emails, Grace waited impatiently. She greeted Betsy but was really focused on going out.
Early Start Playtime
We left for her morning adventure at 6:45. It was another frosty morning. We went first to the car to defrost the windows. I realized that I had forgotten a ball. I had Grace get into the car. I turned it on and ran the heat. Grace stayed there while I went back to the apartment for a minute to get a ball.
When I returned, the windows were still not ready. I took Grace out, and she went to the park. Once she was safely in the park, I went back to the car to turn it off and retrieve the keys. After a few minutes, Abby showed up. Grace was ready to play, but Abby was a bit listless. They both enjoyed munching on ice from the water bucket. Reggie also joined in the play. Reggie left after five minutes. Grace and Abby left after about fifteen.
Unwelcome Surprise and New Toy
On her way to the lake, Grace stopped for a second, rather soft bowel movement. I reached down with the waste bag only to find it had a hole in it! This was another cold morning with a broken-bag mess! At least it wasn’t nearly as cold as the previous one. I dropped Grace off back at the park, went to my car, found a disposable wipe and did my best to clean up.
When I finished, I returned to pick up Grace, and we were off. On the way down to the lake, Grace found a Kong AirDog. That became the toy of the outing. We went to the meadow and played fetch and tug with it most of the time. As our time out neared an end, Grace finished chewing the rope in half. I still used it to lure her in the right direction.
We went out the end of the Greenway, over the bridge, up Grace Woods to the gate at the Lofts. While at the lofts, a man stopped and looked at us as we stopped and looked at him. He asked us to move because he was afraid of dogs. Most people want to pet her, so this was a bit strange. From there, we went past the dog park. I threw the remaining piece of AirDog in the park, and we went home.
Taking It Easy
When we returned home at 9:10, Grace went to the balcony. When I fixed her food, I forgot to put in her medicine. She came in and started eating. I picked it up, added the medicine (for 25 pound dog) to her half-eaten breakfast, and returned it to her. She finished it without a complaint. When she finished Grace went back out on the balcony.
At 10:00, Grace came inside and curled up in the living room chair. Her coat was hot from the direct sun despite the cool 40-degree weather. By 11:00, Grace had cooled down. She took a long drink of water and returned to the balcony.
Afternoon Run and More
At 1:25 she came in. It was time for Grace’s afternoon outing. Ten minutes later, we left. When we arrived at 2:05, Borador Pond Park was empty. The sky was still sunny. Grace followed me around and took a few short dips in the pond.
When we finished, I drove to Apex to pick up some paperwork from the attorney. Grace waited patiently in the car for about fifteen minutes. When I returned, I gave Grace a treat, which she enjoyed. The next stop was the grocery store. After five minutes, I returned. Our final stop was the gas station. Grace got out of the car while I filled up the tank. When I finished, Grace got into the car, and we traveled home.
At 3:55, we arrived home, and Grace went to the balcony. Ten minutes later, as she saw me preparing food, Grace came in and parked herself outside the foyer to watch me eat my food and wait for hers to cool. At 4:20, Grace looked at me as I finished. I gave her her duck food and scrambled eggs snack. She quickly went to it and enjoyed her meal.
When she finished at 4:30, Grace went out on the balcony to watch for friends. She returned inside fifteen minutes later and got up on her sofa. At 5:30, I received a call to meet someone down in the parking lot. Grace wanted to go too. I leashed her up and we headed out together. Grace happily greeted the visitor. He gave me a ball that fell out of my pocket the day before and then left.
As we returned home, we spotted Betsy coming home. Betsy shouted up to meet her. We waited and went down the stairs to meet her. When we returned inside, Grace threw down her large Kong. Betsy fed Grace her supper. When she finished, Grace wanted to play tug and fetch. I played with her until 6:45.
Give Me More
Grace then went to the kitchen as Betsy prepared supper. While we ate, Grace brought her Kong and threw it down a few times. I told her to wait. When I finished eating, Grace did tricks for duck food. When she finished, she wanted more. I gave her her shower, followed by a doggie treat. She picked up her Kong and threw it down again. I loaded her small Kong and gave it to her.
That did the trick. When she finished, Grace went to the balcony. At 8:00, she came in and Betsy said she would take her out for her last walk of the night. She didn’t. That disturbed Grace. I took her at 8:10. We extended our walk to mail two letters. When we returned at 8:25, Grace curled up for the night on her sofa, and I turned out the light closest to her.
Friday
At 2:30, Grace barked from her perch. I closed the blinds and calmed her. My guess is that she saw the hated white cat. When I got up at 6:30, Grace was lying on the living room floor. There we greeted with tummy rubs and kisses. Grace went in on her own this time to greet Betsy. After a short exchange of affection, Grace returned to prompt me to get ready.
Chilly Morning Fun
At 6:45, I went out to brave the clear 27-degree morning with a 12-degree wind chill. Grace went to the park first. Abby followed her in a minute later. Grace grabbed the Kong AirDog. Abby chased her for it and after a few minutes, got it from her. Grace made a few attempts to get it from Abby but gave up quickly. After Abby left, Grace played with the toy until almost 8:00. When she finished, Grace went down through the gate, across the bridge and to the Greenway.
She investigated Grace Weeds for a minute or so and returned to the grassy field. Grace found a deer pelt and worked on that for about twenty minutes. She chased the seagulls and went down to the lake.
After exploring for about five minutes, she found a water bottle with some ice in it. She tossed it around and brought it to me to throw it for her to chase, bat around, and retrieve. I threw it the direction toward home. Grace enjoyed chasing it. She went to Grace Hill and then down to the shore near Grace Beach. She explored Grace Thicket and went out of view. As I tried to find her, she returned to where I had left her. From there, I leashed her and then we headed back.
Contortion
At 9:00, Grace returned home and went to the balcony. At 9:10, Grace came in as I prepared her food with medicine and fresh water. When she finished, she got up on the chair.
After about thirty minutes, I noticed Grace in a rather strange position on the chair. That’s when I saw the blind was open letting sun in on half of the seat of the chair. Strangely, when I fixed the blind, Grace remained in that contorted position on the chair.
Run, Treat, and Play
At 10:20, Grace went out to the sunny balcony. At 11:35, we left for Borador Pond park. Grace enjoyed chasing birds, running with me, and taking shallow dips in the pond. When we returned home at 1:00, Grace went to the balcony while I showered. After I fixed her duck food and scrambled eggs, Grace came in and enjoyed her snack. When she finished, I gave her a shower followed by a doggie treat.
At 1:35, I called her inside and left her home alone. When I returned home at 4:00, I greeted Grace on her perch. She came into the kitchen as I ate a frozen treat. Grace worked on the end of an ice cream container and then wanted more. After eating a loaded small Kong, she went to the balcony.
Grace came inside at 4:40 complaining about needing to go outside. At 4:55, I took her out to the park. There she played with Hannah, Miley and Abby. A lady with the Pekingese brought a black Pekingese puppy too. Grace saw it. It looked like a cat to me, but Grace could tell it was a dog. Grace got down very low to the ground to meet it at its level. As she was doing her best to befriend the animal and make it feel unthreatened, the owner picked it up and held it the rest of the time. When we returned home at 5:45, Grace went to the balcony first as usual. Ten minutes later, she came inside and got up on her sofa.
Supper and Sleep
At 6:30 I gave Grace her supper and spilled some. Grace was respectful but then helped clean it up. When she finished, she got up on the sofa. As I ate my soup, I had a little buddy sitting next to me drooling as I ate saltines. Of course, I shared some with her. Betsy loaded her a large Kong which Grace worked on while we ate my main course.
When she finished, she came next to me to let me know she would like scraps. Grace did tricks for chicken leg scraps and then watched me clean up. As I finished, Grace went to her perch to keep an eye on the kitchen and at the same time watch outside. At 8:55, Grace went out for her last walk for the day. Five minutes later, she curled up for the night on the sofa.
Saturday
At 2:30, I greeted Grace as she lay on her side on the office floor. When I got up at 6:45, I found Grace lying on her side on the living room floor. There we greeted with tummy rubs and kisses.
Air Grace
At 7:00, Grace headed out to the park to start her day. There she played fetch with AirDog for a half hour. No friends came, so we moved on to phase two of her morning adventure. Grace went through the gate into Grace Woods, over the bridge, and onto the Greenway.
First, she found a deer leg and snacked on that. Then, she found two new balls at the lake shore. The first was an eight-inch inflatable ball with a hole in it. She played fetch and tug with that for about ten minutes.
Then, she found a softball-sized hollow rubber ball with ridges and two holes in it. Grace found that to be really fun. It bounced, had some weight to it, and felt good in her mouth. She spent at least a half hour playing fetch with that. At one point, she went airborn for a catch and had all four feet about a foot off of the ground. It was impressive.
Callback and More Fun
Also, while out in the field Grace had four chances to run and meet other dogs. The first one barked. Grace ran halfway to it, but when I whistled, she turned and returned to me. The second went towards the Greenway entrance. Grace went over to socialize, but the owner wanted her to stay away. I called her off, and she came.
When the dog turned at the entrance and came back by, I told Grace to leave it, and she did. Finally, another dog ran free. Grace wanted to socialize but restrained herself. I’ll log this as a milestone, that at least sometimes, I can call Grace back from something she really wants to do.
Grace played with the balls most of the time. At the end, she snacked on a deer leg. After about fifteen minutes, she had enough and was ready to go home. I leashed her, and we headed back. On the way, Grace stopped at Grace Beach for old-times’ sake.
Park Play
At 9:10 Grace returned home, went to the balcony, came in and ate her breakfast, and returned to the balcony. At 9:45, she came inside and curled up in the chair for a nap. At 10:55, Grace went out on the balcony. A few minutes later, she saw Olivia, Rascal and Reggie in the park. She came in expectantly. I told her “No.” She then brought the new ball she had found. We played ball with her. At 11:20, she lay on the living room floor and rested for a minute.
Grace went out to the balcony 11:40. Ten minutes later, she spotted a bunch of dogs playing in the park. I took her down. The dogs were Beckham, Loki, Penny, and a Golden Retriever / Bernese Mountain Dog mix. Grace mainly played fetch with AirDog. After ten minutes, I leashed her up to take her away since Beckham’s owner (who wasn’t there) does not like how Grace attracts him to hump her. As I started taking her away, something snapped between Grace and Penny as both became aggressive. It lasted only for a few seconds before we walked out.
Relaxing at Home
When she returned home at 12:05, Grace went straight to the balcony. At 12:40, when Grace saw us sitting down for lunch, she came inside. I gave her a half cup duck food snack. When she finished, Grace wanted more. Betsy gave her a large Kong filled with duck food and capped with a pill pocket.
When she finished, Grace lay on the throw rug outside the kitchen to watch Betsy as she finished up in there. When she finished at 1:00, Grace went out on the balcony. At 1:20, Grace came back inside and lay on her sofa watching longingly out the window. At 2:20, Grace went back out on the balcony lounge chair to watch. Having climbed from 30-degrees in the morning, the 50-degree sunshine was especially inviting and comfortable to Grace.
Active Afternoon
At 2:30, Grace came in from the balcony and began to grouch about going out for a walk. Fifteen minutes later, I took her out. The objective was to run a couple laps. As we approached Borador Park, we spotted Reggie leaving. Reggie’s owners had bought an AirDog for him. The old AirDog was in park, so there were two in there. Reggie didn’t have any energy for playing. After ten minutes, Reggie left, and we continued our run.
As we entered the Greenway, Grace begin pulling excitedly. I then saw what had her attention. A father and son had remote-control model planes. They were just packing up. Unlike the glider that we had seen before, these planes were battery-propelled and their batteries had run out. After some persistent prodding on my part, Grace gave up and moved on.
After the first lap, we passed the dog park again to find Chowder and a visitor dog in the park. Their owners were taking pictures. They were nice enough when we came in, but I sensed we were interrupting. They left after a few minutes. We left too and continued our run.
As we passed the meadow, we spotted a 14-month-old black male Labrador Retriever named Kaiser. The owners were throwing special retrieving objects and a plastic duck. They used a remote-controlled shock collar on their dog. Grace went after the objects when they were thrown. Kaiser was trained to wait until sent to get them. Grace played there for about thirty minutes.
Fun Chase and Sighting
When we finally finished our run at 3:50, Grace went to the balcony. At 5:30, Betsy took her out. During the outing, Grace chased a deer from the Greenway, out the entrance and across the road. Betsy was horrified. After Grace returned and Betsy put a leash on her, they returned home at 6:30, and Grace went out on the balcony. At 6:55, Grace came inside and lay on the living room floor. By 7:30, she did tricks for pork. When she finished that, she continued with tricks for duck food. When she finished, she went to her perch.
At 8:00, Grace erupted in some urgent barks from her perch. She had spotted the hated white cat. Five minutes later, we urgently ran down the stairs and down to the cat areas. Grace sniffed excitedly but found no cat. Fifteen minutes later, we returned home with the white cat safely out of view. Grace went to the balcony just to make sure.
At 8:40, Grace came inside and climbed into her bed. Ten minutes later, she had a doggie cookie and a dental chew snack. When she finished, Grace went to her perch for the night. I closed all of the blinds and told her good night.