Week Eighty-Two

Week Eighty-Two

As I passed by Grace at 5:10, I found Grace lying on the floor and greeted her there. When I got up to study ninety minutes later, Grace was on the sofa. She seemed know the routine and didn’t bother me.

Brief Morning Outing
At 7:30, Grace went out for her morning adventure. I had to keep her on the leash the whole time to assure I could return at the proper time. We passed by the empty Borador Park, went up Clump Grass hill, across the Loft’s complex, through the gate to Grace Woods, down to the road, across the bridge. There Grace ate some grass and threw up.

At the entrance to the Greenway, Grace met and greeted a little black dog. We completed the short circuit past Grace Beach to the second walk up to our apartments. After an hour walk, we returned home.

Lonely Morning
When we returned home, Grace went to the balcony. I put out her breakfast. Grace came in and ate it. When she finished, she curled up in the chair for her morning nap. I’m pretty sure she knew she would be spending the rest of the morning home alone. Forty-five minutes later, we left her there.

When we returned home at 12:25, we found Grace on her perch. I told her “Good bye-bye” and gave her a doggie treat. Five minutes later, I leashed her up and took Grace out for a walk. After an hour walk, Grace returned home and went to the balcony.

Big Appetite
Grace stayed outside as we ate our dinner. When we finished, she came inside and ate chicken leg scraps. That was just the beginning. Grace was hungry. She wanted more. First it was a large loaded Kong, then a small Kong, and finally more chicken leg scraps.

At 3:00, Grace grabbed her large Kong and threw it on the floor in order to try to get us to load it up again. Instead, I played with her a bit. Grace settled in to lie on the living room floor near the dining room. After twenty minutes, she moved on to her perch.

After nearly two-and-a-half hours, Grace came into the living room grouching about wanting to go out running. I leashed her. Grace went to the door and waited patiently for fifteen minutes while Betsy prepared to take her.

Balcony Refuge
When they returned about an hour later, Grace went to the balcony. Betsy vacuumed while Grace was outside since Grace does not like the noise from the vacuum cleaner. When Betsy finished about a half hour later, Grace had her supper.

As Betsy and I ate our supper, Grace waited patiently. I gave her a piece of my sandwich. When I finished cleaning up, Grace did her tricks followed by a half cup of duck food. At 7:45, she enjoyed a small piece of pie. When she finished, Grace went to the balcony but came back inside just five minutes later wanting attention. She went to her bed as we stayed up.

At 9:30, Grace got up and grouched to go out for her walk. I took her. When we returned ten minutes later, she went back out on the balcony. Before long she saw it — the hated white cat! I could tell from her nutso bark. I brought her in. Grace excitedly indicated her desire to go out and chase the loathsome creature. Instead, I gave her a dental chew. At 10:00, I turned out the lights and we went to bed.

Monday
As I passed by her, I greeted Grace as she lie on the floor at 5:00. The alarm clock sounded at 6:40. I got up to find Grace still in bed. She was not anxious to get up. There were no tummy rubs and kisses. The 35-degree morning was brisk but at least not soggy.

Charm and Pelt
We left for our walk at 6:55. We passed the empty Borador Park, climbed Clump Grass Hill, walked by the small dog park, and went through the gate to Grace Woods. Grace found a stuffed green (bell) pepper and ate the contents. She then met a male Boxer which immediately was smitten by the lovely Grace. Grace was very cute in response.

After their greeting, Grace continued following her nose exploring. She crossed the bridge and wanted to go into Grace Weeds. I didn’t oblige her, and she didn’t pull. We walked up the road and entered the Greenway. From there, we went to the field on the left where Grace found and ate some deer pelt and did some more sniffing. Next, she went to Grace Beach and over to Grace Thicket.

Grace came out of the thicket, crossed the Greenway and climbed up to the top of Grace Hill. From there, she saw a gray Heron but couldn’t chase it, being on the leash. From there, we walked home.

Friends and Obedience Lesson
When we arrived at 9:00, Grace went to the balcony. She came in to eat her breakfast and then returned to the balcony lounge chair in the bright sunshine. At 10:00, Grace spotted the black Poodle and barked at it. By that time, the temperature had risen to 54 degeees.

At 10:05, I took Grace out. She met a Scottie and Reggie at the park for a few minutes. Then she went with me for a run on the Greenway. An hour later we returned to the apartment. In the hallway, we again practiced the commands: stay, whistle, and heel.

Ice Cream Treat and Outing
We went inside, and Grace proceed to the balcony. After ten minutes in the heat, I took a nearly empty ice cream container out to her as a picnic snack. When she finished cleaning it out, I gave her a dental chew.

At 11:30, Grace came in panting. She climbed up on her sofa. Ten minutes later, I took her out for a ride to the construction site. When we arrived at noon, Grace jumped the silt fence. I leashed her there while I switched on the circuit breaker for the well water, filled water jugs to take home, took pictures, and read inspection results.

Refueling
When I finished, I unhooked Grace from the fence, and we drove off to head home. On the way, we stopped to fill up at the gas station. As usual, Grace got out of the car to watch what was going on while I filled the tank. When I finished, Grace returned to the passenger seat, and we drove off. At the apartment car wash, Grace waited in the car while I hosed off my muddy shoes.

At 1:00, we returned home. Grace went to the balcony to enjoy the 70-degree afternoon. A half hour later, she came inside to relax on her sofa. At 2:00, Grace had her duck food and scrambled egg snack followed by a small portion of toast. When she finished, Grace lay on the dining room floor for a half hour before proceeding to her perch. I opened the window for her there.

At 3:20, Grace went to the foyer grouching about wanting to go out. I told her “No.” Instead, she went to the balcony. Twenty minutes later, Grace came inside and went to the foyer. There she stayed until she had her supper at 5:00.

Puppy Play, Supper, and Sundowning
When she finished supper, Grace went out to the dog park. After fifteen minutes, she met Abby and played with her. She returned home at 5:35 and went straight to the balcony.

As I ate my dinner, Grace came inside and sat next to me. I gave her some chicken leg scraps. When she finished them, she went under the table. As I cleaned up, Grace watched me at the kitchen entrance asking for a little something else. I gave her a doggie treat.

At 6:45, Grace started persisting with her sundowning routine. I told her to wait. Fifteen minutes later, Grace did tricks followed by duck food. When she finished, she came to me with one of her stuffed puppy toys for more play. We played fetch with her toy for fifteen minutes. Then Betsy gave her a dental chew.

When she finished her dental chew, Grace went to the balcony for ten minutes before returning inside grouching. I gave her an extra half cup of her regular food. After eating, Grace returned to the balcony.

At 8:15, Grace knew it was time to go out on her last walk for the night. I took her. When she returned five minutes later, Grace went to the balcony to watch the night action below. An hour later, I called her inside. Grace climbed up on her sofa, lay on a blanket, and settled in for the night.

Tuesday
When I got up at 1:20, I found Grace on the office floor and greeted her gently. Three and a half hours later, I found her in her bed and greeted her again there.

Delayed Start,
At 6:30, the alarm clock sounded. I didn’t get up immediately. Fifteen minutes later, Betsy got up, greeted Grace, and opened the door to the balcony. Grace then went out. I had to get off an early email, so we didn’t make it out until 7:10.

The temperature was 41 degrees. Grace went to the park and played with her flying squirrel for a while. When she left the park, she proceeded to Clump Grass Hill and through the gate to Grace Woods. There she again met the Boxer who loves her. I kept her on the leash until we went through the gate to the Greenway.

Earning Back Her Freedom, Wishing for More
After as short practice of stay, come, and heel, I let her run free. Grace chewed on deer ribs, legs, and a foot. I leashed her back as she stopped for her snack. When she saw a group of colorfully dressed girls running together Grace barked.

Then she spotted a glider and ran excitedly as I restrained her on the leash. I asked the man with the toy if he minded whether Grace chased it. He said he did mind. He said she would tear it up. I don’t believe she would have given she didn’t harm gliders in the past, but that didn’t matter.

Grace strained at the leash, squealed, and barked. It was hard to see her denied so much good exercise and fun. After about five minutes, I tore her away from it, and we headed home.

Home and Friend
At the door, I stopped and again directed Grace to heel, stay, and come. When she came inside at 9:15, Grace went to the balcony for a minute, came in to eat her breakfast, and returned to the balcony.

There she saw Abby in the park. I leashed her up and we ran down to meet her friend. They played for about fifteen minutes before tiring of it.

Remove the Blanket Please
At 10:00, Grace returned home and went to her sofa. She kept climbing further and further over the sofa arm. It seemed to me as if she was trying to get off of the warm blanket that Betsy had bought and stretched out there.

That indeed was the problem. I removed the blanket. Grace then made herself comfortable on the cushions.

Treats and Snack
At noon, I left to go running, leaving Grace home alone on her sofa. When I returned at 12:35, Grace was lying under the dining room table. I told her “Good bye-bye” and gave her some light treats.

I then took a shower and prepared some food. At 1:10, Grace had her duck food and scrambled egg snack. When she finished, she came by my side for a little piece of toast to top it off. While lying there, on her side, she was breathing faster than usual I suppose to try to stay cool.

 Togetherness
At 1:20, Grace returned to the living room. I was in the chair. Grace looked at me as if perhaps she wanted to get into the chair. I moved to her sofa. She then came up and joined me there.

We left for the land at 2:00. There Grace played on leash with Snoopy. Grace remained leashed while I talked with the construction manager. On the way home, we made a couple of short stops at stores.

Social Time and Hush Puppies
When we arrived home at 4:00, Grace went to the balcony to watch for friends at the park. A half hour later, Grace went down to the dog park to meet Abby, Reggie and Zeke in the 76-degree, sunny, late afternoon. After her play and social session, Grace returned home at 5:20.

She was treated to hush puppies and a small amount of barbecue when she arrived. After eating her little snack Grace went to the balcony. About a half hour later, she came inside to the foyer. There she lay on her side to cool down.

Sundowning
Grace had her supper at 6:30. When she finished, she went to the balcony lounge chair. After forty-five minutes, Grace came inside grouching at me. She did tricks for treats with me. Then she brought her puppy and fox toys to me to play fetch.

After her playtime, at 7:45 Grace went out to the balcony lounge chair. Ten minutes later she came inside asking for a little something else. I gave her a small Kong loaded with duck food followed by a dental chew. When she finished, Grace returned to the balcony.

At 8:50, I took Grace for her last walk of the night. Ten minutes later, she returned home and went to the balcony. At 9:20, I called her inside and Grace curled up in the chair for the night.

Wednesday
At 5:50, I saw Grace lying on her sofa and didn’t disturb her. Forty minutes later, the alarm clock sounded. I got up to find Grace sitting at the balcony door waiting to go out. I opened the door for her and she proceeded into the fresh morning air.

Morning Adventure
Fifteen minutes later, I called Grace inside, leashed her, and took her out for a morning adventure. Her first stop was the dog park. There she played fetch. Later Reggie joined her there but had no interest in puppy play.

After a half hour at Borador Park, Grace moved on. She went to Clump Grass Hill, to the other side of the Loft’s complex, and through the gate to Grace Woods. There she ate grass. I kept her on the leash as we went down to the road, over the bridge, and up to the Greenway entrance.

Then Grace met the two Golden Retrievers that she has seen before. Their owner noticed that Grace was on the leash and asked me why. I explained to her that I had a bit of a problem with Grace and was working on teaching her to return when I called. She said she couldn’t let her dogs off the leash because she had to get to work.

Feasting on Deer Bones, Longing to Chase
After saying goodbye to her friends, Grace went into the field to the left. There she ate portion of a deer leg bone, two thirds of a deer spine, and a deer foot. I let her off leash to practice sit, stay, come, and heel.

She spotted a plane and thought it was a glider until it went off. Then she saw the man from the day before with a real glider. The resistance and squealing was much less than the day before. She still really wanted to chase it, but she barked at it instead.

Recharge and Run
On the way back, we met Kiko briefly. When Grace returned home at 9:10, she went to the balcony but then came straight inside to remind me to get her breakfast. Grace ate and climbed up into her chair. I left the balcony door open, but the mower noise seemed to bother her.

By 10:15, the noise moved from our area, but Grace still stayed put. I took her out for a run at 10:50. We went around the apartments once and then half way out west on the Greenway and back.

Groom, Snack,  Late Delivery
When we returned home at 11:45, Grace went to the balcony. At 12:15 Grace came inside. I tried using the Furminator on her on one side, but it didn’t yield much shedding.

At 12:30, Grace had her duck food and scrambled egg snack. When she finished, she lay on side near balcony door. Twenty minutes later, we left for the land.

We stayed there for fifteen minutes before heading back home. On the way, we stopped for gas. Grace got out as usual. Our next stop was the grocery store. I left the car running in the 82-degree weather to keep Grace cool. She was comfortable but drooling when I returned. Unfortunately, I had no treats.

When we returned home at 2:10, I gave her a doggie treat to compensate for the one I couldn’t give her earlier. When she finished, Grace lay on the floor on her side next to balcony door.

Nap, Food, and Friends
At 3:00, Grace stretched out on her sofa for some serious napping. Two hours later, she had her supper. When she finished eating, she went out on the balcony to watch for friends.

At 6:00, Grace ran down to the park to meet and play with friends. A half hour later she was back home and returned to her sofa. An hour later, she went back to the balcony.

At 8:25, Grace went out for her last walk of the day. I found some blood on the surface of her stool. It appeared to be from a cut caused by the many bone shards that she was passing. There were no other ill effects. When she returned home ten minutes later, Grace went to the balcony. She stayed there two hours before I called her in and she curled up on her sofa for the night.

Thursday
At 5:00, I found Grace in her bed and greeted her gently as I walked by. Betsy got up at 6:40 concerned that Grace might vomit. She never did. Five minutes later, I took Grace out into the pleasant 54-degree morning.

Out for Walk and Ride
On the walk, she ate a small amount of grass, but that didn’t prompt any vomiting either. Grace returned home at 7:30 and went to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, she came in and had her breakfast. When she finished, I took her for a ride to the land.

We arrived at the land at 8:15 to see some excavation underway. Grace went over to play with Snoopy and chase a cat up a tree. I called her off and she came. Grace then played fetch with a baseball followed by a soccer ball.

After all of that play, Grace was getting thirsty. I took her over to the well and turned on the water. Grace drank some well water from the garden hose. Next we watched as a truck came and poured some concrete.

We left the construction site and travelled to the Cary Municipal Building. We arrived at noon. There I met with the utilities operations manager while Grace waited in the car.

Clean Up, Nap, and Home Alone
At 12:15, when we returned home I took Grace to the shower to wash off the dog poop that Grace had rolled in earlier. I washed Grace, her collar, her harness, and her leash. When we finished, Grace had a doggie treat and then went to her perch and fell asleep there.

At 2:15, I left Grace home alone. When I returned an hour later, Grace was under dining room table. I went to the kitchen at 4:30. Grace came to the kitchen entrance and looked at me to let me know she wanted a little something. I gave a small Kong loaded with duck food. When she finished it, she grabbed her large Kong and threw it on the floor. I told her to wait. Supper would be coming soon.

 Greeting and Walk
She went to to the balcony and climbed up on the lounge chair to watch. At 5:00, I gave Grace her supper. When she finished, she returned to the balcony. After fifteen minutes, Grace whimpered at the door to come in. She had seen Betsy and wanted to greet her.

Grace met Betsy in the hallway. After their happy greeting, they came inside. Grace lay on the dining room floor. At 6:00, Betsy took Grace out for a walk. When they returned home fifteen minutes later, Grace sacked out on the living room floor.

Evil Lurking and Bed
At 8:20, I took Grace out for her last walk of the day. When she returned ten minutes later, Grace lay on the living room floor. Twenty minutes later, she went to the balcony to discover the Hated White Cat.

I let her inside and gave her a large loaded Kong to take her mind off of the cat. When she finished, at 9:10, Grace went to her perch. That’s were she was when I went to bed.

Friday
At 5:15, Grace was sleeping on the sofa. I didn’t disturb her. At 6:30, the alarm clock sounded. I got up to find Grace on the living room floor. We did a full tummy rubs and kisses session like the old days.

Rushing to the Land
Fifteen minutes later, we headed out. Grace was limping as we went out the door. We doubled back. I waxed her front paw pads quickly and we headed back out into the pleasant 58-degree morning. Grace sniffed around and delayed. We didn’t even have time enough to go down to the Greenway.

When we returned at 7:30, Grace had her breakfast and went to the balcony. Fifteen minutes later, we left to check out the building project. I let Grace off of the leash. She and Snoopy had a good time chasing. At an opportune moment, the cat fled into the woods and away from Grace.

Lot Play
Grace enjoyed lying in the cool dirt, running in neighborhood, and fetching a baseball. Grace just had to engage a worker also with the baseball fetch. At one point, Grace took off into the woods (on the lot) and ignored my whistles.

About a minute later, I heard and saw some geese flying across the road. Two minutes after that, Grace came from the field and returned across the road to the lot. Despite that one indiscretion, overall Grace was pretty well-behaved.

 Dog Tired, Snack, and Ride
When we returned home at 11:00, Abby was in the park. Both dogs were too tired to play much though. Grace returned to the apartment at 11:45 and went to the balcony. Forty-five minutes later, Grace came inside and lay in the foyer.

At 12:40, Grace enjoyed her duck food and scrambled egg snack. After polishing it off, she sat next to me and watched as I ate my meal. Grace had her ration of a small piece of my toast. From there she hung out under the dining room table for a little nap.

At 1:30, Grace moved to her perch and collapsed there. An hour later though, as I prepared to take another trip to the construction site, Grace perked up. Ten minutes later, we left.

Play, Cool Down, and Greet
When we arrived, I kept Grace on the leash since the chickens are sometimes roaming free in the later afternoon. Grace played on the leash for ten minutes with Snoopy. We left shortly there after to go to storage. Grace enjoyed lying there on the cool concrete in the shade as I looked through some boxes.

At 4:10, when we returned home, Grace went to the balcony. Forty minutes later, Grace came in just before Betsy arrived at the door. After a happy greeting, Grace took a long drink of water and went back out on the balcony lounge chair.

Corn Chips, Grace Beach, and Lounging
Grace came in at 5:10 and ate her supper. When she finished, she saw Betsy eating corn chips and had a powerful case of the munchies. When she finished at 5:25, Grace grouched and went to her perch. After fifty minutes on her perch, Grace moved to the balcony lounge chair.

After Grace came in, at 6:50 Betsy took her to Grace Beach. When Grace returned about an hour later, she proceeded back to her balcony lounge chair. There she stayed until 9:20 when I took Grace out for her last walk of the evening. Ten minutes later, Grace finished her walk and again proceeded to the balcony lounge chair. I went to bed. Betsy let her in for the night some time later.

Saturday
At 12:45, as I walked by, Grace was asleep in her bed. I didn’t disturb her. When I got up at 6:40, Grace was still lying in her bed, but her head was hanging over the side resting on the floor. She looked dead, but she wasn’t. We did tummy rubs and kisses. She was cordial but not overly enthusiastic. Before we left to go outside, Grace stopped by the bedroom to greet Betsy. She was more enthusiastic with that greeting — wagging her tail.

Limping and Leg Eating
The morning temperature was a pleasant 60 degrees. Betsy asked me to wax Grace’s paws (front and back) as her limping had become more evident lately. After a quick wax job, we left at 7:10. She stopped briefly in the park, but nothing was happening there. We moved on. Her next stop was the gate to Grace Woods. I continued to keep the leash on her since she bolted once the day before and Saturday has many more people and cars around.

Grace made her way straight to the graveyard of deer bones. She picked the one she wanted and moved it closer to the others. Then she went to work. She started by consuming a few more vertebrae from the main carcass. Then she worked on leg joints. She ended up devouring a foot. By then, it was time to head home. On the way, Grace made a stop at Grace Beach for a nice drink from the lake.

Friends
At 9:05, when Grace returned home, she went straight to the balcony as usual. As soon as I had prepared her breakfast, Grace came inside, ate it, and returned back to the balcony. Ten minutes later, Grace wanted to come inside.

She had spotted friends in the park. I leashed her, and we raced down to see her friends. At the park, Grace met and played with Abby and Finn 2 (the Australian Cattle Dog).

Hot Dog
After nearly an hour of play, Grace returned home panting and climbed into the chair. There I spent fifteen minutes with the Furminator working on Grace’s thick coat to try to assist her with the process of shedding her thick undercoat.
Grace seemed to understand. She cooperated with the somewhat uncomfortable process.

I went running at 11:15 and left Grace home alone to rest her paws and give me a more normal run. When I returned forty minutes later, Grace was sacked out on her perch. The blinds were still closed, but some sun still came in.

At 12:10, Grace decided to move on to the foyer and cool down there. She slept on her side for thirty minutes. By then, I had finished preparing her duck food and scrambled egg snack. When she finished that, she came by my side for a small piece of toast to top it off and settled in under the table.

At 12:55, Grace tried the sunny balcony for another ten minutes before again taking refuge in the foyer and lying on her side there. When she cooled down, she moved back under the dining room table for a three-hour afternoon siesta.

Puppy Play with Abby and Cool Treat
At 4:30, Grace heard her friends out in the park. We raced down to meet Abby, Olivia, and Rascal. While I changed the water, Olivia and Rascal left. Grace just stayed under the bench in the shade of Abby’s owner while Abby dug a hole and chewed on wood chips.

After a half hour, we gave up and returned home. Grace went to the balcony. I gave her an ice cream treat there. When she finished licking out the container, Grace had a dental chew and got up on the lounge chair, and watched for activity below. Grace barked at various dogs, but stopped when I calmed her.

Sundowning
At 6:15, Grace came inside, ate her supper, and drank some water. Then she didn’t know what to do with herself. She threw down her large Kong twice. I fixed her a small one. I opened the blinds and window at her perch. When she finished her Kong, Grace went to her perch to watch the action from there.

At 6:35, Grace was back tossing her Kong on the floor. I gave her another small one. Ten minutes later, she was back grouching at me again. I asked her what she wanted. She threw her large Kong down. I gave her another small loaded Kong. Five minutes later, she returned and threw down her large Kong at my feet. This time, I gave her a half-cup of her normal food. When she finished, she took a drink of water, lay by the balcony door, and primped her coat. When she finished, Grace went back out on the balcony lounge chair to relax and watch.

At 7:05, Grace was grouching again. She did her tricks followed by a half-cup of duck food. When she finished at 7:15, she brought me her toy puppy to play fetch. We played for five minutes. Then she played with her toy puppy on her own.

Snacking and Snoozing
As I prepared my supper and ate it, Grace watched. I told her to wait. When I finished at 7:50, Grace enjoyed chicken leg scraps and drippings. She cleaned off the chicken dish and my plate. When she finished at 8:00, Grace went back out on the balcony.

A half hour later, Grace went out for her last walk of the day. After ten minutes, she returned and went back to the balcony. At 9:40, Grace saw I was eating popcorn. She came inside got up in the chair and proceeded to munch her share of my popcorn. After we polished off a couple of bowls, Grace went to her perch. There she went to sleep with the lights still on. At 10:15, I turned out the lights. Five minutes later she was dream-barking.