Borador Puppy
Grace awoke at 6:30 on Sunday. I took her out 6:45. Near the end of our time outside, Grace heard something behind the back fence. She began tracking the sound and then smell. She finally met up with Brantley out at the front sidewalk by the main road. We returned home at 8:20. I fed her (one cup) with Vitamin E. Grace weighed in still at 35 pounds. After saying good morning to Betsy, Grace went to the balcony and curled up on the lounge chair. At 9:30, Betsy took her out before locking her up and leaving for church.
Turf Surfing
I returned home at 12:15, came upstairs, unlocked Grace, and took her outside. She played with Luna for a few minutes, then with Tucker and Isabel through the railing, and finally with Sammy. We returned home at 1:45, and I fed her (one half cup). Lately, we came up with a new game. I’ll call it “turf surfing.” The Bermuda grass here is dormant and slick. I normally fit Grace with a harness for the excursion times. When she has the harness on, I can drag her in the grass sort of like on a child’s slide. For Grace it’s fun.
Grace lounged mostly inside on the floor while I fixed my lunch, ate, and cleaned up. After Betsy returned home, she and Grace played fetch. At 4:15, Grace wanted to go outside again. Shortly after we went outside, Grace spotted a can of tennis balls. There was a yellow note next to the can with Bella’s name on it. Since Bella moved yesterday, I took it. Grace pulled the balls out. We played fetch with a ball, but the really fun part was playing with the empty plastic container—carrying, tossing, batting, and chasing.
We returned at 4:35. Betsy fed Grace (one cup). That wasn’t enough. We did “tricks for treat.” While Betsy and I ate supper, Grace played with her toys. When we finished, Grace then joined Betsy and me on the sofa.At 7:15, Grace went to the door. I took her out. We met Taz and had a play time. I decided to carry her up the stairs since she was reluctant to come upstairs. When we returned at 7:35, she went out on the balcony.
Sleeping with Us
At 8:00, she came inside and lay on the sofa. At 9:00 she got up on our bed and settled in for the night. Grace did fine. She barely moved a muscle and caused no disturbance. Betsy said she and Grace did awake to commotion outside around midnight, but they both soon settled back in for the rest of the night. Although she did this once before, I’ll log this as a milestone because she did so well.
Monday
At 6:05 Grace awoke. I got up and so did Grace. At 6:15, I took her out. She socialized with a number of dogs. She had play time first with Taz and then with Dakota. We returned back home at 8:20. Grace proceeded out to the balcony. She watched Betsy leave and continued to keep a close eye on the action below.
At 9:45, Grace came inside get a drink and lie in the sun by the balcony doors for a few minutes. Then she returned out to the balcony. At 11:45, Grace was ready to go outside. I told her I would take her “for a ride.”
Car Wash and Pedicure
We had two things we needed to do with the car. First, we drove to the gas station, got gas and proceeded to the car wash. Grace watched intently and a bit nervously as we drove in and the automatic arms went through their soaping and then rinsing processes. She lived through it though. Then, we went to have her nails ground down. They had reached about the length needed for clipping and were becoming more annoying as she inadvertently scratched us during play.
While she had her nails clipped at the vet, this was a first for having them ground down. They started with her hind legs. After some initial resistance, she tolerated the process fairly well. When they began the front paws, the technician needed an associate to hold her and console her. The grinder had the word “Hotel” on it and ran at a very slow speed—unlike my Dremmel. It was a beautiful day, so Grace wanted to linger in the grass a while before returning to the car. When she got in, she snuggled up on the floor behind the driver’s seat. I turned around once and saw her peering back at me.
We returned home at 12:45. Grace said “Hi” to Luna and proceeded back to the apartment. I fed her (one-half cup). She then lay first in the kitchen and then in the dining room as I prepared and ate my lunch. When I finished cleaning up at around 2:00, Grace told me she wanted to go out. I told her to wait. She went out on the balcony for ten minutes and then returned inside.
Making Friends at the Park
At 2:20, we went out and headed for Bond Park. Grace played fetch with the tennis ball and walked around in the lake. She even retrieved a dead fish. Then she charmed a young couple having a picnic. They played together with a flying disk and fell in love with her. One time, the disk went into the water and Grace retrieved it. We returned home at 4:15. I gave her a bath and then we went out to the balcony while the temperature was still pleasant.
At 5:15, she spotted Fraggle down in the courtyard. I told Grace I would take her down to play. Grace frantically worked on the door knob to get out while I dressed to go down. Finally, I took her. They played hard for about twenty minutes, chasing each other and wrestling. We returned at 5:35. I fed her supper (three-quarters cup) at 6:00. She curled up in my chair and fell asleep by 7:00, I heard her doing her dream barking. Shortly thereafter, she awoke and went out to the balcony.
Betsy Returns
Grace saw Betsy return, asked to come inside, and went to the door to greet her. Betsy took her downstairs for the last time before bed. They returned five minutes later. Betsy put the grocery bags on the floor. Grace pulled out the eggs, opened the carton, and started going for the eggs. I stopped her and put up the remaining things that would tempt her.
Betsy gave Grace a dental chew, which kept her occupied for about a half hour. Betsy called her to her cage and locked her in at 9:15.
Tuesday
Tracking
Betsy’s alarm sounded at 6:00. I took Grace outside at 6:10. Grace met Patches, big Brantly, and little Brantly. We explored for about a half an hour when I spotted Tucker and Isabel in the back parking lot. Grace was busy sniffing. Suddenly, she picked up their scent. She excitedly tracked around the back lots, but they were not there. I directed her to the front where she spotted them. They played a while and then Fraggle showed up. We had a four-dog party for a few minutes before Fraggle had to leave.
Grace tracked Tucker and Isabel a second time and continued another lap around the complex with them. By then, she had calmed down and was better able to just walk. As we returned home at 7:50, Grace met Luna going up the stairs. I fed her breakfast (one cup) with Vitamin E at 8:00. She went out on the balcony until 8:35, curled up in her bed for a minute, and then brought her stick up on the ottoman for a good chew. After about ten minutes, the pleasant weather beckoned. Grace returned to the balcony.
Cage Time
Grace was just minding her own business, calmly resting and observing the activity below. At 10:15, I called her in and ordered her into her cage so I could go running and then visit Mom. I felt especially sad for her as she promptly and obediently went in. When I returned at noon, she was resting peacefully stretched out along the back of her cage. I opened the door and greeted her. She delayed, but emerged after about a minute. I fed her lunch (one-half cup).
In and Out
After lunch, Grace went back out on the balcony while prepared and made brunch. I joined her on the lounge chair at 12:45. At 1:30, I took her out to work on Betsy’s car. I let her off of the leash, but insisted that she stay within view. She did pretty well until distracted by dogs. When Tucker and Isabel came by, there was no stopping her.
I finished with the car at 3:00, and we came back inside. Grace lay on the ottoman at my feet as I worked on the computer. At 4:20, Grace was ready to go outside. We explored until 5:40, when we returned. I fed her (three-fourths cup). We then did “treats for tricks.” I’ll log the milestone that Grace now understands “Tummy.” She then went out on the balcony to watch for Betsy’s return. She looked cute sitting up straight, focused intently on the parking area where the car will be parked.
Betsy returned home at 6:30. Grace watched intently. She then bolted out the door and greeted her. Grace and I played “tug and fetch” with the rag doll toy for about fifteen minutes. Then Grace went outside with me as I talked on the phone. We came in at 7:20. Grace feverishly worked on her stick. Grace wore me out with her chasing her fake bone and Kong toy. At 8:00, she finally gave me a break.
At 8:10, we went outside. Taz was coming outside just as we were. Grace and Taz played for fifteen minutes. Then Tucker and Isabel showed up. Grace darted off to meet them despite my calls for her to “come.” We returned at 8:30. Grace was not ready to go to bed. Instead, she sat on the sofa with me. We let her stay there as we went to bed.
Wednesday
At about 2:00 AM Betsy got up. When she returned to bed Grace followed. Once she fell off the first time, but once she settled in, she was fine. At 6:45, she awoke. She went to the window in the office. The window sill is about eighteen inches from the floor. Grace looked really cute standing on her hind legs, looking intently at the activity below. Unlike on the balcony, the view from there is unobstructed by rails. As I prepared to take her out, Grace seemed particularly urgent in her need to go out. I surmised this related to a need to relieve her bladder.
Finally, we were ready. I opened the door, and Grace raced down the stairs. I wondered when she would pull me to the point I might lose my balance and fall. She went out to the yard and relieved herself, but then immediately darted to the back lot. Now I understood. She had picked up a scent—likely of Tucker and Isabel. Sure enough, we caught up with them by taking a shortcut. After a raucous reunion, they proceeded to walk around the lot. We met up with Cato, whom we hadn’t seen in many weeks. Another love-fest (this time four dogs) ensued.
After we said “Good bye” to Tucker and Isabel, we headed back to Dakota territory. Sure enough, he had picked up Grace’s scent and dragged his owner out to meet us. Grace and Dakota played vigorously with some nice long runs and lots of wrestling. After a half hour, Dakota had to go inside. We returned home at 8:05 so Grace could see Betsy before she left. They said “Good bye,” and we watched from the balcony as she drove off at 8:15.
The mostly cloudy morning in the upper fifties enabled me to join Grace out on the lounge chair. She seemed despondent—I suppose missing Betsy. I hugged and consoled her. Then she fetched her rag doll toy. We played with that for about fifteen minutes. I did some floor exercises, but she still seemed to want to play. While doing sit-ups, I noticed Grace trying to get into the treats pocked of my jacket. I zipped it shut and continued. When I finished exercising, I returned to the lounge chair. Grace was listless and started barking. I realized it was 8:50 and I hadn’t fed her. I attended to that and returned to the lounge chair.
Home Alone
Grace still wanted something. I remembered that Betsy told me last night that Grace can be pacified by dental chews or a bully stick. I gave her a dental chew at 9:10. By 9:30, she had devoured that. Then I gave her a “bully stick.” I decided to let Grace stay in the house uncaged while I went running. When I left, she cried for a minute.
When I returned in thirty minutes. She lay calmly on the sofa. Nothing has been disturbed or destroyed and there were no accidents on the floor. I had a luncheon to attend at noon, so we left for a walk at 10:20. We returned at 11:20. She waded some in the pond. I grabbed a wash cloth and called Grace. She retreated to the safety of her cage. I carried her to the tub and proceeded to wash the mud from her legs. I then dried them, put some lunch in her dish (one-half cup), and locked her in her cage.
I returned at 1:15. She went outside to the balcony as the overcast sky shaded the sun from our southern exposure. At 2:30, I took her out for her afternoon walk. She met Jack and played with him, Rumba, and finally Fraggle. She finished at 4:30. We came back to the apartment, and Grace proceeded to the lounge chair to await the return of Betsy.
Grace came inside at 5:30. I fed her (three-quarter cup). When she finished eating, she grabbed her bully stick. Betsy returned at 6:25. Grace continued working on her bully stick. At 6:30 Grace started her silent barking. I tried “treats for tricks.” After we finished, Grace continued her silent barks. I tried to console her. Then Betsy played fetch with her for ten minutes. Grace continued tossing the ball around on her own. Then she came to me to play with her. I obliged her for about five minutes.
Grace occupied herself and lounged on the ottoman. At 8:00 Betsy took Grace outside for about five minutes. Betsy watched TV while I retreated to the bedroom. Grace followed me there on the bed. She stretched out taking quite a bit of space and settled in for a nap. At 9:30, Betsy decided it would be best to not get Grace accustomed to sleeping with us. She let her sleep on the sofa instead.
Thursday
I got up briefly at 1:00 AM. That was enough to disturb Grace. She whimpered at the bedroom door. I encouraged her to sleep on the sofa. After a few cycle, she relented. Betsy got up a few hours later. The second disturbance was too much for her. Betsy locked Grace in her cage. At 6:50, I heard a few sounds from her. Actually, it may have been dream barking, but I got up and took Grace outside. Grace played with Sammy, Fraggle, and finally Dakota. She also said “Hi” to Rhino and Jack. It was quite a morning.
When we returned at 8:25, I fed her (one cup plus Vitamin E). Grace jumped up on the ottoman and settled in for her morning nap. At 9:30, she went out on the balcony. She returned inside at 9:50. I took her out at 10:00 and returned at 10:10. I then left for my run followed by my visit with Mom.
Big Test
The difference this time was I left Grace on the sofa. I closed the bedroom doors, put the trash can on the kitchen counter, placed chairs under the table, and moved tempting things on tables out of her reach. My time away was longer than usual because staff at Mom’s facility were lacking resources to assist her with her lunch. I helped her. When I returned at 1:00, Grace lay in the same spot where I left her on the sofa, nearly three hours earlier There were no accidents. There was no destruction of any kind. I’ll log this nearly three-hour time home alone outside the cage as a new milestone.
After praising her, I gave her lunch (one-half cup) and then took her outside. We were in the courtyard. Grace was intently chewing on a prized stick. Then Jack appeared. Grace raced to meet him. They played a short while, but it just wasn’t the same as with most of the other dogs. Grace was very concerned that Jack know she was no threat. She repeatedly reverted into the submissive position. Still they had some fun running around a bit. At 1:30, Jack left, and we returned back upstairs.
Afternoon Play
I invited Grace to the balcony. She preferred to sit on the ottoman and then the sofa next to me. Then she moved to the love seat on the opposite side of the living room. I let her go since she rarely scratches the leather anymore. At 3:30, Grace insisted on going outside for her afternoon walk. We spotted Fraggle. They played for a long time—first at Fraggle’s place and then in the courtyard.
Sammy joined the party in the courtyard for some three-dog fetch. Dakota was supposed to come out at 5:00, so we headed back over there. After circling around by Dakota’s place, Grace checked out the lower dog walk area. When she came back up, she spotted Rumba by the trash area. She raced to say “Hi” to him. We checked by Dakota’s place one last time, but he hadn’t emerged.
Lazy Evening
We returned home at 5:30. I fed Grace supper (three-quarter cup). We then did “treats for tricks.” I’ll mark “Tummy” as a new milestone as she went to it without an intervening “Down” command. When we finished Grace went on the balcony to watch for Betsy for about twenty minutes. She then settled in on the sofa for a serious nap. At 7:30, Betsy returned home. After a short greeting Grace grabbed a bully stick.
At 8:30, I took her outside. By 9:00, we returned home. I put up her things. Grace went to her litter box (toy box) and pulled out a rawhide chip. She tossed it around for a while. Then Betsy gave her a dental chew. Grace worked on that until she had consumed it. Grace came back up on the sofa and stretched out at 9:30. Betsy locked Grace in her cage at 10:00.
Friday
At 7:15, Grace began to make her soft morning sounds. I got up and greeted her. She was alertly seated in her cage awaiting her morning outing. We left at 7:25. Along the way, we said “Hi” to Sammie and met two dogs Triscuit and Teddy who live in a townhouse next door. They were pleasant, but being older dogs, not playful.
Lawn Maintenance Day
Friday, the landscapers are out in force with mowers, blowers, and trimmers. We tried to avoid them in our travels, but it’s a bit difficult as they seem like an army sweeping through the grounds. Back in the woods Grace got a bit more daring than she should have been. Perhaps she likened herself to a squirrel. She went out on a rising and narrowing trunk of a down tree. The first time, I picked her off. A second time she tried, to jump up on it, slipped and fell. She didn’t hurt herself, but perhaps learned her limits.
She found some foam rubber automotive weatherstripping and brought it back as a prize. After she tore apart some pieces of it, I took the remains and threw it in the trash. Then I pulled out the foam ball she found a few days ago. We played fetch with it, and Grace tossed it on her own. After a turf drag, we went up the stairs at 9:05 and into the apartment. I fed her (one cup with Vitamin E).
I left her free in the house with the bedroom doors shut and told her to be a good girl. She was seated on the ottoman when I left to go for my morning run. When I returned at 9:15 she lay there just as she was when I left. I don’t believed she moved from the ottoman the entire time. I praised her and gave her a treat. She then went outside on the balcony. At 10:20, she asked to come in and she lay down in her cage for one minute. She then moved to the ottoman and a minute later next to me on the sofa.
New Toy
I got up and made some brunch. After emptying at grits container, I threw it on the floor for Grace. She didn’t spot it until I had almost finished cleaning up. At 12:45, she dismounted her sofa, grabbed her new toy and commenced doing what she does best—systematically shredding it. She seemed to be particularly careful with the process this time—savoring each morsel as if she had some succulent prey.
Compliments and Ride
At 1:30, Grace went out for her afternoon walk. One lady walked by with grandchildren. She commented on how well behaved Grace was as she politely sat while they passed by on the sidewalk. We returned at 3:15. At 3:30, we went for a ride to pick up vision products. When we returned, I remembered I needed to deposit some checks. After gathering them making a deposit slip, and copying them, we took another ride—this time to the credit union.
More Home Alone
When we returned at 5:00, Grace launched into working on her bully stick. At 5:30, she complained about not being fed. I fed her (three-quarter cup). She said she wanted to do “tricks for treats.” We went through the list. She again, did “Tummy” fine. I prepared my dinner and ate it as Grace lounged on the sofa. At 6:40, we left for a Christmas cantata. I convinced Betsy that Grace would be okay on her own outside the cage. We left her lying on the sofa.
When we returned at 8:10, Grace was in the same position where we had left her. This is three times in a row she’s done that. I praised her and gave her a treat. We went outside and met a chocolate Labrador Retriever that had been rescued from a shelter. When she returned, I gave her a dental chew. After she devoured that, she switched back to her bully stick.
Betsy put Grace to “bed” on the sofa at 10:00.
Saturday
At some point in the wee hours of the night, Grace made her way to the bedroom. Apparently she sensed she not try to join us on the bed, so she decided to stay on the floor. She seemed a bit restless—moving around and scratching through the night. Then at 5:30, she went to the balcony window and whimpered. I got up and took her out five minutes later.
Scent Track
It was still dark and the weather damp. For some reason this seemed to supercharge Grace’s scent sensory system. She moved in fast motion tracking every scent she found. The grounds have streetlights, so we are able to make our way around at night. Grace stayed within the lighted areas until she spotted a Labrador friend down in the woods. We followed and told the owner as we approached that it was just Grace.
A mother and daughter walking to the clubhouse saw Grace and commented on how beautiful and well-mannered she was. They have a small Engilsh Wolfhound which they said they love. Finally, we ended up in the courtyard. Grace picked up one of her favorite sticks there and began tossing and chasing it. I decided to oblige her and played fetch with her for about a half hour.
We returned at 7:30. She curled up on the sofa, but when I started my morning exercises, she joined me on the floor. At 7:45, I fed her (one cup). I forgot the Vitamin E, so I’ll have to add that to a later meal. When she finished, she complained about wanting something else. I gave her a dental chew. That satisfied her. After eating that, she curled up next to me on the sofa for a nap.
More Affectionate
Early on we had some concern that Grace would not warm up to us. Betsy had visions of a sweet lap dog. We seemed to have a very active farm dog instead. Betsy noted the Border Collie stare and the silent bark that looked a bit like a snarl. They gave her pause. Rarely would Grace match our gaze. Instead, she would look away.
All of that has changed now. Perhaps it was our persistent expressions of love and affection toward her, or maybe it was just a phase she had to grow out of. She no longer has a problem matching our gaze. She now returns our affection (mostly with licks), and wants to be near us. I expect this trend will intensify as the days go by, but I did what to note the milestone here that we’ve seen a marked move toward a more affectionate dog in the last few weeks.
Another Trip Out
By 10:45, Grace had enough of the inside. I took her out. We stopped by the office to report a drain cover in the parking lot out of place leaving a dangerous hole for someone to step into. Our daily exploits allows me to know what’s happening on just about every square inch of this property. Grace found another whole pecan. She played with it as before tossing it in the air and batting it around, but this time rather than just crack the shell and eat the meat, she proceeded to chew up both meat and shell.
We returned at 11:45. I fed Grace (one half cup with Vitamin E). Afterward, she went on the balcony. By now the sun had finally emerged and the temperature had warmed to nearly 60 degrees.
Good-Bye Toy Box
At 2:00, Grace came inside. She figured out how to crack the edge of the litter box. I suppose now it’s only a matter of time before the box is (now being used as a toy box) is history. Grace curled up on the sofa and took a nap. At 3:45, Betsy took her to Bond Park, She did her usual wading and exploring. They said “Hi” to a Beagle. Betsy was able to walk with her. At 5:15, Betsy gave her dinner (a heaping cup).
Out of Sorts
Grace was still wanting something. I did “tricks for treats” with her, and then gave her a dental chew. After ten minutes, Grace had devoured that. We had a lamb roasting in the oven. Betsy surmised that perhaps Grace was smelling the roast. At 6:00, I let her outside on the balcony.
At 6:20, she returned inside to her ottoman, burped as I hugged her, curled up, and took a nap. At 7:30, we gave her a few scraps from the roast. She then went to the balcony for a half hour, before coming in. I took her outside at 8:00, bringing a bag of trash with me. She easily followed my lead, making the walk uninhibited by her presence. We returned at 8:15. She balled up on the living room chair almost vanishing into the black leather background.
Betsy let her stay asleep on the chair. When we went to bed we left the door open, before long, she jumped up on the bed and fell asleep.