Grace sat up in bed at 7:00. We went outside at 7:10. Dakota and Olive showed up to play. We returned home at 8:15. I fed her breakfast (one cup). I left to take Mom to church. Betsy took Grace out to play with Fraggle for twenty minutes at 10:10.
Play and More Play
When I came home from church, Fraggle was waiting for me. I fed Grace lunch (one-half cup) At 12:30, Grace and Fraggle began their play. Later, Olive joined them. We returned home at 1:45. At 2:00, Dakota came back. Olive again joined the fun. They played until about 3:00. At 3:15 we left for the park. Grace played on the edge of the pond and played fetch with a discarded tennis ball, her new tug toy, and with a heavy stick
When we returned home at 4:00, I gave Grace a shower. She came reluctantly. It takes only five minutes. Grace now takes it in stride.
After the shower Grace went out on the balcony. We left for church at 5:05 and told Grace “Bye-bye.” We returned at 7:00. The Grace Shredding Company had worked hard on two cardboard food cartons that I had left for her.
I took Grace outside at 7:15. We met Olive. They played until about 8:00. It’s fun to watch Grace teach her to play. Grace did get a little bit overzealous with her a few times. That will be something I need to watch carefully—assuring that Grace backs off on the first time she hears a squeal from her playmate. We gave Grace a dental chew while I ate take-out that we bought on the way home.
Betsy washed the sheet we put over our comforter for Grace to lie on. Grace jumped up on the bed at 8:30. Betsy asked me to take Grace off the bed and put her in her cage. Grace was lying so pretty with her front legs forward and her head perked up, it was hard for me to take her off. Instead, I found another sheet for her and covered the bed with that. I invited Grace back to the bed. She happily jumped back up.
Monday
Grace awoke around 5:30 and bathed herself quietly in bed. She relaxed as I rubbed her tummy. I would say tummy rubs have moved up the scale from just like any other petting to enjoyable. Shortly after the train whistle, I got up. As I dressed, Grace waited in the bed. When I put on my jacket, she got up. I put on her collar and took her out. We warmed up my car for Betsy, clearing the frost from the windows. Grace waited a bit impatiently concerned that we might miss time with friends. After ten minutes, we resumed our walk. After over an hour of exploring without seeing friends, at 8:10 we returned inside.
False Alarms
I gave Grace breakfast (one cup). Grace said “Bye-bye” to Betsy as she left for work. I received a reminder from the dentist of an appointment tomorrow. Betsy also gave a quick reminder call. Recently Grace has been conditioned to associate the phone ringing with a play outing. Both times, Grace expected to go out and play with friends. She checked out on the balcony and at the office window—no luck. Once she realized these calls were not for play, she returned to the office to wait and nap. At 10:10, we received another call. This was from the office to tell us to prepare for a visit from a service man in about twenty minutes. The repairman came and left without stirring Grace on the balcony lounge chair. She sat resolutely waiting for her friends to appear below.
Beauty in Motion
We left for the park at 10:50. Grace ran with me in her usual fashion. As the sun traced brightly upward through the clear, blue sky, it’s rays danced upon the waters of the pond, turning wind-borne ripples into glistening jewels. Grace moved sometimes in an effortless rollicking motion and sometimes in the burst of a greyhound. The sunlight illuminated her nimble body, highlighting each muscle fiber with a thousand shades of black. Like an oiled bodybuilder or a highly polished classic black car, Grace’s sleek black coat shimmered and glowed all in poetic and graceful motion.
Afternoon Munchies
We returned home without the leash. Grace responded well (although not perfectly) to my call. I fed her lunch (one-half cup). She settled in with one of her sticks lying in the sunlight by the patio doors. I gave her a new bully stick. She tore into it, consuming the entire thing in two hours flat!
Lazy Afternoon
After that, it was time for a siesta. Grace proceeded to the sunny balcony for a well-deserved nap. She returned inside at 2:00. The sunny, 60 degree weather, though inviting may be a bit too bright for her at mid-day. She came in to work on a three-inch remnant from a previous bully stick. She polished that off in fifteen minutes flat. She then proceeded to complete shredding an empty oatmeal container from yesterday. At 2:15, Grace retreated to the bed for some serious napping.
Playmate Watch
The train whistle at 4:10, awakened Grace. She let out a characteristic groan, jumped off of the bed, and proceeded to the now waining sunshine by the balcony doors. After about a minute of back rubbing via carpet squirming, she went out on the balcony to watch for playmates in the fresh comfortable air.
Grace returned inside at 4:30. After some tummy and back rubs, she returned to the office window to continue her watch for friends. I fed Grace supper at 5:00. Ten minutes later, I took Grace outside. We walked around for about a half hour. Then, I spotted Dakota. I let Grace go. She tarted after her friend and leaped into action chasing, wrestling, and roughhousing. We returned home at 6:10. Grace sprawled out on the dining room floor. Betsy returned home at 6:30 and gave her a dental chew. It was a thick one that took her about 45 minutes of concentrated work to finish.
Grace headed for the bedroom at 8:15. I took her out at 9:00. We returned at 9:15, and Grace jumped back in bed. I showered and joined her there about a half hour later.
Tuesday
Around 5:00, I noticed Grace awake. I rubbed her tummy for five minutes or so before going back to sleep. The alarm clock sounded at 6:30. As I dressed, Grace made her way to the office to look out the window. We went outside at 6:50. We met Brantley and Baxter but neither of them could play. Grace found a mostly consumed cup of cappuccino. She first moved it around to get a drop at a time. I removed the lid for her and she polished off the contents. She really liked whatever it was.
While in the woods, I dropped the leash. It became caught. I told Grace to sit and wait. She understood and obeyed. The leash was tight and tangled. It took a minute to unhook. Once I finally freed her, I disconnected it from some partially rotted wood. Grace playfully grabbed the five-pound object and took it to a grassy area. On the way we spotted Olive. The played only for a few minutes because Olive had to go back inside. Grace taunted her, running with the big piece of wood. Olive ran playfully after her. At one point Grace put it down and Olive tried to pick it up.
Park Then Home Alone
Grace returned home at 8:35. I fed her breakfast (one cup). She then retreated to the office and curled up for a nap. We went to the park at 9:45 and returned at 10:30. At 10:40, I left to visit Mom and told Grace I was leaving. When I returned at 12:30, Grace greeted me. She then went out on the balcony to watch for friends. I took her out at 1:00. She met a black dog who had no interest in Grace but great interest in fetching a ball.
The corner of my eye caught the imposing white silhouette of Dakota. Grace charged to meet him. They played until 1:35. I had to take her inside so I could make my dental appointment at 2:00. Grace was on the balcony when I had to leave. I called her in and told her good-bye. When I returned at 3:10 she greeted me. She went back to the office to relax. Then at 4:00 the phone rang. Grace came out in anticipation. Fraggle was ready to play.
Afternoon Play
Grace raced downstairs, and they commenced their usual fun. When Luna emerged, I was able to keep Grace from racing to meet her despite Fraggle’s actions. I went back upstairs and got the Kong tug toy. Grace pranced around with it and ignored my calls for her to come. It was worst when Luna emerged again and both Grace and Fraggle tore after her. Grace really needs training in this area. At 5:00, we returned to the apartment.
Sundowning
I fed Grace supper (three-quarter cup). She wanted more. I gave her a dental chew. She polished that off in ten minutes. She wanted more. I gave her a bully stick. She started to work on that. When I finished supper we did tricks for treats. All went well, but roll is a little rusty. The fetch item work showed good improvement, but we’re still not there.
At 6:50, Betsy came home. Grace watched her approach from the balcony and greeted her at the door. After a little fetch play with Betsy, Grace jumped up on the ottoman to relax. She jumped down and acted like she needed food toward Betsy. Betsy started to pull out a dental chew. I told her I gave her one an hour ago. I gave Grace the bully stick she had started on earlier.
At 8:00, Grace wandered to the bedroom and passed out on the bed. At 9:00 Grace emerged in the living room, and I took her outside. We found no friends and returned at 9:20. Grace went straight to bed. We followed shortly thereafter.
Wednesday
Around 4:30, Grace started stirring, sitting up, and cleaning herself. That awakened me. I never made it back to sleep. I could tell Grace fall back asleep for about thirty minutes, because I could feel her jerking motions associated with dreaming. At about 6:30, the power clicked of and on. Had left my laptop on, and it made a chirping sound and it’s screen flashed on.
Early Outing
At 7:00, I got up and took Grace outside. The cold clear 20-degree morning air allowed me to see Grace’s breath on occasion, but it left her unfazed. We saw a few other dogs, but found no playmates until Fraggle came outside. They played for about fifteen minutes. At 8:00, we returned as my face was starting to freeze up. Grace curled up on the ottoman at my feet. I fed her breakfast (one cup) at 8:30. After breakfast, Grace got back in bed to relax there.
Restless Late Morning
The characteristic flapping of Grace’s ears sound alerted me that bed napping was over at 10:00. She proceeded to the sunny balcony door area to chew on some of her choice sticks. By 11:00 Grace was getting restless. She started chewing on a storage box. I told her “No” and gave her a shopping bag. Then I worked on her nails with the grinder. She preferred to stand. She tolerated it well. At 11:45, I left for the park. We did our usual 2.5-mile run and returned home. I fed Grace lunch (one-half cup) when we returned. She went out on the balcony lounge chair to rest. At 2:00, Grace returned inside, found her bully stick and went to work. At 2:30, she climbed up in the bed to rest.
Afternoon Fraggle Play
Fraggle met her in the courtyard at 3:45. They played for an hour. I noticed that Grace uses her front legs almost like arms. She holds Fraggle with them and also makes roundhouse moves with them to knock her down. The Kong toy is fun, but I have decided to stop using it for now. When Grace has it, it’s almost impossible to call her or call her off when she sees a distracting person or animal. Grace’s tongue was hanging out of the side of her mouth. That’s a sign that she’s getting tired. We decided to call it quits at 4:45.
Tricks Set-Back
Grace returned to the office floor to rest. At 5:30, I fed her (three-quarter cup). She entertained herself on the floor while I showered, prepared, and ate dinner. Betsy returned home at 6:15. At 6:30, I did tricks for treats. Today the problem was that she forgot the down command. I had stopped giving treats as instructed by Elliot. She seemed to want to move to the tummy command. I worked on down with her the whole time. By the end, she had it back pretty well. Grace jumped up on the ottoman at my feet as I sat on the sofa.
We went outside at 8:00 and returned at 8:15. Grace went to bed. We joined her there a few minutes later.
Thursday
About 3:00, Grace started moving around. I got up at 4:00 and went back to bed. Grace went to sleep a few times. Eventually, I made it to sleep. At 6:30, the alarm clock sounded. I got up and took Grace outside at 7:00. We met and played with Rhino and Taz. Finally, Dakota showed up. They had a couple of good running times followed by wrestling. Dakota tired before Grace. After about thirty minutes Dakota went inside.
Chilly
At 8:15, we also went in. Grace had her breakfast (one cup). The landscaping crew came today to mow and trim. Grace went to the office to watch the action from the low window there. By 9:35, the sun had come out occasionally, but with the temperature just above freezing, the prospect of going for a run at the park was a bit daunting. I took an extra jacket and called Grace, who never turns down a trip outside, and we headed out.
Staying Close
The brisk weather had no effect on Grace other than perhaps keeping her from the pond which had a very thin layer of ice on some shaded areas. After we exited the car, I forgot something. I turned back. Grace, off the leash, waited for me before proceeding in. Grace enjoyed the run and stayed with me. When I turned to go to the car, Grace doubled back to follow me. A couple calls to coax her brought her to the car and inside.
Home Alone
We returned home at 10:35. She came to the apartment off the leash. I utilized the heel command to keep her close to me. Grace responded perfectly. Grace went out on the balcony as I prepared to visit Mom. I called Grace in from the balcony and told her “Bye-bye.” At 12:15, I returned. Grace greeted me, having left the house in perfect order.
At 12:30, I fed her (one-half cup). Afterward, I gave her pieces of chicken as we practiced sit and down. Unlike last night, she breezed through the commands. At 12:45, Grace wanted something else. I gave her a bully stick. After nearly finishing it, Grace went out on the lounge chair to sunbathe and watch for friends at 2:00. Twenty minutes later, she retreated to the bedroom floor.
At 2:45, the phone rang. Grace perked up and came into the living room expectantly. Dakota wanted to play. As we walked down the stairs, she could see him from afar. She ran part way, looking back at me for permission. This happened three times. Finally, as we came within fifty feet of him, she took off full-speed to meet him. They played chase and wrestled until 3:35. When we returned home, Grace went to the office to recuperate.
At 5:30, I fed Grace supper (three-quarter cup). Afterward, she picked up the tennis ball and dropped it at my feet. That was a not so subtitle hint that she wanted to do tricks for treats. I planned to delay this, but after such a clever means of communication, I could not resist her. We went through the commands without treats and then got down to working on fetching different objects for treats. We also worked on roll.
After that, I ate my meal. During that time, she started to whine. I told her to wait. When we finished, I pulled out some more chicken pieces and worked on sit, down and roll. Betsy came home at 6:20, but had to leave for a hair appointment shortly thereafter. At 7:00, Grace seemed anxious. I took her outside for twenty minutes. When we returned, she retired to bed.
Betsy came home at 8:20. That awakened Grace. She got up and greeted Betsy. Then she got up on the ottoman at my feet. I took her outside at 8:50. When we returned at 9:00, Grace went straight to bed. We followed as quickly as we could get ready.
Friday
The alarm sounded at 6:30. Unlike the previous two nights, Grace slept peacefully. Actually, I was fidgety one rather than she. We lingered in bed and finally made it outside at 7:20. The 23 degree temperature felt like the coldest that we’ve had to face this winter. We spotted Dakota. Grace and he played for about thirty minutes. Grace then found a discarded Starbucks coffee cup. She had a fun time shredding it and licking the remains from the inside.
Deep Freeze
As my fingers and face continued to freeze, I was ready to go inside. Grace had other ideas. We haven’t been using the harness because we noticed wear behind her front legs. As she pulled hard on her collar, I felt obliged to follow her path away from home, assuring a longer stay in the cold. Apparently, she had found a scent, but we never made it to the source. We greeted Rumba, the Huskie. He seemed completely comfortable with the cold. His owner said the cold actually energizes him.
Finally, at 8:10, I convinced Grace to come back inside. After breakfast (one cup), she jumped back into bed to be near Betsy who was sick with a virus. At 9:00, I could hear Grace barking in her dreams. At 9:10, Grace had awakened. I heard her jump off of the bed and land on the floor. She went to the office to look out the window. Five minutes later she moved to the living room by the balcony doors, curled up in a tight ball and took a nap.
Morning Trip
The weather was supposed to get bad, so I left with Grace to go to Salem Park at 9:45. At the park were two discarded balls. Grace had a good time batting them around as she also followed me around the course. By the time she finished with them, they were badly deflated, but she enjoyed carrying them in her mouth. The bitter cold made running for me a bit tough as the exposed facial skin stiffened. Grace took it all in stride though.
At 10:30, we finished up and headed for the grocery store. I picked up one item and returned to Grace. She sat calmly in the driver’s seat. Our last stop was the drugstore to pick up some medicine for Betsy. We used the pick-up window. The lady attending there saw Grace, commented on her beauty, and asked if she would like a treat. I told her “Yes” and gave it to Grace.
We returned home at 11:10. Since Grace was off of the leash, we continued home that way. After a short bladder break, Grace came up to the apartment. She curled up on the ottoman to get in a little rest and finish out her morning.
At noon, I fed her (one half cup). She wanted more. After I ate, I gave her some chicken as rewards for verbal commands. When we finished, she went to the office to relax. At 2:00 she came out to the living room with me and entertained herself with toys and favorite sticks.
Early Sundowning
I took Grace outside at 4:00. The slush and ice even had Grace walking gingerly. She met the two little dogs that moved in downstairs and did her usual submissive approach with them. They weren’t interested in playing though. It had been a while since we last did it, so we took a weight measurement. Grace weighed in at 43 pounds. Afterward, she came to me for fetch play. We did that for a while before I gave her a bully stick. She polished it off in less than a half hour, which is a new record.
At 5:10, Grace had supper (three-quarter cup). We received notice from the dog trainer that he canceled the class due to icy roads. I had been counting on both the training and the stimulation for Grace. We’ll just have to wait until next week. After supper, we did tricks for treats. At 5:50, Grace went to the bedroom to lie next to Betsy.
When I ate supper at 7:00, Grace came in to lie next to me. When I finished, she went back to bed. At 9:00, I took her outside. She sniffed the frozen surfaces at double-time and moved much like a mouse in a maze. We returned home at 9:15. Grace went straight to bed. I joined her at 10:00.
Saturday
I slept until 6:00. Grace did not stir during the night. After I got up and used the bathroom. When I returned to bed, I noticed that Grace had left the room. She had moved to the office window to look for friends. At 7:40, I heard the unmistakable helicopter flapping of her ears. Grace was ready to go outside. At 7:45, we left.
Spooked
The 26 degree temperature did not feel quite as bitter as the previous two mornings. The high humidity may have helped. Everything was covered with ice. Grace took it in stride, but was spooked by something in the parking lot. Most often, its a reflection or something unknown that moves suddenly that spooks her. That’s one of the few times we hear her bark. She uses a restrained “Woof.”
There were a bunch of cars that had their windshield wipers lifted forward. I thought that strange sight was the culprit. It turns out it wasn’t. On a later pass by, I could tell she was looking at an ice chunk about the size of a concrete block that fell from a car. Eventually, I was able to show her that it was not alive. After that, she calmed down.
First Shiver
I had marveled that I had never seen Grace shiver. Today, when she was spooked, I wondered if the trembling related to being excited. I continued to watch her and did see her hind legs shaking just slightly. Although this was not the coldest weather she has faced, I believe the wet ice provided enough conductivity to drain her body of heat. She didn’t seem concerned with the cold. Actually, she wanted to stay out even after an hour and a half, but I do believe this was the coldest she has been.
Frozen Fun
During her exploring, we met Jack and Baxter. She found a plastic soda bottle coated in ice. That served as a fun toy to toss around as ice shattered from it. She also found an ice-coated stick to toss around a bit too. The slippery surface even had sure-footed Grace sliding and even falling once. She also tried a poopsicle before I could stop her.
Watched from Afar
When we returned at 9:20, Betsy fed her breakfast (one cup). Betsy sent me back out to get something from the car. Grace watched from the office window as I chipped away for about ten minutes before the trunk broke free. When I returned, Grace chewed on a stick for ten minutes before curling up on the chair for a nap.
By 11:00, Grace was ready to go for a run. Unfortunately, the ground was a mess and too dangerous for running. I also needed to isolate myself to study. That bothered her. She doesn’t like me to behind shut doors. She resigned herself to more chewing.
Spooked Again
Betsy fed Grace lunch (three-quarter cup) at noon. I took her outside at 12:15. We went down to the irrigation pond in the neighboring lot. On the way we saw a traffic cone lying on its side. This spooked Grace. She halted and barked. I showed her it could not harm us. She then slowly approached it and sniffed it out. The noise of ice dropping from cars also startled her. By the pond, Grace found a ball fashioned as a golf ball but the size of a softball. After she tossed it on her own, I helped her with the game as she chased it down and ran it back up the steep slope.
Thin Ice
She went down to the pond and discovered the concept of walking on thin ice. It was fun to break the ice along the shore and run away from it playfully. We returned home at 1:15. I had intended to take Grace immediately from there to the park, but Betsy wanted to get ready and come. Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair to watch for friends and enjoy the sunshine. I called her in and we finally left at 1:45.
Fun at the Park
At the park we met one jogger. She was fine with Grace being off of the leash. Grace didn’t approach her anyway. Grace followed along with me on my 2.5 mile run as usual. She would chase birds, bursting at full speed, and stop at various fun places along the way. When I finished my run, we went with Grace as she waded in the cold water and retrieve a prized stick.
We played fetch with that stick for about ten minutes. We then jumped back into the car and drove to look at a house. Grace got out as we walked around the lot. We returned home at 3:30. I made some lunch as Grace watched. At 4:00, I gave Grace some tummy rubs before going back into isolation for more study. Grace went with Betsy into the office.
At 5:35, Grace let me know it was past time for supper. I gave her one-half cup. At 6:00, I played tug and fetch with Grace for ten minutes. While eating, we told Grace to wait. After supper we each gave her some of our cod. Then I did tricks for treats with her still working on toy name recognition. After the session, Betsy gave her a dental chew, which she polished off in minutes.
Spooked Again
Grace was spooked by many things today. As we were eating a dog barked in our hallway. Grace did her response to assert her territory. When near the balcony doors, Grace saw her reflection and started barking at that dog. I took her to a mirror and showed her that. Eventually she will learn.
I went back to working on my presentation in private. When I emerged, there lie Grace outside the door. I invited her in, but she did not come. I continued until 8:45 when we went outside. We met Ellie and played for about ten minutes. After taking the trash to the dumpster, we returned home at 9:15, and Grace went straight to bed.