Week Forty-Six

At 6:15, Grace got up and went out on the balcony. We went outside at 6:45 and headed for the dog park. She and I played with the tug rope for forty-five minutes. No friends ever showed up there so we moved on. Grace headed by the pool, down the stairs, around the building to the walk and to the right to Grace Beach.

Fun at Grace Beach

On the way, she saw a Golden Retriever playing in the big grassy field. As she approached, the owner about a 100 yards away called the dog back. Grace gave up on that and just proceeded to her beach. Grace knows where I hide her ball and went right to it. We played fetch for about fifteen minutes, until the Goldens again appeared approaching the beach. Grace ran to meet them. They didn’t want to play but were friendly. At 8:30, we returned home. Grace had her breakfast and settled in on the balcony. I called her in and left her home alone at 10:00.

Lazy Afternoon

When we returned at 1:00, Grace was lying on the office carpet protector. We greeted her there, but she seemed a bit lethargic. We assumed it must be the drugs. At 1:30, Grace emerged went out on the balcony. At 1:50, she came inside and chewed on her rug for five minutes and then moved on to chew her miniature stuffed toy giraffe.

Cooped up Alone

We left for church at 5:10. Grace was home alone in the living room chair. When we returned at 8:10, she was stretched out in her place on the bed. I greeted her. After a few minutes, she came out of the bedroom and went to the balcony. She came in ten minutes later and grouched about going outside. I opened the door and she went into the hallway. I had forgotten to put her collar and leash on her. I called her back, and she obediently returned.

Dog Play

With her collar and leash on, we headed for the dog park. As we approached the park, we saw Abby entering. Grace played keep-away with the rope toy. Abby was no match for Grace in either agility or speed. They played until 8:50 when it started to sprinkle.

Heading for Bed

After we returned, home Grace went to the balcony for ten minutes. At 9:15, Grace had a doggie treat followed by a dental chew. When she finished she stretched out on the sofa at 9:30. A few minutes before I went to bed at 10:15, Grace sensed where I was headed and met me there as we settled in for the night.

Monday

At 6:10, Grace whimpered from my bedside. I got up and let her out on the balcony while I dressed. Grace came back in at 6:20 and grouched about wanting to go outside. We left immediately and went to the dog park. On the way we saw Lucy and Bogie. Unfortunately, they could not play because their owner had to get ready for work.

Fun at the Park

In the dog park, Grace and I played tug and fetch. After fifteen minutes, Zeke walked by and came in to join us. Zeke was a bit more playful than usual so Grace and Zeke got to chase and rough-house just a little bit. After twenty minutes Zeke had to leave.

Then Sadie walked by but did not come in. Grace and Sadie greeted each other anxiously through the fence. Her owner continued on though because he needed to drop off some trash at the trash bin first. Grace’s heart sank as she wondered if she would get to play with her good friend. As Grace watched, I told her, “Wait.” to let her know Sadie would return.

A few minutes later, Sadie did return, and they played energetically — chasing, tugging, and a little wrestling. Sadie too seemed to have more energy than usual. After fifteen minutes, Olivia and Rascal came in to join the fun. Even Olivia chased for a few minutes. Rascal is so small and old he just hangs around, watches, and occasionally barks.

After ten minutes, Olivia and Rascal left, but not far behind came Izzy. Normally, I expect to see the two larger dogs treat Izzy as the rabbit and chase her. In this case though, Grace and mainly Sadie went one-on-one with Izzy with some rough-house play. Grace mainly focused on taunting Sadie with either wrestling moves, the tug toy, or the ball.

Friends Watch

At 8:20, we all left and came home. Grace went out on the balcony to watch the action below as I went running. At 10:00, Betsy went out and interrupted her. Grace followed her back inside. Betsy gave her breakfast. After breakfast, Grace took her antibiotics, and we did tummy rubs and kisses. Then Grace jumped up on the sofa and drifted of to blissful sleep.

Afternoon Swim

I left to run some errands at 11:40. When I returned at 1:10, Grace lay on the balcony in the shade. At 1:30, she came inside and had her lunch. After lunch, she wanted to go to the beach and grouched about it. I told her to wait. She reluctantly lay by the balcony door panting. She grouched some more. I told her again to wait. At 2:00, she grabbed her mini stuffed giraffe and chewed on it.

At 2:30, I took her out. We went to Grace Beach. Grace played fetch along the shore in the shallow water. She spotted a Golden Retriever entering the beach and went to greet her. After five minutes, as the new dog had to leave, Grace came back to her beach. After an hour at the beach, we spent fifteen minutes in the grass before heading home.

Overheating

At 4:10, we returned home. Grace went to the balcony door and lay there on the floor. At 5:00, Betsy came home and met a neighbor family in the hallway. They had two young girls. Grace stayed clear of the four-year-old but cautiously approached the fifth-grader. Grace enjoyed fetching the tennis ball down and the hallway and back. The older girl threw the ball a bit far and wore Grace out. When she came in at 6:00, she was in distress from the heat.

I gave Grace water. She was still panting very fast and letting out a short cry. I tried putting an icepack on her belly. It helped a little. Then, I gave her a shower with cold water. When we finished at 6:10, Grace was breathing normally. She went out on the balcony to rest and watch the action below. At 6:30, we ate supper. Grace wanted more. We did tricks for chicken leg scraps. Then I gave her a dental chew followed by a doggie treat.

Bedtime Snacking

Grace went out on the balcony. At 8:00, she came in and stretched out on the sofa. At 8:35, Betsy took her to the dog park to play with Olivia. When Grace returned home at 9:00, she was hungry. I gave her a few handfuls of dog food. As Betsy ate a chicken drumstick, Grace watched patiently. Betsy then gave her the scraps from it. After eating, Grace settled in on the sofa before moving to bed. Seconds before I went to bed at 9:45, Grace joined me there.

Tuesday

Grace was awake much of the night. She remained still and just waited for morning. At 5:50, she got off of the bed and lay on the floor. At 6:15, Grace started to whimper. I let her out on the balcony, but after sniffing around, Grace came back in. We went out at 6:25 and entered the dog park. Grace and I played tug and fetch for over an hour before friends came.

Playtime

At 7:45, Otis came in. After Grace and Otis played for ten minutes, Izzy joined us. Finally, Sadie also came in. It was interesting that Grace and Otis ganged up on Sadie, the largest dog, in the play. Grace is getting familiar enough with Sadie and Otis now to do more rough-house play. Izzy left first, then Otis followed. Grace and Sadie were the last. By 8:15, Grace was the last one left. We stayed until 8:30. No more friends showed up.

Time to Recover

We did a short walk before returning home. Grace wanted to head on to Grace Beach, but I felt she had enough play for the moment. Grace came in panting. She went out on the balcony in the shade until 9:50. Then she jumped up on the loveseat for some serious napping. At 10:00, Betsy fed her breakfast. Grace then resumed her napping.

Afternoon Swim

At 12:30, I returned from an errand and gave Grace lunch. Grace returned to her napping. At 1:45, Grace started complaining that she wanted to go swimming. I told her to wait. At 2:00, I relented and took Grace out a half hour early so I could mail a letter. Along the way, Grace scavenged some rib bones. We played fetch along the shore of Grace Beach. Betsy showed up at 2:50 and took over with Grace.

Sundowning

When they returned at 3:50, Betsy gave Grace a shower. Grace complied easily. At 4:00, Grace went out on the balcony. At 4:40, she came inside and resumed her nap on the sofa. At 6:00, Grace had her supper. As we ate, Grace grouched. I gave her a dental chew. After the chew, she decided it was time to play shortstop. We played for forty minutes. Grace grouched that she should go out. I told her, “No.” We played tricks for treats until 6:45. When we finished, she grouched some more.

Borador Park

At 6:50, I went out on the balcony with her. Grace wanted to go outside. We held her off until 8:00. Betsy took Grace to the dog park. Grace spends so much time there and performs so athletically there, I will in the future call this place Borador Park. It was quite a group that included Grace, Abby, Olivia, Rascal, Zeke, and Sadie. When they returned at 8:55, Grace was overheated and breathing quick, short breaths. She went out on the balcony to try to cool down.

At 9:15, Grace came inside and lay on the sofa. At 9:45, she went to bed. I followed her fifteen minutes later.

Wednesday

At 5:45, Grace moved from the bed to the floor. Fifteen minutes later she began to whimper. I got up. We did tummy rubs and kisses. After I dressed, Grace went out on the balcony at 6:00. There was a painted sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and captured it. I then joined Grace on the balcony to wait and watch.

Morning Park Play

At 6:30, Grace was ready to go. We went to Borador Park. I noticed her limp was back. Thankfully, it was not as severe as it was when it first happened a week or so ago, but it was noticeable. As Grace entered, she met Olivia and Rascal also entering. After the usual excited greetings, Grace went to the latest toy — a flying disk for dogs. It was a bright magenta color and had been highly chew damaged. I later learned that it formerly belonged to Abby.

Zeke stopped by for just five minutes, but didn’t play. After thirty minutes, Olivia and Rascal left. A couple of other dogs walked by but did not come in. Grace’s heart sank as excitement turned to disappointment.

About fifteen minutes later, Sadie came in. Grace and Sadie had a great time playing. First, Grace chased Sadie. Then Sadie chased Grace. Grace used the disk as her taunting toy. After they finished the chase game, the moved to roughhouse  and wrestling. They enjoyed that for about fifteen minutes. Finally, Sadie had to leave.

Reluctant Trip Home

Shortly thereafter, Grace decided to leave too. Grace headed for Grace Beach, but I wouldn’t let her go. She had had enough exercise and was panting. Grace reluctantly responded to my promptings and came home. Once inside, she went directly to the balcony and lay in the shade on the concrete to rest and watch.

Recovering

At 9:00, the sun was too hot for her. Grace began to whimper. I let her in. Grace had her breakfast and her antibiotic. She then settled in on the living room chair for her morning nap. At noon, Grace had her lunch. After lunch she returned to her nap. Around 1:00. she began to awaken from the dead. We needed to leave early in the afternoon, so I took her to Grace Beach  at 1:20.

Lazy Afternoon at the Beach

At 2:00, Betsy came to take Grace and I left. It was so hot and still that even Grace didn’t do much fetching. She still enjoyed puttering around the water. When Betsy appeared, I pointed her out to Grace. Grace stayed at the beach but watched as she approached. I left and Betsy took over with her. Betsy was impressed how Grace is responding more reliably off of the leash.

Shower Trauma

At 3:00, from the elevator, I heard Betsy encouraging Grace to come. I whistled. Grace perked up. Betsy let her go when she saw who whistled. Grace ran happily to meet me. When we returned home, we called Grace into the bathroom for her shower. Grace came obediently though reluctantly. Grace seems to be a bit claustrophobic in that shower. I noticed a marked difference in the temperature of her nose from when she came in (hot) to when she finished her shower (normal/cool).

Recharging

Grace wanted to go out on the balcony, but Betsy wanted to sweep it off first. I told Grace to wait. After ten minutes, Betsy finished. Went out on the lounge chair and curled up for a nap. At 3:45 Grace came in and curled up on the living room chair. I fed her supper early at 4:40. At 4:50 we left her home alone.

Evening Fun

When we returned home at 8:10, Grace was in bed. I took her to Borador Park at 8:20. After fifteen minutes, Olivia and Rascal showed up. Grace mainly played fetch of a flying disk with Olivia’s owner. At 9:10, we returned home. I gave Grace a couple of doggie treats. Betsy made popcorn. Grace and I shared the munchies at 9:30. At 9:45, Grace went to bed. I followed her at 10:30.

Thursday

Grace started cleaning herself at 5:00. At 5:37, she got down from the bed. At 6:10, she whined to go out. We left for Borador Park at 6:20. Beckham was just leaving as we approached. He has a medical collar on. I assume he has had some sort of surgery. It was fairly lonely at the park. Grace played with me with the flying disk and the tug rope. Zeke came by but could not come inside.

Friends

Finally, Olivia and Rascal came in. Grace was excited to have a friend around. They acted like they might play, but there was little interaction. At one point, Olivia got the flying disk. When Grace came to take it from her, Olivia growled in a way that made Grace back off. Shortly thereafter, Olivia lost interest and Grace retrieved the toy. After fifteen minutes, they left.

At around 8:00, Sadie came in. Grace and Sadie had a great time both chasing and wrestling. It looked to me like the most uninhibited fun she has had since she’s been here. It was almost as good as an old session with Fraggle. It appears to me that Sadie and Grace are comfortable enough with each other to be able to play with reckless abandon. It was fun to watch.

Shortly after Sadie left, Reggie came in. At first, it looked like they might have some fun playing too, but the initial play spark dissipated quickly and the two dogs resigned themselves to private play. After five minutes, Reggie left.

Relaxing Morning — Except…

At 8:30, Grace returned home and went out on the balcony. The 69-degree temperature made the balcony much more inviting than on hot days. At 9:30, Grace came inside and ate her breakfast. After breakfast, she curled up on the floor by the balcony a few minutes before getting cozy in the living room chair for her morning nap.

I went running at 9:45. When I returned, Grace had moved to the sofa to continue her morning snooze. At 11:30, I ran some errands. Grace had lunch at noon. When I returned, Betsy said they had just finished with a fire alarm. During the alarm, Betsy Grace to Borador Park. When I returned home, Grace was on the balcony as the weather was cloudy and cool.

Afternoon Fun

At 2:00 Grace saw Sadie at Borador Park and whined. I took her there. They were thrilled to see each other again, and they chased and wrestled some but not as vigorously as they did in the morning. After we returned home at 2:50, I gave her an empty peanut butter container to clean out. When she finished with that, she worked on chewing off the rawhide cover from one of her baseballs. At 3:20, she moved in front of the balcony door on the floor at my feet for her afternoon siesta.

Food and Fun

At 4:50, she grabbed her pine cone took it up on the sofa and proceeded to carefully take it apart. At 5:30, Grace had her supper and her antibiotic. When she asked for more, I gave her a dental chew. At 7:30, Betsy took Grace to Borador Park. There she played with Sadie, Zeke, Olivia, and a little white dog. When she returned at 8:30, she was panting despite the mild 73-degree temperature. She joined me on the balcony.

At 9:15, I came inside. Grace followed me and went to the sofa. When I went to bed at 9:30, Grace was there. Within an hour, Grace joined me in bed.

Friday

Grace started stirring at 6:00 and got down on the floor and whimpered at 6:10. After tummy rubs and kisses, she went to the balcony lounge chair and intently watched for friends at Borador Park. At 6:30 we left and went to the park. I took our flying disk to replace the mangled one in the park because Betsy said she saw pieces of the old one in Grace’s stool. When we arrived, I threw away the old one. We played with the new one.

Morning Park Play

After twenty minutes, Abby showed up. She grabbed the flying disk and taunted Grace to chase her. While they played, I took the rope toy out to the car wash and washed the dirt out of it. Abby’s growl discouraged Grace from mixing it up much with her. Grace played with the rope toy. They finally got around to doing a little tugging with the rope.

Then Olivia and Rascal showed up. Olivia brought a long dog squeaky toy. Grace latched on to the new toy and ran with it until Olivia had to leave. In order to get out, Olivia’s owner grabbed the toy after I told Grace to drop it and throw it outside the fence. Grace immediately put her paw through the bars trying to reach it.

About fifteen minutes later, Sadie came in. Grace and Sadie had their usual great time chasing and wrestling. After fifteen minutes, Beckley joined them with a medical collar. Beckley had torn up the pads on each of his feet at the beach on shellfish. Beckley’s owner spoke highly of a monthly payment deal for vet care with PetSmart that they used to put Beckley back together.

They played for five minutes before Sadie and Beckley had to leave. We left the park five minutes later. On the way home, Grace dropped down in the shade at least four times. She really wanted to stay out longer, but I had other things to do.

New Swimming Hole

When we returned at 8:45, Grace went directly to the shadiest place on the balcony. At 9:30, I gave her some food and prepared her pill. Grace did not want to budge. While I was gone running, Grace ate her breakfast and Betsy gave Grace her pill. At 10:30, Betsy took Grace for a ride to do some errands and sign up at a doggie swimming pool in the Research Triangle Park area. Beckley goes there, and they have a special if you bring two dogs.

They returned home at 12:25. Betsy said the dog pool didn’t work out very well. Grace was obedient, but when they threw a ball into the deep area, Grace jumped in, but didn’t realize she would be in the deep water. They had a flotation device on her also which was also a bit strange feeling for her. After that experience, Grace was apprehensive about further play there.

When she came home, Grace went out on the balcony for fifteen minutes before coming in and napping on the sofa. At 2:30, she got down and chewed on a pine cone for a few minutes before moving to the floor in front of the balcony doors to continue her nap.

Unwinding

At 5:00, Grace got up and by 5:20 had finished removing the cover from one of her baseballs. She then began tossing the naked ball around in order to play with it. After supper at 6:00, Grace watched for friends. At 8:00, Betsy took Grace out to play at Borador Park. They returned at 9:00. At 10:00, I went to bed. Grace was there before me.

Saturday

Grace was active during the night. She got up at 5:50 and whimpered at 6:20. We went to Borador Park at 6:30. There we met Olivia and Rascal. After fifteen minutes, they left. Grace played with me for a while. Suddenly, she spotted Lucy and Bogie heading our way. Her excitement grew as the white dogs  approached — coming closer and closer. When they came in, Grace and Lucy ran playfully.

Borador Park Play

After ten minutes, another dog approached. This time it was Zeke. Zeke actually ran around with Grace more than usual. Zeke’s owner said that Zeke is a Borador. After ten minutes, Zeke left and Lucy and Bogie followed. Five minutes later, Sadie approached. Grace perked up and watched excitedly as Sadie approached. After she came in, Grace and Sadie chased each other and wrestled for about twenty minutes.

Finding a Drink

Grace was obviously getting a bit thirsty. I told Sadie’s owner I needed  to take Grace to the car wash to get Grace a drink. Grace came but was spooked by the high pressure spray from the hose. She did drink from the water as it puddled by the  drain. That helped relieve her thirst. When we returned, Sadie gone, but a minute later, Abby showed up. Grace was happy to meet another friend. They played for about ten minutes before Abby had to go.

Reluctant Trip Home

Five minutes later, we left. Grace now tends to head away from home when we leave the dog park. She did that again. I had her circle back after ten minutes. She went to the empty Borador Park entrance to go back inside. I let her know we were done with the park for now. Grace reluctantly followed me home with a number of stops to lie down in the shady grass.

Spooked and Miffed

At 9:15, we came home. Grace went out on the balcony. I left her food in her dish and her  pill on the end table next to the chair. When I returned, Grace was inside resting peacefully on the living room chair. Her food and pill were gone. At 10:00, Grace went to the Master Suite to sleep on the floor. At 12:30, Betsy and I heard a whimper from there. The door was open enough for her to get out, so we ignored it.

At 1:00, she whimpered again. Betsy said she though Grace was spooked by cloth bags hanging on the door knob. When Betsy opened the door, Grace came out acting a bit miffed. She went straight to the balcony lounge chair. At 1:15, she spotted a yellow golf cart used to take prospective tenants around. She barked with the big-girl bark repeatedly. I went out. The bark was amplified by the height and the backdrop of the apartment complex walls. It also had an echo. It was pretty impressive. I calmed her down by getting between Grace and the cart.

Leg Sore Described

We noticed that the spot on her leg (about a quarter of an inch round) had turned from grey to red in just a few hours. Betsy had noticed this spot a day or so ago. I touched it after I came back from my running this morning. It seemed to be a sac of fluid, but I couldn’t tell for sure. My guess is that Grace had bitten at it while she was in the Master Suite. Grace came inside and parked herself in the foyer at the door.

Shower Trauma

At 2:30, Betsy took Grace to Grace Beach. There they met a puppy that recently had surgery to correct a problem with his eyelids. Grace played in the water and with the puppy. When they returned at 3:25, Betsy gave Grace a shower. Grace came dutifully as I called her in and even entered the shower.  After she saw the drain, she was spooked and retreated. I had to block her way to force her to comply. Even after she went in, she would not take a lamb treat. After she finished her shower Grace gladly accepted the treat.

Sundown Grouching

At 3:45, Grace went out on the balcony to watch and wait for friends. At 4:30, Grace curled up in her bed for 30 minutes. At 5:15, Grace grouched about food. Betsy fed her supper, then gave her a doggie treat, and finally gave her a dental chew. At 6:00, we had dinner. As I finished my drumstick, I gave Grace scraps for tricks. Grace continued grouching. I pulled out her favorite ChuckIt! ball. We played shortstop for a half hour.

Preparing for Bed

At 6:30, Grace went back out on the balcony lounge chair to watch for friends and relax. Alas, the rain had started and likely washed away any chance for a bedtime dog-fest at Borador Park. At 7:30, I checked the patio door. She was standing there. She came in and curled up in her bed. After thirty minutes, she moved to the sofa. At 8:55, I took her out for the final time. We returned at 9:10. By the time I prepared for bed, Grace was already there.