Grace slept on the floor most of the night as Betsy and I switched sides of the bed. At 7:00, we went to Borador Park. The first visitor came after about a half hour. While we waited, Grace made the short rounds keeping an eye on the park. We met Beckham who was heading that way park. Alas, there was really no action until his owner tried to leash him to go home. Then he and Grace started to play. That lasted a couple of minutes before he finally left.
Morning Play
Next came Zeke. He was his normal laid-back self with little interest in play. Grace played fetch and tug with Zeke’s owner using the rope toy. It was getting late, so I leashed Grace and headed out. Suddenly, the play light came on bringing Zeke and Grace into an energetic racing and roughhouse match. After four minutes, I managed to take Grace’s leash off. Things calmed down a few moments later.
Ghost
We all then left the park. Then Grace stopped and barked. She was looking back at the apartments. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but then I saw it. A woman dressed in a long white gown stood still in the open doorway of her second-floor balcony. As she stared at us, she looked very much like an apparition.
After Grace took a short walk in the grass, Sadie, Hannah and Miley converged on Borador Park. Although we had to get going, I couldn’t resist letting Grace in on one more session. The four dogs had a great high-energy playtime. After ten minutes, Grace and Sadie left. Hannah’s owner had thrown a ball that made it through the bars. On the way back, I threw it back into the playground. Grace promptly chased it, heading back to the entrance! When I caught up with her, I directed Grace back home.
Nap and Play
When we returned at 8:20, Grace had her breakfast. As I readied for church, Grace stretched out on the office carpet protector. When we left at 9:15, I told her “Bye-Bye.” At 12:15, we returned home. Grace was sleeping on the bedroom floor. I praised her and gave her a treat. At 12:30, Grace had her lunch followed by a doggie treat. She wanted more. Betsy said to soak her antler a couple minutes and give her that. Grace did her best with it but eventually tired of it. I gave her a small dental chew.
After we finished with dinner at 1:30, Grace wanted to play shortstop. I played with her until 2:10, when we went out on the balcony together. Grace continued with an occasional whine, but I told her “Wait.” We left at 2:35. Grace took me to Grace Beach where we played fetch and Grace swam. She met a pitbull on a leash and interacted with it just a litle. Then Daniel came. He and Grace played fetch for about an hour.
I let her return home by running in the fields across from the beach. The problem was that Grace saw a dog on a leash and wanted to follow it. It was walking the opposite way from home. I finally had to hold her collar until the dog walked over the hill and out of sight. When we made it home at 4:15, Grace had her bath followed by a treat. She then went out on the balcony to look for friends.
Evening Play Bonanza
At 6:00, Grace had her supper. She ate quickly. An uncharacteristic burp followed. Dogs were in Borador Park, so we went off to join them. Grace joined in with Abby and Zeke. Then came Hannah and Miley. The dog-fest had begun. Then came Reggie and finally, a new member of the gang eight-month-old twenty-five pound sweet dog similar to a small tan Labrador Retriever. All dogs filed out at 6:45.
As Grace was leaving, Beckham showed up so we went back in to Borador Park. Betsy came fifteen minutes later. I left at 7:30. When Grace returned home at 8:00, she went out on the balcony. At 8:30, I made popcorn and shared a time of munchies with Grace. At 8:50, Grace had a doggie treat. At 9:00 Grace went to bed in her bed in the bedroom. I made it to bed ten minutes later. I invited Grace to join me. She promptly jumped up.
Monday
At about 5:15, Grace jumped down from the bed to the floor. When the alarm clock sounded at 6:40, I got up and said good morning to Grace with the usual tummy rubs and kisses. Grace had no interest in going out on the balcony despite the cool crisp morning air. When we made it to Borador Park at about 7:00, Olivia and Rascal were there. Olivia chased Grace a little for the new white squeeker-ball just slightly smaller than a tennis ball. At 7:15, they left and we did our little bathroom break walk while we waited for more friends.
Grace and I
It was the first day of school, and things obviously had changed. We saw Sadie’s owner leave with children at 7:15. After waiting an hour, neither Sadie nor the many other dog friends that went outside came up to the park. When we returned home at 8:20, Grace had her breakfast. At 8:40, we travelled to the old park where Grace and I used to run.
The school-day traffic was worse than I expected, but we finally made it there at 9:10. Grace perked up when she realized where we were. She enjoyed running free through the meadow as in days past. She did really well cycling between running free and allowing me to leash her. I simply told her “Wait,” and she obeyed while I leashed our unleashed her. This is a milestone. At 9:45, we moved on to stop at the grocery store for a couple of items.
At 10:00, we went to the land where we plan to build. Grace seems to understand her limits better and thankfully did not attempt to cross the road. She enjoyed sniffing, running, and just lying in the grass. She behaved herself as I measured the house location with a measuring tape. When I finished, we travelled back home. When we arrived at 11:15, Grace curled up on the living room chair. I took a letter down to the mailbox. As Grace watched me, I told her to wait. She understood.
When I returned, five minutes later, Grace was where I had left her. At 11:45, Grace moved to her sofa and stretched out for some serious napping. At 12:30, Grace had her lunch, before returning to her sofa to resume her nap. At 2:30, like clockwork Grace got up and stretched. We went out for our afternoon romp a few minutes later.
Grace led me to Grace Beach where a man was fishing. He had a dog that looked very much like Grace from a distance. Up close I could see the dog was fairly old, had a standard long coat, and was not particularly playful or friendly. I led Grace away from them. She played fetch of the tennis ball and the stick. Mr. water snake swam by also in the usual direction and at the usual time.
At about 3:30, we headed back home. Grace ran free up the hill and back down, then through the meadow and into adjoining high brush. At one point, she jumped straight up a few times. I wondered if she had been bitten, but I saw no evidence of ill effects. Then Grace spotted a lady jogging. Grace homed in on her and followed her away from me. The lady turned around. Grace followed her, passed me again and kept running. The lady commented on what a good running partner Grace was. I told her that I agreed and that Grace did three miles with me earlier.
After about three minutes of whistling and calling, Grace came running back to the jogger who helped by grabbing Grace’s collar. I leashed her, and we headed home. As we approached the sidewalk, Grace had one more trick to do to torment me. She lay her back in the grass propelled herself around with her feet. I suppose we can call this solo turf surfing. After five minutes of this move and rolling around, Grace finally came up the stairs to the apartment.
When we returned at 3:50, Grace had her bath. She did fine with that and enjoyed her treat when we finished. After her bath and a bit of rubbing herself on the carpet, Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair to watch for friends. At 5:15, she spotted Abby.
Friends
We rushed out to the park. Grace and Abby played for ten minutes before Zeke came. About fifteen minutes later, Hannah and Miley joined the gang. They played until about 6:45. Then Grace did her little number of trying to lie in the grass to delay coming home. As Betsy cooked supper, Grace pestered her. At 7:15, I realized she hadn’t had her supper. Betsy fed her. She wanted more. I gave her a dental chew. She was sundowning.
At 8:15, she spotted Sadie at Borador Park. Grace rushed down to meet her. When she arrived, the person caring for her took Sadie out. Ten minutes later Beckham came. Grace and Beckham fetched a tennis ball as Beckham’s owner threw it. The ball eventually went outside the fence. The owner searched for ten minutes but couldn’t find it. I told him Grace would. We all left at 8:40. Grace went right to the ball. I took it from her and threw it back into the park.
When we returned at 8:45, Grace went to bed, but as she heard me getting a snack, she came out to the kitchen to get one doggie treat and then a second. We finally went to bed at 9:20. Grace was there ahead of us.
Tuesday
Grace stayed in bed until 5:20 when she got down to the master suite hallway. At 6:30, I got up, and we did a few tummy rubs and kisses. Grace went to the office ottoman to watch for friends at the park. Grace came into the living room impatiently at 6:40. We made it to Borador Park at 6:45. Since no friends were there yet, we did a short walk and returned five minutes later.
Morning Exercise
At 6:55, the awaited moment arrived! Grace spotted Sadie heading to meet us. Grace and Sadie played for ten minutes before Abby joined them. Shortly thereafter, Olivia and Rascal showed up. The fascination remained with the white squeeky-toy ball. It’s slightly smaller than a tennis ball and feels better in the mouth. The dog that has the ball is fairly restricted from play other than being chased. Grace and Sadie wrestled, while Abby hogged the ball. At one point, she also shoved a tennis ball in her mouth. Finally, Grace tired and took the ball. Sadie moved to wrestle Abby as Grace trotted around with her prize.
The whole party ended as quickly as it started. We made it home at 7:45. Grace had her breakfast and then went out to the balcony. She came in at 8:25 and jumped up on the living room chair. We left at 8:40, to go back to Salem Pond Park, arriving at 9:00. The grounds were freshly mowed, which made running on them even more fun for Grace. She ran ahead to catch a couple walking as I completed my fifth lap. They were frightened of Grace. I told them she was friendly. Grace kept wanting to go back to see them. I told her to “Leave it.” Even after I leashed her, she persisted but finished out the sixth lap with me.
Grace was hot so she got down on the floorboard near the air conditioner outlet. After a five-minute ride, we stopped at the grocery store. I left her alone in the car and returned in five minutes. I wondered whether someone would try to steal her. Grace was there of course when I returned — happy to see me. When we came home at 10:00, Grace saw a moving van and barked at it. Then Grace went to her sofa to nap.
Typical Afternoon
At noon, Grace had her lunch followed by three different treats. Grace staked out in the kitchen as I cleaned up. When I returned to the living room, Grace followed me there again stretching out on her sofa for her afternoon nap. At 1:00, she was dreaming as her paws, legs, and body twitched, and she let out about a half-dozen cute muffled barks. By 1:10, that dream was ended by a bump on the floor above us. Grace switched positions, let out a groan, and returned to her nap.
At 1:35, Grace got up and moved to the balcony lounge chair. While the sun had moved far enough to shade the area, it was interesting to see how long she lasted in the 85-degree heat. Ten minutes was it. She came in and moved to the foyer floor to cool down. At 2:10, Grace walked toward me and looked at me to let me know she was ready to go swimming. I told her “Wait.” She understood, and lay patiently on the living room carpet.
We left at 2:35. Grace led me directly to Grace Beach. On the way, I saw a large black snake sunning itself on the asphalt pathway. I’m trying to teach Grace the meaning of the word danger. I used that when she saw it and told her to leave it. She played fetch with the ball but really seemed to prefer swimming for the stick. At 3:40, we left the beach. Grace did her romp through the fields on the way home.
When we came home, Grace went to the shower when called and behaved as I rinsed and dried her. After her special treat, she went out on the balcony to watch the action outside. When she saw something (likely a rabbit or cat) she made her nutso bark. By the time I made it there, whatever it was had moved out of sight. I told her to leave it. Grace went into the office to the ottoman to watch out that window from the ottoman.
Evening with Friends
At 5:00, Grace spotted some friends. It was just Rascal and Olivia, so I told her we were not going. We have had a lot of activity already today, and I had things to do so I felt I could be a bit more selective. At 5:15, Abby turned up. We went down. Shortly after Boo, a Jack Russel, and Sadie joined them. The prize was the new white squeaky ball. Abby had it the first half of the time then Grace carefully extracted it from her mouth and kept it the rest of the time. The dog that didn’t have the ball wrestled with Sadie. The whole party ended at 5:40. Betsy came up right before it ended. We stuck around and let Grace rest for ten minutes.
When we returned at 6:00, Grace went out on the balcony. She returned inside at 6:30. While Zeke and Beckham were out in the park, she didn’t push to go out again. When she came in, she went to her sofa. At 8:45, we went out for the last time. When we returned, Grace went to bed. I followed at 9:40. Grace was in my spot, but I managed.
Wednesday
At around 1:00, Grace was on the floor next to me. At 5:30, when I got up to use the bathroom, Grace was ready to go. I let her out on the balcony with the door open. At 6:30, Grace came back into the bedroom. I took her out. There were no friends yet at Borador Park. We did a short walk while we waited and returned at 6:45. Grace tended to the prized white squeaky ball.
Having a Ball
At 7:00, Sadie came in. Grace tried to keep the ball and play with Sadie, but that didn’t work. They played for about ten minutes when Abby arrived, followed by Olivia and Rascal. Grace tried to taunt them with the ball, but it didn’t work. Abby and Sadie just wrestled. Eventually, Olivia took the ball and the threesome of Grace, Abby, and Sadie went at it. The whole thing broke up as abruptly as it stared, ending at 7:30. Grace and I sat on the bench while she relished the ball and caught her breath.
When we returned home at 7:40, we passed Betsy in the hallway. Grace greeted her and sadly said good-bye. At home, Grace went to the balcony until 8:00. She then had breakfast followed by a trip to the sofa for an early nap. At 9:30, we headed out to go running at Salem Pond Park. Before we left, I waxed her front paws. She was able to run freely most of the time. The mowed grass was almost as good as a golf course. Grace also took a few dips to cool off.
When we returned home at 11:00, Grace had a bath followed by a treat and a trip out on the balcony. At noon, I put her lunch out. Grace came in at 12:15 and ate it. She then had a doggie treat before heading back to the sofa for a nap. At 3:45, Grace got up. I started out the door with her when my flip-flop broke. I do a lot of walking these days. I told Grace to wait. She did so obediently. After putting on some socks and tennis shoes, I headed out with her again.
Grace headed straight for Grace Beach. While we started with the tennis ball, she really preferred a whiffle ball or stick for fetching. Grace also did a fair amount of digging. She likes digging next to a log by the shore the best. She enjoyed swimming out as far as I could throw the stick. At this point, it is no problem at all for her to swim out and fetch it. I’ll mark this as a milestone.
At one point, she raced off in pursuit of a hawk. She followed that with a chase of a crane. I marvelled at her natural affinity to pursue birds and couldn’t help thinking what a great bird dog she would make for a duck hunter. After an hour at the beach, Grace returned home off the leash until we arrived at the apartment complex. She actually bolted a little into the complex this time but did eventually wait for me to leash her.
At 4:00, we arrived home, and Grace had her bath. After her bath and treat, she waited for me to shower and then went to the balcony to watch for the afternoon gathering of friends at the park. She saw some at 5:00, but I made her wait until 5:15. Grace had her supper before she left. She ended up playing with Abby and Zeke until I had to pick her up and carry her down from her friends. Usually Grace is the last to go, but this time I had to leave to make an appointment.
Home Alone
We left Grace home alone at 6:10. When we returned at 8:30, Grace was in bed. I greeted her and told her, “Good bye-bye.” As we made various things to eat, Grace watched. I gave her some hamburger for tricks. At 8:30, we went out for the last time. We went to the park and played a little fetch. No friends came. We left after twenty minutes and returned home at 8:55.
Grace came in and went to bed. Then Betsy turned on the vibrator. That was enough to spook Grace. She jumped off of the bed and went back to her sofa in the living room. Betsy told her to come back, but she wasn’t interested. At 9:45, I went to bed with Grace still on the sofa.
Thursday
Betsy and I switched sides of bed. Grace decided to stay out of bed. When I got up to use the bathroom at 5:00, Grace was lying on the floor in the master suite. At 6:40, the alarm clock sounded. Grace came into the bedroom. We invited her up on my side and exchanged our morning greetings with her. The alarm snooze period expired, and the alarm sounded. Grace perked up immediately. I got up and took Grace to Borador Park.
Big Ball Prize
A few minutes after we arrived, Sadie showed up. Grace was torn between the new big ball and playing with Sadie. She tried to do both. Grace eventually succumbed to her passion and played with her friend. After ten minutes, Abby showed up, and Sadie left. Grace and Abby wrestled and vied over who gets to hold the big ball in her mouth. At 8:20, Abby left. Grace rested with the big ball lying between her paws.
Old Stomping Ground
At 8:30, Grace went home and had her breakfast and her heartworm medicine. After breakfast, she went out on the balcony. At 8:45, Grace came in and jumped up on the living room chair. At 9:30, I got up and prepared to go running. Grace moved over to the sofa but seemed to know that something was up. She then went to the foyer. I put some pad wax on her feet, and we headed of for Salem Pond Park.
It was a bit later and hotter than usual. Grace took a few dips in the pond to cool off. We had the place to ourselves this time. That’s the first time that happened in about four visits. It felt good not to worry about how others might (wrongly) react to Grace. We finished up at 10:20. Grace came to the car and got in automatically.
Renewing
When we returned home at 10:40, Grace had her shower followed by a treat. She went out on the balcony. I left the door open while I showered to allow her to come in on her own to get out of the heat. When I finished my shower, Grace was lying on the living room chair. At 11:00, she moved to her sofa.
At noon, Grace had her lunch. After I finished my lunch, Grace had a doggie treat. She then retreated to the office carpet protector for some major napping. At 2:00, Grace came out of the office and went out on the balcony. She came in and gave me a look at 2:15. I told her to wait. She went to the foyer to wait. At 2:30, we left for our afternoon outing.
Beach Fun
Grace took me to Grace Beach where she did her usual fetching, digging, and swimming. The water snake was in the area, but didn’t really bother us. We alternated among the whiffle ball, tennis ball, and swimming to retrieve sticks. We left for home at 4:40. Grace did her usual romp up and back the grassy hill and then into and out of the grassy meadow. A hawk soared above us in the warm sunshine, but Grace missed it — being preoccupied with the fun on the ground.
At we approached the sidewalk heading back, Grace spotted something different at her beach. It was a man in a kayak. Grace swam out to meet him. He greeted her with a pat on the head and Grace returned to shore. As he paddled along our direction, Grace watched intently. She caught up with him on land and went in the water to follow him again. The thick growth between the path and the shore prevented me from seeing her. I whistled about five to ten times. After about three minutes, a wet and happy Grace came running toward me from ahead of my location. She came to me and let me leash her.
Friends Watch
When we returned home at 3:55, Grace went straight to the bathroom for her shower. After the shower, Grace went to the balcony. I gave her her treat out there. At 5:10 Grace spotted Abby at the park. We raced down to meet her. Grace and Abby vied for the best ball and wrestled. Next came Miley and Hannah along with Zeke. Finally, Beckham came in. Betsy stocame with some fast food. She and I sat outside the park and gave Grace some french fries and a small amount of milkshake through the fence.
The gang stayed until 6:15. Grace left too, but then Olivia and Rascal came. Grace circled back in for more play. After ten minutes, we dragged the dogs out. When Grace returned home, Betsy fed her supper, and Grace lay on her sofa. After I ate supper, Grace did tricks for chicken scraps and for hamburger. She wanted a dental chew. At 7:30 she had finished that and went back out to the balcony to watch for friends. At 7:45, she came in to nap on her sofa. At 8:45, we went out for the last time and returned at 9:00. Grace jumped back on the sofa.
Betsy pulled out a bag of chips and started eating. She gave Grace one. Grace said she had the munchies. I got ready for bed, but Grace had at least a few more before Betsy finished. At 9:15 I went to bed. Grace was already in the bed. She figured out that we had changed sides and went to my side this time.
Friday
Grace stayed with me through the night. Around 5:00, Grace jumped off of the bed and lay in the master suite hallway. At 6:30, I got up. At 6:45, Grace started grouching about the delay. We immediately headed out to Borador Park. There we met Olivia and Rascal. Grace played fetch of the large ball with Olivia’s owner. Olivia did a lot of howling — perhaps complaining that Grace always had the prized ball.
Morning Exercise
Next came Hannah and Miley followed closely behind by Abby. Grace interacted somewhat but was mainly interested in the balls. Sadie wrestled mainly with Abby. At one point Sadie got her leg between Abby and her harness. With Abby’s quickness and heft, that could result in an injury. Sadie’s owner quickly noticed it and removed the leg. Abby’s owner then removed Abby’s harness. Olivia and Rascal left at 7:15. The rest of the crew filed out about ten minutes later.
Grace took a short walk in the usual areas to relieve herself. We then doubled back past the park and down the hill to head home. Grace stopped in the shady grass to relax and catch her breath. When we returned home at 7:45, Grace had her breakfast and then climbed up on the sofa for her early-morning nap.
At 9:45, we left for Salem Pond Park. It was a fairly warm and sunny day, so Grace took a few dips in the pond to cool off. Her coat glistened and muscles rippled as she ran in the bright sunlight. She spotted a crane standing tall like a statue on the other side of the meadow. She shot across the grass to get it. As it flew away, Grace barked at it for good measure. The park was deserted except on the last lap when a nice young man greeted Grace with a pat on her head as Grace approached him. That was enough for Grace to follow him, but she quickly turned back toward the course when I whistled for her to come.
Cool Off, Freshen Up, and Go
When we returned home at 11:00, Grace took a shower and went to the balcony. As I started to my shower, Grace came in and made herself comfortable on the living room chair. When I finished my shower, she was back in napping position on her sofa. At noon Grace had her lunch followed by a doggie treat. She returned to her sofa to nap until 2:15. Then she got down and moved to the foyer to remind me it was about time to go.
We left at 2:25, and Grace took me to Grace Beach. She greeted a young man reading his college books in the sunshine at her beach. She was content most of the time just to wade around and chase bugs. We played some fetch with the tennis ball and some with the whiffle ball. She also did swimming fetch with a stick. When we returned home at 3:55, Grace took her shower and went to the balcony to watch for friends.
Watching for Friends
At 4:45, Grace spotted Abby in the park, but I was in the middle of an important phone call and could not take her. At 5:15, Betsy came home. We left for dinner at 5:40. We sat at an outdoor table and shared our pizza scraps with Grace. She spotted a St. Bernard at another table and started barking at the dog. We maneuvered Grace into position out of sight of that dog. After dinner, we walked around the plaza to other outdoor areas for restaurants. We met people with dogs who were happy to meet Grace. As I tried to pet one of their dogs, Grace jumped between us and licked my face.
When we returned at 7:15, Grace went out on the balcony to watch for friends. At 7:45, she spotted them. We raced to the park and there were Abby and Sadie — jackpot! It was a good half-hour playtime among them. Grace was distracted with the large new ball, but Sadie eventually got her to wrestle with her. After the other two dogs left. Grace lay on the cool metal bench to cool down. After a short walk in the grass and some rolling around, Grace returned home at 8:30.
Grace went to her sofa and napped while I talked on the phone. At 10:30, I finally made it to bed, and Grace came with me.
Saturday
Grace got down around 4:00 and went to her bed as I was doing too much movement to suit her. At 7:00, she whimpered softly. I got up, greeted her, and took her to Borador Park. At about 7:30, Olivia and Rascal showed up. Next came Abby about fifteen minutes later. Of course, Abby raised the activity level in her indomitable. Grace and Abby wrestled and chased some, but Grace was mostly interested in playing fetch or just chewing on a ball. Olivia and Rascal left at 8:00 and Abby left at 8:15.
Park Play
Beckham showed up at 8:30 but could only stay about ten minutes in order to make it to his quarterly vet checkup. When he left, I prepared to take Grace out for a short walk. She darted straight for Otis’ owner who was walking a small dog belonging to a friend. She caught Grace’s leash. We both headed for the dog park. The little dog was nice enough but had little in common as a playmate for Grace. She had left Otis inside, and he had locked her outside. She said she had to wait until the office opened at 10:00 to get assistance getting back into her apartment.
At 8:55, Sadie showed up. She tried to get things moving and eventually tore Grace away from toys long enough to do some wrestling and roughhousing. At 9:15, all dogs left the park. When Grace returned home at 9:20, she got up on the living room chair. Betsy prepared her food, but Grace just lay there with saliva dripping out of her mouth. Betsy brought the bowl up to her mouth and held it while Grace “scarfed down” her food.
Nap and Swim
At 9:40, Grace went out on the balcony. She returned ten minutes later and stretched out on her sofa for her nap. When I returned from running at 10:50, I greeted her there. At noon, Grace had her lunch along with a bit of very fancy cheddar cheese and chased with a doggie treat. After returning to her sofa for more napping, Grace stretched off of the sofa and moved to the foyer to nap there until time for her afternoon outing.
At 2:25, she went to the balcony for five minutes and returned. We then left for her afternoon outing. Grace went straight to Grace Beach. She did some swimming and wading on her own, played catch, fetch (stick, tennis ball and whiffle ball), and shortstop. The water was warm and the temperature 88 degrees. Grace was playful but restrained — more dog-like and less puppy-like. Perhaps this was a symptom of the heartworm medicine.
At 3:20, two black Labradoodles and a yellow Labrador Retriever joined us. Grace ran anxiously to meet new friends. They were more aggressive than playful. The black dogs repeatedly rushed at Grace. She immediately assumed a submissive seated posture, and they backed off. The first time one of the owners threw a tennis ball into the water, Grace raced to get it. She was at least as fast a swimmer as the lab. The black dogs we not in the same league. She actually reached the ball first but turned back at the last second to let the larger dog have it. On subsequent throws, she didn’t bother to compete.
After ten minutes they left. When they were out of sight, I let Grace off of the leash to run up the hill. After she came down, she tracked the fresh scent of her new friends and tore down the path to meet them again. Although she was within easy reach of the owners and they could hear me whistling for her, they didn’t bother to grab her collar to help me get her back on the leash. After she ran far past them and returned, one of the owners finally did grab her collar for me, and I leashed her up.
Friends Watch
Heading home was a bit of a struggle, but we did fairly well until about twenty feet from the walk by our entrance. Then Grace moved into her solo turf-surfing mode — rolling over on her back and pushing herself in the lush green, shady grass and of course preventing me from getting her back to the apartment. At 3:55, we made it home, and Grace went out on the balcony.
At 4:45, Grace spotted Abby at the park. We raced down to meet her. At 5:00, Sadie came. It was a fun time of running and wrestling, but Grace still was a bit reserved. Betsy came at 5:45, and I left at 5:55. The party broke up a few minutes later, and Grace returned home to the balcony panting rapidly at 6:05.
At 6:30, Grace came inside and ate her supper. She wanted more. She consumed a dental chew. After Betsy and I ate our dinner, Grace did tricks for chicken scraps. She wanted more. I gave her a doggie treat. Finally, Betsy gave her a moistened deer antler. That kept her occupied for about five minutes.
At 7:30, Grace went back out on the balcony to watch for friends. At 7:40, she came in and went to the foyer. At 7:55, she let out the loudest dream-bark we had ever heard. It seemed to awaken her . At 8:05, Grace came into the living room with Betsy and me and jumped up on the sofa.
Preparing for Bed
At 8:20, Grace got up from her sofa and saw her reflection in the balcony door window. She started a muffled bark. I tried to calm her and let her on the balcony. Then she did a nutso bark for good measure. I again calmed her. Although it was dark, the street lights illuminated the parking lot. The temperature was warm and pleasant.
At 8:40, Grace came in and complained that I should take her outside. I got up and we went back to the park. While we did hear the barks of Olivia and Rascal, no friends joined us. We finished our walk and returned home at 9:05. Grace said she wanted to sit in my chair, so I sat on her sofa. Five minutes later she transitioned back to her sofa. At 10:30, we went to bed.