Gracie had a grand time at Skunk Hollow Trail in the Willows today. She romped with a 7-month-old retriever, Oliver, in the creek. They splashed, swam, climbed on rocks. played tug-of-war and chased each other on the muddy banks. Later, as we left, a soaked Gracie blissfully rolled in the dirt.
At home we went DIRECTLY from the car to the shower stall for Gracie’s bath. But she ran out of the shower right after I took her in, shook, then tracked mud all over the bathroom floor. Later, I spent awhile cleaning the bathroom, including the walls, with a painstaking half hour scrubbing the grimy grout between the tiles with a toothbrush….
After running around with it in Teegarden Park today, I finally caught up with Gracie when she dropped this flip flop she had found. She was quite proud of herself. Nobody else was in the park to claim it but we left it there, intact, except for a few teeth marks and dog slobber.
For Gracie, not much can beat taking a swim, rolling in the mud, and then following it all up with a great frisbee chase! (As long as she’s in the lead with the frisbee…)
As a condo association board member, this week I hosted the monthly meeting. Three of us met in my home, the others attended via Zoom. Gracie thought my guests, Teresa (president) and Jim (secretary), were here for the sole purpose to visit her, of course. She enjoyed many pets and belly rubs from Teresa and Jim. Gracie is especially fond of Teresa, who loves dogs and knows Gracie well. Gracie dropped her “Mr. Elephant” toy in Teresa’s lap to engage her in play. All of the doggie activity left our Zoom attendees wondering why we were so delayed. When we finally resumed our meeting, loud grunts from “Mr. Elephant” kept intruding our discussion.
Jim, secretary, asked me if Gracie might take the minutes next time. No doubt he was thinking it would be a much more constructive use of her time. I explained unfortunately, Gracie has not yet mastered the art of typing, nor of penmanship. However, she HAS demonstrated a special talent for destroying documents. If we need something shredded, we’re covered.
Below, Gracie sleeping with Mr. Elephant. Mr. Elephant has replaced Mr. Hippo as Gracie’s favorite toy. Sadly, Mr. Hippo is faceless and noiseless. But he’s second-favorite.
After my return last week from a terrific trip first to Chicago, then to Albuquerque, I was anxious to be reunited with my little golden noodle. While I was away, Gracie was boarded at Paoli
Vetcare where, as reported by her keepers, she did great and she made LOTS of new four-footed friends. When I greeted her, I think? she was glad to see me. I was sure happy to see her.
Now, we’re getting back into our daily routines of doggie parks, trails in the woods, and swimming on the warmer days.
I was in the process of painting a tulip for my botanical watercolor class. I set it aside to finish later. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Gracie slyly intercepted it and added her own distinctive marks. Though it was no masterpiece by any stretch, I was none too pleased. I showed the destroyed art to Marylyn, my instructor. She laughed out loud and suggested I formerly write the title on it, “My Dog Ate My Homework,” and frame it.
It might be my most creative work to come out of the class.
Gracie and I have a frequent, favorite walk through the woods and fields by Valley Creek in Chesterbrook. As we go, I toss sticks into the stream for Gracie to retrieve. But I recently realized, the hard way, that route is teeming with poison ivy. I’ve been fighting itchy rashes from it lately on my arms and legs.
So, Gracie and I have been visiting other dog-friendly areas this week. Today we went to Skunk Hollow Trail in Radnor’s Willow Park. It’s a nice, wide dirt track through the woods and leads to Little Darby Creek. (Any poison ivy is safely away from the path.) Gracie enjoyed wading in the water, chasing sticks and splashing with other dogs.
Did I mention DIRT? Today’s outing was predictably followed by a much-needed bath for Gracie. The bath for Gracie was unavoidably followed by a much-needed bath for me.
Today was a taste of summer! It was 85 degrees and sunny, so I took Gracie to the local swimming hole for a dip. She seemed thrilled to chase and retrieve sticks in the cool water.
When I was tired (not her), she got out of the stream and promptly rolled in the dirt. Then Gracie took the “taste of summer” idea too literally. She picked up something – I don’t know what – and pranced around the field like the day she had a deer leg in her mouth. I’m sure she had either a dead bird or mouse. I never found out because she refused to drop it and by the time I caught her, she had swallowed all parts of whatever it was. Yikes. With her sensitive digestive system, it could be a long night for both of us…
Hoping this initial “taste of summer” doesn’t come back to bite us!
Thankfully, we managed to get through our “taste of summer” day this past week without serious digestive consequences. Since then, Gracie has been enjoying more warm, fun days in Teegarden Park with her furry friends. Her very favorites include, serendipitously, another Gracie (pictured first below), Piper and Breeze. Marlo and Niro are also good pals.
Since last October, I have remained hopeful the EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREA WITH REAL GRASS would be a success. But the remainder of the fall and all winter, it sat on my deck, entirely unused for its intended purpose. On multiple occasions I took Gracie out to try it. But every single time, all she did was dig holes in the sod. So, this past week, I finally faced defeat. It was time for the potty area to go.
I tore up all the dried sod and dumped it into lawn bags. I ripped out the peg board. I swept up all the decorative rock. I hauled it all down the steps and out to be collected with trash. With just the frame and plywood base remaining, Michael came to help. As we began to disassemble it, Gracie came out to investigate and SHE PROMPTLY PEED ON THE PLYWOOD BASE!
How’s that for irony???
I give up. The pee pad is now gone. I have my deck back. And I’m glad.
When I had cats, it was a major feat to get them to a vet appointment. (I would start strategizing 24 hours prior on how to get them in the carrier.) With Keiko, one of my cats, I would have to allow a good half-hour cushion of time just to catch her.
With Gracie, it’s the polar opposite. Gracie loves going to see Dr. Walker. She’ll happily jump in the car, then pull on her leash when we arrive at the office. In the office, the techs fawn over her (which she relishes) and frequently there is another dog there for her to greet. When Dr. Walker opens the door to the exam room, Gracie is beyond excited and races to him. The two of them will lavish each other with attention. Dr. Walker sits on the floor, hugs and pets Gracie and rubs her belly. Gracie, with her tail wagging her whole body, cuddles with him and licks his face.
Dr. Walker has this nifty exam table that sits low to the floor. He puts Gracie on top, presses a button, and Gracie gets a ride as the table slowly rises to a standard level. What fun! As the exam finishes up, Dr. Walker gives her several yummy treats.
Yesterday’s vet appointment was a follow-up after Gracie’s recent illness. Her white cell count is back to normal, and she received a clean bill of health!
Fred has graciously offered to do needed work on my car. He’s an awesome mechanic, and I have happily taken him up on his kind proposal. So, Gracie and I are enjoying this weekend at Uncle Fred’s house in Etters, PA. With 3 cats, new rooms to explore, a spacious basement workshop, and a large yard with an abundance of sticks, Fred’s home provides lots of entertainment for my golden noodle!
I thought Gracie and I would be on the road this past Thursday to central PA to visit Mom, Tom, and Jan for the weekend, but Gracie got “the trots” again. I didn’t want to start out with her in that condition. To nip it in the bud, I called the vet to start her on medication and a prescription diet again. She was better by later that day. But then on Friday, the forecast for Centre County predicted impending snow. So, we postponed the trip.
It appears many of my life decisions now seem to be dictated by my doggy’s digestive system!
With an empty slate for the next few days, I searched online for possible activities. I discovered a Pet Expo was being held in nearby Oaks this weekend! It was only a $13 entry fee and dogs were allowed on leash! Inexpensive entertainment for both of us! Yeah!
The Expo was packed with people and their dogs. If featured pigs, alpacas, a petting zoo, reptiles, cats, rabbits, a Brahman steer, and many more creatures. There was something for everyone – humans and canines. A highlight for Gracie was participating in the DOGLOVERSDAYS Lure Course where she could be the star as she ran, hopped over obstacles, and chased a decoy around a track. (I followed behind to film her and to keep her on course.) Here’s the video: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0dfJqsAGO9Keb37znJ2exkOsw.
With additional photo ops, the lure course, and other purchases, our “inexpensive” entertainment turned out to cost me about $70. Oh well. Still well worth it! It was a fun day! More pictures below.
Gracie on the lure course…
Alpacas! (I didn’t notice the sign until after I snapped the picture. Whoops.)
Doggie riding in remote car….I think Gracie wants to try it…
Can’t resist a fire hydrant! (Someone was brave to set this up indoors.)
Tuesdays are especially busy for me. I take Gracie to daycare, go to work in the morning (to support my dog), eat a packed lunch, then go directly to my botanical illustration class for the afternoon. The sessions are really enjoyable. They’re taught by Marylyn Waltzer, a renowned botanical artist. Marylyn is a lovely woman. And she employs and teaches a careful process for creating her art.
But Marylyn sure is a stickler for using the RIGHT tools for the craft. Our class supplies list itemized highly specific materials we needed to obtain for our lessons. (A few examples from the list: Graphite pencils – 3 only – MUST be sizes 2H, HB, 2B; Watercolor round brushes – #1, #5, # 6 – Winsor & Newton Sceptre gold w/orange handles and must have plastic tubes over the hairs of brush; Strathmore series 400 drawing pad regular surface “medium” 9” x 12” or 14” x 17” only with the girl’s face on it).
Marylyn is swift to spot an incorrect tool being applied, or to hastily adjust a student’s technique. This week, she walked around the classroom observing her apprentices as we worked. As she approached me, I knew I was drawing with the “wrong” pencil. Before she had a chance call me on it, I blurted, “I know this isn’t the right pencil to use, but my dog chewed up my 2B this morning.” She laughed and mumbled something like “uh-huh – sure – the proverbial ‘my dog ate my homework’ excuse.” I don’t think she believed me, but it’s the TRUTH. Before I left for doggie daycare that morning, I found my newly purchased 2B pencil in splinters beside my bag of art supplies. Gracie shredded it. Yup, Marylyn, my dog ate my homework.
Gracie got a serious haircut yesterday. She was overdue for a trim, and had lots of matting, so the groomer (with my permission) sheared most of her fur to about half an inch. In doing so, most of Gracie’s remaining red color was shaved away, except for her ears and tail. My golden noodle is now “golden,” I guess. Evidently, getting lighter in color is a very typical occurrence with goldendoodles. According to the experts at www.loverdoodles.com, “Goldendoodles typically take after their Poodle lineage and get lighter as they age.”
I thought maybe the groomer was handing over a different dog to me! But I think she still looks adorable! (An unbiased opinion, of course!)
I appreciate the many supportive responses I received regarding my unpleasant experience in Teegarden Dog Park two days ago. Since then, I’m glad to say I’ve had nothing but good encounters in the park.
I saw crazy, outspoken Diane and her dog Zeke in the park this afternoon. I recounted to Diane the regrettable incident that took place with the very irate man. Diane had a few choice words to say about that (gratefully, in my support) and relayed to me how she would have handled the situation. Suffice to say, it’s probably fortunate Diane wasn’t there that day! (I sure would want Diane to always be on my side of a battle!)
Picture below of the golden noodle snapped this morning…
Gracie has another new friend in the park – a seven-month-old black shepherd-retriever mix. And her name is Gracie, too! Gracie and Gracie tumbled many hours together in Teegarden!
In Teegarden Park today, Gracie romped with another mini golden doodle, Bryce, who could have been her twin. They looked so much alike; it was hard to tell them apart! In the photos below, Gracie is the one with the stick!
This day, February 12, for multiple reasons, is a special day.
First, a very happy birthday to Auntie Marci who is celebrating her special day with friends and family (human and canine) in New Mexico!
This day also marks exactly one year since I brought my little 8-week-old puppy home with me. What a handful I adopted! According to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, the first year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 15 human years. That sounds about right to me. It feels like time was compressed during the year as Gracie tore (in every sense of the word) through doggie stages of toddlerhood to teenager. She’s turned my life upside down, but I have no regrets. It’s hard to imagine life without her. I love my Gracie-Grace, my Golden Noodle.
My little golden noodle has been under the weather. She had “the runs” for a few days, became very lethargic, and she stopped eating on Tuesday. Yesterday morning it was time to take some action.
“Does she ever get into anything she shouldn’t?” the vet tech asked when I arrived at the vet office with my sick Gracie in tow. I hesitated. Was she joking? Confused, I thought (but didn’t say), what dog DOESN’T get into things she shouldn’t? Like plastic bags? Garbage? Deer poop? Shoes? Dead things? Are you new here?
But her face was serious as she waited for my response. So, I asked, “What do you mean?” The tech said, “Has she eaten anything that you know of that she shouldn’t have in the past few days?” I told her it was quite likely, particularly because I take her to the dog park every day where she’s constantly picking up all kinds of questionable things. The tech nodded her head in understanding.
They put Gracie on IVs yesterday. She also had an x-ray – which fortunately came out fine. And she wasn’t running a fever. Labs were ordered and they showed a clean slate except for a very high white blood cell count. Dr. Walker was not sure of the cause of the unusually high count but said it could be a stress response. He put Gracie on antibiotics. By the end of the day, she was eating again. She stayed overnight at the vet last night and through most of the day today for observation.
3 take-home medications, a special prescription diet, and a $700 vet bill later, she’s home again!
And thankfully, looking MUCH, MUCH better!
And hopefully, NOT ingesting things she shouldn’t. (I can dream.)
Gracie started off the New Year with a couple of fun-with-frisbee times in Teegarden Park! It was, again, all about “the chase” for her!
Today, the 3rd day of the new year, was rainy. So, we resorted to playing “chase and retrieve” indoors on the condo stairs. Gracie will sometimes sit at the top of the steps and nudge a ball with her snout to propel it down the stairwell and then chase it. She tried to do this with her ugly Christmas sweater doggie bone, but she’s a bit unfamiliar with the concepts of shapes and the laws of physics. The ugly Christmas sweater doggie bone only fell one step.
I welcomed the few days of very warm winter weather this past week EXCEPT for the subsequent mud in the dog park from the thaw. Each afternoon, Gracie trampled through the muck, rolled in the grimy grass, and dug holes in the sludge. For four consecutive days, our dog park excursions were followed by paw-wiping at the front door at home and direct trips to the bathroom tub where I washed my grungy – turned – golden noodle as filth transferred to the shower walls and me. Then the bathroom got cleaned. Then I got cleaned. THEN I collapsed on the couch.
The picture below (with muddy paws already) was taken one day this week shortly after we arrived at Teegarden Park.
Last night Gracie frolicked, dined and dozed at Lucie’s Barkingham Palace while I traipsed into town for my umpteenth sleep study. (Even though I’ve been able to do some sleep studies at home, my apnea equipment seems to need frequent adjustments requiring me to be onsite in the sleep lab at Jefferson Hospital in center city.) I usually dread these trips because typically (and ironically) I’m awake a good part of the night even though it’s called a SLEEP study!
Pictured below is Gracie with her friend, Piper, in Teegarden Park. Piper is a sweet mini labradoodle about the same size and age as Gracie. They are perfect playmates, spending heaps of delightful time romping and wrestling.
Unfortunately, I had a very unpleasant experience in Teegarden Dog Park today.
Gracie was enjoying time with other dogs in the park this afternoon while I bantered with the other dog owners. Then, a couple with a young daughter (maybe about 3 years old) exited the adjacent children’s playground and entered the dog park. Gracie spotted the family and darted off toward them. I called for her, but before I knew it, Gracie jumped up on the child and knocked her over.
Of course, I was immediately concerned about the child. But as I approached, I saw her get up and she seemed OK; she wasn’t upset. However, the father of the child was IRATE. He screamed at me to call my dog off – which I did immediately. The family started walking away, but Gracie was excited, and so rather than coming to me, she began following the couple and their child. In the meantime, the father kept screaming at me, repeatedly, to call off my dog. I did. I finally leashed Gracie and prepared to leave the park. Even then, the father continued to yell at me. I said nothing and began leading Gracie away.
Then, the father started yelling at me, even louder, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE – YOU DIDN’T EVEN APOLOGIZE.” So, I did apologize to him – several times. But because he kept on screaming, he didn’t hear me. At that point, he shouted at me, “YOU OWE AN APOLOGY TO MY DAUGHTER. APOLOGIZE TO MY DAUGHTER RIGHT NOW.” Then, “YOU OWE AN APOLOGY TO MY DAUGHTER. IF YOU DON’T APOLOGIZE TO MY DAUGHTER, I’M CALLING ANIMAL CONTROL RIGHT NOW.” (The mother and daughter were now sitting nearby at a picnic table on a hill.) I said, “I did apologize, but you didn’t hear me. I’M SORRY THIS HAPPENED. [Interpretation: I’m sorry you are creating such an uproar.] “Do you want me to walk over WITH MY DOG and apologize to your daughter?” [Interpretation: Do you really want my dog near your child after you’ve created such a hullabaloo?] He snarled, “YOU BETTER APOLOGIZE TO MY DAUGHTER. OR I’M CALLING ANIMAL CONTROL.”
I turned from him, and with Gracie (leashed), I walked up the hill to mother and child. I looked directly at the child (who was calmly sitting on Mom’s lap) and gently told her I was sorry my dog jumped on her and asked if she was all right. She replied, “Yes.” And she smiled. I said I was glad she was OK. Then I walked away. Father continued yelling, but I ignored him.
In the meantime, while all this was taking place, the other dog owners were coming to my defense. As the father bellowed at me, they were shouting back to him that he was completely out-of-line, and he was being a complete jerk and that he was being a miserable example to his child.
I left the park silently with Gracie. But the incessant yelling back and forth between the father and the other dog owners continued as I departed.
This whole incident put a damper on my day. When Gracie knocked over that little girl, my first concern was for the child. Fortunately, the child was fine. But I certainly don’t want that to happen again. And while I definitely don’t approve of Gracie’s behavior (and I do need to give her more training), I don’t think Gracie did anything that a normal dog wouldn’t do inside of an off-leash dog park.
This father’s conduct was overblown, mean and unwarranted.
The yuletide season brought blissful visions to me of joyously decorating for the holidays while Gracie calmly sat by the warm glow of the fireplace.
You can probably guess where this update is headed.
IF you have a puppy (any dog less than 2 years old), AND unless that puppy is either locked out of the house or sedated for the entire holiday season, I have a few pieces of advice.
1) Forget having a fire in the fireplace.
2) Place all storage boxes holding holiday decorations off the floor.
3) DO NOT place ANY favorite decorations within reach of puppy.
4) Untangle lights before allowing puppy into the room.
4) Hang ALL decorations high – too high for puppy to reach even if said puppy might climb on furniture or jump. (This may mean suspending all ornamentation at or near ceiling level.) Many thanks to Michael for handling this tedious work. I tend to get dizzy at such heights.
5) BE MINDFUL of puppy’s location at all times.
7) Remember to apologize to neighbors for noisy puppy barking incessantly at silly singing Santa.
(Singing Santa kindly gifted by Marc the comedian).
Gracie had an emergency trip to the vet late this afternoon. She had eaten a plastic bag!
The bag she ate was an empty snack bag that previously had treats in it. It fell out of my pocket at the dog park. Gracie spotted it, made a beeline for it and grabbed it. Then she raced around with it as other dogs chased her. Then she sat down, looked directly at me, and swallowed it.
I called the vet when we got home, and they said to bring her right in. They had to induce vomiting. She threw up pretty quickly and, luckily for me, they showed me the evidence. 🙄
Gracie came home with instructions – a little water in a few hours and no food for her tonight. Fingers crossed there’s no more vomiting!
After that, as I finally sat down and began to sink into the couch, I heard Gracie crunching on something. It didn’t sound like one of her toy bones. So, I immediately checked and found her with a small round red glass ornament. (I had had a bowl on a side table with these ornaments in it. I thought the bowl was safe where I had it, but clearly not. I moved the bowl to a table on higher ground.) Fortunately, Gracie hadn’t swallowed any part of the ornament.
Good grief! What a day!
I was relaying these incidents to Mom on the phone when I heard the glass ornaments rattling. I looked and found Gracie up on her hind legs with her front paws on the table where I moved the bowl, stretching her nose into the ornaments. Ackkk!!!
As I moved the bowl AGAIN, I noticed papers ripped up on the floor. Gracie had found the invoice from our vet visit and had chewed it up. I had to hang up with Mom so I could gather all of the slobbered shreds and attempt to piece them together because I need to submit the invoice to Gracie’s pet insurance. Now I’m missing a few pieces. I think she swallowed these.
And the vet said no food for tonight. Sigh.
How about that for irony? She ate part of the invoice for the vet bill for vomiting up the plastic bag she ate!!!
Gracie, thankfully, had a healthy, routine week following her emergency vet trip earlier to regurgitate the plastic bag she swallowed. She’s now feeling fine. No more foreign objects consumed (at least that I’m aware of).
Gracie enjoyed some lively hours frolicking with her friends in Teegarden dog park the latter part of the week She spent one afternoon gleefully cavorting with three corgis (pictures below).
Well, I’m afraid I spoke too soon! If it’s not one end of the digestive system, it’s the other!! My Gracie had the “runs” last night. So, that meant each time she had the “urge” during the night, she growled and CHEWED ON MY DRESSER (now her clever way of letting me know she must GO). I would get up, get dressed, bundle up in a heavy coat, grab her leash and a flashlight, and venture out with her into the cold. This pattern repeated itself about a half dozen times throughout the night until – I swore – there could be nothing left in her incessant, golden-noodle intestinal tract.
I didn’t feed Gracie breakfast since I had to be away at work this morning. And I drove to work, exhausted. And managed to get into a fender-bender as I attempted to park on a crowded street.
When I came home, I found that well, yes, there actually WAS something still lingering in my doggie’s digestive system – and it ended up on my living room rug.
I think maybe some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.
On Gracie’s actual first birthday, Thursday, there wasn’t much partying going on to commemorate the occasion. The weather was miserable that day, I had to work in the morning, and my afternoon was filled with multiple errands to run. But when Philip, Nancy, Michael, and Tina came to my house yesterday for a holiday gathering, Gracie received a fully festive celebration.
Gracie loved being the center of attention. For a long time during the day, we threw toys in the stairwell for her, while Gracie flew down to retrieve them and raced back up to our applause. We howled with laughter like children until we ALL were pooped. And as if she needed them, Gracie received MORE new toys. Her burgeoning collection now includes a stuffed green Gumby, an ugly-Christmas-sweater-plastic-squeaky-bone (strictly for her enjoyment during Christmas season only, as directed by Michael), and an Outward Hound Hide A Squirrel Plush Dog Toy Puzzle. The Squirrel Plush Dog Toy immediately became a new favorite (pictured with Gracie in photo below along with ugly-Christmas-sweater-plastic-squeaky-bone).
I found Squirrel Plush Dog Toy in my bed this morning at 7:30am.
Many thanks to Tina for providing more great memories from Gracie’s birthday party on Saturday! I’ll send these pictures and videos in Gracie updates over the next few days!
Michael carefully capped Gracie in a happy birthday bandana. Here’s a link to a video of it:
This morning Gracie ran into the kitchen with the Outward Hound Hide A Squirrel Plush Dog Toy Puzzle on her head. (I couldn’t see her face.) It was VERY FUNNY!
Here’s a video from Saturday of Gracie with her new Squirrel Plush Dog Toy:
While I was in central PA over the Christmas holiday, Gracie savored her stay at the Royal Pet Resort. The area temperatures were BITTERLY cold, reaching as low as 25 below zero. Gracie loves the cold, though, and the arctic weather didn’t deter her from enjoying her outdoor playtime in the snow. According to the staff at Royal, Gracie refused to comply when it was time to go inside – despite having icicles dangling from her muzzle and whiskers!
Gracie received 3 new frisbees for Christmas and we take one along to Teegarden Park every day. Gracie’s recent favorite game is to engage one or more other dogs in a fast frisbee chase. She runs like the wind and cuts like a jackrabbit. A few days ago, she led a feverish race with 3 dogs in hot pursuit – a lab, a pit mix and a greyhound!
She LOVES those frisbees and they get ravaged pretty quickly. So far, one has been lost (it’s hiding somewhere in the park) and one has giant holes in it. Holes and cracks are no problem. If they don’t fly well, she doesn’t seem to care. It’s all about the chase!
Gracie has contracted another ear infection – most likely from a swim on a recent warm day. She’s been to the vet and now we’re treating it with weekly flushes/cleanings and twice daily ear drops (which she HATES!).
After a less-than-stellar week of fighting an ear infection, Gracie now seems to be getting back to her more animated self.
Gracie loves her frisbee and her favorite spot to play with it has been on the baseball diamond at Teegarden Park. We frequently go there, and Gracie is teaching me her guidelines for playing the game. As far as I can tell, here are the rules according to Gracie:
The game has one team.
The team consists of one dog (Gracie) and one dog owner (me).
The equipment consists of one frisbee.
The dog owner serves as “thrower” for every game.
The dog is the “chaser.”
The dog shall be in the area of the batter’s box before each throw.
The thrower shall stand on the pitcher’s mound and hurl the frisbee AWAY from the chaser toward the outfield.
The chaser shall chase the frisbee.
The chaser shall return the frisbee to the home base area, drop the frisbee, and DIG A HOLE IN THE DIRT*.
The chaser is NOT required to circle bases unless there is something distracting sitting on or near first second, or third base.
The chaser is permitted at any time to interrupt the game for butt sniffs (of self or other dogs).
The game unofficially ends when a better playtime opportunity comes by for the dog.
The thrower shall fill in all new holes at the conclusion of the game.
Scoring: The dog always wins.
* The primary reason why this game is best played on a baseball diamond.
I will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday in central PA next week. Little did I know it would be such a challenge to secure boarding arrangements for Gracie over this time. What was I thinking? Actually, I was NOT THINKING. It makes perfect sense that EVERYWHERE would be booked on one of the biggest holidays of the entire year when nearly EVERYONE with a canine might need overnight sitting.
By the time I started searching, Mount Nittany Vet in State College, where I’ve been taking Gracie, was completely booked. I contacted other facilities in the area (even checked on Rover), but to no avail. And not only is it difficult to find dog boarding at the last minute near my home in Wayne, the prices for boarding over major holidays appear to skyrocket.
But, despite my lack of foresight, it looks like Gracie still managed to hit the jackpot. On a tip, I put Gracie on a waiting list for the ROYAL PET RESORT in Julian, PA. Late this week, they called with an opening, and she got in! YEAH!! At the ROYAL PET RESORT, they claim while I’m vacationing, my pet will be too. According to the Web site, Gracie will receive “the finest care possible” and will “be incorporated into our doggie daycare program, where the majority of the day will be spent outside playing! Then when they return inside their neighbors will be the friendly guests they played with during the day.”
I’m afraid Gracie might not want to leave after her stay there!
It’s a good thing I now have a part-time job to afford such luxuries!
Picts below from the ROYAL PET RESORT website. They even have a van for pick up and drop off!
I dropped Gracie off at the ROYAL PET RESORT yesterday for her special canine Thanksgiving vacation. Before I left the facility, after looking over Gracie’s paperwork, the owner. Becky, asked, “Will Gracie be participating in our doggie Thanksgiving Day feast with roasted turkey, potatoes, and green beans??” I laughed, then hesitated. I realized Becky was serious,
(I told her ‘No!” Becky understood – “Don’t want to give her human food, huh?” Um……NOPE!)
Gracie can enjoy the other luxuries of her stay, instead!
I picked Gracie up at the Royal Pet Resort on Saturday and, in discussing her stay with Becky (the owner of the facility), I understood Gracie had a GRAND time there! She had LOTS of daily canine socialization and OODLES of exercise. She spent her days romping with other dogs and, according to the handlers, she quickly found a new canine buddy. In short, she LOVED it! Afterwards, I was so pleased to see her come home an incredibly pooped, but very contented pup. She’s already booked for the ROYAL experience at Christmastime!
The idea germinated as I considered facing another winter of waking up in my second-floor condo during cold nights to Gracie needing to go outside to do her “business.” Those nights I would rip myself from the warm bed, drag myself over to the closet to put on warmer clothing, pull on shoes (or boots), don my coat/hat/gloves, gather my keys. flashlight, and ever-essential poop bags, leash up Gracie, and head into the blistery outdoors. Sometimes it would be 3 in the morning.
I’m 66 years old, and apparently in my “golden years,” living the good life???? I needed to re-think this. What could I do to make this easier for myself? I considered my options:
Giving up Gracie? NOT an option.
Pee pads in the kitchen? Tried and failed. Miserably.
Move to first floor living? Hmmmm… Certainly not feasible for this winter.
I wondered – could I create a potty area on my balcony?? Surely, I wasn’t the first non-first floor dog-owner to face this dilemma. So, I turned to our modern-day resource of infinite knowledge – the search engine. I’m certain computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin invented Google for solving just this very problem!! And I did some research.
With some highly ingenious digging (i.e., typing in keywords “dog” and “balcony” and “potty”), and a lot of reading less-than-satisfactory options (use a cat litter box) and discovering some noteworthy products along the way (e.g., The Purple Poop Bag™ – 200 bags for $199.99 *), I unearthed an article, “EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREAS WITH REAL GRASS.” **
I asked Tom (my builder-expert brother) to review the “EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREA WITH REAL GRASS” plans while I was home last week. He did some figuring, then looked up at me and asked, “Want to build it today?” So off to the lumber yard we went to get supplies. Within a few short hours, we had the 4′ X 8′ frame built. That is, Tom had it built. I merely assisted. My building skills are pretty much limited to using a hammer and nails. (Even then, the quality leaves something to be desired.) The supporting structure consists of a frame (2 X 6 lumber) and a 4′ X 8′ sheet of 3/4″ plywood for the base.
How to transport everything 200 miles to my home in my Subaru Crosstrek and prevent the plywood from soaring off the roof onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike at 70 miles per hour? With ratchet straps, rope, ingenuity (Tom’s), slower driving (me) and much luck…
Here’s a pict of Tom and me next to my loaded car prior to my trip back….
(Temporary departure from the Pee Pad Project tale)
It’s been raining for 4 straight days and being confined inside with a high-energy dog has been no picnic. Gracie has been growing increasingly restless each day. Last night, while we were out for our before-bedtime walk, as it poured rain on us, Gracie got the runs (that is, in the digestive sense). Soon I went to bed feeling much apprehension as I feared it might be a long night.
Gracie woke me up within several hours showing all the signs she needed to “go.” again. So, I turned on the light, removed my BiPAP mask, climbed out of bed, got dressed, laced my shoes, put on my heavy winter coat (the thermometer showed it was 41 degrees outside), grabbed poop bags/flashlight/keys, and took her out into the night. Gracie merely “sniffed around,” but NO GO for the next 15 minutes. I gave up and we came back inside, I dropped the poop bags/flashlight/keys, took off my heavy winter coat, unlaced my shoes, got undressed, climbed into bed, put on my BiPAP mask, turned out the light and drifted off to sleep.
Not even 10 minutes later, Gracie growled and barked to let me know she needed to go out. So, once again, I turned on the light (after swearing), went through the whole process again and took Gracie out into the rain. This time, thankfully, success, and, after settling back inside, I finally fell into a deep sleep. (Spoil alert on the pee pad project saga: Gracie has refused to use her new potty pad particularly for poos of loose consistency.)
ONLY TO BE WOKEN UP AGAIN AT THREE AM. And like earlier, we went through a whole false-alarm first time out, followed by a successful poo on the second try. Afterwards, as I began to fall asleep, Gracie wanted to play. When I refused to play, she crawled under my bed and began to chew the underside of the mattress. I pulled her out and put her in her crate. For the next 15 minutes she growled and barked until I finally let her out. I played with her awhile, then rubbed her belly for 10 minutes. She finally calmed down and I was able to drift off to sleep as I wondered what my life was like before I got Gracie.
All was silent until 6AM when the whole cycle repeated itself AGAIN.
On my way in from the drenching rain after a successful poo the second time out, I glanced at the weather forecast for the upcoming day. Forecast: 100% chance of rain. AGAIN. I think it was at this point, in my sleep-deprived state, I realized I couldn’t handle one more full day inside with a STIR-CRAZY dog having a tendency toward loose bowels.
I’ve decided: my little high-energy greasy noodle with dubious digestion will start DOGGIE DAY CARE TODAY!
Gracie and I made it home from central PA intact, dodging any disaster of an airborne board on the highway. My next challenge was to move the plywood from my car roof, up a flight of stairs, and to my balcony in the rear of my house. This was not a one-person job. Thankfully, Michael was willing to give me a hand after I explained to him the board was NOT heavy, just unwieldy. This statement, admittedly, was 50% true (the unwieldy part) but I suppose the “NOT heavy” part was a stretch. We soon found out, as we maneuvered the piece up the stairway, the COMBINATION of the board’s weight (about 60 pounds) and its size made it grueling work. (I’m sure Michael was regretting his offer to help as we swore and sweated from the load.)
After successfully getting the board to the balcony, I thought the rest of the project would easily fall into place. I just needed to get the rest of the items at Home Depot and assemble them! Easy-peasy! But JUST LIKE EVERY TIME I THINK I HAVE A HOME PROJECT UNDER CONTROL, the inevitable LAWS OF MURPHY manage to sneak in. Here are some fundamental axioms I failed to consider:
Murphy’s First Law of DIY (Do-It-Yourself): Any project will require AT LEAST three journeys to the hardware store.
Murphy’s Second Law of DIY: To estimate the total cost of a project, summarize the following:
Cost of all individual supplies required. Multiply the sum by two.
Fuel costs for transport of materials (include minimum of three trips to the hardware store – see Murphy’s First Law of DIY)
Cost of tools which your design plans had indicated are NOT required
Cost of tools that you buy on impulse while picking up required project materials
Note: Generally, total cost of 2, 3, 4 above > Total cost of 1 above
Murphy’s First Principle of Supplies: The availability of a given material is indirectly proportional to how much you need it.
Murphy’s Principle of Materials Handling: The true weight of a material will be greater if moved by hand and is directly proportional to the age of the person carrying it.
Murphy’s Third Law of DIY: To estimate the amount of time needed to complete a project, approximate the amount of time you think you need, multiply it by two and then use the next highest unit. Example: A one hour task will take at least two days to complete.
If you are unfamiliar with any of these Laws and want to know more, please feel free to contact me for further explanation.
As it turned out, the procurement of the tools and materials was the hardest part of the EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREA WITH REAL GRASS. Gratefully, once all the various pieces were gathered, the actual assembly of it went fairly quickly.
NOW FOR THE BIG REVEAL OF THE FINAL CREATION…Ta-Da!!
There is a line from the Field of Dreams movie that goes something like “If you build it, they will come.” In a rough analogy, I hoped this adage would hold true with Gracie and her brand-new EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREA WITH REAL GRASS. Up until completion I felt optimistic that Gracie WOULD USE her new potty area once it was ready. Of course, she would! It has REAL GRASS! And it’s ALL HERS and it WILL SMELL LIKE HER! And did I mention? It has REAL GRASS!
At the same time, I harbored a sense of unease. What if, after all this work, Gracie wouldn’t….
Well, I couldn’t think about that.
It was time for the real acid test. BRING ON THE DOG!! And lo and behold, though obviously not exactly a flattering pose, this action, displayed in the photo below, MADE MY DAY!
YIPPEE!! We celebrated with lots of praise and lots of treats (for Gracie and me) and shared photos of the joyous occasion with family members.
I was relieved Gracie relieved! We were on the road to balcony potty paradise for my pooch! Could it really be a SUCCESS? It seemed so. Well, at least, at first…
“You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make It Drink”
This motto, regrettably, seems more apt as time moved on and my hopes were deflated for Gracie using her balcony potty pad. There had been an early promise when she relieved herself on it a few times during the first days. But then, rather than using it for its intended purpose, Gracie began to dig up the sod instead. I discouraged her from that. After that, as if in defiance, each time I took her out, she refused to use the potty pad at all. She’d just walk AROUND it. Now she actually seems AFRAID of it! Then when she comes back inside, she’ll stroll to the front door and beg to go into the neighborhood to do her “business.”
SIGH…
I’ve racked my brain and scoured Google for ideas on how to encourage Gracie to use her balcony potty pad. I’ve tried giving her lots of praise, doling out countless treats, “waiting until the last minute,” and even – as suggested by a few insightful friends – rubbing Gracie’s own waste on the potty pad sod so she can smell her scent.
Nothing seems to work.
So, this week I posed the problem to Melissa, our lovely, knowledgeable, and no-nonsense doggie class instructor. After some thought, Melissa proposed that perhaps I am far too anxious for Gracie to use her potty pad and Gracie can sense my anxiety. Melissa suggested I try to be much more relaxed about the whole thing. She advised I let Gracie out, just let her enjoy the balcony (and not necessarily relieve herself) and allow her to come back inside when she’s ready. And I should try to be calm. And give it time. And be calm.
I’m putting my faith in Melissa. (In addition to her doggie training and marketing skills, Melissa seems to have a knack for psychotherapy, too!)
So that’s where we stand. Maybe I’ll figure out how to apply Feng Shui to the EASY BUILD DIY BALCONY DOG POTTY AREA WITH REAL GRASS. In the meantime, Gracie is prancing around the neighborhood relieving herself as I tag along behind her repeating the meditative mantra “Serenity now.” *
Another SIGH…
This ends The Pee Pad Project series, but I hope in the not-too-distant future, I’ll have an encouraging epilog.
* The “Serenity now” mantra is a reference from Seinfeld season 9, episode 3.
Woo-hoo!! Gracie graduated today from Intermediate Doggie training! Once again, I’m so very proud of my little Golden Noodle! (Even though, as with the beginner class, the only requirements were for Gracie to show up.) Most of today’s session was spent getting each dog to sit long enough for pictures with a graduation hat on.
Here are a few more photos from today’s ceremony….
The family graduate…
Our multi-talented instructor, Melissa. (Who also dabbles in photography….)
Below – The full 11:30am October 2022 Pet Smart Intermediate Training graduating class. Doggies are: Geo on left, Gracie in center, and Diamond on the right. (In characteristic dog-person fashion, I never learned the other owner names.)
I love going to the library, and I couldn’t resist any longer from borrowing books there, despite Gracie’s propensity to chew them up after I brought them home. So, against my better judgment, I started to take books out again. However, this time I committed to putting any library books safely into a drawer when I wasn’t reading them. This strategy worked well EXCEPT, of course, if I forgot and inadvertently left one out – which, naturally, happened recently. Indeed, Gracie shortly discovered the book sitting on the coffee table and grabbed it. By the time I found her, she had taken a big chunk out of the corner of the front cover. In an attempt to salvage it, I tried to glue the fragment back on, but the cover still looked battered. I sheepishly took the book back to the library, where I had to pay for the hardcover in full. (I’m sure they took one look at my library record, saw my recent trail of destruction, and decided to cut me no breaks.) Anyway, I now own the manuscript with the mangled corner on the cover. The name of that book? Ironically, “The Missing Piece.”
Mom asked me recently how many books Gracie has damaged. I replied, “I think maybe four.” This exchange compelled me to double-check the accuracy of my claim. As it turns out, in fact, in the past 8 months Gracie has pillaged, ransacked, and/or otherwise annihilated.
completely, EIGHT books (mostly hardback) either personally owned by me or that were originally from the local library. Following are the titles Gracie selected for mutilation:
Gracie had a great time today playing in the Teegarden dog park with a beautiful dark-colored Australian Shephard with a long, fluffy tail, The owner, Peter. introduced himself and then told me you usually see Australian Shepherds without a tail. Interestingly, the dogs of this breed may be born without a tail or, typically, if it has a tail, it will be cut off (“docked”). But Peter’s dog did have a tail when it was born, and Peter wanted it to stay on, so he had to pay an extra $200 to keep it on! Go figure! Evidently, if you want to show your Australian Shephard (which Peter didn’t), AKC standards dictate these dogs must have docked tails.
As our dogs frolicked in the fields today, I asked Peter the name of his Australian Shephard. He replied, “River” – named after the Saint Lawrence River. He said he and bis wife love it there and they rent a cabin in Alexandria Bay where they stay each September. I then told him my parents used to vacation in that area every summer, just down the road in Clayton, NY.
Australian Shepherds are intelligent dogs. They are natural herders and are known as good hunting dogs because of their high prey drive instincts. Peter said River recently caught a live squirrel that had fallen down his chimney and then carried the squirrel onto the bed where he and his wife were sleeping! River has also learned to tip up the toilet seat with his snout to get a drink of water. What a clever dog!
A photo of an Australian Shephard that looks like River:
The BIG BONE was wrapped in a plastic bag and sat in the rear of my car going home, emanating a slightly fungal odor during the ride back. Tom had presented the massive bovine bone as a gift for Gracie during our brief trip to central PA this weekend. When I got back home, I carried it to my deck, took it out of the bag, and offered it to Gracie. Since then, she’s literally spent hours with it. (And it seems like the more foul-smelling it becomes, it’s even more desirable!) While I’m inside. I can hear a faint and steady “thump, thump, thump” as Gracie pulls on the bone, stripping fragments.
Gracie couldn’t have received a more satisfying gift!!
During her contented mastication stretches, Gracie comes into the house only when she gets thirsty (and of course I have to make sure the toilet lid is down!) Today she managed to gnaw the bone into two pieces. At one point I let her into the house and before I knew it, she carried the smaller piece onto my living room floor. (NOT allowed.)
Our next sessions in our endless series of IMPORTANT DOGGIE LESSONS will be to train Gracie to 1) keep the bone outside and 2) NOT KNOCK DOWN THE SCREEN DOOR TO GET BACK ONTO THE BALCONY.
By the way, Beth Bower, while in the area, I boarded Gracie at Mount Nittany Vet for one of the two nights I was there, and all went VERY WELL. Thank you so much for your recommendation! I think I missed Gracie more than she missed me because she not only received caring treatment from the staff – with food, treats and toys, she had another puppy companion to keep her company during her stay.
Gracie was groomed today! She walked out of the salon looking and smelling great. I managed to keep her cleanliness in check for only a mere 3 hours until we went to the Teegarden dog park. At the park, Gracie was very happy to greet her doggie friends after being couped up inside while it rained the past few days. But as they romped, several of the canines generously slobbered all over her. Shortly after, Gracie led her doggie friends into a muddy stream. When she emerged, she rolled in the stinky doggie turf to dry off.
Sigh. So much for looking and smelling her Sunday best.
I managed to capture this picture of Gracie BEFORE she UN-DID her pristine coiffure.
It was a beautiful day yesterday, so I took Gracie for a nice hike in the woods in Valley Forge Park thinking it was not only a great place to go but we could minimize any mud she could get into. Though we managed to avoid the muck, I hadn’t considered the seasonal BURRS. Gracie managed to contract a whole slew of them in her fur. I spent quite a while picking those prickly pests out of her after our walk.
It was great to have Gracie freshly groomed on Thursday even though the unspoiled stage was awfully short-lived. I decided it’s probably fruitless to keep Gracie both happy AND clean. So, I will opt for happy. Today we went to Skunk Hollow Trail in Willow Park Preserve in Radnor where Gracie joyfully trotted through the woods, inspected flora and greeted numerous dogs. Then she swam, splashed, and chased sticks with Corgis, retrievers, and setters in Little Darby Creek. Gracie came back home looking fairly grubby, but nevertheless – I have no doubt – she’s BLISSFULLY bushed.
We started intermediate level doggie obedience training this week! This training is taking place at a different PetSmart location than the last time (it’s closer) with a different instructor (natural-color haired Melissa – not purple-haired Jen). So far, natural-color haired Melissa seems much more down-to-earth than ADHD Jen. Our first day’s lesson this week consisted almost entirely of the “settle” command. “Settle” means Gracie must sit, then lie down – turning slightly on her side (a more relaxed stance), keep her tail still, and hold that position for 10 seconds or more. After prompting with MANY treats for encouragement, Gracie performed the command very well, even with two other active puppies nearby. We’re practicing the “settle” command A LOT this week! (I’m practicing “settle” on myself, too, by taking extra naps.)
According to Melissa, this intermediate training is all about managing your dog around distractions – an endless list, including noises, people nearby, other dogs, vehicles, animals, children, toys, sudden movements, smelly things, etc., etc. I think this instruction is a great next step – and I have high hopes for Gracie making good progress.
It occurs to me I might also benefit from a disciplined course for HUMANS to manage my own distractions – an infinite list, too, including Internet surfing, email, cell phones, Facebook, instant messaging, TV, and Netflix…
Today was our 3rd class of intermediate doggie training and we’re already halfway through the course! It’s been a gradual progression. Nevertheless, trainer Melissa has proven to be a fine instructor – very down-to-earth and no-nonsense. In today’s class we worked on commands HEEL, SIT, STAY. and COME. Melissa is patient with both Gracie and me as we go through our paces. At one point, Gracie was getting more and more distracted by her classmate, Geo (a lively labradoodle) – despite lots of enticing from me with her favorite BIL-JAC chicken liver treats. Melissa noticed my struggle and gave me some different BACON and CHEESE treats (sold by PetSmart) for Gracie, and they worked like a charm! Gracie responded perfectly. Guess I’ll have to stock up on a fresh supply of NEW bacon and cheese treats.
Obviously, Melissa appears to be a skilled marketer, too.
Last week I felt wistful in the waning daylight as summer 2022 drew to a close. I hate to let go of the warmer season of long. sunlit days and face colder, shorter days ahead.
As I reflect on Gracie’s first summer, I think she sure made the best of it. Swimming was the highlight of the season for her. She took advantage of any opportunity to get in the water – from her initial plunge into the local swimming hole, to her countless hours of retrieving sticks tossed into streams, to her doggie-paddling with canine companions in area waters. To my water-loving soul, it was a joy to watch my golden noodle delight in her aquatic adventures these past several months.
Raising Gracie 