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.
I’ve taken a pause in the Gracie updates while we’ve moved Mom into her new room at the Oaks. Gracie posed an added challenge in the whole process, as she got her nose into EVERYTHING. All-in-all, I suppose besides the multiple chewed-up pens, bites left in a floor mat, a chewed cord on my BiPAP, and stolen napkins / garbage can contents / toilet paper, the damage wasn’t TOO severe.
Along with Mom, Gracie and I will miss Mom’s old apartment. But we look forward to spending more time in Mom’s new abode as well as Tom’s and Jan’s lovely home and extensive yard. And Gracie is already endearing herself to residents in Mom’s new environment.
Today I finally had the time to return the mutilated book, Project Hail Mary, to the Exton library along with a brand-new copy for them, I explained to the librarian my dog chewed up the original one. She said to me, “We usually prefer that you don’t buy us a new book. But it’s OK, we’ll take it.” So, I replied, “OK, So I guess this isn’t the first time this has happened?” She smiled and said, “You’d be surprised how often it happens!” She said she’s gotten copies of dog training books that have been destroyed by dogs.
“HA! HA,” I laughed -“That’s REALLY FUNNY!” I was too embarrassed to tell her I had ANOTHER chewed up book by Gracie from a different library that I still need to return. The title of that one? London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency
I’m afraid I’m going to have to refrain from visiting libraries for a while.
Gracie has been enjoying some cool dips in local streams during the hot days this past week.
In the picture below from yesterday, she’s retrieving a stick in Valley Creek. She will do this non-stop until I get too tired! While we were there, she met a one-year-old Australian Shepard named Frankie. Gracie and Frankie (like the name of the TV show) became instant friends – chasing each other creek side through mud puddles and splashing in the stream! I didn’t get a picture of it, but Gracie came home covered in mud. A bath ensued for Gracie, followed by a serious bathroom cleanup, then a much-needed shower for me.
Gracie loves to lie down in the water chest deep. It seems to be a Golden trait. Today, she basked with multiple golden retrievers in Little Darby Creek at Willow Park Preserve in Radnor.
Unfortunately, my greasy noodle has acquired an ear infection, so she is prohibited from going swimming over the next week or so until the infection is gone. By the way, THANK YOU Beth Bower for giving me a heads-up that floppy-eared dogs are prone to this! Thanks to your warning, I knew the signs. My vet confirmed the diagnosis today and said Gracie probably got it from all of her swimming lately.
For months, I’ve been scoping out great places where Gracie can swim. Now I’m onto a new mission to find the best off-leash dog friendly areas where we can AVOID streams.
On the bright side, as Tina has pointed out, this probably means a lot fewer baths for Gracie coming up – and a much cleaner bathroom.
I forgot to mention last Friday was National Dog Day! In celebration, I gave Gracie extra hugs that day and took her for a long hike in the woods of Valley Forge Park.
Gracie’s ear infection is getting better. While she heals, I’ve been avoiding streams where she can swim. (Made easier by this year’s drought.) However, if there is any water in the area where she is unleashed, even if I’m unaware of it, Gracie will manage to find it. This has happened on a few occasions this past week and Gracie was in the water before I knew it. Fortunately, each time, the water was shallow enough, her ears didn’t get wet.
In the pictures below, Gracie’s enjoying a good time frolicking with a Corgi in the baseball field at Teegarden Park. It’s surprising how fast those Corgis can run on their short legs!!
Gracie has been putting up with my lousy mood this week as I’ve been dealing with a water leak issue from my condo to the unit downstairs. I was told about the problem by the owner last week. At the same time, he informed me he was leaving the next day to go to India for 2 months, and then he gave me access to his unit. Plumbers discovered a hairline fracture in the toilet in my main bath that appears to be the cause of the water leak into the unit below me. The ceiling in the downstairs unit caved in sometime between Monday and Tuesday. It’s all gotten so complicated – involving plumbers, water damage contractors, condo management, insurance companies, and a unit owner in India expecting me to coordinate everything ASAP because he said he has a tenant moving in next week. My week has been consumed trying to navigate all of it.
This has all come on the heels of having my water heater fail (so I had it replaced last week). In addition, on the hottest day of the year so far (earlier this week), my HVAC stopped working. (It’s fixed now.)
Honestly, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!! When it rains, it pours. Literally, in this case, with the water leak!
Thankfully, Gracie and I had a brief, but especially nice reprieve last evening. We enjoyed a free concert in nearby Wilson Farm Park with my friend Jane. Gracie soaked up TONS of attention from lots of kids and adults. She savored countless belly-rubs throughout the evening.
Here’s a picture of Gracie with her new chili pepper toy – a present today from Jane…
It appeared to me like all of the dog owners in the area were at Lloyd Park with their dogs yesterday! It was a dog fest! I suspect the reasons were because 1) it was a holiday and people were off from work AND 2) it was a hot, but beautiful day, AND ALSO 3) because I heard more than one dog owner say they wanted to be sure to get their pooch thoroughly worn out before the canine-frightening fireworks started.
At Lloyd Park, everybody seemed to relish the spectacle of oodles of water-loving hounds frolicking in the cool creek. Some people even plunked down lawn chairs by the side of the stream to watch. Gracie eagerly joined in the fun. She had a blast.
We heard fireworks at nearby Wilson Farm Park last evening. Other than a bit of initial barking, Gracie seemed relatively calm throughout. I don’t know if it was because she was exhausted from swimming or because of her relatively calm demeanor, or a combination of the two – but I am grateful it didn’t turn into an ordeal of an evening.
In this picture from Lloyd Park, Gracie is in front with the yellow collar….
It’s a big milestone day for Gracie: she’s getting spayed today. I’m feeling sad about it, but I cannot fathom the prospect of having a litter of puppies around here. Gracie will be at the vet at least overnight. I miss her being around. To take my mind from it, I’ve been catching up on things today that are easier to accomplish when Gracie’s not here to interrupt me. So far today I’ve vacuumed the carpet, repotted some plants, cleaned the deck & guest room & bathroom, took a nap, got my hair cut, repaired the hole in the couch, shopped for groceries, did some laundry, washed a few windows, and finished reading a book. I exaggerate. I did lay down to take a nap, but I didn’t sleep.
It’s about 4:30pm and I just got a call from the vet. Gracie’s surgery went fine. She’s now waking up from the anesthesia. Looks like I can pick her up tomorrow. Yeah!!
Gracie is back from the vet, and she seems to be doing OK, though somewhat wiped out. I have strict orders from the vet to keep her on-leash when she is outside (do-able, I think), not allow her to be around other dogs (semi-do-able) and avoid any jumping (difficult) for 10 days. So, unfortunately, no doggie parks for us in the next two weeks.
I appreciate all your good wishes for her speedy recovery!
Gracie is doing well, her incision is healing nicely, and she has been getting more vigorous each day. Having renewed energy, it’s becoming more of a challenge to keep her activity limited. I’m counting down to the days when I can get her back to the dog park!
Happy dog (who needs a haircut) with tail in motion…
Gracie is definitely doing better. And she’s up to some new tricks such as serious counter-surfing when I’m not looking. In the past few days, I’ve found her with a piece of cantaloupe, tissues, multiple napkins, three washcloths, and a hard-boiled egg.
Now considering using the kitchen gate to lock her OUT of the kitchen!
My greasy noodle got a great report from Dr. Walker today. She now has the “all-clear” to be off leash, be around other dogs, jump around, go swimming, and get groomed. YIPPEE!!! While we were at the vet office, Dr. Walker knelt on the floor, hugged Gracie, and called her a “gem.” Gracie wagged her tail, licked his face, rolled over for belly rubs, and cried when he left the room. What a lovefest.
Gracie was thrilled to see her Aunt Tina today, too. And Tina spoiled her with lots of attention. We all took a fun trip to Teegarden Park where Gracie expended some of that pent-up energy from the last two weeks!
(Below) Gracie enjoying the dog park this afternoon. (Thank you for the photo, Tina!!)
Gracie and I had an especially good time last week with Mom in central PA. As usual, Gracie was REALLY spoiled by all the attention. Some highlights of the week included:
Enjoying a great 94th birthday celebration for Mom at Tom’s and Jan’s house. (Gracie had a good time digging a hole in the backyard.)
Hiking around Colyer Lake with Debra and swimming
Romping Tudek Park with her doggie friend, Jonas
Taking a dip in the stream at Mill Creek
Chasing tennis balls, sticks, and a frisbee on the Oaks grounds
Visiting with all of her favorite resident friends at the Oaks – especially Linda
But Gracie was pretty naughty, too. True to form, she chewed pretty much anything on her level that caught her fancy including a floor mat, the fringe on the living room chair, napkins, and the instructions for the air purifier. AND she stole a strawberry from my plate (which I realized AFTER I had eaten the rest of them on the same plate). AND after we found her in the hallway several times, we realized she learned how to open the apartment door by tugging on the flag hanging from the doorknob. AND even though she’s not supposed to be on the furniture, she would JUMP ONTO THE LIVING ROOM COUCH when I wasn’t looking and make herself comfortable. AND she would JUMP ONTO MY BED (the other couch) when I wasn’t looking and make herself comfortable there, too.
One day outside, I had Gracie off her leash briefly as we took a stroll around the Oaks grounds. As we approached the pond, Gracie did NOT want to be re-leashed and, despite my calling her, she ran directly into the stream feeding the pond. And she laid down. INTO THE MUD. Up to her chest. I finally caught her and re-leashed her when she came out. At that point, on spotting a nearby hose, we walked over, I turned it on and started spraying her. Gracie considered all this a big game and began jumping around. As I tried to hold her, her collar slipped off. At that point Gracie ran back to the stream and I had to catch her all over again, but collarless, which made it doubly difficult.
I FINALLY lured her in, re-attached her collar, adjusted it, and trotted her back to the hose. I turned it on again, and AGAIN, as I started to hose off mud-soaked Gracie, she bounced everywhere, thinking it was great fun. At that point, I lost my grip on the hose and it SPRAYED ALL OVER ME – soaking my clothes and shoes. Dripping wet, I finally managed to hose the mud off Gracie. BOTH of us shook some water off and then headed back inside – still dripping as we went – before drying off in Mom’s apartment.
Now I have to go to my local library and explain that my dog chewed up the latest book I borrowed (“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir). I’m guessing they frown on things like this.
On very hot days, we’ve spent some lazy evenings in front of the TV. For Gracie, the TV doesn’t even have to be on. Here she is barking at her own reflection in the empty screen….
As recommended by the funny lady, Diane, I met earlier this week, Gracie and I went to a new dog park yesterday about 20 minutes away from my house. It has multiple places where she can run and swim. She loves it, and I expect it will be a frequent hang-out this summer!
Tomorrow is Gracie’s graduation from Beginner Puppy School! And we’re meeting Marci and Karen! So, I took her to a self-serve dog wash today for a much-needed bath! She was slightly traumatized by the sprayer and the noisy, heavy-duty blow dryer, but she emerged considerably cleaner and she’s smelling FAR better. (I came out of the dog wash, however, sorely in need of a shower.) Just hope Gracie can last for 24 hours staying out of the dirt! My neighbor, Bob, gave me some dog clippers to try out on her, so Gracie might get a spot trim tonight, too!
Yippee! Gracie graduated from Beginner Puppy School! Here’s her graduation picture! (The cap is on her head, but it’s a little bit difficult to see in the photo.)
The certificate shown in the picture announces that Gracie has SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF PUPPY EDUCATION at PetSmart!! Though, I have to say, there really weren’t any requirements to begin with except to show up for class. Nevertheless, how proud I am of my little Golden Noodle! And even Auntie Marci and Auntie Karen attended the “ceremony” to observe the pomp and circumstance!!
Here are a few more pictures of the occasion showing purple and blue-haired Jen (with Gracie) and the rest of Gracie’s fellow doggie graduates, Chip (white; very well-behaved), Dalia (black and brown; performed everything perfectly), and Poppy (black and white; crooked hat). Poppy is adorable, but fairly out-of-control. I think she graduated by the skin of her canine teeth, with Jen STRONGLY HINTING to her owners on her need for A LOT more training. Poppy was Gracie’s favorite friend in class.
Had a wonderful weekend visiting briefly with Karen and more extended time with Marci! Gracie LOVED getting to know her newest New Mexico relatives! On Sunday Gracie had her first city excursion – to the city of Baltimore – where we visited with Molly. It was a great day – getting a tour from the car of the Johns Hopkins campus (personally guided by Molly), as well as enjoying seafood and gelato on the harbor. Gracie tagged along, seemingly blissfully, taking it all in stride!
During her visit, Marci and I enjoyed lots of good eats, relaxed, caught up, and spent oodles of hours with my noodle in nearby dog parks! Gracie cuddling with Marci…
Gracie and I had a fine visit with Mom over the past week. During our visit, Gracie’s behavior was – I’m trying to find the right word here – “taxing.” If I can manage to grow eyes in the back of my head, life will be easier.
Mom has a beautiful. large hand-woven rug in her living room that Gracie would not leave alone. Gracie wanted to pull on the fringe, tug at threads, and chew on the edges. I was constantly using the “leave it” command, pulling her away from it, and even locking her away in the bedroom. We even tried duct-taping the edges! Of course, that failed miserably. (How quickly I forgot how she peeled duct tape off of her pee pads.) Finally, one day, defeated, I rolled up the rug and put it away to make my life tolerable.
Mom and I were finally able to relax that evening, enjoying a glass of wine together. That is, until Gracie took a sip out of my wine glass while I had turned away for a mere split second.
Gracie also did a whole lot of “table surfing” at Mom’s. She stole countless napkins, drank water from plants, and sniffed for table crumbs. She chewed Mom’s wall, left stick debris all over the carpet, gnawed off the cover of a hardback book, and destroyed a bookmark (after she pulled it out of the place in the book I was reading). At least this time, when she dropped a dead bird (just the head), it was BEFORE we went inside.
I have to say, though, despite all this, believe it or not, Gracie’s overall conduct had IMPROVED since the last time at Mom’s!
Gracie has endeared herself to many of the residents at the Oaks. Here are pictures of Gracie with Mom and one of Gracie with Mom’s wonderful friend Linda. (Guess what OTHER animal Linda loves, besides the dog.)
Also, during our visit, I contacted Debra, who met Gracie and me several times first at Tudek Dog Park, then at Millbrook Park where Gracie could cool herself off in Spring Creek. When I left a voice mail for Debra, letting her know Gracie and I were in town, Debra’s voice-text translated my word “Gracie” to “greasy.” We had a good laugh about that – calling Gracie my “Greasy Noodle.” Here’s my greasy noodle playing with Rex (left) and Jonas (right) at Tudek.
I took my greasy noodle to the Teegarden Dog Park on Friday. (By the way, I just read about this park online and realized I’ve been totally misspelling the name of the park. It’s TEEgarden (like kids playing TEEBALL), not TEAgarden (NOT like having an English tea with your dog)!! Anyway, I was hoping we’d meet up with funny lady, Diane, who tells crazy stories, punctuated with sarcastic comments. Diane and Zeke WERE at the park, but we only saw them for a few minutes as she had to leave for an appointment. Her adult son was with her this time. As per Diane, “NOT the New York banker, son, but the political one.” She didn’t tell me his name. And the political son seems to be as quiet as Diane is loud.
When I recently asked Diane more about her dog Zeke’s breed mix, she rattled off about 10 different kinds and acerbically quipped, “ZEKE’S NOT ONE OF THOSE MAIN LINE FRU-FRU DOODLE DOGS.” I felt a bit insulted but realized maybe Diane didn’t know Gracie’s breed. I simply stated, “Gracie is a mini golden DOODLE.” Then, after a pause, giving her the benefit of the doubt, I explained I got a doodle because I needed a hypoallergenic dog. I watched Diane’s uncomfortable face sort of relax as she added, backtracking, “Well, of course, UNLESS it’s for health reasons.” HA! HA! Gotcha, Diane.
Diane has relayed stories to me about raising her sons, such as her hard-lined, no-nonsense interactions with her sons’ teachers (I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that!) and disciplining philosophies (i.e., “kids sometimes have to learn the hard way”). Diane has talked about a camp she ran in her backyard when her sons were growing up: Camp Di-Di. According to Diane, all the neighborhood kids LOVED it and begged their parents to allow them to go to CAMP DI-DI. Camp Di-Di??? Really?? If you heard that from your kid, would want to send them there??
Diane once told me she wouldn’t give me her address because I’d probably report her. I wonder what Diane’s reaction might be if I happen to mention to her that I’ve been writing about her.
Well, enough about Diane for now. This is about Gracie. Gracie is STILL in a major chewing stage. Despite my best efforts to control her, she’s pretty much destroying my carpet and takes ANY opportunity to grab a shoe from my closet and gnaw on it. It’s really annoying when I slip my foot into a wet, slobbery sandal.
Last evening Gracie dug in my large potted plant in the hallway. She had previously left it untouched, but for some reason decided now was the time to wreck it. She threw the wet dirt from the pot onto my carpet and then she traipsed through it, leaving her paw prints everywhere. I found the plant itself in another part of my condo.
After discovering the mess, I spent the next hour or so cleaning it up. Then I was grimy and REALLY ready for a shower. Only to discover I had no hot water. Looks like my water heater went kaput. I should have predicted this, SINCE I’M GETTING A GUEST TOMORROW FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I took a very fast, lukewarm-at-best shower then spent all this morning on the phone with vendors getting estimates and lining up the WH replacement. FORTUNATELY, I’m getting a brand new WH first thing in the morning. And, fortunately, I had planned on replacing the WH later this year, anyway.
After all my calls to plumbers, I took Gracie to the dog park for her daily run. She jumped in the stream several times and then we ventured onto a baseball field where she gleefully rolled in the dirt WHILE SHE WAS STILL WET.
When we left the dog park, I took Gracie directly to Braxton’s to get a VERY MUCH NEEDED bath. The dirt poured off of her. (And, of course, some of it onto me.)
So, Gracie is clean; I am dirtier.
I hope the theme of my next update won’t be so filthy.
Over the past few days, Gracie was completely spoiled with attention by Jules, Tina, Michael, Philip, Nancy, and me while Jules was visiting. Some picts and videos…
Tina cuddling with Gracie:
A group photo (Clockwise from upper left: Michael, Tina, Jules, Me, Gracie, Philip, Nancy):
A shot of Jules and Gracie on our way to the dog park:
A link to some fun videos of Gracie at the dog park. (THANK YOU, Tina, for taking these!!):
With supervision, I’m now letting Gracie grace some of the rooms in the house beyond the kitchen. It does mean my considering many more potential items Gracie will find and pick up. A favorite go-to place of hers is my magazine rack in the living room. She will walk over, select a magazine from the rack, pull it out, and RIP IT TO SHREDS. Old National Geographics seem to have particular appeal. My living room floor is typically littered with paper shreds these days.
OK, so sometimes (well, maybe frequently) Gracie will pick up something in the house to play with / chew on. And when I see it, sometimes (OK, well maybe frequently) my thoughts will go like this:
“She shouldn’t have that…but hmmmm, it’s just A MAGAZINE (insert here…a catalog, a store receipt, an old rug, a cat toy, the bathmat, or SOMETHING I FORGOT I HAD BUT DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT IT) and it’s OLD (insert here…easily replaceable, safe, readily digestible, something I was going to throw out anyway, or IT’S MUCH BETTER FOR HER THAN ANOTHER MORE VALUABLE THING ***).”
*** insert here…such as hearing aids or the last thing she had in her mouth
Then, I think:
“Well, I guess I’ll let her have it and I won’t yell at her (again)…”
Then, I turn away and go on about my business.
THAT IS, I literally IGNORE WHAT I JUST SAW AND PRETEND that I don’t see Gracie DESTROYING said item.
I have to admit this happens to me many times during the day. I truly wonder if a similar phenomenon happens to some parents when their kids get into things. I suppose some people would say this is a denial of misbehavior. I prefer to call it “picking my battles.”
Today’s entry is not about Gracie, but it’s about my dear cat, Chloe. I made the very heart-wrenching decision to have Chloe put down today. Chloe’s lived with terminal cancer for several years now and she’s defied expectations for how long she had left to live. I took her to the vet earlier this week, and Dr. Walker confirmed her time now was very limited. She had a massive tumor on her head and recently a patch of fur came off over the tumor and her skin was exposed. Dr, Walker said the exposed skin wasn’t a danger. But there was a chance the tumor could rupture and that would clearly signify the end.
I kept thinking as long as Chloe still showed some good signs of life (eating, etc.) we could continue to hang on. This morning she jumped up on my bed. And she purred when I petted her.
But the quality of her life had really deteriorated recently. She ate very little food. She consistently missed the litter box. She no longer groomed herself. And she spent 95% of the time sleeping in my closet, hiding – no longer enjoying spots of sun or curling with me on the couch.
Making this kind of decision is THE HARDEST THING ABOUT HAVING A PET. With pets, we have the liberty to make a choice about euthanasia. But how to make that decision? It is difficult to determine when it is actually “time.” Chloe couldn’t tell me in words. I needed to assess her behavior. I sure didn’t want her to be in pain. I could have waited until she died naturally. But what would her quality of life have been like then? She had a terminal illness with no hope for improvement. Her quality of life could only have been expected to decline. And I didn’t want to wait until the tumor ruptured to make the decision. It seemed more humane to not wait until things got far worse.
But I so loved this wonderful cat I had the joy of owning for over 19 years. I didn’t want to let her go. But I did.
Gracie and I are really enjoying a nice extended Mother’s Day visit with Mom!
Gracie never fails to surprise us with the things she drags in from outside. Last evening, she reluctantly dropped a dead bird in the stairway at the Oaks. IT WAS THE SAME DEAD BIRD SHE DROPPED ON MOM’S FLOOR DURING OUR LAST VISIT!
I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from the updates this past week while Gracie and I enjoyed an extended visit with Mom. As always, Gracie received LOTS of attention from her many human friends and family at the Oaks and nearby (Mom, Tom, Jan, Fred, Pat, Bill, Linda, Debra, Larry, Sally, Charlie, Dick, Ann, Betty, Les, Norma, Jane, and others). Gracie made more canine friends, too, at the Tudek Dog Park and in the Steeplechase neighborhood. Thank you, Debra, for giving Gracie a much needed hosing off following our 2+ hour stint Wednesday at Tudek!
Gracie’s behavior during this trip was improved over our last trip. We had less chomping on “bad” chewable items; she was generally calmer and more attentive. But she’s certainly still a work in progress, requiring careful supervision as she continues to be inclined to chew walls, rugs, magazines, books, coasters, and other coveted household items. As Mom says, “Gracie probably thinks her middle name is ‘NO’.”
We now have four obedience classes under our belt! Things are going pretty well. We spent most of the third class learning the “leave-it” cue. (This is used, for example, to deter the dog from investigating / picking up something undesirable such as a “bad” chewable item.) Compared to the other dogs in class, Gracie was a little slow on the uptake with this one. Purple-haired Jen said doodles typically take longer with this command, though I think Jen was just trying to make me feel better when I had no success with Gracie after 15 attempts. It took Gracie A LOT MORE practice for her to get the idea. And it’s still hit or miss depending on how excited or distracted she is, or how enticing the object might be to her. If a favorite Bil Jac chicken-liver treat is the “leave-it” object, Gracie will move quicker than a speeding bullet to snatch it, ignoring my commands.
The good news is, however, with the many, many things Gracie gets into – and shouldn’t – we are fortunate to have INFINITE opportunities every day at home to practice the “leave-it” cue!
Lesson number four of doggie obedience training focused on walking the dog on leash, the “come” command, and more of “leave-it.” Each of the dog owners in class were handed forty-foot leashes (a GREAT training tool as per Jen) to practice the “come” command with the dog. We practiced “come” at progressively increasing distances. As we went through our paces in the aisles of PetSmart, I probably spent the largest portion of my time either untangling the leash, or, being preoccupied with preventing products from being knocked off shelves or making sure customers weren’t assaulted by my high-spirited dog. Nevertheless, Gracie performed quite well with this activity, earning a “Good job, today!” and a yummy Bil Jac chicken-liver treat from Jen.
Before we left, Jen was quick to remind us that PetSmart conveniently sells forty-foot leashes and Bil Jac chicken-liver treats!
It’s nearly record-breaking heat today in the Philadelphia area (92 degrees in suburbs where I live). Our obedience class was canceled (purple-haired Jen was out of town), so I took Gracie to the swimming hole this afternoon. Gracie tried desperately to engage an older male bulldog into play, but the slow old guy would have nothing of it. Nevertheless, Gracie enjoyed a good swim and happily retrieved sticks from the water. The photo below was taken at one point today as she rolled in sticks and mud after a swim. Another dip in the water was absolutely required to clean her off!
I thought we’d try something new. So, for the past two days, I’ve been taking Gracie to a different dog park, Harford Park in Radnor, PA, about 20 minutes away. It’s an off-leash dog park from sunset to sundown. Mid-afternoon, when we’ve gone, it becomes fairly populated with dogs (and their owners, of course). Gracie loves it. Yesterday and today, she played with dogs of all sizes and breeds – wrestling in the grass, running, fetching balls and sticks, digging holes, and frolicking in an adjacent stream. It’s been fun to watch. Today a HUGE black and white bernedoodle was Gracie’s choice friend for a while. Harford Park is peppered with signs giving friendly reminders to dog owners to clean up after their dogs (see photo below). Another example: “Don’t forget to SCOOP. even if it’s not YOUR poop!”
Gracie enjoyed the park today before the rain set in. She played with a Swiss Mountain dog (Crosby), a beagle-lab-miniature pincher mutt (Gigi), a 160-lb. Bernese Mountain dog (Milo), and a pit bull mutt (Nutella).
At Teagarden Park yesterday, while Gracie romped with three French bulldogs, I pulled out a Nerf frisbee and threw it. The four dogs went tearing after it. The Frenchies grabbed it first and all three of them tugged it in different directions at the same time while Gracie looked on. By the time I grabbed my camera, only two of the dogs still had the Frisbee. Very funny to watch!!
Gracie and I met this funny lady in the Teagarden Dog Park today. Her name is Diane, and she had her dog Zeke with her. Gracie and Zeke had a fun time playing together. Zeke looks kind of like a golden retriever without a tail, but he is, actually, a Heinz 57 variety dog (includes Australian Shepard – hence, sans tail). Anyway, Diane has a wacky sense of humor and entertained me with stories about Zeke (who loves to go on the amusement park rides at Koebel’s Park in Elysburg, PA where pets are allowed), her son (who is an investment banker in New York, is dating Paul Simon’s daughter, and – according to Diane – doesn’t appreciate his Mom enough because HE’S hob-knobbing around the big city with famous people while she’s going to cheap amusement parks with what was HIS former dog), and herself (who has no patience for people who don’t love their dogs unconditionally by spending most of their free time scoping out great dog places to go even if it’s a 3-hour drive one way and gas costs nearly $5 a gallon).
Diane told me about how New York City prohibits dogs on the subways unless THE DOG CAN FIT IN A BAG. (Actual ordnance: “No person may bring any animal on or into any conveyance or facility unless enclosed in a container.”) I guess the people who came up with this rule were envisioning a tiny teacup terrier nestled in a little pouch. Clearly, these neophyte lawmakers failed to recognize the resourcefulness of New York subway riders. As you can well imagine, passengers have taken full advantage of this ordinance, bending it to the nth degree.
Here’s one creative solution:
I’m saving my Ikea bag so I can take Gracie with me to New York and ride the subway!
More picts of New York subway dog-riders at this Website:
On one of our outside excursions yesterday in a nearby neighborhood, Gracie and I met a woman as she was walking her two Shetland sheep dogs. The dogs, Maddie (age 8), and Mollie (age 6) were charming. Gracie had much fun playing with them. The woman introduced herself to me, and I to her. I thought, “This is great – hearing the HUMAN’S name!” Hmmm, perhaps not ALL “dog people” are the same.
Nevertheless, I INSTANTLY forgot her (the human’s) name. No doubt we’ll soon see Maddie and Mollie and What’s-her-name again before long and maybe I can ask her name again and really hope that she forgot my name, too, so I’m not too embarrassed.
On housebreaking…
I’ve pretty much given up on the pee pads. Occasionally, when I need to leave the house for a few hours, before I leave, I’ll put down a pee pad knowing it’s merely a “suggestion” to Gracie in an elusive hope she might actually use it as intended. Inevitably though, I’ll return to find the pee pad in shreds. Still, the housebreaking process continues to creep along in a relatively positive direction. I am SO looking forward, however, to the time when we make it through an ENTIRE day with NO ACCIDENTS indoors. That will truly be a banner occasion and cause for real celebration! I might have to put up a billboard.
On a very positive note, I was pretty shocked to see Gracie allowing Chloe to casually walk by her AT LEAST a half dozen times, without a chase ensuing after Chloe. This is a small miracle! I managed to catch a shot of evidence…
I went to the Dollar Tree today and simply couldn’t resist buying yet another toy for Gracie. Gracie is preoccupied with it in the shot above and it probably helped deter her from engaging with Chloe. Here’s a shot of the two of us playing tug-of-war with the new toy….
That banner day of Gracie having no indoor accidents came sooner than expected!! It was yesterday!!! Yippee!!! I’m giving Gracie a “Housebreaking Milestone Award” and extra treats.
Do you know those signs some companies display with stats on safety? Like this one?
I think I’ll start displaying a similar one for housebreaking like this…
Gracie had a 9am appointment at the vet today. Before that, around 8am, I left Gracie in the kitchen for a few minutes. Gracie started crying for attention, but I ignored her because I needed to clean up a small mess that Chloe had made. Just then, I heard a loud “WHOMP” and glass breaking in the kitchen. I ran there and found Gracie had pulled over a free-standing cabinet on which – OF COURSE – I had placed A ZILLION items including an antique coffee grinder, a pencil holder filled with pens and pencils, a ceramic dish (holding business cards, notes, Alan wrenches, a whistle, ear buds, and screws), a coffee mug filled with coffee and creamer, two spray bottles, a coaster, and a thermometer. I found an AWFUL mess. (I know, I know, Jules – you warned me.)
All items were scattered on the floor, with coffee spilled everywhere including on the carpet by the kitchen door. There were glass shards, notes, writing instruments, cards, and screws all over the place. My favorite Harley-Davidson mug was broken, and the free-standing cabinet was split on one entire side. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to restore order as I held Gracie back with one hand because she kept trying to lick up the coffee. At the same time, I kept stepping in the spilled coffee, and because it had sweetener in it, my sneakers kept sticking to the floor. I finally got the worst of that mess cleaned up then I finished cleaning the cat mess that had been interrupted just in time to take Gracie out for a bathroom break before leaving for the vet.
Vet report:
Gracie weighed in at 19.5 lbs. She will be 4 months old on Thursday. She received her last series of puppy vaccinations including canine distemper, rabies, Leptospirosis (prevents Leptospirosis – a serious bacterial disease), and Bordetella (prevents Bordetella – another bacterium associated with respiratory disease). She was also microchipped. And Dr. Walker gave me medicines to administer to Gracie later this week for heartworm, fleas, and ticks. Gracie has been given a clean bill of health and I am now able to take her to more places because she has the vaccine protection she needs.
Dr. Walker is wonderful with Gracie. During our visit, he taught Gracie the “down” command and gave her lots of treats. Gracie smothered him with kisses. Dr. Walker gushed at least three times, “Gracie, you are too cute for words.” I’m a very proud dog-parent of an awesome Golden noodle! I pretty much forgot about this morning’s mishap already.
Yesterday afternoon we had a “doodle fest” in the basketball court at Wilson Farm Park. There were five dogs there and all five were “doodles” including Boo, Rosie, and Holiday (all labradoodles), as well as Quinn (a goldendoodle) and Gracie (mini goldendoodle). They all happily played together and chased tennis balls for about an hour. Gracie had a blast. I came back with a completely slobber-soaked tennis ball. It wasn’t the same tennis ball I left with earlier, but Gracie seems to like this far dirtier, bacteria-laden one so much more than her other bright new one.
Gracie received a wonderful present from Auntie Marci and Auntie Karen – a super-fluffy, plush, comfortable bed. Gracie LOVES it! She is VERY grateful to her two aunties for this marvelous gift (and I am too)! I knew it was already a real hit when Gracie immediately dragged two of her favorite toys into it – the broom and Mr. Hippo!!
I have one spoiled pooch!
(Above: More toys in the new bed. If you look closely, in addition to Mr. Hippo, you can maybe see the “bottle in the sock” toy and a yellow tennis ball buried in the fluff…)
I am so very proud of my little noodle! A full week has passed with no inside accidents despite, even, a brief bout with diarrhea. Gracie, I dare to say, is on her way to becoming housebroken!!
And now that I’ve been “in the trenches” (so to speak) with housebreaking a puppy, I feel perhaps I can share a little bit of “digital age” insight with other struggling puppy owners. I’ve come to believe if there is a fundamental law governing the housebreaking process in today’s era – it is this:
Murphy’s Law of Puppies: Your puppy will pee on your floor at the precise moment you become totally engaged in something interesting on your computer.
Unamused Oh well, at least the bottom number is better…
I blame myself for this housebreaking setback. I was feeling overly confident about Gracie’s progress, and I let her bounce around the non-puppy-proofed living room for a little while. Before I knew it, she was PEEING ON MY SHEEPSKIN RUG. (I know, I know, Debra, you warned me!! You think I would have learned the LAST TIME Gracie peed on my sheepskin rug and you astutely pointed out the sheepskin might feel a little like grass on Gracie’s paws. And of course, I’m sure you were right. And on Sunday I was living in some fantasy world where doggies magically distinguish between all peeing and non-peeing surfaces.)
Today Gracie had her “Easter bath” at Lucie’s Barkingham Palace! Lucie’s is a grooming/boarding/day care establishment about 10 minutes from my house. It’s quite an operation. You can hear lots of barking as you approach the building. When you enter, the din rises quite a few decibels. Just inside, there is a very large window where you can observe 20 or so dogs running around and playing together in an adjacent warehouse sized room. Lucie’s menu of grooming services includes everything from basic baths (which Gracie got) to gland cleaning (I didn’t ask). For boarding, Lucie’s even has a separate “Betty White” section with suites for anxious and senior pets.
At the moment, Gracie looks and smells awesome. However, given her propensity for digging, playing in mud, and picking up all types of decaying debris, I expect her groomed appearance and sweet aroma will be a relatively temporary state and might not last until Easter.
I captured the photo below this afternoon right after we got home from Lucie’s.
A special thanks to all of you so willing to inform me on the details of the “gland” service offered by my dog groomer. Consider me enlightened.
Gracie found a new friend, Brady. He is a seven-month-old cockapoo – a very cute dog, similar in color and size to Gracie. (Brady’s picture is below.) We’ve seen Brady and his owner, Liz, several times nearby in the past few days. Liz and Brady live in a neighborhood adjacent to mine. According to Liz, Gracie is one of the few dogs that Brady will play with. (And Liz is one of the few dog owner names I actually know.) While Brady and Gracie frolic together. Liz and I compare doggie notes. Here’s a snippet from today:
Liz: “Brady picks up EVERYTHING and puts it in his mouth. Does Gracie do this?”
Me: “OH, YES!! Today I looked down and Gracie was carrying a pack of matches.”
Liz: “Yikes! Have you encountered the deer poop yet??”
Me: “YESSSS!!!”
(Both of us laugh loudly – and knowingly.)
It was a special bonding experience over deer dung never more fully appreciated than by parents of new puppies.
Gracie and I have a VERY nice long weekend in central PA!
Among the real highlights of our visit this weekend was our time with Debra in Tudek Park. What a great walk! And Gracie had a blast playing with LOTS of dogs in Tudek’s awesome dog park.
Gracie and I SO enjoyed other highlights including spending time with you, Mom, as well as having the chance to visit with Linda, Larry, Charlie, Sally, Tom, Jan, Fred, Phyllis, Jackie, Becca, Barb, and others. I’m especially grateful to Aunt Pat and Uncle Bill for a WONDERFUL and DELICIOUS Easter feast!! What a very special treat it was to have Marvin and Fred join us, too!
Mom, I am afraid your carpet took quite a beating from the dog, regardless our best prevention efforts. In a few short days, Gracie peed on it, knocked over berry-colored flavored water onto it, and dropped a host of other debris on it – most of it destroyed by her – including paper towel shreds, ripped up tissues, dental floss, streams of toilet paper, pieces of bark, sticks, some unidentifiable items from the bathroom garbage, a chewed-up cork coaster, cardboard shreds, petals from a dried flower arrangement, and a dead bird.
I spilled my wine on your carpet, too, Mom. But I blame that on Gracie also because it happened when I was so startled as she peed on the carpet right in front of me. Gracie did, however, help me clean up the wine.
THANKFULLY, the fringe on your beautiful hand-made expensive rug is still intact despite Gracie’s persistence to grab it.
Finally, I do hope your neighbors won’t notice where Gracie ripped off a piece of the American flag displayed in their front yard.
Mom, I think Gracie and I received far more than our fair share of mileage out of your forgiving “Oh, she’s just a puppy” responses to her disruptive antics! I am enormously grateful to you for your hospitality and your profound patience during a rather unruly weekend.
P.S. Sorry Gracie stole your stuffed animal and tore the nose off of it.
I took Gracie to Teagarden, a nearby dog park, this afternoon for the first time. Teagarden is a very large grassy area with several baseball fields. It is an off-leash dog park for most of the day on weekdays until 4pm and a sports area the rest of the time. Gracie LOVED it! She ran and ran and ran and ran with other dogs. She chased balls and sticks, met lots of humans, and investigated lots of flora. Then she found a GIGANTIC mud puddle and decided it was a great place to get cooled off. She jumped in the puddle and sank chest-deep into it before I could stop her. Last week’s Easter bath was TOTALLY undone in a few short seconds.
We came home and I took her directly to the bathtub where she immediately shook. Mud flew everywhere. I gave her a bath, then cleaned the mud off of the bathtub, floor, toilet, and bathroom walls. I just finished cleaning the mud off of me.
I’ve been pretty much of a neat freak for most of my life, but it’s amazing how my standards have relaxed since I got Gracie. I’ve learned to live for days overlooking carpets littered with magazine shreds, sticks, and pieces of bark. I dodge toys on the floor every time I enter the kitchen. And my entryway now has numerous recyclables-turned doggie toys which need to be kicked aside anytime I enter or exit my house. There seems to be no sense in keeping ahead of the mess since when I do make an attempt to tidy up, it only stays organized for about 30 seconds.
Tom and Jan, please let your friends know I appreciate their giving me that bottle of “OUT! BITTER CHERRY CHEW DETERRENT.” I was eager to try using it on my kitchen wall where Gracie has been chewing off the paint and plaster, as well as on the wooden cart in the kitchen. I’ve been applying according to directions, but unfortunately so far Gracie just licks it up – apparently finding it tasty – an appetizer, before she resumes her chewing destruction. (A few picts of Gracie’s handiwork below.)
Yesterday Gracie had her first day of puppy obedience school. We’re taking the class at a local PetSmart with 4 other very cute puppies and their owners. Jen is our purple-haired instructor. Everyone in class was STRONGLY ADVISED to use a special safety harness on their dogs. None of the doggie owners had this special harness. But GUESS WHAT! PetSmart had a large supply of them for just $25 each so everyone could buy one for yesterday’s class! So convenient! Jen put the new harness on Gracie, showing me how to do it. The new harness still had a large tag dangling from the front, but we left it on because there were no scissors around to cut it off. All of the other puppies had the same large tag dangling from their new harnesses as everyone sat in a circle around the training area. It looked pretty ridiculous. We were a collective advertisement for the PETSAFE EASY WALK NO PULL HARNESS sold at your favorite PetSmart store!
The class covered a lot of basics including appropriate use of fundamental cues such as the puppy’s name, “Good”, and “No”. Because Gracie and I were sitting the closest to Jen, Jen used Gracie for several demos – with treats – and Gracie was only too thrilled to comply. (Gracie can spot a treat heading her way faster than a speeding bullet.) I was proud of my Gracie as she did quite well during the demos for “Good” and “No.” Jen made it look like a breeze. Gracie also took the opportunity at this particular moment, while having the center of attention, to lick her butt.
I kind of wish I had taken notes because Jen is quite a talker (Jen has ADHD, as she proudly pointed out) and she manages to string a whole bunch of ideas together in a single breath. Jen was talking a blue streak – something about letting a dog be a dog. I couldn’t keep up. Gracie started to chew on her tag dangling from her harness. Concerned Gracie could swallow the cardboard, I discouraged her. Precisely at that moment, Jen loudly announced to me that MY behavior was inappropriate. She said Gracie was just being a dog and chewing on the tag wouldn’t hurt Gracie and I should just let it go. And bla, bla, bla….”I just got done telling you about letting a dog be a dog.” Good grief!! I was very confused. I left class with my tail between my legs, feeling a little intimidated about puppy school.
Apparently, I have so much to learn. Now I’m afraid I might fail puppy school and I’ll have to repeat it. However, Gracie, so far, seems to be passing with flying colors.
Today Gracie discovered the stream in one corner of Teagarden dog park. She LOVED it! She romped in the water and got entirely wet, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t in mud this time! She had so much fun today running in the stream (Pict 1) and playing with other dogs (Pict 2), she didn’t want to go home (Pict 3).
Pict 1: Gracie in stream.
Pict 2: Playing with other dogs.
Pict 3: Resisting going home. When she doesn’t want to leave, she plops herself on the ground and refuses to move- even when I pull her.
Tina, Gracie, and I went to the Teagarden dog park yesterday and we had a fun time! In the video link attached, Gracie is running with Penny. Doggie Luke is in the background, Mike (also in video) is the owner of Penny and Luke. That’s Penny sniffing at Tina’s camera at the beginning of the clip.
Gracie and I had our second obedience class with purple haired Jen. This time, it went far better. Jen talked a lot about loose leash walking the dogs. Then she gave a thorough demo with Gracie, and Jen’s strings of words began to make sense to me. I mimicked what Jen did, leading Gracie up and down the aisles of PetSmart, urging her with a “Let’s go” command and LOTS of treats. We also practiced “SIT,”, “DOWN,” “STAND,” and “OFF.” Gracie performed fabulously (though “OFF” definitely needs more practice). My behavior wasn’t disapproved by Jen at all, unlike last week. Yeah!! GOOD HUMAN, GOOD DOG! (Do I get a treat?) After yesterday’s class, both Gracie and I left with our tails wagging!
Later we explored a new dog park, Mill Park, near home. We followed another dog owner, along with her dog Luna, to a large stream and swimming hole, hidden by trees, on the back side of the park. Gracie jumped in the water after Luna and for the first time in her life, I watched Gracie SWIM!! She is real a natural, instinctively doggie-paddling and clearly embracing the experience!! A water-hound myself, it made my heart sing!! Gracie found a fellow water dog playmate in Luna and they had a blast. The video links below show Gracie in the swimming hole retrieving a stick (Video 1) and romping by the stream with Luna (Video 2).
By the way, I ran into the lovely Shetland Sheep dogs, Mollie and Maddie and their owner today. Of course, I couldn’t remember their owner’s name and IMMEDIATELY felt better when she admitted she NEVER remembers the name of dog owners. I was so relieved! Then I forgot to ask her name and she never asked for mine. HA, HA! We’re dog people.
Raising Gracie 