Tennis Balls, Tennis Balls, Tennis Balls

My friend Pat, who lived with an amazing border collie for some fifteen years, commented to me in a recent email "Have you bought stock in tennis balls yet?" I had to laugh, and responded with another question: "Gee, how did you know that Olive loves tennis balls?"

There must be something about border collies and tennis balls. While taking Olive for a walk a few days ago, she somehow found an old tennis ball at the side of the road and picked it up, carrying it as if it were a prize trophy. I took it from her and put it in my pocket, promising her that I would take it with us the next time we went to the dog park.

My friend Carol some weeks back gave me a scoop designed for throwing tennis balls. I take it along whenever we go to the dog park. I take Olive off her leash, and use the scoop to throw tennis balls to chase after. I find we can burn a lot of border collie energy without my even breaking out into a sweat. With the scoop I can throw tennis balls a long way without much effort. Olive loves that game so much that she loses track of how tired she is getting. When she shows signs of being tired, I start moving toward the dog park entrance, then call her. She always comes right to me and lets me put the leash back on. This morning she was clearly exhausted, and needed to stop twice during the short walk back to my car. I didn't mind so much the stops, but the mosquitos are especially brutal right now so that I didn't relish standing still and being mosquito food. When we finally got back to my car I had brought along her canvas water dish and a bottle of water which I poured for her. She drank much of it, still clearly winded from all that exercise.

Again, I was very pleased with Olive's behavior at the dog park. When we first got there someone had a small yapping dog that snarled at Olive. Fortunately they were leaving; Olive ignored him/her. Later someone came with what may have been a shepherd cross, though this one was friendly. Olive was a perfect lady.

Last Tuesday my sister, who Olive seems to have taken to, took Olive for the afternoon while I went to Amherst MA for a fiddle lesson. I went to my Tuesday supper group from Massachusetts and got back to my sister's house around 9:15. Olive's training of my sister and her family seems to be going well, as my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew seemed "border collied" out. When I got Olive back to our house she immediately wanted to play "catch" with the ball some more. Well, border collies are clearly  not for everyone, but this one is certainly for me. I am also thrilled that she is so comfortable with my sister's home and family, though I suspect my sister and brother-in-law are not always so sure.

A daytrip adventure

It's hard to believe that Olive and I have been together eight weeks. On one hand, it seems like she came to me only yesterday, on the other hand it seems like we have been through so much together it could not possibly have happened in only eight weeks. Of course, we have only just begun and we have (I hope) many years of being together and memorable experiences together ahead of us.

After my fiddle lesson yesterday I decided to head straight home to Olive. Although my sister spent part of the day with her, she had to drop Olive off at my place around 3:00 p.m. If I stopped to relax with coffee and a magazine as I often do and then simply go to my Tuesday supper group that would have left her alone for at least six hours. I figured that was too long. I got home, took Olive for her walk, brushed her, then headed up to Windsor. I got home around 9:30, and wouldn't you know it, it started to pour. I thought Olive wanted to get her last walk of the night even with heavy rain, so I put on a rain jacket and girded myself for a very wet walk. It seemed that Olive changed her mind when it started lightning and thundering. She rushed me through the walk and made a beeline to her bed upstairs. When the thunder subsided I showered and turned in myself. At that point Olive seemed to want to stay with me; after she had dried off she curled up on the bed near me and stayed there for the night. Scared of thunder? Nervous because I left her for so much of the day? I can only guess.

Today I thought to do something of an adventure with her. Since I had to come up with something we could both do, I thought we could check out a state forest, Natchaug forest, in Windham county in the rural eastern part of the state. Within the forest is a small park dedicated to Connecticut native GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON, a Civil War hero. After a bit of hiking and searching we found it. It's a rather odd memorial in that it consists of a stone chimney, all that remains of his homestead.

 

Olive was curious as to what this thing was. I suspect that this chimney was in the middle of the house against an exterior wall, one side in a kitchen, a second side in a living room, a third side in perhaps a dining room or bedroom, and the fourth side on the outside of the house. Note the box to the left of the fire area, which may have been an oven for baking. As such, this would have been the kitchen side.

 

According to a website, "Lyon proved to be a tower of strength for the Union side, as he quickly fought and won several battles....Finally, in the fierce action at Wilson's Creek [Missouri] on August 10, 1861, he audaciously led his outnumbered troops forward and was mortally wounded....Lyon was considered a Northern hero, and from 10,000 to 15,000 persons, including many notables, attended his funeral at Eastford."

 

I was saddened that the "monument" seemed rather neglected. The lawn around it looked as if it had not been mowed yet this year, there was no plaque identifying it as General Lyon's, and the chimney itself seemed to be deteriorating. Windham County was once bustling with textile mills, including one in nearby Phoenixville. During the late 1950s and 1960s much of that work went to anti-union Southern states, and from there to China and other third-world countries. Many of the small mill towns are now disappeared or are barely noticeable remnants of an earlier era. Willimantic, the largest town in the county and once the center of Connecticut's textile industry, is still a sizable town but quite depressed. Ditto for Putnam, perhaps the county's second largest town, not far from the Natchaug forest. There has been much talk about promoting tourism in the area; how can we promote tourism when we neglect our historic sites? Much of the state forest seemed neglected, the paved roads deteriorating, trails not maintained. In a depressed area hiring some teenagers as summer help to mow the lawn and maintain the trails could make a big difference. Hiring a stone mason to see what could be done to preserve the chimney and a paving company to repair the roads (or remove them if they are not needed) would provide work for a local business. Alas, Republican politicians continually scream about "austerity" while they cut taxes for the rich and large corporations. No country in the history of the world has ever "austeritied" their way to prosperity.

I had brought along a lunch which we ate at a dilapidated picnic table near a broken and rusted charcoal grill. I had a doggie snack for Olive while I ate a sandwich and apple with a Pepsi. As we finished up, a group of people came by. They bypassed the dilapidated picnic tables and sat on a fence around the chimney while eating their lunch. I didn't really have any contact with them, just loaded my things back into my car and left them to enjoy the monument.

On the way home we passed an ice cream stand. I was tempted to stop, but decided that the Pepsi was enough sugar for the day.

I had stopped at an outdoor equipment store yesterday and picked up a canvas water dish for Olive. I figured I could keep it in my pack and pour some water into it for Olive to drink. I tried that, but Olive would not drink. I am guessing that she didn't understand that it was a water dish for her. I will try to use it at home and see if she will use it. Perhaps she will get the idea in time for our next adventure.

This and that

During our visit to the vet, I was told that I should brush Olive's teeth daily. My immediate reaction was that I have enough trouble remembering to brush and floss my own teeth; how am I going to brush my dog's? Well, that is not the problem. I am trying to remember to brush her coat daily and brushing her teeth with a special dog toothbrush that fits over my finger seems a natural extension. Sounds like the problem is solved, right? Well, Olive doesn't mind her coat being brushed at all, but she is not so cooperative with her teeth. It seemed fairly easy when the vet's assistant did it, not so easy when I attempted to do it at home. I found a video on the internet that didn't seem to help me much. For now I am trying to get her used to the taste of the dog toothpaste (poultry flavored). She seems to like licking it off my finger. I will be stopping at the vet's office this afternoon to pick up a nail clipper; perhaps I can get a few ideas from the staff.

I am somewhat intrigued at the prospect of using Olive as a goose dog to keep geese away from the pond in the center of our townhouse complex. Research is a bit problematic in that what is on the internet seems to be mostly advertising for outfits that are offering to bring their own border collies in to chase off the geese for a fee. I am looking to offer the service gratis to my own homeowners' association. I will have to do some more digging.

I found a dog obedience class in my town that I would like to bring Olive to. She is already a fairly well behaved dog so that I think she will do well, though I would like to teach her to stop barking on command, to stop pulling at the leash, and to pay attention to me rather than being so focused on squirrels. A class begins in August, though if I go away to fiddle camp in Maine I will have to miss the first class. Perhaps I could get my friend Katie or my sister to take her in my stead. I did want to try this fiddle camp in addition to the camp at Ashokan NY that I attend annually, but I suppose it might have to wait until next year--I hate the thought of leaving Olive behind for Ashokan and then repeating it a few weeks later.

A relative of mine makes his own excellent wine each year and throws a dinner and wine tasting each year when he bottles the wine from the large vats he uses to ferment it. Since dinner is outdoors, I had hoped to show Olive off, but it seems that a few of my relatives in attendance would have been uncomfortable with a dog around. I respected their wishes, though I have trouble understanding why anyone would  have a problem being around dogs.

I took Olive to the dog park again this morning. There were a number of people and dogs there this time. The dogs were quite friendly, though Olive is a bit shy with groups of dogs. She seemed to want to get away and chase tennis balls, which we did until she showed signs of being tired. In all, I thought she was every bit a lady with the other dogs and was quite pleased with her behavior.

First Visit to the Vet, Visiting my Niece, and a Graduation

Last Friday was Olive’s initial visit to her new veterinarian. I was pleased when I checked out the local vet practices on line that the vet I brought my dogs to way back, Dr. Keish, was still involved with his old practice. It seems that he is mostly retired, but his daughter, Dr. Pampreen, is a licensed vet and seems to have taken over the practice. She seemed quite knowledgeable and competent, gave Olive a thorough checkup, updates on all of her shots and medications, and a clean bill of health. Olive behaved perfectly in the vet’s office, even when the vet drew a blood sample and gave her shots. I was comfortable registering Olive as her patient. Her staff took Olive’s photo for their records, which I am posting here.

 

Olive looks a bit defiant in the photo. She did not seem scared, but a bit bewildered as to what was going on there.

 

My only concern is that Olive seems to have lost nearly five pounds since last December. I had been giving her two cups of dry food per day, but decided to increase that by a half cup per day and monitor Olive’s weight. The flea/tick medicine the vet prescribed, NexGard, was the same that Nanne suggested. The heartworm medicine, Heartgard7 plus, is a different brand, but I am confident that it will be quite effective and works in the same manner as the heartworm medicine that Nanne suggested. As for the cost, well, keeping a dog these days is NOT cheap.  $$$

On Saturday my niece Katie flew up for a very short visit from her home in Bogota, Columbia. We had hoped that she would bring her schnauzer, Dogmatix, to stay here permanently while she flew back to prepare for a move herself (with her husband Andrew) to the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree. At the last minute Katie decided to accept a promotion from her employer in Columbia and stay another year. So Olive will not meet her “cousin” for at least another year. At least she was able to meet Katie, however briefly.

Sunday was a big day for my Cousin Donna’s daughter, Lisa, who graduated from my old alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Lisa and I have long been close, and I was quite honored that Lisa reserved a ticket for me to attend the commencement. I left Olive with my sister around 1:30 and drove out with Lisa’s aunt and grandparents to the University. After the ceremony, we had a modest celebration at a restaurant in Lisa’s home town of Cromwell. My sister had deposited Olive at my house before heading to Cromwell herself, so Olive was there to greet me with her tail wagging when I got home late at night.

Olive seems to have taken to barking at relatively little provocation. I am attempting to break her of that by being reassuring and calming whenever she starts. We will see how that goes.

Cinco de Mayo

My Tuesday night supper group celebrated the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo last night. Our friend Marsha offered to host it, and suggested that I bring Olive along. I was a bit hesitant, since I wasn't sure what the situation would be as I had never been to Marsha's house before, but it went well. I brought fixings for tacos, Marsha made burritos, Carol brought a flan desert, and of course there were several appetizers and beverages. As it turned out, Olive behaved quite well and stayed in the yard even without a leash or tether.

Carol brought along a surprise for Olive: a scoop designed for throwing tennis balls. Olive loved it when we tried it out on Marsha's back lawn. I am looking forward to trying it out at the spacious dog park near me. I had hoped to make a trip there this morning, but it looked like rain so I just took Olive for a long walk while I could. I needn't have worried, since the day turned out dry and quite nice.

I had browned and seasoned ground beef for the tacos, as well as chopped onion and peppers. There was quite a bit left over which I took home.  I ran to the grocery store this morning for a small eggplant and a can of diced tomatoes and made eggplant stew from a recipe I frequently use, with a few modifications. It did not turn out too bad with ciabatta bread to accompany it. That will be my lunch for the next several days.

While walking Olive near the pond in my townhouse complex this morning we came across a large turtle crossing the street to get to the pond. I stayed to make sure the turtle got across the road safely, but Olive did not seem to know what to make of the turtle. She seemed a bit apprehensive, occasionally barking at it, perhaps trying to get it to hurry up. A woman came by and took a photo of the turtle with her cell phone. I asked her to forward it to me, but alas there was no signal at that point for her. Oh, well. I would have liked to include the photo in this entry.

Olive sings with a violin

As many of you know, I have long been taking fiddle lessons from a superb teacher in Amherst MA, who is probably best known as a French Canadian style fiddler. I will probably never be a great fiddler; most of the greats have been playing since they were ten years older or even younger. I never even picked up a fiddle until I was well into my 30s, and didn't get serious until I was nearly 50. My goal is and always has been to be able to join a good fast jam session at a folk festival or fiddle camp, be able to keep up, and not be out of place there. Of course, that means frequent practice.

I try to put in two hours of practice each day (though I don't always succeed). On my first day with Olive I went to my practice area and started to play, then heard what I thought was Olive crying. It didn't take me long to see that every time I played a note, Olive would be singing along. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so I emailed Nanne to ask whether she knew what was up. In return I was informed that the family that Olive lived with before me had a child that took violin lessons, and this short video that the family took. It was too funny!

I'll note that just playing this video brings Olive running to my desk to sing along!

Back to the Beginning

Before I got the blog up and running I was sending out periodic bulletins labeled "Life with Olive" to a list of interested friends. I labeled them with the day of each entry in terms of how long I had Olive; for example, Day 19. Now that Olive is permanently living with me, I decided to post on a full fledged blog.

Below are my early reports, actually the early installations of this blog starting with Day 4.

Day 4

 Olive seems to be getting used to being here. While she still pesters me to throw her ball or Frisbee sometimes, she will back off if I tell her firmly "not now, I have to do this". She seems to have no problems with any of the dogs on my street except for a large German shepherd I call "the Hitler dog". Another dog person told me that her dog doesn't like them either. I think "Hitler" sends aggressive signals to other dogs.

This morning I left her alone while I went to church with my family. They came over after breakfast to meet Olive, and she seemed to like all of them, pestering each of them to throw her ball (of course). I think she saw them as new people to train.

She doesn't come over to me as if she wants to be petted, except at night when she jumps on my bed. She seems to prefer that I tossed her ball or Frisbee. I wouldn't mind her sleeping on the bed, but I want to keep that as something she is not to do as a way to let her know that I am the boss, not her. At least for now.

Of course, she is an absolute sweetheart, even if she is a bit of a handful.

Day 5

 Last night I got a call around 9:00 p.m. from Nanne and Laurie that they would be stopping by on their way back to Maine from Pittsburgh. I set up my guest bed for them and they rolled in around 2:00 a.m. Olive was thrilled to see them, and I was glad they stopped by, especially when Nanne gave me some good hints and advice on handling Olive. I got up early enough to give Olive her breakfast and take her for her early morning walk, getting back to find Laurie up and asking for coffee. As I expected, Nanne slept late. I made another pot of coffee as we sat and talked awhile, then went out for brunch at a nearby eatery.

After the two left for Maine I ran a few errands including a stop at Petco where I showed the staff Olive's shredded ball that I had bought there last Saturday morning. They gave me no argument and cheerfully gave me a refund. I bought another ball made of foam rubber that I thought more durable and lighter (see the attached picture). Olive loves it! It seems to have become her favorite toy.

 I am trying to get Olive to understand that ball tossing will be done only in the living room. I also was told by Nanne that when she wants her dogs to calm down she says firmly "that will do". I tried it and it works like a charm. She is anxious to please, as dogs usually are.

 Some years back a friend had a border collie named "Becka" who could differentiate between her toys. Ask her for "ball" and she would fetch her ball. Ask her for "suitcase" and she would bring a plush suitcase toy. I started trying to teach Olive to do the same  with "ball" and "saucer". It's not working yet, perhaps because she was so excited about Nanne coming by and about her new ball. I have started saying "ball" when tossing her the ball and "saucer" when tossing her the foam rubber Frisbee. We'll see if she catches on.

 I think that now is a good time to take her for another walk. She is waiting for me so patiently!

 Day 7

 Yesterday I had to head up to Amherst Ma for a fiddle lesson, which meant that I had to leave Olive home alone for about five hours. She seemed to take it well, no surprises when I got home. Normally I take my time heading south after a lesson so as to get to Windsor (just north of Hartford) around 7:00 where a group of friends and I meet most Tuesdays for supper. I went straight home after the lesson, getting to my house around 5. Olive was so happy to see me and so loving that I just could not bear to abandon her again to go to Windsor. I made a phone call and gave my regrets, took Olive for another walk, and had fish & chips out of my freezer for supper. I know that she would have been ok if I had left her again for a couple of hours, but I couldn't tear myself away from those pleading eyes. Perhaps next week will be different, perhaps she will be a bit more used to my house.

 Today was a relaxed day, one in which I  had no place I needed to be so that I could spend the entire day home. I did a few chores, but spent a good part of the day playing  with Olive and taking her for walks. Tonight there is an Irish jam session in Hartford that I frequently join, so I will likely head out for a few hours tonight.

I mentioned in the last installment that I was trying to teach Olive a few words for her toys. She seems to have caught on to "ball". At one point I looked around the living room and did not see her ball. I absent mindedly said aloud "where did that ball go?". Olive got up, looked around, then seemed to remember where she left it, went into the next room and came back with the ball. Other times we were playing with the "saucer" (a foam rubber Frisbee-type disk) and I said "how about the ball?". She dropped the saucer and got her ball. I'm not sure that she has caught on to "saucer" yet, but I will work on it before introducing "bone" (a real bone that my cousin brought for Olive from a butcher) and "Frisbee" (a canvas saucer that I bought her at Petco, though she seems to prefer the foam saucer).

It's clear that she loves going for walks at any time of day in any weather. I am glad to take her out on gorgeous (even if cold) days like today.

 

I have taken to using "that will do" when I want her to calm down, and it seems to work like a charm. I also want her to consider the upstairs of my house as quiet space (so no ball or saucer playing up there), and understand that she should not bother me when I am eating in the dining room. The living room is where I toss her the ball and/or saucer, as there is adequate space there, particular after rolling up my Oriental rug. She had started using that rug as her placemat

So she is learning, is very obedient once she understands what I want, and very eager to please. Oh, and she is 100 percent sweetheart (but we all knew that).

Day 9

One thing I thought odd about Olive was that she seemed to get fixated on squirrels. There are a lot of squirrels living in my townhouse complex; when Olive spotted a squirrel she would be completely focused on it and somewhat oblivious to me. I saw no harm in letting her look at and watch squirrels, especially since she would be quiet and still, and never barked or snarled at the squirrels as some dogs do.

Yesterday during a walk around the complex I was not sure what got into her. She spotted a squirrel that ran up a tree and got so agitated that she yanked the leash out of my hand. She barked up the tree running back and forth and in circles under it and whined, making a racket and ignoring my commands to “stay” or “come”. Finally I managed to grab the leash and got her under control again. I let her know I was displeased, and continued the walk. She behaved after that, but I was concerned.

 Since then I have been more firm with her about ignoring the squirrels. She seems to have caught on already to a new command “never mind those stupid squirrels”. At treat time I am teaching her “stay” and “come”, and during walks I am starting on “heel”. Today her behavior has been excellent, so I am hoping that there will be no more incidents like yesterday.

 This morning I left her at home to do some grocery shopping. I stopped first at a farm supply business in my town to see if they might have a replacement for the foam rubber Frisbee that she loves so much and is starting to shred. The clerk in the store knew the brand and said he could order one and will call me when it’s in. I keep reminding Olive that if she shreds the “saucer” I won’t be able to toss it to her, though I don’t physically stop her from chewing on it. I think she likes the feel of the foam rubber on her teeth.

I noticed that the farm supply store sold Iams pet food, and asked the clerk if he recommended it. He said the he thought a brand called Blue Seal was better. The prices were about the same, so I bought a large bag (he said I could bring it back if the dog didn’t like it). We’ll give it a try after the current bag runs out. Nanne: do you know of the Blue Seal brand? Do you think it’s a good one?

I mentioned previously that Olive loves to play ball. I devised a game where I roll her ball toward the rolled up Oriental carpet. If I hit the roll, I score a point. If Olive catches it first, she scores. First to 20 points wins. So far the scores have been on the order of 20-2 or 20-1, Olive winning every time. I feel like such a loser!

I will be having family over for dinner on Easter Sunday. So far Olive has been great with any visitors I have had. I will be setting up a table in the living room (where I play ball with her). I hope she is ok with the temporary change in living conditions. Will report afterward.

Day 12

I usually host Easter Sunday dinner for my extended family. This year there were nine of us, including an uncle, aunt, cousin, my sister and brother-in-law, my nephew, and his girlfriend. I was a bit apprehensive as to how Olive would react to that many people, as well as having the table set up in the living room (where we play at tossing the ball) since my dining room is too small for anything more than six people.

 My intent was to spend Saturday cleaning. It’s harder to do a thorough cleaning with a border collie investigating everything along the way. I think she knew that something was up, as she seemed a bit agitated. I did manage to get a fair amount of cleaning done, though I didn’t get the house as spotless as I usually try to. I also put off setting up the table, since Olive likes to play catch in the living room.

 On Sunday morning after Church I got my nephew and his friend over to help me move a heavy folding table from the garage to the house. Olive took to them right away, so that we had to spend some time tossing her the ball before they left and I could get to work setting the table and getting food ready. Olive was clearly perplexed at having a long table set up in her play room.

A thought then hit me. I had picked up a 28 foot leash for her but hadn’t used it very much. I got the leash and we went out to the large grassy area out my backdoor. At first she seemed unsure, then realized that she had a lot of freedom with the long leash and could run, jump, and grab the foam rubber saucer. She seemed to love it! My hope had been to get her tuckered out from activity, but the tables were turned and I was exhausted when I finally told her that we had to go in. I plan to do that with her this afternoon after it warms up a bit.

 When people came, Olive was superbly behaved. She seemed to regard everyone in my family as her family. I gave her a fresh bone that my cousin brought from a butcher (something I had planned prior to the event) and she settled down to working on it while we had dinner. I took her out for a walk between dinner and dessert, and again she was very well behaved.

 After everyone left, around 5:00, I took her for another walk. My cousin pitched in and got a lot of the washing done, so there was not as much cleaning up left for me as there might have been. After the walk I finished the dishes while Olive went back to work on her bone. After the work was done, Olive seemed to be a mixture of exhausted and bewildered. The table was put away, so my guess was that Olive was wondering what had happened. Her play area was taken up by a table, all those people came in, so much noise and excitement, now suddenly it was back to quiet and just the two of us. I spent some time with her and tried to reassure her, took her for her 7:00 walk, did some fiddle practice downstairs (she does not follow me down that open spiral staircase) and took her for her last walk of the evening around 9:00. She seemed to be settling back to her usual self, eagerly catching the ball, but when I went upstairs to shower and turn in, she laid down on the floor next to my bed and stayed there. I think it  had been an exhausting day for her.

 This morning she said “good morning” to me about a half hour before my alarm went off, as usual. Aside from an occasional look around, as if she is wondering “is anything happening today?”, she seems to be back to normal. She certainly did stick to me like glue last night and early this morning, however.

One last note: A few people expressed some concern that it might not be a good idea to switch Olive's dog food brand. I heard from Nanne, who tells me that "Blue Seal" is the brand that she uses. My friend Pat, who had a border collie years ago, tells me that "Blue Seal" is the brand that she used with good results. So I am comfortable that Olive will do well with a switch back to "Blue Seal".

Day 14

Tuesdays have always been a full day for me. My dad likes to attend Tuesday morning services at his church, so I have been going with him ever since my mom died in January of 2012. We usually go to a nearby café for breakfast afterward. After breakfast I have a couple of hours at home to pack a lunch and get ready to head up to Amherst MA for a fiddle lesson. A group of friends usually get together on Tuesday nights for supper, often in Windsor (just north of Hartford); as such it has been my routine to relax after the lesson with a magazine and a cup of coffee, perhaps poke around a large shopping mall on the way back to Connecticut, and avoid the Hartford traffic by going straight to Windsor. Unfortunately, that routine has to be modified as long as Olive is with me.

She seems to be ok with being left alone in my house for a few hours, but I don’t want to leave her from eleven until ten at night. So the past two weeks I have gone straight home from Amherst. Last night my friends (and Nanne’s friends) Katie and Cliff hosted supper. I checked with Katie and was told that Olive would be welcome, so after getting home around five, a walk, some play time, and another walk I held my breath as I brought Olive to my car. She seemed a bit hesitant at first, but jumped in when I urged her to and curled up on the car floor, not the seat as I thought she would. I could see that she was used to car trips, as her behavior during the drive couldn’t have been better.

She was also reasonably well-behaved at Katie and Cliff’s. She almost immediately found an old tennis ball under a couch and looked for someone to play with her. Katie was reluctant to let Olive play ball in her house, so we moved the ball onto a side table. I told our hosts that Olive does not climb on furniture so not to worry. Less than a minute later Olive made a liar out of me. Well, she behaved well after that and did not bother us while we ate some excellent lamb stew and homemade chicken soup. I left a bit earlier than usual, but Olive was good as gold for the drive home.

I am wondering what arrangements I can make for the future. My sister seems to have taken a liking to Olive, so perhaps I might ask her to stop by my house to feed and walk Olive during the late afternoon so that I can avoid the extra driving through rush-hour traffic. Even so, I would feel guilty about leaving her alone for so long. Perhaps I will try it once and see what happens. I am also wondering what to do should I need to be away for a whole day, since my dad would like me to drive him up to visit some relatives near Albany NY. The New England Folk Festival in late April, which runs an entire weekend, also poses a dilemma.

This morning during our first walk Olive and I ran into a woman with another border collie! “Lucy” and Olive seemed to hit it off right away as friends. Lucy’s person told me that Lucy is a border collie mix, and we compared notes on our dogs’ behavior. Lucy is a bit heavier than Olive, but the fur markings are almost identical. She certainly sounds like a typical border collie from her person’s description. So Olive has a new friend.

Hmmm……Olive has been quiet. I had better check up on her. It’s time for a walk anyhow. More later.

Day 16

Although my mom loved our dogs as much as I did, she was firm about keeping them off of the furniture and especially the beds. That was an understandable rule to me, so I resolved at the start to keep Olive off of my bed; she has her own in an alcove under a window right outside my bedroom. Someone, however, brought up a good point that I hadn’t considered: I was passing up an opportunity to connect with the dog in a quiet space. I reconsidered, though by that time Olive seemed to have gotten the message that my bed was off limits.

Well, last night at about 2:00 a.m. she tried again. This time I sighed, rolled over, and went back to sleep without ordering her off. She was still there when I woke up in the morning. I don’t really mind her being on the bed so much, though I was warned that she would attempt to take up more than half the bed, and sure enough she did. I pushed back and she stayed on her side, at least. I am hoping to teach her that she may only go on the bed when I am there—she came in from our early morning walk in the rain and promptly ran upstairs to plop her wet body on the bed. I ordered her off then and she has been good as gold about it since. We’ll see what happens tonight.

I think that the weather might be affecting her. She has been well behaved but not as lively as other days. She ate her breakfast this morning almost as soon as I put it in front of her, and she is eager to go for walks when I say the word, so I don’t think she is feeling sick. I am guessing that the weather is making her feel a bit less energetic, as it does to me, and perhaps she is still not sure what she is doing here, whether this is where she is going to stay. The uncertainty may be affecting her (and me).

I do believe there are times when she is smiling at me! Sometimes she seems to be laughing at me. She seems to have already caught onto which toy is her “saucer” and which toy is her “ball”. At least at treat time she shows understanding of “sit”, “stay”, “lie down”, and “come”. I have to keep saying “stay”, but have been going around a corner out of sight and then telling her to “come”; she has caught on. My next step will be to get her to simply “stay” whether I keep saying it or not until I tell her to “come”.

Yes, I love this dog. I love taking her for walks. I love playing ball/tossing the saucer with her. So what if my house has a dog smell to it now? Having her greet me in the morning or when I come home from grocery shopping or whatever is well worth it.

Day 19

I want to get Olive used to going out for rides and to other people’s houses. Saturday night we drove to my sister’s house for supper. She spent some time exploring the new (to her) house, then started looking around for something to play with. I didn’t bring along any toys for her, though my brother in law found a tennis ball in his garage. She took the tennis ball and was after everyone—my sister, brother in law, my dad, and my nephew to throw the ball for her to chase. Finally I told her “that will do” and she calmed down and let us have our supper. In all, she seemed to accept everyone in my family as her family.

Sunday I kept her pretty busy with walks, but she seems to especially love going out to the grassy area behind my house and chasing after her foam rubber “saucer”. The only problem is that she does not seem to know when to quit. When I see her getting exhausted, I have to say “let’s go inside” and she will obediently go to the door, and when inside gets a drink and lays down exhausted. She seems to be getting her fill of exercise (including, typically, eight walks per day), but still cannot seem to get her fill of attention. She will come to me with her ball, though when I toss it she sometimes just watch it fall and sit at my feet for me to pet her—something I am happy to do. Last night after our final 9:00 p.m. walk she plopped on her bed and did not seem interested in moving.

This morning, however, she was raring to go (at 5:00 a.m., of course). I got up when my alarm went off and took her out for her first walk around 6:00. I had breakfast and then took her for her second walk around 7:30. After washing the dishes and a half hour of fiddle practice, I took her out to try something  new for both of us—the town dog park!

I knew that the dog park was part of a recently acquired and opened park near the center of the town, though it took a little searching and following signs to actually find the dog park. Finally, there it was, a sizable field enclosed with a high fence and we had it all to ourselves! I took her off the leash; I hadn’t brought any toys, not knowing what to expect there, but Olive quickly found an old tennis ball. She had a great time chasing the ball as I threw it. When I saw signs that she was getting tired, I simply called to her and she came right back to me and let me put the leash back on her. By coincidence at this point a number of people arrived at the park with what seemed to me like a fair number of dogs. Olive seemed to get along well with all of them. One dog about Olive’s size got excited and slobbered on poor Olive’s head. Olive seemed to barely notice, simply shaking it off after a minute or so. That dog’s person was apologetic, but I just shrugged it off telling her that it seemed to be nothing to Olive. Although the slobbering dog was as big as Olive, her person said she was barely six months old. Puppy energy, though Olive is no slacker in that department.

We got home; Olive was as exhausted as I expected her to be. It is so rewarding when she just lays down at my feet, as if she just wants to be near me. Such a sweetie!

Day 21

Tuesday is normally the day I head up to Amherst for a fiddle lesson, but at the last minute I got a note from my teacher canceling. That was ok with me, as this looked to be a very hectic week for both Olive and myself. To begin, Tuesday night was my turn to host Tuesday night supper.

I was a bit unsure how Olive was going to take having strange people over for supper. I made two batches of a sausage and eggplant stew, but found myself stressing a bit. Olive seemed to pick up on it and was there to ground me. I needn’t have worried at all; it was a small group of five this time as opposed to crowds of twelve or more that I sometimes have had in the past. We sat around my small dining room table to eat, and Olive was as well behaved as I could expect. There was relatively little cleaning to do afterward, which I left for this morning.

I had to take my dad for a dental appointment early this morning, after which he wanted to go to a breakfast spot near his home. I got home by 10:00, which gave me time to do the dishes and spend some time with my puppy.

After lunch, my dad had asked me and my sister to come by and go over a few things. I brought Olive with me, as I want to get her used to riding in my car and visiting other homes. Olive was, as always, extremely well behaved during the short ride, curling up on the floor. At my dad’s house she was curious and explored, then after some unsuccessful attempts to get someone to play with her lay down on the kitchen floor and waited until we finished. I took her for a short walk around my dad’s neighborhood then back to where my dad and sister had tea ready. Olive was angelic in not bothering us as we had our tea and some cookies. Afterward we drove home and took a short walk around the path that is now familiar to her.

Olive seems to have completely bonded with me. She not only looks for me to pet her, she will curl up and wait in front of my living room reading chair, knowing that is where I like to sit and read. She will come to me with her ball or saucer, and I will play with her, but I find that she does not always want anything more than to lay at my feet or lick my hand. Sometimes she leans against me as if to say “I’m your dog now”. Of course, I don’t see myself as her “owner”, I see her as my friend and canine companion. I love the way she will say “good morning” to me about an hour before my alarm goes off, then go back to laying down when I tell her “I have another hour yet; be patient!” I usually have her out the door for her first walk a few minutes past 6:00. At the end of the day, there is something very peaceful and satisfying about coming in from her 9:00 walk and knowing we are in for the night. She will head upstairs and curl up on her own bed or on the floor next to my bed while I am showering.

Tomorrow I was originally supposed to take a friend to a medical appointment and was contemplating whether to bring Olive along. I got a phone call that the appointment had been postponed a few weeks, so I have a relatively free day tomorrow. I may take Olive back to that dog park she enjoyed so much.

Day 23

Olive’s morning ritual seems to have shaped up as follows: A half hour to an hour before my alarm goes off, she puts her paws on the edge of the bed near me to say “good morning”, usually with a few doggie kisses. I look at my clock and tell her “I have 45 minutes left. Go back to sleep”. She then goes around to the other side of the bed, hops up, and curls up. When the alarm goes off I get up, pat her, and tell her “I have to make the bed now”. She jumps off and waits while I make the bed, shave and get dressed. We then head down the stairs and out for her first walk, around 6:00. We get back home, I give her breakfast and have my own. By the time I finish cleaning up after breakfast it’s near 7:30, so I take her for her second walk, often a longer walk around the neighborhood near my complex. When we get back I start my morning fiddle practice, and otherwise do whatever I need to do. She usually gets at least one more walk during the morning, and perhaps some other exercise.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so after my morning fiddle practice I took her for a short ride to the local dog park. Again we had the entire park to ourselves, so I took her off the leash and threw her foam rubber saucer for her. After a short while, she found an old tennis ball, and seemed to prefer chasing that to the saucer. When it looked as if she was getting tired, I called her and again she came right to me and let me put the leash back on. We had a brief encounter with two larger dogs who looked to be twins with their human. Olive was a perfect lady.

Today I had to pick up a friend at the airport and bring her home to the New London area. On the way to New London we stopped at my house so that she could meet Olive and we could take her for a walk. Olive took to my friend right away. We showed off how Olive could catch her saucer out back, then left her again to go to lunch and drive down. Olive’s behavior was flawless.

Tomorrow Olive and I will be driving up to the Berkshires in Massachusetts for a visit with my friends Kat, Mark, and their two Corgis. We plan to do a hike together while there. Kat suggested that we go to the local contra dance afterward, leaving Olive in my car. Nanne seems to think that Olive will be ok provided I put a blanket over the rear bench seat and lock the car. I am still a bit reluctant to do that, perhaps because of horror stories I have heard about pets in cars. I will bring an old blanket and my dance shoes, but I am still uncertain as to whether I will try leaving Olive while I dance a bit or just go home after supper. Will make a full report next bulletin.

Day 26

My friends Kathryn and Mark have two very well-mannered corgis at their home in the Berkshires (the western edge of Massachusetts). At their suggestion, I took Olive up to meet them last Saturday. It was a long ride compared to the short hops I have had Olive along for previously, but Olive was perfectly behaved, including a quick stop for gas and a second break at a highway rest area.

We met Kathryn and her younger corgi “Archie” at a parking lot on the edge of Kennedy Park, a wooded area with multiple hiking trails. I was pleased to see Olive and Archie hit it off right away, as if they were old friends. Kathryn’s older corgi “Peabody” is getting on in years, so he was left home and would meet Olive later. There were a lot of dogs hiking the park with their humans; I was pleased with Olive in that she was a perfect lady with all of them. I kept Olive on her leash, though it was probably not necessary. She showed no interest in wandering far from me.

It was clear that Olive had a great time the entire hike. Two of my favorite incidents:

• We met with a dog who seemed to enjoy swimming at a pond there. Olive seemed interested in what that dog was doing. I did not encourage her to jump in, not knowing whether she had ever been swimming before, but she seemed to be contemplating it and marveling that the other dog was actually going into the water to fetch sticks. What a novel concept!
• Olive, as you have probably gathered, loves to fetch things: her ball, her saucer, sticks. At one point she picked up a stick and wanted me to toss it for her to fetch (on dry land). I accommodated her. Archie is not accustomed to playing “fetch”, but seemed excited and fascinated by the game. He wanted to join in, but didn’t quite know how. I thought he might catch on by watching Olive, but perhaps he thought it would be bad manners to horn in on Olive’s act.

After a great hike lasting about two hours, we headed back to the parking lot. On the way we came to a stream where Archie took a drink (Kathryn had brought a canvas water dish and some water, so both dogs had water breaks during the hike before then). Olive followed suit and then plopped herself into a pool of water. Perhaps she was imitating the dog who swam in the pond? I didn’t mind, as I knew she would dry off by the time we got back to our cars.

We drove to Kathryn’s house where Mark had gotten home from work. I had met the older dog Peabody before and knew him to be friendly and gentle. As with Archie, Peabody and Olive got along perfectly. Even more amazing was the interaction between Olive and Kathryn’s Siamese cat “Artemus”. Artemus apparently loves dogs, and is used to Peabody and Archie. She seemed to want to keep Olive. So much for the “We are Siamese if you Please” number in the Disney film “Lady and the Tramp” (those two cartoon cats were very nasty).

Kathryn fixed a wonderful vegetarian supper, and Olive behaved herself except, perhaps, for a bit of exploring around the house though even there she seemed to mind her manners. It was getting a bit late and Olive was clearly exhausted. We said our goodbyes and headed home. Olive slept like a rock the entire ride. Of course, as soon as we got home she was raring to go and pestered me to toss the ball for her, even after I took her for a walk.

Kathryn: feel free to add or correct anything about Saturday afternoon.

Nanne: I was a bit worried about ticks. I don’t think Olive was bitten this time, but should I get a tick collar or take some other measure to protect her against fleas and ticks?

Sunday was a gorgeous day, so we took a number of walks and tossed the saucer around back. Today I had a doctor’s appointment this morning and will have a dentist appointment this afternoon, so I am just taking Olive out when the rain lets up. We have had four so far today. Normally I take her out at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 in the afternoon and evening.

She seems to have caught on that she should not bother me while I am working at the computer. Perhaps I should go downstairs and check up on her.

Day 31

The past week has generally been routine, Olive and I continue to bond and adjust to each other.

While Olive does like jumping on my bed with me, she seems to also like her own “den” in an alcove under a window right outside my bedroom. Last night I woke up to hear Olive whimpering as dogs sometimes do, as if she was having a nightmare. A few minutes later she jumped up next to me and stayed there for the night. That must have been some nightmare! She kept pushing against me (that big lump under the blankets) so that in the morning I found myself perched on the edge of the bed. How did it come to her hogging the whole bed? I was amused—she is so worth it.

This weekend is the weekend of the New England Folk Festival (Neffa). I normally go for the entire weekend, staying at a nearby hotel, but decided to cut back this year to Sunday only. My friends Katie and Cliff generously offered to take Olive for the day, so my plan is to get up early tomorrow and drop Olive off as early as I can. From Katie and Cliff’s place I will head directly over to Mansfield MA where the festival now takes place (I do miss the old location in Natick, considerably closer to Boston), then when the festival ends I will likely have supper with some friends before driving straight back to Katie and Cliff’s. Katie and Cliff have a very friendly cat named Henry, and I am hoping that the two will get along. I am sure that Katie will give me a report, which I promise to summarize in my next bulletin.

How could I have known that leaving Olive for a day would be so traumatic? For me, that is. I am sure that Olive will be just fine. It’s me that I’m not so sure about.

Day 33

Sunday morning I got up early, took Olive for a walk, gave her breakfast, then took a deep breath as I loaded her and a few supplies into my car and drove up to Somers, CT and dropped her off with my friends Katie and Cliff. From there I went directly to the New England Folk Festival in the town of Mansfield, Ma.

Despite a severe case of separation anxiety (on my part), I had a good time at the festival. At the craft booth section of the festival, I picked up a glass window ornament as a thank you gift for Katie and Cliff. I tried a few times to call Katie’s cell phone to check up on Olive, but did not get through to Katie. That might have been for the best. We have all heard of “helicopter parents”; I suppose the term for me might be “helicopter dog person”.

I had been having some issue with my knees before Olive came. My fears that all of those walks would be murder on my knees were unfounded, as my knees seem to have improved substantially since I started walking Olive. My knees held up very well through an afternoon of contra dancing, though I am feeling it this morning.

After the festival ended at 5:30 I begged off an invitation to have supper with friends at a nearby restaurant and headed straight back to Somers. Katie reported that Olive was perfectly well behaved, including a trip to a grocery store and several walks. She had been reticent with them at first, staying near the door, but then decided that these people were ok and followed them as the day went on. She was clearly overjoyed to see me when I got there about 7:30, so after a short visit with Katie and Cliff we headed home. When we pulled into my garage and I let her out of the car she began barking, though not an angry bark but a bark that seemed to say “I’m back!”

This morning I decided that I did not want her to associate riding in the car with being left somewhere, so I took her to the local dog park. There were two large dogs there with their human (one looked like a German shepherd) that were surprisingly friendly. Their human told me that the shepherd was just a puppy, even though he was considerably larger than Olive. He seemed to take a liking to her and was anxious to play with her. After a bit of doggie socializing, I took Olive to the other end of the park for some exercise. I had brought along the saucer, but Olive surprised me by going for the old tennis balls that littered the park. I tossed tennis balls for a while until she seemed to be getting exhausted. We said goodbye to the other two dogs and drove home.

Olive seems to have learned not to bother me while I am making my breakfast (after giving her hers) or while I am on the computer. Little by little we are adjusting to each other. She is so anxious to please.

Day 36

My fiddle lessons are usually on Tuesday afternoons in Amherst, MA. Most Tuesday nights I get together with friends for supper, often in Windsor, just north of Hartford. In the past it made no sense to drive home through Hartford rush hour traffic only to turn around and head back through Hartford to Windsor. I would stop somewhere for coffee and relax with a magazine until it was time to head south. With Olive things changed. I do not want to leave her home alone longer than I have to, so I have been going home, walking and feeding her, then going back to Windsor.

Olive seems to have taken a strong liking to my sister. My sister’s work schedule often leaves her Tuesdays free, so I asked her if she would look after Olive for the day. My sister agreed, so I dropped her off before heading up for my fiddle lesson. All indications are that it went very well; Olive was well behaved, my sister seemed to have enjoyed her company, and Olive did not seem to be annoyed that I left her there for the day. She seemed happy to see me when I picked her up at 9:30 p.m., came to me right away, and followed her usual routine after I walked her when we got home.

Unfortunately, my sister will be taking my niece’s dog for two months or so, so it’s unlikely that I will be able to leave Olive for a day again until July.

Wednesday was a glorious day, clear skies and temperatures up in the 70s. I opened the windows, did some cleaning, and tried to clean a bit around Olive’s alcove, where her bed is. I picked up the bed and took it outside to shake lose hairs off, and vacuumed the area. Olive didn’t seem to even notice as I was doing it. Last night, however, she seemed to be acting a bit strange. Normally she starts by sleeping in her own bed, not jumping up onto my bed until much later at night or early morning. Last night she was up with me as soon as I turned in. I shrugged it off and went to sleep. Around 11:00 I was woken to her bark. I wasn’t sure what the matter was, though I tried to calm her down. Then I noticed that she was laying on the floor next to her dog bed instead of on it. Apparently she was upset that her space had been disturbed. I tried to assure her that her bed was still there and it was hers. Finally she laid down on her bed and didn’t jump onto my bed until much later. In the morning I apologized for disturbing her space.

Monday I noticed that one of her nails, not on her paw but up on the shank (leg) seemed amiss. She yelped when it was hit or touched, though it didn’t affect her walking or jumping. I called my sister’s attention to it Tuesday, though she told me that Olive didn’t seem to pay it much attention. Wednesday morning I accidentally hit it and she yelped again. Although there was no bleeding, I considered having a local veterinarian look at it, but thought that perhaps before I went that far I could have a professional dog groomer look at it and perhaps tell me whether we need to see a vet. I took Olive to the nearby Petco, which offers dog grooming services. The groomer trimmed the nail, told me that such broken nails are not uncommon, and recommended that I keep an eye on it. Since then Olive seems to be doing quite well, not even flinching when I touch that nail.

This morning I took Olive to the dog park. We had the park to ourselves, so I took her off leash and let her chase tennis balls. Again Olive’s behavior was flawless, and she had a good time.

As most of you know, I am technically only fostering Olive for the short term, though I badly want to keep her here permanently. We certainly have bonded. Nanne (my friend and Olive’s breeder) will be stopping by here tonight on her way to a wool fest. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Day 37

We have a new development: Olive and I are a permanent team!

Nanne was able to convince the other people that Olive would be best off staying with me. Hooray for Nanne!

Now I have to get busy registering Olive with the Town of Glastonbury, getting her engaged with a veterinarian, getting all of her preventative meds, notifying the condominium association, and settling down to a permanent life with Olive.

I am trying (and having a few problems) to get a “Life with Olive” blog up and running. That blog will be mostly about Olive, though sometimes it will focus on other events and goings on. More on that later.

I want to be clear that I do not see myself as “owning” Olive. Although she is my dog, I do not own her any more than she “owns” me, her human. We are a permanent team, and I am looking forward to many good times with her. I am already thinking about day trips we can take together.

So to reiterate: Olive is now permanently my dog. Yay!