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