"Go the F*ck to Sleep"

Go the F*ck to Sleep -read by Samuel L Jackson

Nighttime

I am not going to lie.

THIS story went through my head last night from 12:40am - 2:00am. 

I wanted to read it to her.

Or have Samuel L Jackson read it to her.

For some reason, Gracie decided that 12:40am - 2:00am was going to be her playtime. 

And I don't mean playing downstairs quietly with a soft toy.

I mean playing LOUDLY upstairs in our bedroom.

She brought UP EVERY noisy, heavy chew toy from downstairs, threw them around and loudly chewed on them.

Then she did this thing where she throws her front legs on the floor loudly to make a tremendous THUMP! - I KNOW that this is her play, but why can't she do this in the afternoon when everyone else wants to play! 

Nighttime, Gracie? Really?

Now, don't get me wrong, I was happy.

Happy that she was letting loose.

Happy that she was having fun.

Happy that she was enjoying her toys, 

Happy that she was playing.

Happy that she barked to go outside because she had to go to the bathroom again.

Happy that she seemed happy.

But, my husband and worked a very very long shift the day before and needed his sleep.

I had not slept well the last few days worrying where each animal is at any given time or worrying that someone needs to go pee.

I was tired.

Craig was tired.

We really wanted to sleep.

The only difference I could tell about last night was that Craig slept with the TV on. Perhaps she saw the TV being on as "oh, everyone is still UP, let's PLAY!"

Once I turned it off at about 1:50am, she want to bed a few minutes later. Not sure if the two were connected or not, but I guess we shall see the next time the TV is on.

Craig likes to watch TV before bed, so turning it off just to let her fall asleep is out of the question. Hopefully the next time she realizes that TV on does not mean playtime.

Walks

Last night's walk went quite well for a night walk. I call it a night walk, but really it is at about 6pm, not even dark yet. Craig and I both took her this time. She seems to do a little better when the whole pack is out. She still hated hearing kids...especially the kids on skateboards. What is it with skateboards? Loud trucks/cars pass and she is unphased...but a skateboard sends her into a tizzy. Weird. 

This morning, I took out the harness to try.  She seemed afraid of it right off the bat, thinking it was the collar/leash. Seeing how she reacted, I decided to whip out her cheese (high value treat.) I gave her pieces of cheese while the harness was in my hand or on the floor next to her to try to give her a good association. I did not put the harness on until I saw that she calmed down with it simply near her.

When I put it on, she was very calm and let me adjust it. Right now, she is laying in the office with me wearing her harness. I think I am going to skip the walk this morning and just let her walk around the house with the harness for a bit. I REALLY want her to like this thing.

Cat

Béla has started to show some jealousy. 

I can feel it. 

Don't ask me how I know, but I just feel it.

Yesterday she swiped at Grace a few times. Grace wasn't any closer than she normally has gotten, so I thought Béla's behavior was a little strange. Béla has also been giving me the stink-eye when I give Gracie treats - so I have been trying VERY hard to give Béla a treat whenever Grace gets one. The only problem with this is that Béla needs to lose a few pounds (don't we all?) so I need to be careful, even with skimping on her food a little bit.

I think I might have to have Béla stay upstairs w/ the baby gate closed when I am feeding Grace downstairs. Normally, Béla just sits on the top of the couch, but yesterday she was on the counter watching Grace eat with a stink-eye. I carried Béla upstairs to show her that she has hew OWN food ready at all times.

This is such a learning process with Béla, too.

Random

I love this outdoor raised bed...so does Gracie!

Even though I'm a scaredy-dog....I love my life!

"I'm learning to walk again..."

 Foo Fighters - Walk

Walks
This continues to be our biggest challenge.

Yesterday, the morning walk went awesome (about 90% of the time the leash was loose!) but I tried an early evening walk again and it was the opposite (90% of the time pulling.) I ordered a harness which should be arriving today, so we shall see if that helps things at all. I tried to coax her with some cooked chicken - it worked when we were in the yard and helped her a bit, but once we were on the walk she had zero desire to take any treats.

She still seems stressed by people working in their garages, unfamiliar noises, the rustling wind we hear on the night walk, and especially....the sound of kids. We don't even have to SEE kids. If we pass a house and she hears kids making noise of any kind inside the house, babies, crying, or hell, maybe if she even SMELLS a kid, she goes into "get me the fuck outta here" mode. (She even hates hearing kids outside of our house when we are home - she will start pacing.) Hoping that with time, patience, exposure, and love that it will one day "click" with her that kids aren't so bad after all. Now, this isn't a HUGE deal, considering I don't plan on having any kids, but I do have friends with kids who I would one day like to have over...and we live in a neighborhood with lots of kids....and I'm sure one day some of my other friends will have kids....so, hopefully one day she figures out that kids can show LOVE just like mom does.

She seemed to like when Craig jogged with her last week, so that has inspired me to TRY to start running. I have always wanted to be able to run, so here's my chance. It's not that I see myself as overweight, just out of shape. I did day one of the Ease Into 5K app while on the treadmill where you start out super "easy" -  alternating between running and walking with the run parts being 60 seconds long. I seriously found myself cursing at the voice every time she said "Run." One day Gracie will enjoy going on walks, and one day I will be a runner.

I'm trying to still figure out the best time to walk her at night that has the least amount of activity.
I've also started taking the same exact route each time.

I was inspired after meeting another greyhound and her owner yesterday (to make a long story short - dog got loose, good samaritan was able to catch dog, I was called to help take her to adoption group since owner could not be located at first, I arrived on scene, owner was located, they were reunited, dog was VERY lucky not to get hit by a car on Pacific Coast Highway!) Anyway, the owner told me that his dog was also VERY shy at first and would not go on walks or near his friends. He said that after about 6 months of exposure and gentle "pushing" things just "clicked" and the dog became social and now loves walks.

Big Bad Scary Leaves
For some reason she regressed with the Big Bad Scary Leaves in the yard and she seemed scared yesterday afternoon. She kept looking up at them and pacing everytime the wind blowed. Hoping today goes more smoothly when she sees this new gift, thanks to my friends' giving us amazon gift cards!

Her foster said she loved laying on this in the yard

Cat
Béla and Grace continue to live peacefully with each other. I am still SO THANKFUL for this! Sometimes it looks like Béla wants to be a closer "friend" but doesn't know quite how. She will get super close, then scurry away. Grace won't even pick her head up when this happens, thankfully!
Béla is super jealous about Grace being able to go outside, though. Sometimes Béla will sit by the back door and try to sneak out when I go to bring Grace inside. This morning she even tried to block Grace from going out....

"Um....if *I* can't go out, then YOU can't either! Phffft."

  (Don't mind the NASCAR kitchen flooring....replacing it is on our "to-do list")

 I've also had to reduce the amount of kibble I feed Béla because she expects a treat when she heard Grace's treat bag. Lucky for me I was able to fake Béla out by buying her kibble in a different flavor and using that as a treat :)                                             


Random
Did I mention that greyhound farts STINK?
Oh, yeah....
I did.....

Man, they are bad!

"Come in from the noise for a time...everything will be alright..."

Dave Matthews Band - Last Stop Reprise

I ain't gonna lie. I was frustrated yesterday. I might have even cried for a second or two. I am just trying so hard to do what is best. I posted on the message boards for advice about what to do about Grace turning into a statue before we go for a walk. I got so many wonderful answers from so many people trying to help. I am so grateful for people taking the time to help. But, I will admit, I hit the point where I felt overwhelmed with information. Many different opinions, all very valid....but what do *I* choose to do? What is BEST for MY dog?

So, I took someone's advice and turned to the other person who knows Gracie best - her foster mom from the adoption group. I try not to call her too much because I can see how busy she is - running the rescue group, taking care of all the dogs at her own house, taking care of all the special needs and injured dogs, adopting out dogs, running events for the rescue group, and so much more! It amazes me that she has time to sleep! I called her today and she was as cheerful and helpful on the phone as always. Despite having 1,000,000 things going on at once she was still able to give me her attention and listen. I truly love her for that.

She helped me feel good about all of the progress Gracie has been showing and she validated me pulling her to get her to go for a walk. That was the one part that I had been getting conflicting advice about - many people say to NOT take her at all if she is scared, while others say she needs to "get out there." I was also struggling with the fact that I was PULLING my dog and basically forcing her to go on a walk. THAT was my struggle. THAT was what was stressing me out. Figuring out what was best for Gracie.

I am going to take her advice, since she knows my dog. She said to still make her go on that morning walk since it is more comfortable for her. Yes, it is ok to pull her if I need to. I can't "feel bad." If the evening walk is too stressful, I can skip that and slowly reintroduce it.

BREATHE.....ok, I feel much better now after talking to her.
I am going to try my best now to relax and remember that everything will be alright....

Walks
Last night Craig and I were both able to take her for a walk. She seemed to like the whole "pack" coming out for a walk, and Craig got to see what I meant about her ability to become a stone statue and her Clydesdale pulling. I am so glad he came with me tonight so that we could help Grace together. It isn't always easy for him to be as involved as I am because of his work schedule, so any time with her is so helpful.

Cat 
Last night was the first night I let Gracie sleep without a muzzle. I know many people will think I am crazy for doing it so soon, but I feel like I know my animals. I know where Béla sleeps and I've seen how she comes into our bedroom when Gracie is on her bed. She is not Little Miss Instigator when she is coming into a room that only has one exit. She shows her "street smarts" in those rooms (bedroom/office.) She is on guard when she walks in/out of these rooms, which is great since I worried about her getting too close to Grace while she is asleep. Grace hasn't shown any indications of sleep aggression so far and she continues to show ZERO interest in the cat.

When Béla enters the bedroom, she totally slinks past Grace's bed like she is in stealth mode using the farthest point possible (basically hugging the wall to get on or under our bed.) Definitely a change from her hallway or downstairs attitude where she knows she has several means of escape and can be more brave. Seeing that is what helped firm up my decision to try nightime without a muzzle.

Of course I didn't sleep well - I kept waking up and checking where everyone was. I think I seriously could have just slept - there were absolutely no issues and Béla even did her "stealth sneak in" when it was morning time to come up on my bed with me. I'm sure she wanted to remind me about breakfast!

Comfort
Gracie has come a LONG way from those first days as far as her comfort level with me. She now follows me around - if I am upstairs, she comes up...If I go downstairs, she goes down. She also comes to me for pets sometimes. I can even give her hugs and kisses. I can tell that she is really starting to trust me more and more each day.  :)

Big Scary Leaves
Still showing progress on the big scary leaves front. She looks up at them less and less when we are outside, although for some reason she is still a little spooked by airplane sounds above (much to Craig's dismay since he is in the airline industry!) Her foster said that she enjoyed laying on the cot-style raised outdoor beds at her place, so I ordered one for Gracie to enjoy here.  I LOVE and am addicted to Amazon Prime!!!!

Collars
I think I might start to get a collar addiction after looking at some of these and these and these!!!  Gracie will end up being more fashionable than I am!!!


Here's to a day of relaxing.....and not stressing!
I realized that I don't post enough pictures....I need to remember to take more today!

Have a good day and remember....no matter what is going on in your life....everything will be alright....

Not much to report today...just really trying to give Gracie her space a bit to allow her to earn our TRUST more and learn to TRUST things in her environment more. The hard part for me is how to balance "giving her space" with "tough love" and getting her exposed.

A post on a facebook page that I like was just what I needed today (except I changed the word "people" to "dogs"

Flowers naturally bloom when they are ready, and dogs are the same way. Let's not force or pressure anyone to open up just because WE think it's time... Patience grasshopper!

Walks
Oh my.
The stone statue is in full effect.

Once we get outside with her leash and martingale on, she has started to become a stone statue right by the gate to go out.
I have been able to get her out the gate by pulling on her leash and calmly saying, "Let's go" but I have to be honest with you....I feel TERRIBLE for pulling her. Once I get her outside the gate she does starts to walk with me, but with hesitation...and lots of me tugging and saying sweetly, "Let's go!"

Maybe I'm selfish?
I am a total walker.
I LOVE going on walks! I always have. This is why it is so discouraging for me right now that she does not enjoy going on walks.
I'd love to ideally walk her 3x a day - in the morning before work, when I get home from work, then a short walk at night before bed to try to tire her out a tiny bit.
Right now I have only been walking her twice a day - morning and evening because 3x seems like it would be too stressful.

Morning walks go much more smoothly than evening walks. My guess is that there is just too much activity at night - more people/kids out, more noises, etc and it freaks her out. Many times I just cut the night walk short because I see her getting stressed.

My questions.....
At what point do you "give in" to your dog just NOT wanting to do something?
Should I be pulling her to go...or NOT going at night at all because she is scared?
Part of me craves the tough love approach and thinks I need to get her exposed and 'out there' but another part of me wonders if I am making a mistake by "forcing" her...

I am considering a harness, since I worry about pulling her neck. Greyhounds' necks are not as strong and sturdy as other dogs.

I will admit.
I am just frustrated today.
The worst part is I can't let it show around Gracie. I definitely need some yoga this morning...

Cats
She continues to be a rockstar with Béla. I am so very thankful for this.
Sometimes Béla can be an instigator, though. Today she would not move in the hallway when Gracie wanted to pass. Once Gracie felt confident enough to pass, Béla swiped at Gracie's hind leg. Ugh. There are rules for both of you! No hitting your sister, Béla!

I am in charge here.

Smiles in the office

Firsts
Kind of forgot about these....

First "roach" (couldn't get pic to flip on blogger correctly)

First semi- "bed fail"

Cats...

When we got home from the car ride/ walk Grace went to her safe bed, of course, but then I went upstairs and she wanted to come up. Little Miss Béla was at the bottom of the stairs doing her best "Not in my house" stance. Twice, Grace tried to come up the stairs but when she saw Béla standing there, she just walked away and back to her safe bed.

The third time she decided to pass Béla.

Well, Béla decided to bolt up the stairs this time.

Now, a million thoughts ran through my head as Grace started to run up the stairs behind her. Most of them had "oh fuck" attached. I honestly COULD NOT tell if Grace was chasing Béla or just wanted to get upstairs now that she had the chance.

Either way, I let out a sharp "NO!" and she went back downstairs, only to return a few minutes later without incident.

In my heart, I do not believe she was truly chasing, but I wasn't about to find out. This was just a reminder that no matter how amazing her behavior towards Béla has been this past week, she is still a dog. And Béla is still a cat.

As much as I would LOVE it, I may never see this....

 

which is why I MUST make sure BOTH of my animals are kept safe at all times.

I can't let my guard down.

"Listen all y'all, it's a SABOTAGE!!!!!"

 Béla has been referred to as "not the brightest cat" by my husband and I in the past, but suddenly she must have crept out and gotten a doctorate in Sabotaging Debbie's Efforts to Train Gracie.

Block the Dog's Access to the Outside World

Béla when I am trying to get Gracie to go outside to that back door for a bathroom break. Yes, she is blocking our pathway.

Block the Dog's Access to Food Source 

Béla when I am trying to get Gracie to come eat her dinner while I am in the kitchen. Yes, she is blocking Gracie's food bowl.

I bought these for my husband.
*I* might need one...or FOUR...tonight!

Saturday 7.20.13

Little Miss Gracie decided to sleep some of her night upstairs, then some downstairs, then finish off upstairs. Progress again! When I woke up, she followed me downstairs and went right to the door with me to go outside. More great progress!

 I just can't wait until she doesn't have to wear this "Silence of the Lambs" mask anymore...

“Hello Clarice...”

But, we need to be safe.
I am going to try more time without the muzzle today in Béla's presence, especially after witnessing this a few times:

I am recording this from the top of the stairs - Bela was at the bottom of the stairs thinking about instigating some trouble and not letting someone pass, but Gracie wanted to come upstairs where I was (she is starting to come up when I go up and come downstairs when I go down.) Gracie just passed her without incident. No hissing from cat, no interest from dog. This is a BIG DEAL!!!

She had a playdate with another greyhound this morning to see if that could break her out of her shell a bit in the yard.
Nope.
She laid in the corner like a pouty little kid who didn't want to play.
Oh well....we shall try again and in time she will get better. I just know it!

Back to forcing myself to ignore her a bit and then I'm heading out for a few hours to get her used to me not being here...

Friday 7.19.13

Oh, the progress!
She is definitely letting me pet her more and more...especially outside. Avoiding eye contact seems to be the key in helping her feel more comfortable with my touch.
Last night I was able to get her off her bed by coaxing her with some treats. Whatever it takes! Sometimes I faked her out by having my hand out with no treat and I just pet her. She accepted scratches behind her ear (is this what I see people referring to as "ear scritches?") without scurrying away. More progress!

She LOVED the Love Glove on her back outside this morning. Of course I let her get used to seeing first it on my hand for a bit then I let her sniff it so she wasn't freaked out by it.

This morning, breakfast went even better than yesterday! She came right over when I put her bowl down (last night I hand-fed her) AND she stayed there while I did my thing in the kitchen - opening the refrigerator, pouring coffee, walking.....things that would have made her scurry away any other day! WOOO!!!

Then...like yesterday....look who followed me upstairs.....

Is that MY BED in there????

Looks like a good place for a snooze!!!!

She definitely is staying up here longer!
We went downstairs for a bathroom break, then she came back up again.
I've been a bit nervous if her muzzle isn't on. Aaaah!
The whole cat/dog thing will have me nervous for awhile, even though Gracie shows no interest. My fear is that since she is coming out of her shell for other things, will she come out of her shell with Bela too and try to get her?
I can't trust yet.
Muzzle = back on.

She finally found her bed in our room, too. It's about time!

Ok, I took people's advice...got a stuffie. I coudn't bring myself to get her anything that had a face (yeah, I'm weird like that) so I found a stuffed bone.
She hasn't thrown it around (yet!!) but....look how adorable.....

SHE brought this into her bed. How precious!

 Today I made sure I left again. This time for about 3 hours. I set up my ipad to record her, but it only did it for 50 minutes. The whole time she was asleep. Go figure!
Big Bad Leaves therapy went well....she seemed a little more comfortable in the yard in the afternoon. All I do during that time is sit out there with her and try to ignore her....expose her and get her used to all the sounds...talk to her in a calm voice when I see her getting stressed or panting over a rustling leaf. We will get there. I just know it!

Today we also took a car ride! Joyce said she was good about getting into her van, so I wanted to make sure I practiced with my civic. At first she was hesitant, but then I said "UP!" and tugged a bit on her leash and up she went!!! Looked like a poor, little, terrified soul at first, but she relaxed after a bit. We just sat in the driveway first with treats and calm voices...then we drove around the neighborhood for about 10 minutes. Nothing crazy yet.

Oh no! What's going on?!!?

She perked up when she recognized we were home....

This looks like HOME!

Ever since we lived in our apartment in Hermosa Beach I have DREAMED of walking MY dog on what is known as the Greenbelt.  I am hoping to drive her there one day to try. We could walk there, but it would be a very long walk for her right now, especially since I actually want to walk on the Greenbelt for awhile. I will be like an excited little kid if she is brave enough to handle that one day!

Hermosa Beach Greenbelt

Like teaching first graders, sometimes you can't go by what your lesson plan book says  you are going focus on for a particular day. Sometimes you have to stray from your plans to take advantage of "teachable moments." Today's teachable moments revolved around Béla. Gracie decided to follow me upstairs and explore my bedroom. Béla happened to be in there on our bed so I grabbed the treats (luckily I have them everywhere) and tried to coax Gracie a bit closer to Béla, knowing a muzzle was in the picture. Gracie got about 2 feet away from the bed and then Béla let out a small hiss . Grace seemed unphased. She was more interested in just snooping around the room. Hoping this is a good sign!

I give you stink eye. Oh, and see these claws?

Usually, this is what I see when Bela tries to instigate and go near Grace's space...

Grace = not interested.

Bela will stare for a bit and get close, then Gracie will look at her then look away and not even pick up her head. Once again, hoping these are all good signs that there was a reason Gracie never started in a real race. 

Someone on the greyhound message boards said that maybe one day I'll be one of the people who posts a pic of their cat and dog snuggling. Trust me, that has been our DREAM since before we adopted Gracie! I'd be shocked if it ever happened, but then again....Béla's behavior so far is shocking me!

Another day with lots of progress....I am SO PROUD of BOTH of my little munchkins!