Life is falling into a pattern. Once in a while I take her to doggy daycare so she can have fun during the day. But most of the time I scoot home as quickly as possible and we troop over to the dog park. I think I look forward to it as much as her. She has a lot of friends there and is doing just wonderful. She socializes well. I'm always really proud to bring her to the park because she does so well with the other dogs, runs around like a fiend properly wowing people and then the conversation starts up about greyhounds. She always goes up to all the people in the park and visits with them charming them to death. Sapphire makes an excellent greyhound ambassador.
Her running dreams are less and less and her nightmares have dropped off a little too. Not as much as the running dreams, but I do think there are fewer. She is completely shameless in the love department. I've woken up during the night and she has all those legs draped across me and her head tucked under my chin. Pretty hard to be grumpy about her hogging the bed. Sometimes I wake up and we are sharing the same pillow. Am I completely wrapped around her little dew claw? You bet!
Her dandruff is less also. She had her first bath with me. I don't know how they bathed them before but I was determined to make this nice for her. So I only put a little warm water in the bottom of the bathtub with a towel down so she had solid footing. I started out using a cup to pour the water over her but then switched to a wash cloth. Her coat is so short it worked out well. She was very patient during the bath and actually just a little stoic. But when she got out and I towled her dry, she ran around the apartment like a crazy girl. All legs and tail! She jumped up on the bed and then on the couch. I just stood there laughing. I don't know what that was for, maybe she just felt pretty. But I wish I had had my camera ready!
This helped her dandruff a little but I found some oil-stuff you are supposed to put in her food and I think that is working really well. Plus she seems to like the taste. I also found an oil spray that you put on the outside. I rub this on the worst dry patches. She likes the rubbing and it smells like cinnamon.
We got into a fun little routine as I tried to Christmas shop. I hate leaving her behind as much as she hates to stay behind. So we go to the park, she gets bushed, and then we go shopping. I leave her in a shady area in the car (thank goodness I live in So. Cal where the weather is so temperate!) and I run in and out of the store. Luckily I hate shopping and am usually out of a store in minutes flat. She seems to enjoy the stimulation and I get my shopping done. I have the backseat of my car all done up for her. My department did an Austin Powers thing for Halloween so I have this big piece of furry fabric left over. White tiger pattern. Very groovy, but also very soft and dogalicious. The backseat is all draped in that fabric so she has a nice spot to lay down. Over Thanksgiving I rented a car to drive home but I put that fabric in the backseat so she knows this is where she is supposed to be and will relax.
She is still scared of the cat, but not as much as before. She doesn't yelp anymore (she has figured out he doesn't hurt her) and is learning to give him a wide berth. Grant still wants to play with her so he'll hide around a corner and do the butt wiggle, but she doesn't know what to make of him. They sleep on the same bed and couch without a problem and Sapph is very curious about him. She sneaks sniffs all the time.
She still isn't housebroken. I know a lot of this is my fault. If I had had a yard with a doggy door there would have never been an accident. We'll work it out. I think part of the problem is that I feel so guilty leaving her during the day, I won't really reprimand her. Which is ridiculous. She holds it during the night without batting an eye, she can hold it 7 hours during the day. I just have to be more consistent with her.