Chief: Chief must be taking secret singing lessons when we're not around because his singing voice is louder than ever! We can hear him clear down the hall from the cat room. This means good news for the other kitties as they get free daily concerts without even having to leave the comfort of their beds! Of course, the singer will always come to greet you when you enter the cat room; he always has time for his fans.
Rhapsy: Rhapsy gave me quite a run around this afternoon! As I entered the cat room, I noticed someone was not in sight. Her kennel was empty, her litter box was empty and she was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, I opened our supply closet in the cat room and looked at the bottom shelf and who should I find but Rhapsy, all nestled into our box of litter. She looked so happy and content just snuggled into the litter that I almost felt bad for disturbing her. She must’ve sneaked her way into the supply closet somehow and accidentally closed the door, making it a nice private getaway from the other cats.
Ava: Oh what I wouldn’t give to have a human sized version of Ms. Ava’s bed made up for myself. She models it so nicely and makes it look so darn cozy! It’s almost unfair that she gets to do that all day while the rest of us work! Fortunately, we love our jobs and we get to spend our time with lovely kitties like Ava so it makes it all right J.
Shimmer: Shimmer has got to be one of the friendliest cats that we have come to visit us here at Tails & Trails. He always seems to have a smile on his face and gets along so nicely with the other kitties. He likes to be picked up and snuggled with and we are only too happy to do that for him.
Missy: Missy is an independent lady and loves to snuggle herself into her blankets and pillow, looking through her kennel door at the snowy day outside. Fortunately for her, she gets to look at the snow and not have to freeze herself pouncing around in it and instead gets to keep nice and toasty warm. Though with her beautiful long coat, she could probably hold her own against the snow anyway!
Groups
Well does Nanook ever seem in his element now that all the snow is on the ground. He loves to zoom around the yard and pounce around the snowy hills, which makes him a little difficult to locate at times. I think he purposely ducks and sneaks his way around in the snow just to mess with our minds sometimes. While he was a little reluctant to leave his cozy bed this afternoon, as soon as he got outside he realized what he had been missing and immediately began to play in the fluffy snow. He had a nice walk this morning and got to play Eskimo dog a bit as we trudged through the high snow. He is quite the strong trailblazer though as he was pulling me through almost the entire walk.
Xiao Bao was keen on keeping up with his other snow-loving pals today as he trekked through the yard. He was not going to let the sheer volume of snow slow him down; he hopped over those snow hills and also went over to join the other pups in greeting a friend on the other side of the fence. Inside in the playroom, he got even more comfortable and was playing with a couple friends before coming over to say hello to me. He quickly hopped up on my legs, I picked him up so we could snuggle for a little while and then I let him go back to his friends. He loves that his friend Iris has come for a visit today and has been spending as much time with her as possible. They like to discuss their commonalities such as stylish poofy-jackets and gorgeous wispy hair. The two of them are just so adorable together; we quite commonly refer to them as each other's boyfriend and girlfriends. It is a match made in heaven! J One difference the two of them have though is their liking of snow. While Xiao Bao can be quite tolerant of the snow, Iris is certainly not a fan and actually will pick up one foot at a time so that she doesn’t have to have all four touching at the same time. Its quite funny to see, and makes for some very prissy looking pictures.
Tennya joined another curly black haired friend outside and the two of them practically spent all of outside time together! Tennya did break off for a little while to do some discovering as there was much to be sniffed under the snow. That would be how she also got her nice snowy-beard. Tennya was very excited for her walk this morning and was joined by two good friends named Beanie and Poochio. The three of them were almost overwhelmed with the fresh dropping of snow - they didn't know which snow bank to hop into first!
Beanie and Poochio are quite a funny pair. The two of them both love their jackets so much that whenever we come inside, they rub their backs all over the walls and each other. If you're not paying attention to them for a moment, they will bump themselves up against you to make you look at them. Often times, when I'm busy taking pictures of the other pups, Poochio will plant himself in front of my camera view and bark at me until I pet him! Meanwhile, Beanie seems to be a bit more independent. She likes to just go outside and wander around as much of the yard as possible before coming in. However, she does frequently check in with her brother so that she can make sure he's not getting into any trouble. Every once in a while, Beanie will come up and playfully hip-bump herself into Poochio and from there the two of them start this little secret sibling dance (almost like a secret handshake but with their bodies), which is quite adorable.
Kouza was the yard monitor this afternoon. From time to time she would go off to do her own thing but for the most part she just liked to be around the other dogs and myself so that she could weigh in on whatever was going on. She likes to be vocal and voice her opinions and also boss everyone else around. No one gets into trouble when Kouza’s around; she’s not one for putting up with shenanigans. She certainly allows the other dogs to play, but when things get too intense for her liking, she lets everyone know by barking at the top of her lungs until they stop what they’re up to. She is great company in the yard, as she rarely leaves my side or at least doesn’t often leave the company of the group.
There is never a dull moment when Timbits is around! He is just full of beans and loves to get everyone involved in whatever he is up to. Of course, he and Coco were glued together almost the entire time outside. However there were a few moments where I went around to find him and he was digging around in the snow by himself. Perhaps he was trying to fashion himself some kind of secret hiding spot to really up his game with his pals? He and his good friend Mac have a really good understanding of one another. They seem to like pretty much all the same things! Wrestling is favourite #1 then running of course and then walks. The two of them also have a common love of Coco so the three of them make a nice trio!
Emcy, Ordi, Hickstead
Lots of energy radiating from these three lovely pooches! Emcy is obviously the top lady of this group and whatever she says goes. For instance, if she’s not done saying hello to me and one of her brothers tries to say hi, she politely tells them to wait their turn until she is done. Hickstead and her had quite a fun time chasing and running around with each other this afternoon and they got to have the whole yard to themselves. They were so happy, they even ran over to check out the agility tunnel and Hickstead couldn’t resist running in! Unfortunately for me, he is lighting fast in the tunnel and shot out before I could snap a picture of him in it. Mr.Ordi certainly does not act his age and has no problems keeping up with his two siblings. He loves to run and jump around with them; it’s probably the secret to his everlasting youth! I love the way all three of them have just the right way of looking at you that always makes you want to give them lots of pets and love. Just one sweet glance over from any one of them can bring you to your knees so you can snuggle with them as much as possible!
Next group to make their way outside couldn't wait to get running. As soon as their feet touched the snow they were off. Spencer had made his way out to the agility yard oblivious to the fun going on in the far yard. He then came trotting out and spotted said fun and went tearing after everyone. As they were running around they all realized they had a new addition to the group. Syrus soon become the cenre of attention after that. Duke took a particular liking to him and was quick to ask Syrus to play. Dawson stood on the sidelines wanting to join, but content to just be the referee for the moment. Syrus then went tearing off to the agility yard with the rest of the group on his tail. Bella was the only one not involved in the running. She had already made her way out to the agility yard just minutes before Syrus, and was off checking things out. Syrus took a break from running to ask Finnegan to play. Finnegan was pretty excited until he ended up pounced on and smushed into the snow. He recovered quickly and went racing off, with Syrus giving chase. Dawson and Duke went racing after them. Dawson just wanted to run, but Duke wanted Syrus to play with him, not Finnegan. Duke got his wish and soon he and Syrus were having a great time. Finnegan took the loss of Syrus quite well and went bounding over to see if Brenyn would play with him. Dawson decided not to tag along with Duke and Syrus and istead set out to do a little exploring. He threw in some running to make it more fun. Syrus went racing past with Duke and Paisley on his heels. Dawson left his explorations to race after him. They also acquired Finnegan along the way. After racing around for a while Dawson split off to wander around with Spencer. Finnegan also split off to make his way back to Brenyn, who was now walking around with Bella. A while later Duke left off running around to come over for a visit and some pets. He then left me to go and join Dawson in following Spencer around. Even Bella went over to see what Dawson found so interesting about Spencer. Bella then came tearing over to have a quick visit with me. That done she went off to see Duke, who was laying in the snow while sampling it as well. It didn't take long for them to be bouncing around having a grand old time.
The last group of the morning were all still quite excited about the snow. Once more Jax L was quick to start bouncing around my legs so excited to get outside. Tsavo looked like she couldn't quite decide what she wanted to do. She stood watching the others trying to decide. Sky and Isis didn't waste any time before they headed out to do some exploring around the main yard. Roobee and Riley took a quick look around the main yard before making their way out to the agility yard. Cai was quick to accompany Riley and Roobee. Wanting to keep the group together, I got the rest of the group to make their way out to the agility yard. We found Riley and Roobee exploring in the snow together while Cai was off doing his own thing. Tsavo decided to head out and do some exploring of her own. She didn't do it for very long and was soon bouncing around with Isis. Jax set off to do a little exploring as well. He then found himself being followed by Sky. Sky followed Jax all over the yard. I figured she was waiting for the right moment to ask him to play. I ended up being right, but it wasn't till a while later. Tsavo and Isis split up so Tsavo could go back to exploring. Isis decided to just race around in the snow having a great time all by herself. Riley and Roobee continued to go around the yard exploring. They would occasionally start racing around, but would soon go back to exploring. I started to wonder if maybe they only loved fresh snow. If the later groups proved anything it's that they really love the snow. Finally Sky saw her moment and charged Jax. They had a blast racing around. Cai had finally checked out every little thing. That done he made his way over for some pets and love while also give me lots of love in return.
Enhanced
Timbits was pretty eager to head out to do some training. Like most sessions we started with some 'sits'. Timbits then went wandering off following his nose. I took this as an opportunity to work on his recall. Timbits did quite well and came immediatly almost every time. We next moved onto working on his heel. Timbits doesn't mind walking next to someone, especially if they have treat. We still have a lot of work for him to realize why he's getting the treat.
