Saturday December 31st 2016

It was another wonderful day for my good pal Duke. He began his morning with yet another excellent walk that included a variety of fun things to do. I took him out with two big playful brothers who adore being with Duke. As soon as Duke saw that they were joining him he started bouncing all over the place in anticipation. The three of them immediately started tackling one another in the hallway before racing out the door, which set the tone for the rest of the walk. Duke would run to the end of his leash and then sprint back so that he could pounce on one of the other two boys. This would lead to a short play tackle before Duke would run off and then complete the same pattern over and over again. After his walk he laid down on his bed for a short nap before his outdoor play group. Once I went to get him for his outdoor playgroup, Duke jumped up and when I opened his door and he came barreling out of his kennel to see his friends in the hallway. As soon as Duke got outside it was immediately play time. He did a few quick laps of the agility yard before settling down to greet his friends. The two that he was most excited to see were the brothers. I think they must be his best friends because he's always so happy to see them whenever they're together. Duke was all about playing. Even if he wasn't with his best friends he was constantly trying to play tackle or chase someone else. Every so often he'd get involved in a really good chase around the yard that would leave him tired and breathless. When he wasn't playing, Duke joined me every so often for a quick cuddle. When he was with me, he loved running through my legs and I tried to snap a few cute pictures but he just runs through so fast! To end his play group, Duke found a bright red toy ball in the yard and became quite attached to it. No matter where he went he kept it in his mouth and made sure to proudly display it to everyone. It seemed to me as if he wanted me to play with it as well but every time I went to get it he'd jump away as if we were playing keep away, silly boy.
To change things up for Duke’s extra attention today, he joined his friends Oliver, Mel and I on an extra walk. Since it had been snowing all day, by the time we headed outside it was quite the hike through the snow! At first Duke led the way with the other two and had no trouble bounding through the drifts. Occasionally he stopped to stick his nose in the snow and take a good whiff of whatever interesting things he could find. He also played a bit with Mel. By the end of the walk the three dogs had decided it was easier to let me make the trail for them, and Duke was walking right behind me. Once we got back Duke had some one-on-one time for cuddles in his kennel, and then he was ready for a nap!

Jax L was a playing machine right from the very beginning of the day, all the way to the end of it. He began his morning with a very exciting and exhausting walk with two of our huskies; Justice and Rosie. Jax and Justice have been in the same group for a few days and have loved each other the entire time! Justice has a habit of walking fast so he made sure that Jax was keeping up with him the entire time so that we were walking as fast as possible. Jax loved the speed of the walk. He was constantly trotting along and racing from one edge of the trail to the other one as fast as he could. This led to a few little play tackles between him and Justice which the both of them started at one point or another. It wasn't always clear who won because they would both be on the ground tackling one another and then all of a sudden they would zoom to the end of their leashes and be ready to run the rest of the walk. I think it's safe to say that Jax enjoyed having Justice on his walk today as a friend he could play with. When it came to his outdoor play group. Jax was more than ready and excited to go outside and see all of his friends. He was definitely not tired yet and bounced out of his kennel as soon as I opened the door. Once he got into the yard he was greeted by all sorts of friends; some old, some new. Jax said a quick hello to everyone but was looking for someone in particular, Justice! As soon as he saw him he trotted over and tackled him right onto the ground. Then Jax took off in a full sprint around the yard with Justice close on his tail. This race got most of his group involved and Jax looked as though he had a cute little smile on his face. After he had slowed down a bit, I grabbed a bright red ball toy for he and I to play with. Once he saw me pick it up, Jax raced over and was ready to play catch. Every time I threw the ball he was basically already at the landing spot because he would be running so fast to grab it. This went on for a little while and each race to get the ball became faster and faster. Although he wasn't quite tired yet, Jax came over to me once we had finished playing catch and snuggled up right against my leg. I gave him a nice long belly rub and made sue to also give him a good head scratch before his play group was over.

Sophie kept her energy at an ultimate high throughout the entire day today. She began another wonderful day out on a long walk in the back trail and was as excited as could be to get outside and greet whoever was to be joining her. I don't think she could have wagged her tail any faster than she was inside her kennel while waiting for me to come and get her. Sophie made sure to give me a bundle of kisses and hugs before I put her leash on we went outside. Much to her surprise Sophie met a new friend outside for her walk today. She was also excited to see that one of her friends from her group was also to be joining her. After giving both of the other girls a good sniff down, Sophie took to the end of her leash and let me know that it was time for us to go. Right from the get go, Sophie was by my side. She enjoyed looking up at me every few seconds so that I'd pat her on the head and let her know that she was being a good girl. This occurred off and on but Sophie also spent her time sniffing along the trail when she wasn't by my side. She had her nose completely stuck to the ground when she was sniffing. There wasn't a thing I could do to distract her from whatever scent she was smelling. Sometimes Sophie would even end up walking into the bushes or deep in the trees while following the smells on the trail. They led her absolutely everywhere and she didn't even seem to notice I was talking to her until she could smell the treat in my hand. I had only tried to get her attention for a second but once she smelled the treat she was all over me for the rest of the walk. Even after I had given her the treat, Sophie was determined to find more in any of my pockets. When it was time for her outdoor play group, Sophie kept her energy high and quickly greeted me with another kiss before racing outside to see her friends. She was entirely full of beans when she got into the yard. Before Sophie started playing, she greeted absolutely everyone she could find in the yard. She then came over to me once again for yet another little snuggle. After the snuggle she was off and ready to play. Sophie raced around between each and every one of her friends to see who would play with her. A few of the other girls in her group were very excited to race around the yard for a little bit but weren't as energetic as Sophie was today. So eventually I picked up a ball in the yard for her and I to play fetch with. She was so happy when she saw me throw the ball and sprinted after it time and time again. We even enjoyed playing a short game of tug with it every so often until she'd get it away from me each time. Sophie finished off the group time by rolling around in the snow to cool herself off from all her activities!

Spencer is very excited to be back with us here at Tails & Trails! Today was his first full day back so he was very excited to see what was in store for his stay. As soon as I saw him this morning he got up and came to his kennel door to give me a big kiss on the cheek. Once he had finished saying hi to me we ran outside so that he could greet all of his friends that he met last night during his outings. He was so excited to see them all that he did a few running laps around the yard before even saying a single hello. After he was done, Spencer started sniffing all of his old and new friends that were in his group. After a quick few play tackles, Spencer was ready to go back inside and wait for his morning walk. He was completely full of energy during his walk and couldn't stop moving. Right from the moment I got him, Spencer had dancing toes that were jumping around at all times. Even when I went in to his kennel to put his leash on he was bouncing all over the place. After a little bit he calmed down and waited like a good boy. However once we got outside the excitement was back as he raced to the end of his leash and waited for his friends. Spencer spent a bit of time all over the place during his walk. He began at the end of his leash for a good part of his walk as he was trying to get me to join him in a fast run. However he would sometimes run back to see me and eventually walk right beside me as he enjoyed getting the extra head scratches from me. Spencer was also in quite a playful mood during his walk. He kept trying to play tackle his friends but they were a bit more focused on the walk so it didn't amount to much. I thought he might have been tuckered out when he got inside but he raced in and jumped onto his bed as he waited for his next outing. Spencer's long outdoor playgroup was filled with excitement as he had so much more time to play with his friends.This time once he got outside he was distracted by all the snow we had gotten! Spencer immediately started rolling around in the snow and continued to stop and roll in it throughout his group. There were times where he looked like he had white fur because he was entirely covered in the powdery snow. He spent most of his time with two of his guy friends but they weren't actually playing too much. Spencer ended up simply enjoying the snow and especially liked eating it! At times, he would race around like a rocket with his friends but he'd always return back to the snow. 
Spencer and I headed out to the lounge for his extra attention. It had been snowing so much that there was hardly a pathway, though he confidently led the way bouncing through the drifts. Once inside, I took off his leash and Spencer explored the new space. He bounced on each of the couches and poked his nose in every crevice. Eventually Spencer discovered the container of treats. He sat down and looked at me immediately, so of course I had to get a couple for him. Spencer was happy to show off the rest of his tricks as well. He was then happy to cuddle with me before we braved the weather once more, back to his cozy kennel.

Cara and Brodie were full of energy today. After their walks, they curled up for a quick nap before groups, and were soon on their feet again. Cara led the way outside with Brodie close behind her. She almost disappeared in all of the snow! Cara went bounding to the far yard while Brodie wandered around near me for a while, checking things out and enjoying some cuddles when he lost interest in exploring. After Brodie was satisfied with a back rub, we headed off to find Cara. The rest of the dogs gradually made their way after us. Soon most of them were bouncing around in the snow. Brodie went over to say hello to Tatoo, and a moment later Brodie was running around in circles while Tatoo pretended to pounce on him. Cara had found her own playmates. She greeted Kouza, who was busy exploring, and then moved on to Max and Tomi. Max was wrestling with his big sister, so Cara jumped around them and cheered them on. Then Max went racing off with Cara, Tomi and Brodie right on his heels. Cara and Brodie were darting all over the place. Almost everybody was in a playful mood today, and shortly they had Emma and Tennya chasing them around also. Brodie continued to run after Max, and Cara slowed down for a breather. She trotted over to say hello to me. I went to pat her on the head, and she must have still been in play-mode as she barked and then pounced at my hand. Cara and I continued playing together until Brodie wondered what we were up to and came over to investigate. This got the two of them running around again, and when the rest of the dogs noticed, they all had to join in!

Kouza was a little bit questionable about going out into the snow, but once she got outside she had a great time exploring with the rest of her group! She stopped by me first to give me a sniff and then enjoyed a nice scratch behind the ears. Our friend Monty bounced over and began rolling around in the snow at Kouza’s feet; she was quite puzzled and gave Monty a funny look before poking him with her nose. Once she figured out what he was doing, Kouza let me pet her one last time and then she headed off to wander around in the snow. Her nose took her all over the yard. First she stuck close to the fence with Max and Cara, and followed them to the gate, though the two of them soon ran off and Kouza ventured further into the snow. Occasionally another dog would trot over to see what she was up to and Kouza would sniff them over before parting ways again. She seemed to enjoy the peace and quiet as it gave her plenty of time to explore everything. There were lots of interesting things to smell in the snow. Eventually Kouza lost interest in exploring and decided she wanted more attention. I was happy to cuddle with her for a while before the dogs were cold enough to head back inside!

Kouza had just finished her group time when I went to bring her up for her extra attention. We made our way up to the front. Right away Kouza had her nose to the ground and was off checking everything out very thoroughly. She eventually lifted her head and made her way over to me for some pets. It didn't take long before Kouza turned around so I could give her lots of bum scratches. Once she was satisfied she headed back out to see if she had missed anything. Kouza took another quick break for some more pets then got right back to exploring. She soon found herself by the toy basket. Kouza spent some time going over each one. Finally she had explored pretty much every inch of the front room and came back for even more pets, attention, and bum scratches.

Max and Sadie could not wait to get outside. As soon as the door opened, they both squeezed their way through at the same time and then went bouncing into the snowdrifts. Max couldn’t contain his energy and he continued to run and leap all over the place, while Sadie’s excitement had quieted down enough for her to start exploring the yard. If I looked fast I could hardly see her as she blended right in and had her face buried in snow most of the time. Max, on the other hand, was a blur of movement. He had stopped for half of a second to sniff the fence, and when he noticed me taking a picture of him, he quickly came racing over. I cuddled with him as we watched Sadie sniffing around. Max then hurried up to Sadie, poked her with his nose and then ran back to me. Unfortunately she didn’t accept Max’s invitation to play and just continued exploring. Max decided that he didn’t need Sadie to chase him, so he went off to race laps by himself instead. Eventually Sadie made her way over to the picnic table and leaped up without hesitation. Of course it was slippery with snow and she nearly went right off the other side, then she caught her balance and then looked around as if nothing had happened. Max bounced over and Sadie was forced to defend her new perch from her silly brother. Once the two of them called a truce, they both trotted over to say hello to me and have some cuddles before we went back inside.

Harlow was his usual friendly self when I joined these two handsome boys in the cat room. Harlow said his hello by meowing at me and then rubbing his back up against my ankles. I went over to Rumple's condo to say hello. He gave me a quick sniff and then I pet him behind his ears and he leaned into my hand, loving his afternoon massage. He then stretched out across his kennel and had his head peeking out, watching Harlow strut about on the floor. I sat down with Harlow and he circled around me for a bit, stopping to sniff me every couple of seconds. We played with the little cat rope with the cheetah print for a few moments. He batted at it, and chased on top of it while I dragged it across the floor. This toy has become his favorite, and he looks forward to playing with it everyday. After that, Tiffani came in to join us. I pet Harlow while she was petting Rumple. Afterwards, Rumple perched himself on the ledge of his condo, overseeing everything that was going on. A couple of times it looked like he was going to leap down, but he never did. He was content to watch everyone and then get some little cuddles and head massages while we were spending time together. Harlow tried to follow us out of the cat room once we left, and voiced his concern about us leaving, so I sat on the cot with him for a few more minutes until he was almost napping. Afterwards, I found him taking a nice snooze in the same spot where I left him.