The trail was fluffy with fresh snow this morning, and Ripley was eager to sink her paws in it. She, Kyah and Bandit bounced along the trail together with Tiffani manning the leashes. Ripley made an instant connection with Kyah, and couldn't wait to get out into the yard with her. When that time came, Ripley ran straight to Kyah to see if she was ready to play. Kyah took a few minutes to wander about the yard before she pounced into play mode with her new friend. Ripley followed Kyah into the agility yard to the tunnel. Kyah hopped up on top of the tunnel and Ripley bounced playfully around it. Ripley bolted through the tunnel after Magic, who had just joined in as well. Ripley and Magic shuffled around inside the tunnel and came out the opposite ends with Kyah ready to pounce on whoever emerged. Ripley and Kyah made their way back to the main yard and sniffed around the playstructure. Kyah hopped up onto the ledge inside the playhouse and started snacking on the fresh snow. Ripley watched as Kyah munched, and she hopped around in excitement, wondering how she could get up there too. I showed Ripley the entrance to the play house and she jumped in for a minute before running back around to the front. Ripley play-bowed and pounced to get Kyah's attention, and the girls took off running once again!
Bandit is getting more and more confident every day that he spends at Tails & Trails! He's walking down the hallways with confidence and isn't hesitating anymore when going down the hallway into the playroom. He marched out of his kennel this morning, full of excitement for the walk ahead. He, Ripley and Kyah enjoyed all of the fresh smells and snow the trail had to offer. Later, during group time, Bandit took his time to settle into the yard and to have some snuggles with me before letting out his wiggles. Bandit likes to ease into playing, so today he followed behind the group as they ran around, watching and waiting his turn. He started off by walking along casually, then doing a little hopping, and finally full on sprinting alongside his friends. Bandit was happy to join into the chase part of the play, leaving the wrestling to the others. He's such an easy going guy!
Molly wasted no time finding the bright orange ball that was lightly covered in snow this morning. She has a keen eye for toys and never misses an opportunity to play fetch. As Molly was uncovering her ball, Jack was watching the other dogs play around on the tunnel, not sure yet if he wanted to join in. When Tasha was finished chasing her son, Boris, she came over to greet Jack on the sidelines. Jack and Tasha stood tall, wagging their tails furiously as they sniffed each others' noses. Suddenly Tasha pounced towards Jack and they bounced around together. Jack pawed playfully at Tasha and they took off running into the main yard. I followed, where I found Molly, still playing with her orange ball. She was very excited that Jack and I were back with her, and she raced over with her ball. Jack saw that Molly was preparing for some fetch, and he trotted over to join her, leaving Tasha to check on Boris. Jack and Molly barked and bounced in excitement as I picked up the ball. We played lots of rounds of fetch and some of the other dogs joined in the fun as well.
Little Finnigan was absolutely smitten by Glory during playtime today. He was so intrigued by her long ears and wrinkly face, and he just had to play with her. Glory is a little bit shy, so Finnigan spent the first few minutes of group time trying to get her to warm up to him. He jumped around playfully, hoping she would take the bait and run with him. Glory still wasn't convinced though, so Finnigan placed a playful paw on her back. Glory then decided she was ready and she bounced all around with Finn following close behind. They had a good couple of rounds of wrestling in between running spurts, which was great exercise for Finn. Friends such as Boris and Brokk joined in here and there, but for the most part, Finnigan spent his group time with his new friend Glory.
It's been a little while since I've seen Maggie the bulldog, and I'm so happy she's here. She's the wiggliest little girl and she just makes everyone smile. She did a quick sweep of the yard to get acclimatized during group time, but before long she was ready to play. Maggie was intrigued by Julie and her wheelchair, and gave her a good sniff before they started to play. Maggie ran along with Julie, keeping a little distance so that she didn't get caught up in Julie's wheels. The girls headed towards the main yard, but Julie needed help over the bottom of the gate, so Maggie went to greet some of the other dogs. She said hello to Maggie the Corgi, who was playing with Mac, before heading over to see Coco and Timbits who were chewing on some sticks. She was then approached by Merida, who was looking for a running partner. Maggie was feeling a little zoomy, so she took off running with Merida for a few playful bursts of energy. When she needed a little break, I spent some snuggly time with Maggie before it was time to head into the playroom.
Cara and Brodie started their morning with a leisurely trail walk. Brodie is quite the investigator and loves to take in all of the smells along the trail. We walked along until Brodie found something interesting, and we paused for a moment to let him have a sniff. Cara was happy to walk along or sniff the tree trunks as we waited for Brodie to be ready to move on. When we came back from our walk, Cara and Brodie took a little nap before it was time to head back outside for group playtime. Cara went out to the main yard to get in the middle of the play action, while Brodie followed that strong nose of his around the fence line and to each of the boulders. Cara sang her referee song as Coco, Timbits, Merida and Julie chased after Mac. She checked in with me here and there with a very excited expression on her little face. She looked at me as if to say "are you seeing this chase?!" before taking off running after the group once more. Brodie, meanwhile, finished up his exploring and trotted over to watch the fun as well. I knelt down to have some snuggles with Brodie, but he got very excited all of a sudden and took off running after Cara and the rest of the group.
The Beagle Buddies, Coco and Timbits, are always a great addition to the small dog playgroup. They always bring the spice and the party with their crazy energy. Timbits was so ready to play as we stepped out the door into the yard this morning. He ran straight towards Mac, who was just as excited to get things going. They ran and wrestled until Coco decided to join the party. Mac left Coco and Timbits to their game and headed off to greet the others. Coco ran around the yard with Timbits following close behind, until she stopped along the back fence to pick up a stick. Timbits wanted some stick too, so they started playing keep away from each other until the stick broke in half and they each took a piece. Coco and Timbits carried their sticks around the yard to show all of their friends before hunkering down in separate corners to nudge them around in the snow. They loved those sticks so much that they would have stayed outside with them all day!
Macie and her bff Justice enjoyed their morning walk together again today. She was happy to let the wind blow through her hair and to stretch her legs out on the trail. After walks, it was time for Macie to head out for group time with Justice. One of the previous groups uncovered a new toy in the snow today, and Macie was so excited to have a turn playing with it. She picked up the rubber bone and held it up high for Justice to admire. She trotted around the yard with it sticking out either side of her mouth, and it was so cute! I started to toss the orange ball for Justice, so Macie put the bone down to come over and join in our game. She wasn't particularly interested in catching the ball, but had a lot of fun chasing Justice around as he chased the ball. They make such a lovely pair, and it's great to see Macie play with a dog that she absolutely loves!
The playhouse was a big hit today, and Rupert was one of many who were eager to check it out. He was a little bit hesitant about actually entering the structure, so I took his favourite toy and placed it inside on the ground. This was exactly what Rupert needed to step through the opening to explore this new space. He gave the walls a thorough sniff before grabbing his toy and letting the other dogs have a turn. I did a few small toy tosses for Rupert before he came across a new, better toy. He stumbled upon a great big, orange frisbee that was lightly covered in snow. Rupert began to paw at the frisbee, uncovering it, but also making it a bit slippery. He tried his best to nudge the frisbee onto its side with his paw, but he wasn't having any luck. Eventually, he nudged the toy free with his nose and tossed it up in the air. Rupert picked the frisbee back up and carried it around for most of the rest of our time outside, even when I was giving him pets and snuggles!
I was happy to spend some quality time huddled up with Casey in the yard today. The wind had picked up a little bit, and Kelly was off keeping herself warm as she bounced around alongside her friend Tonka. I steered the group out of the main yard and into the agility yard where it wasn't so windy, and Casey stuck like glue to my side, while Kelly wandered in when she was ready. I offered Casey the orange ball, which she took very gently, and carried around for a little while. Kelly came over to see Casey and to give her toy a sniff before approaching me with the corners of her mouth in a sweet, grey-haired smile. I was happy to give her lots of snuggles and love before she decided to make her way back into the main yard to have a look inside the play house. Casey and I tagged along as Kelly looked around, saying hello to some of the other older gentlemen labs as we went. Casey and Kelly are just the sweetest pair to spend time with!
Shyla was very intrigued by her new groupmate, Millie. Right from the get go, Shyla stuck close by Millie, pouncing playfully if she made any sudden movements. Shyla snuffed Millie up and down every chance she got, and was especially excited when Millie started to run around. Shyla played some one-on-one chase with Millie before Kane and Sadie came bouncing over to join in. Shyla made sure to get as much time in with Millie as she could, letting Kane and Sadie do most of the crazy wrestling. Meanwhile, on the other side of the yard, Maverick was content sniffing around the fence and the boulders, not quite ready to play yet. He took his time, keeping a casual eye on Shyla and her antics, until he was ready to play. He watched as Scarlett raced over to play with Shyla, Millie, Sadie and Kane, and decided that it was time for him to jump in. Maverick played referee to the wrestling match in between playing with Scarlett on the sidelines. Maverick seems to really like Scarlett and her floppy style, and it's so funny to watch them bounce around together. Maverick finished off his group time by leaning up against Alyssa for some snuggles while Shyla finished up her chase/wrestling match.
When it comes to wrestling, Sadie is definitely a professional. She loves playing with Kane since he's exactly the right match for her style. Kane was running around with Millie when Sadie came out to join us in the yard but he quickly turned his attention on Sadie. The pair wrestled their group time away, loving every minute of it! They were joined here and there by Shyla, Millie, Maverick and Scarlett, but they wound up together in the end each time. Maverick wanted to play with Sadie and Kane very badly, so he dove in the most out of all the dogs, running along behind when he was taking a break from the rough and tumble. Sadie has been such a good girl this week; her training seems to really be paying off!
Millie started the morning by going for a walk on the trail with Ariel and I. She made her funny little grunts as we walked, which Ariel found very intriguing. Ariel pounced towards Millie a little bit, hoping that she'd be ready to play. Millie kept focused on her walk, though, and saved her playing for group time. Out in the yard, Millie was the center of attention with the other dogs. Shyla was very interested in Millie and her funny little sounds, and stuck close by her. Scarlett was also very interested in Millie, and started up a little game of chase around the yard. Millie zipped from the agility yard out into the main yard with Shyla and Scarlett following close behind. Once out in the main yard, Millie had some fun running around and wrestling with Kane, Sadie, Shyla, Scarlett and Maverick.
Cats:
Ziggy and Chief are starting to become such good friends! When I went into the cat room this afternoon, the boys were each perched on different parts of the cat tree. I started petting Ziggy and Chief jumped up to our level to get some head and chin scratches too. Chief then rubbed his face and chin on the straching post, warming it up for some good scratches. Ziggy climbed up a level and started pawing at the baggy part of the cat hammock. They're both such cuties!
Missy was curled up on her little bed when I went in to see her this afternoon. She was having a very cozy looking nap, so I just gave her some gentle pets to see if she was ready to climb out. She rolled over onto her back, signaling that she wanting to finish up her nap, so I left her to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment