Thursday, February 4th, 2016

Max spent his day in the back playroom with his sister Sadie. They had lots of opportunities to wrestle together and to play with other dogs in their own groups. Max went outside today with two of our huskies, Aurora and Ariel. I introduced them one at a time to make sure they were ready for some rough and tumble play time. He chased them all around the yard and they dipped and darted around him. When Aurora jumped up on the agility tunnel, Max waited patiently until she hopped back down so they could continue their game of tag.

Macie was such a sweet girl today, as usual. On her walk this morning Macie made it her mission to keep up with Justice on the trail even though it was a little bit slippery. Outside during group time, Macie was being so affectionate with me and gave me lots of cuddles. She would brush by my legs every now and then so I would keep petting her. I picked up a bone toy and got Macie and Justice's attention. They both waited patiently for me to throw the toy, and Justice took off as soon as I did. Macie held back for a second, because she likes to chase Justice more than the toy itself! Justice waited for Macie to have a good sniff of the toy before picking it up. Macie was happy to explore around the yard, in between snuggles, for the rest of group time.

Ying and Charly greeted me with such excitement as soon as we walked outside. They both jumped up to say hello and gave me lots of kisses before greeting the other dogs. I led Ying and Charly over to the other dogs, and Ying immediately after ran up to Chloe to say hi. He said his hellos and then decided he wanted to play. Chloe was happy to run around with Ying. They made great partners, chasing each other. Chloe's so quick and Ying could have chased her for hours! I started to play fetch with Ying, Charly and Chloe and Chloe was always in the lead. She was so determined to catch the plastic bone every time I threw it and took the game very seriously. Once she had it in her mouth she’d run around with it so all the dogs would chase her before she brought it back to me. Whenever she didn’t catch the bone, it was Charly who did. He's quick like Chloe, but enjoys following his nose around as much as he likes chasing the toy. If he finds something good, he's on it! Charly and Ying enjoyed chasing Chloe though. She took them all around the yard, and Ying chased her through the agility tunnel and back again.

Bandit was feeling more casual today, so he went to explore the yard with his pal Molly. He wandered around with his nose glued to the ground sniffing everything as the others ran passed him. Bandit was very focused on all of the little corners of the yard, and he noticed that Molly was pawing at the ice as if there were something under it. Molly noticed that Jack was playing a game of fetch on the other side of the yard and couldn't help but join him. Jack was the one that picked up the bone toy first and walked around with it in his mouth before he dropped it at my feet. If you don’t throw it fast enough, Jack and Molly both like to bounce and bark until you do. It didn’t take long for them to catch it and bring it back for me each time, and they could have played forever! Eventually other dogs started to join in which made the game that more challenging.

Coco and Timbits got out to a great start this morning. they both have so much energy, especially Timbits. So, when they go outside for their group time,  they're the first to run out to the main yard and wrestle. They chased each other in between wrestling matches until they were both out of breath. When Timbits stopped playing to do his business, Coco went off and started to dig in the snow a bit to see what she could find. Maya took this opportunity to run up to Timbits and start playing with him. Timbits didn't seem interested at first, but as soon as Maya slowed down to let him smell her it didn’t take long for them to play together. Coco ran back and joined in with Timbits, while Maya ended up chasing after both of them as they were wrestling and running together. Maya was having such a blast playing with them, they almost have as much energy as she does.

Ollie gets along with just about anyone you put him with. He’s all about hanging out and getting lots of love. Ollie likes to stick by the quieter dogs and he absolutely loves people! He followed me around everywhere I went outside, he was just happy to hang out and enjoy the company. Whenever I’d look down he’d try to jump up so that I would hold him in my arms like and cuddle him. I know how much he wanted to be pet so I bent down and gave him lots of love on the ground instead. After that he quickly ran off to the door to say hello to Rocky. Rocky took it easy outside, like usual, and first he wandered around sniffing along the fence, but always made sure to stay right by the door. Rocky likes being inside on his big comfy bed so I let him do just that. When brought the rest of the group back in, I went to sit with Rocky for a bit. I sat down on his big bed in his kennel and started to rub his belly and he rolled over onto his back. He's so sweet!

William used his group time to get acquainted with all the new smells in the yard. He ran around with Casper, starting at one side of the yard and making their way to the other. They’d stop every now and then and sniff at the ground as if they found something, but moved on each time. Casper ran off and went straight up to Ollie and said hello, which was very exciting! Casper wiggled and nudged Ollie, but William jumped in and the boys took off, leaving Ollie to snuggle with me. Casper ended up running around for a few minutes before heading back to join William in exploring the yard. Casper zoomed off to say hello to Ollie and I a few times before heading back to see William.

Teddy is such a happy guy, he came in this morning with a big smile on his face and kept it on all day. This morning I walked him with Percy and Spencer, which went very smoothly. They all wanted to go off on their own part of the trail, so they each stuck to their own little paths along the trees. Outside during group, Teddy didn’t stop running the entire time; he didn’t even stop to play! Instead, he ran in circles around the other dogs as they were playing with each other, jumping into the action here and there. He branched off briefly to play a short game of tag with Percy. He and Percy get along so well, and it's always great when these two get to play together! They both have the same amount of energy and could run for days. I played fetch with Percy outside, and every time I threw the toy he would run and slide, sometimes past the ball! He grabbed it each time, though and brought it back for me to throw again.

Sadie joined in on our game of fetch as well and was super happy to be with everyone playing. She got so excited each time I picked up the plastic bone, her face lit right up and her tongue would stick out of her mouth, awaiting the moment I threw it for her. When I did, she would bolt to the other side of the yard to try to get to it before anyone else. She succeeded in outrunning the others a few times, but was happy to run along if she didn't catch the toy. 

Cai was so sweet outside today. He was playing with the others but not enough to actually join in with them, they were too focused on their wrestling match and Cai wasn't ready to play yet. He ran up to me in the yard and sat down right at my feet, and looked right up at me with his big eyes as I knelt down and cuddled him. I gave him a treat for being such a good boy, which he took happily. Right after, he left and wandered around for a moment before running as fast as he could to see Kinsey. He hopped around her as she walked out into the yard before taking off to do a lap of the yard. He came back to say hi to Kinsey and I a few times in between sniffing sections of the yard.

Issy and Mocha spent their day in the staff room together, which is perfect for them because they love to lounge! I took them on a walk this morning and it was very nice. They're both such good walkers, they keep pace with me and each pick a side to walk on. Outside during groups, Mocha spent her time in one of the outdoor kennels that was left open, she likes to just sit there and enjoy the cool weather as Issy ran around for a bit with the other dogs before disappearing to the far corner of the yard. I found her a minute later right next to Mocha. Those girls love to be around each other.

Nanook was very calm when he first got outside and wandered along on his own along the fence sniffing whatever he could find. He went over and started to say hello to Emma and Brodie and before I knew it, the three took off in a big game of tag. Nanook got them to chase him all around the yard, and I don't think I’ve never seen Emma run so fast! Emma lounged in her bed in between groups, taking full advantage of her nap opportunities. She's such a well-behaved girl! She loves both lounging and playing equally, and it's great to see her have so much fun in the yard. Emma chased Nanook all around the yard with Brodie, and they zig-zagged around the boulders and between yards. When they weren’t playing tag, Nanook and Brodie were wrestling each other, which made a great match. Brodie started his group taking it easy, and Nanook was the perfect guy to get him running!

Cara was very happy to go outside today, as she trotted out the door she headed straight towards the far yard and started to run around it. It was a bit slippery but she took careful steps and continued on her way. She kept it slow and met up with Benji as he was sniffing around. She was very happy to see Benji really and walked right up to him to say hello. She followed him wherever he went and was always jumping along enthusiastically. Benji enjoyed her attention and company while he hung out and explored. He continued to walk around with Cara until it was time to head into the playroom.

Winston went on a short walk this morning up and down the driveway. A little bit later on, Winston beelined down the hallway towards the door. He was very excited to head out and stretch his legs. He preferes to sniff along the fence and visit for some one-on-one time. He was happy to roam with his group before he headed back towards the door. He sat very nicely for me while I took some pictures, and I gave him some ear scratches for being such a good boy. He and I hung out for a few more minutes before we headed back inside.

Timber is such a sweet and happy dog. He has a smile on his face every time you see him and he's always up for anything. We went for a slow and steady walk down the driveway to start the morning. Timber Took his time wandering the edge of the field as we went. Later, Timber did lots of roaming and exploring around the yard with his friends. He likes to greet all of the dogs and check up on each one here and there. I called him over to me and he ran right away, and I started cuddling him while he gave me kisses.

Tsavo was very independent outside today. She likes to run around where it's not crowded and explore places while keeping an eye on the other dogs as they play. She kept her nose to the ground the whole time, only looking up when she heard a sudden sound or saw someone approaching. She came up to me to say hi and I gave her some cuddles before I noticed a toy bone on the ground. I threw it for Tsavo to catch and she ran after it, but didn't want to pick it up and bring it back. Instead she just nudged it and then ran back to me. I gave her some back rubs and she was happy to hang around with me.

Kesler was full of energy all day today! He was always standing at the ready when it was his turn to go out. He was full of beans and couldn't wait to run around! During his group, Kesler approached absolutely everyone in the yard to see if they were ready to play. Kesler approached Gryphon first and they took off running and chasing each other! Gryphon followed Kesler everywhere in between play sessions and they greeted the other dogs as they went. When the boys were ready to play again, it turned into a fast game of tag and Gryphon was running fast circles along with Kesler. When Gryphon caught up to Kesler, they started wrestling for a few minutes before Gryphon hopped away to go visit with Glenda Lou. Glenda Lou was mostly independent during the group today, she was running around her own but enjoyed watching as all the dogs were playing. She roamed the yard and came to greet me here and there. Glenda Lou saw Gryphon and Kesler playing together and she ran over to them and jumped around. Kesler zoomed past her and she joined he and Gryphon in a chase from yard to yard.

Oban was so excited to get outside today, he could hardly contain himself! He ran right up to me with his whole body wiggling as he nudged my hand for some pets. I scratched his head for a few minutes before he took off to play with his buddies. He headed towards Duke, who was also looking for someone to play with. The boys ran around together from yard to yard playing tag. If either Duke or Oban changed directions, the other would quickly turn around to follow. Duke led the group as more dogs joined in. They ran together with Duke in the lead, and Oban not far behind, around each yard. Oban slowed down and ducked into the play structure to take a quick break, and Duke followed suit. It didn't last long though, and the boys had the rest of the group bouncing around again in no time.

Shyla went for a wander on her own when she first went outside today. She wandered around and explored for a bit before the others' hyper energy rubbed off on her. When Oban and Duke started to play tag and run around her, Shlya got excited and just had to join in with them. She started to chase after Duke with the others as fast as she could. She ran from yard to yard until she saw Maverick and went to visit him right away. Maverick was exploring on his own and was just following his nose, sniffing whatever he could see on the ground. He liked to come up to me every now and then to say hello. I'd always kneel down and open my arms really wide as if I was awaiting a big hug. I'd just wrap maverick in my arms and cuddle him, which he loved.