Sunday June 19th, 2016

Reese had another great day today. His morning walk definitely woke him up and got him ready for the day ahead of him. As soon as we got outside he was at the end of his leash looking back at me to speed up a little bit more and it continued for the rest of the walk except for the occasional head scratch that he would come back and get. He’s got an abundance of energy! However once his walk was over, he needed to have a quick snooze to make sure he was ready for his extra attention time. Reese came up into the front play room with one of our volunteers for his extra attention. First off, he got to show off his tricks and even get crackers for them. He was such a good boy and did all of the tricks with ease. Then he enjoyed playing with a variety of different toys. He immediately loved the rope toy so they played tug of war for a little while. Soon enough he found a Frisbee, and after that, a tennis ball, between which he couldn’t seem to choose. Towards the end of his one-on-one play time, he got a few extra snuggles. By the end of his extra attention time Reese definitely needed a quick nap to be completely ready for his outdoor play group. Once he woke up and was ready to go he trotted outside and immediately found a Frisbee in the yard. The two of us played catch for quite some time and he loved it. Even when I was just holding the Frisbee he was racing around trying to get it from me and run away with it, silly guy. He ended up laying in the pool for a little while towards the end of his group time and seemed to enjoy trying to bite at the water.

Amira started her morning off by having a relaxed walk with one of her good friends in the warm summer air. She was so excited to get outside and start moving that her nose was pressed all the way up against her kennel door, patiently waiting for her turn. Once I went to her kennel her tail started wagging a mile a minute and as soon as she could, she was off like a bullet out the door and into the yard. For the entire walk, Amira remained at the end of her leash completely focused on all the different smells that were blowing in the air. By the end of her walk she was ready for a short nap before it came time for her outdoor play group. When it was her turn to go outside again she was ready and rested. Amira sprung outside and immediately showed off her voice by barking at me to go join her. She loved being right by my side for almost the entire group time. The two of us sat up on our picnic table and snuggled for quite some time. Amira was feeling the heat and she went to cool off a bit by putting a paw or two in the little pool. She wouldn’t go fully in but at least she cooled off!

Jake and Bella each had such wonderful days today! The two of them had a nice fast walk around the field while doing their usual venturing through the long grass. Bella always had her nose right to the ground in search of anything to chase while Jake mostly just watched her and waited for her to find something. Sadly they ended up empty handed except for Bella being covered in grass from all of her exploring, silly girl. When it came time for their outdoor play group the two of them were ecstatic to go out and play. Bella was jumping all over her kennel and even jump on top of Jake a couple times. Jake was too focused on going outside to even notice. As soon as I opened their kennel door they each took off like bullets into the yard and patiently waited at the door for their friends to join them. Jake was in a very cuddly mood. He was constantly right beside me rubbing his head into my leg and getting pet as much as he possibly could. Bella focused more on the yard than cuddling today. She greeted all of her friends as soon as they came outside but quickly deviated to the fence line in order to start sniffing. I think she must have been chasing a fly at one point because she was racing around jumping up in the air while trying to catch something. Jake and I ended up playing tug of war for a short time but he eventually needed a break so we lied down in the grass where he got an excellent belly rub.

Duke was very fascinated with Rhodri while they were outside. His new friend was very small compared to the other dogs and Duke wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He gave Rhodri a thorough sniff and then proceeded to follow him around while the other dogs wandered about the yard. Duke attempted to play with Rhodri by poking him gently with his nose and then leaping backwards. Rhodri just gave Duke a funny look and kept walking. Duke stuck close behind his friend for a bit longer and then decided to see what the other dogs were up to. He said hello to Glory and Wally; Duke was delighted to have more bloodhounds to play with! After spending some time with those two, Duke came over to see me, and sat happily at my feet while I was petting him. Then he figured it was warm enough for a swim, and went to splash around in the pool.

Bella was so excited to get outside today. She hurried into the yard and wasted no time pouncing on the nearest dog. It happened to be Wally, who immediately spun around to see who had jumped on him. Bella gave him a friendly poke and they both sniffed each other over, with tails wagging. She was so happy to meet a new friend. After an enthusiastic greeting for the rest of the dogs and I, Bella ran into the agility yard to see if there was anything exciting. She explored the grass for a while and then decided she needed to cool down in the pool. Bella hopped right into the water without hesitation. After a few minutes of having the pool to herself, Wally and Frida joined her. Bella tried digging through the bottom of the pool and succeeded only in drenching the other two dogs. Wally and Frida jumped out, and started running around with each other. Bella couldn't resist a game and quickly went to join in.

For her extra attention today, Bella had tons of fun in the playroom with me. First we cuddled for a bit, until Bella wound herself up so much that she couldn’t sit still, and then we moved on to toys. We played fetch with a rope toy, which Bella enjoyed shaking around. She eventually tripped over a bone and snatched that up instead. It seemed to give her a burst of energy, because the next second, Bella was racing back and forth across the playroom with the toy in her mouth.

Maverick and Shyla had a great walk this morning; they were super excited, as usual, and couldn’t wait to get on the trail. Maverick had loads of fun bounding through the long grass, and Shyla entertained herself by zigzagging all over the path. They both settled down for a rest once we got back, to save up some energy for group time. Once that time came around, Maverick raced out the door in the middle of all his friends, and Shyla wasn’t too far behind him. They split up to explore the agility yard. Shyla thought the grassy area was quite interesting and spent some time sniffing around there. She also played a brief game of chase with Molly. Maverick decided that he wanted to be social today and went around saying hello to the other dogs. I tried to persuade the two of them to get in the pool, but they were determined to stay dry and only gave it a sniff. We then headed to the main yard. Shyla was delighted by the new area to explore and immediately set off with her nose to the ground. Maverick sat beside me for a bit and soaked up some attention. Then he went to lay down in the play structure, where he could stay nice and cool.