Thursday June 9th, 2016

Cats:

Allie was so full of beans when I went in to see her bright and early this morning. She hopped up on my shoulders again, kneading away as I cleaned up. She loves a shoulder ride and it's becoming part of her morning routine! Allie ran around the room like a wild cat after hopping down from my back. She scratched away at one scratching post before bouncing off to scratch on the cat tree. Allie climbed up all the way to the very top to get a view of the whole room. A little later on, a new cat joined Allie in the cattery. They sniffed each other through Bengal's cubby door but Allie decided to let her settle in and went to climb back up on her post.

Extra Attention:

Rio is such a pleasure to work with. She makes training a fun and enjoyable time. It didn't take her long at all to pick up on “paw”. She was slapping her paw around without any hesitation today, knowing she would get a liver treat. I really encouraged her to sniff some new areas to get her extra distracted for her recall. She was very quick to find a very intriguing scent, which was definitely difficult to get her off of. After numerous reminders and leading her to me she remembered what we were out there to do and she began darting to me with ease. We came back inside for a change of scenery and she had a tougher time doing her sit, down, and paw in front of all the staff. She picked up on what I was asking her after she was reminded that she gets rewarded by a yummy snack if done properly. She then started to sit no problem. Laying down and giving a paw was still a bit tricky. We will continue to work on her commands in front of people and around new distractions to keep her on her toes.

Groups:

Rio was such a joy to have outside with all of the little dogs today. Her puppy energy got everyone in the playful mood as she walked out the door and started to run around with them. She ran into the further yard right away and waited until all of the others caught up. She gave them all a sniff and said hi to everyone then went off on her own to start exploring through the grass. She was the biggest one in her group and the only one you could see as she walked through the tall grass. Her exploring didn’t last too long, though when she saw a couple of the other dogs starting to play. Rio ran over and started to bounce around them and play bow until they started to pay attention to her. Once they were interested they began to chase her in circles around the agility tunnel as she hopped around it and wiggled her body. When she was finished playing and everyone scattered across the yard, Rio walked over to me as I was kneeling down and cuddled right into my lap where she gave me a few kisses before she decided she wanted to go and start playing again for round two!

Percy and Spencer are always such pleasures to have with us when they come in for daycare, they love to play and get along with almost everybody which makes them a joy to have outside. During groups Spencer started to play right away and began to run around with Hudson in circles. Percy was sniffing along the fence when he first got outside and when he saw everybody starting to run around he stopped what he was doing immediately and ran over to join in. All of the dogs then ran into the further yard and started doing circles around the grass and began a game of tag. Tag only lasted for so long though when all of the dogs slowly got distracted and went off on their own to do their business. Spencer came across an orange ball when he was sniffing around the yard and picked it up to show it off to everyone. I called him over to me so we could start a game of fetch and he quickly trotted over as he was trying to hide the ball from the others as they were trying to take it from him, mainly Percy. To my surprise he dropped it in my hand and I waved it up in the air to let he and Percy know that I was going to throw it. The two sat at my feet and waved their tails with their mouths wide open until I threw it and they took off. Spencer caught the ball the first two times after running as fast as he could and tripping and rolling in the grass. Percy tried to hop over him but got distracted by his fall and didn’t know what was going on anymore, the third time I threw it Percy got to it first and he was so proud that he didn’t want to let it go for the rest of the time we were outside.

Teddy and Hudson were both super energetic today during their group. Hudson is just a puppy and always has lots of energy to burn off. During his walk this morning all he wanted to do was run along the entire trail, unfortunately for him my legs couldn’t keep up so he had to walk instead of run! After he rolled around in the grass in the middle of the trail he was alright with that. Teddy was very high energy when he was outside today as well, he started running around in circles as soon as he got out the door and ran around all of the dogs to find someone that wanted to play with him. He and Hudson began to play almost immediately and they got along great. Hudson kept on jumping up onto Teddy’s back and then they would start to run for a bit and once they caught up to each other they would both start to wrestle each other again. Hudson wanted lots of love and kept on running up to kiss me whenever I was kneeling down petting another dog, but whenever I tried to pet him he couldn’t stay still long enough and ran off. Teddy was having a good time chasing Percy and Spencer around the yard during their game of fetch, although Teddy doesn’t like actually catching the ball, he still enjoys running after them.

Duke is such a happy boy! He was so excited to go outside today just like he always is and ran out the door and hopped over to where all of the dogs were in the yard. He’s never met any of these dogs before and was a little nervous when he let the others pet him but he stood still until they were finished and began to jump around again. Duke loves to play and has lots of energy but he never gets too physical while he plays with the others. He loves to play tag and will chase a dog but never wrestles and always bounces around them to bark when he sees that dogs are rolling around on the ground. After he was done playing he started to calm down and wander around to say hello to all of the dogs quickly before he went off to explore on his own. Kimi was also very playful when she first walked outside and joined in to play tag with the big pack of dogs that kept running from one side of the yard to the other. She played until the bunch all joined in together and decided to go over and take a break to smell around the yard. When I went to go and sit on the picnic table she followed me over and nudged her head into my leg for me to pet it.

Molly was such a happy girl today out in the yard. She ran outside and into the agility yard with all of her dog friends and made her way straight to the far end near the two buildings. She started to explore and wander around them as Poppy trotted out and began to jump up on two of the bigger dogs to say hello. After she got her burst of energy out and ran a bit, she walked over to the fence and started to sniff along the bushes where she dug her nose in way down deep to try and find some treasure. It wasn’t long at all before I saw Molly walking back to me with a blue rubber bone in her mouth, she dropped it right at my feet when she saw I was paying attention then nudged it closer for me to throw it. We started up a game of fetch and when I tried to get the others involved and I waved it in Poppy’s direction but she wasn’t quite ready to join in yet. Poppy seemed to be very popular outside in the yard today and as soon as she walked out all of the dogs began to run up and smell her as she was trying to explore. When she was done, she ran up to all of the same dogs and began to play more. Molly and I continued our game of fetch for most of the rest of group time, besides taking a couple quick breaks for pets.

Shyla and Maverick are both so adorable. Whenever I pass their kennel they always hop out of their beds and give me kisses through the door of the kennel. When they were outside with their group this morning, Shyla immediately ran up to a new dog that came in today, Poppy. She was so interested by him and started to follow him wherever he went as he was sniffing around the yard. When Maverick saw Maverick around Poppy he became curious and thought to check it out for himself. After he gave her a quick sniff he decided to go explore some where else. Meanwhile, all Shyla wanted to do was play and started to chase Poppy as she sped up. Poppy loved it and sped up as well until they were running around the yard together. All of the others lifted their heads up and started to watch them when Maverick decided to join in for the second time. He hopped in front of Poppy, which got her xcited to play. Maverick kept on coming up to me when I was sitting on a big rock and curled up into my lap where stayed as I pet him. All he ever wants is cuddles! I called Shyla over so she could join us. She approached slowly, but quickly decided that she wanted to come for pets.

Max and Sadie were thrilled to be back after their two-day break. The moment I stepped foot in the back playroom with leashes in hand they knew that it was walk time. Of course Max sang me a little song while I was preparing them for their walk. Meanwhile Sadie was sitting beside him like an angel, gently pawing at me waiting to get hooked up. They motored along the trail with their noses to the ground. About halfway through the walk Sadie began to bounce through the long grass, almost like a deer. These two were just as thrilled to head out for their playtime. Max was happy to see so many familiar faces; he didn’t know where to begin. He dashed around from dog to dog saying hello to everyone before starting his games. Sadie was very busy checking out a hole in the yard at the beginning of playtime, up until Max came at her full speed begging for her to play with him. Of course Sadie gave in to her brother’s request, and the two of them began wrestling. It didn’t take long for the whole group to get in on their antics and next thing I knew the whole team of dogs was zooming around the yard full speed. I had to stand on a rock to prevent myself from getting knocked over! By the end of playtime Sadie was laying down next to the agility tunnel while Max was resting by my side getting some pets and cuddles.

Tsavo and Cai were a keen pair this morning. They could not wait to get going on their walk. Tayler was walking them behind me and they were motoring so fast they ended up right on my heels. The two of them picked up a scent in the grass, which distracted them enough to let me get ahead. In the yard Tsavo was very intrigued by Kyah, a husky. She was very flirty with her, which led to some games. These two were play bowing and dancing around until Justice got involved and began chasing Kyah. Tsavo was more than happy to race after Kyah and Justice. These three got the whole group sprinting around the yard within minutes. Cai was more than happy to find his pal Max in the yard today. They were quick to begin romping around and it didn’t take long for Max’s sister, Sadie, to join in on the fun too. Cai also spent some quality time by my side today. He could smell I had something tasty and dog friendly in my pocket, so he was being extra sweet to see what he could get. Of course he got a liver treat, and the whole group ended up by my side begging for one too.

Issy and Mocha were pleased to spend their day in the staff room along side their pal Merida. Issy was sneaky enough to take Merida’s bed from her. She seemed to be very aware of the prize she had claimed considering when I went in with a treat for her lunch she didn’t move a muscle, she just sat their with her ears back wagging her tail. In the yard, Mocha was very confident and went dashing in to the agility yard with her tail up ready to say hello to everyone. After numerous dogs approached her ready to play, she changed her mind and came over to my side looking for pets and cuddles instead. Issy was quick to do a tour of the yard and sniff everything before finding a good spot in the sun to tan. When Mocha noticed Issy baking in the sun, she left my side to go keep her sister company.

Teddy and Kiz had yet another wonderful day. Theses two pups always put a smile on my face. They both thoroughly enjoy their morning walks with their walking partner, Kai. These three do a great job together. In the yard both Teddy and Kiz loved the breeze. The two of them stood in the same spot with their noses in the air for quite some time. Their ears were flopping back as if their heads were out the window of a car. It took me going right in front of them with treats to get them to pay attention to me. There must have been something really interesting in the air. After they figured out that I had treats the two of them wouldn’t leave my side for the remainder of group time. Teddy had his whole muzzle in my pocket at one point, while Kizmet has mastered the art of the “puppy dog” face. It’s impossible to say no to these two monkeys.

George is such a sweet man. I had such a great time with him in the yard today. We spent a lot of time one on one cuddling in the sun. He is always so happy to get extra pets and cuddles, and even happier to receive cookies. He also loves to sniff and explore the perimeter of the yard. Titan, on the other hand, loves to dash around the yard with his nose down picking up every little smell around every little nook and cranny. Boomer and Forrest were very intrigued by Titan today, and followed him around for almost the entire time outdoors. Titan was very pleased with this attention they were giving him. He would turn around and sniff them then dash away while looking over his shoulder, almost as if he wanted to know if they were following him. If myself or another dog distracted them, Titan would wander over to them and remind them that he was there and they would continue to follow him as he explored the yard.

Kai is such a lovely girl. She knows our daily routine here like the back of her paw. She saw me walk down the hall with a leash this morning and she instantly leaped off her cot and went to the kennel door with her tail wagging and a big smile on her face. She is so well behaved on leash which makes walk time with her very enjoyable. She is loving the long grass along the sides of the trail. She will stop, sniff, then barrel roll in the long grass until I remind her that we’re out for a walk. She will then continue trotting along by my side until she finds another nice patch of long grass to sniff. In the yard she was up to her normal shenanigans. She loves to show off her tricks for some pets and cuddles. Today I gave her ears a nice cleaning, which she throughly enjoyed. She was so sweet when I was done, she gave me a nice slurp across the face as if she were thanking me.