Sunday, July 17th, 2016

Extra Attention Jasmine and Cobe really enjoyed the extra attention today. I brought them up front with me, and they were whining with excitement as they ran to the area where we were going to hang out. Immediately, Jasmine sniffed the treats I had hidden in my pocket, and began to wag her tail. She licked my hand then sat at my feet while I sat on a chair. I pulled out one of the treats from my pocket and Jasmine licked her lips. She looked super happy as she crunched away on the treat. Afterward, Jasmine gave me lots and lots of kisses as we cuddled. She was half on the chair with me and stretched her legs as I pet them. Cobe also got a yummy treat after Jasmine. He also enjoyed the treat, but was quite interested in a little stuffed toy I brought over to him. I showed him the toy and key him sniff it before tossing it across the room. He galloped after it and picked it up to bring back over to me. We played fetch a few times before he got tired. Then, Cobe jumped up onto the chair with me for a cuddle. Feist and I had a lovely cuddle session after walks for her extra attention. As soon as I got to her kennel she knew exactly what time it was and started to wag her tail. She always has a big smile on her face. I sat down in the kennel with her and she quickly cuddled up next to me, searching my hands for treats. She munched away on a tasty treat while I rubbed her ears, and then Feist decided that I should hold her paw, and held it out for me. If she thought I wasn't paying enough attention to her, she would scratch at my arm until I started petting her again. Feist snuggled closer and practically sat right in my lap while we cuddled. She then went to lay down on her bed and rolled over for a belly rub. She looked quite silly on her back with her feet sticking up and her tongue poking out! Groups Feist had another wonderful day here at Tails & Trails. She almost seems like she’d a part of our family here now that she’s been getting more and more relaxed being with us. This morning she was so excited to go outside for her first outing. Feist looked as if she was dancing in front of her kennel door as she waited for me to come open it for her. Once I did she jumped up to give me a huge kiss before racing out into the yard. I could tell that she loved the warm summer smells and sun as soon as she got inside because she seemed to stop and soak it all in. During her walk this morning, she walked with two other friends. One of which enjoyed going pretty fast so this kept Feist on her toes. However her other friend was quite slow so Feist got to take a break and stay with them every so often. Once it came time for her outdoor play group she was just as happy to go outside and greet some old as well as new friends. Feist did her usual yard check and greeted everyone she passed before settling herself in a nice shaded area. She also took some time to stand in the sun as she sniffed away in the yard. Feist’s favourite time of her play group was coming to see me for some cuddles. I could just see the smile on her face as she walked over to me.  Tallee started off her day with a nice walk alongside her friends Tatoo and Riley. She was eager to get outside and explore the trail, and she could hardly sit still while I put her leash on. The other two were perfect matches for Tallee as all three of them wanted to walk at the same pace. Tallee lead the small group down the trail and picked out the best spots to sniff. Every once in a while she would get a burst of energy, leap through the grass and run in a circle around the others. During groups she was just as enthusiastic and wanted to play with everyone right away. First she partnered up with a familiar face, Riley, and the girls had a great time chasing each other around the yard. Tallee ran behind the play structure and dodged back and forth while Riley tried to figure out which way Tallee would go. Eventually Tallee bounded off again with Riley and now Magic hot on her heels. When they settled down again, Tallee went to find another dog to play with. She found her good friend Justice and happily pounced on his back. He politely declined her offer to play, so Tallee went to explore the yard instead. She thought that the grass by the fenced smelled quite interesting and took her time sniffing it - and munching on it - while she wandered around. Kouza absolutely loved the weather today. This morning on her walk, she took her time enjoying the sun and the nice breeze. It was more of the same during groups and Kouza was delighted to be outside again. She hurried out the door with the dogs and I, and immediately set out to explore the yard. There must have been an interesting scent on the breeze because Kouza kept pausing to lift her nose and sniff the air. She looked very content and it was great to see her in such a wonderful mood. While Kouza took her time investigating the picnic table, her friends Monty and Max kept her company. They were all having a lazy day today. I went over to see if Kouza wanted to cuddle and, of course, she happily leaned against my leg while I pet her. After Kouza had her fill of attention, she and I slowly made our way to the far yard, occasionally stopping if Kouza thought she smelled something interesting. We were joined by all of Kouza's canine friends who came rushing over to say hello. Kouza gave each of them a sniff and then continued on her way. She checked out the agility jump, the tunnel and a few rocks. Whenever Kouza needed a break she would end up at my feet, searching for more cuddles. Once everything in the yard had been sniffed, Kouza went to socialize with some of the other dogs. Cobe had quite the exciting day today. He was running around on his walk this morning, and still had energy to spare once it was group time. He bounded out the door amongst his many friends and made a beeline for the far yard. I think he likes to wander through the long grass by the fence and pretend he's in a jungle. After Cobe had sniffed around and made sure that everything was in place, he trotted over to one of the rocks and leaped up to observe the yard from this new vantage point. Cobe saw Charlee standing on her own rock and raced over to see her. They had a playful standoff to see who would claim the rock. This attracted Ryder, who came hurtling over. Cobe and Ryder proceeded to chase each other around the yard. When the dogs stopped for a breather, Cobe lead them over to the picnic table where they could lounge in the shade. Cobe happily bounced to my feet and cuddled up with me when I picked him up. We sat together until Ryder started to run around again, and Cobe had to go after him. Jasmine got to spend some time away from her tiny brother and met a bunch of new friends today, as she was hanging out with some of the big dogs, instead of with Cobe and the little guys. She was a tiny bit shy at first and wanted to stick close to me, but soon Poppy and Dushka won her over with their wagging tails and happy kisses. Jasmine strayed from my side with her two new friends and greeted everyone else in the group. Although she liked everybody, Poppy was certainly her favourite and Jasmine was stuck to her side like glue while Poppy introduced her to the other dogs. Eventually Jasmine felt confident enough to wander around on her own for a while. She spent some time sniffing the yard and even poked her head in the play structure. Jasmine also got plenty of cuddle time with me, in between her adventures. Ryder is quite the happy little guy. He was so excited for group time and was bouncing up and down when I got to his kennel. Ryder practically flew into the yard and immediately got to work exploring everything he laid eyes on. First, he crawled underneath the picnic table, sniffed around and then wriggled out again. He jumped up onto the bench to survey the yard and find his next destination. A moment later, Ryder took off again. This time he made his way to the tunnel. I encouraged him to go inside, although Ryder just gave me a funny look and continued to investigate the outside of it. He raced around a bit more, stopping to smell the agility jump, and then trotted over to where Charlee and Cobe were playing. Ryder saw Charlee perched on a rock and put his paws up to say hello to her. They bumped noses and then Charlee hopped down. Before Ryder could play with her, however, little Cobe pounced on Ryder's back as an invitation to chase him. The boys started running around like crazy. Ryder was spinning and leaping, as graceful as can be. They eventually settled down again and made their way to the picnic table, where Ryder happily climbed into my lap and licked my chin while I cuddled him. After he was satisfied with the attention, Ryder bounded away to play with Cobe again. Monty had curled up in his kennel for a nap after walks, but he knew exactly what time it was when I came to get him for groups and started hopping around. He raced outside and slid to a halt, sniffing the air. Satisfied that everything was in the right place, Monty headed for the far yard where he could wander about in the grass. He was busy munching away on some grass when I walked over to say hello to him. Monty looked like he was smiling for the camera while I took a picture of him, and then he put his paws up on my leg to see if I had anything to give him. I kindly told him that, unfortunately, I had no treats on me and scooped him up for a cuddle to make up for it. Monty seemed to enjoy that just as much. We then headed back to the gravel yard to see what the other dogs were up to. I found a rubber toy for Monty and held it out to him. He jumped up and down with excitement and then gave it a sniff before taking it from my hands. Monty carried it only a short distance and then set it down again, because he wanted to climb on the picnic table. He leaped up beside Charlee and proudly sat down while he watched the dogs wander around the yard. After his adventure on the picnic table, Monty trotted back over to me and I had him show off a few tricks. His favourite was "sit and then slowly lift his bum back up as if I wouldn't notice". Roxy, Trixie and Charlee are such sweet girls. They enjoyed a nice walk together in the morning and then curled up together to rest before group time. Once it was their turn in the yard, the three of them happily followed me outside and set out to explore. Roxy and Trixie stuck side by side as they made their way to the far corner of the yard and began to sniff around in the grass. I stopped by to say hello to them and Trixie was delighted to spend some time cuddling with me. Roxy was busy working her nose so I decided to come back later once she was unoccupied. Trixie followed me to one of the rocks where I sat down to pet some of the dogs. She put her paws up on the rock as if she was considering jumping up with me. I picked her up and placed her in my lap, where she immediately sat down to watch the other dogs coming and going from her new perch. Eventually Trixie had her fill of attention and hopped down to go trotting over to the picnic table. Roxy soon wandered over to me and took her sister's place on my lap. Once she also had enough cuddles, we headed over to where most of the group had gathered in the shade and the girls spent some time hanging out with their friends. Charlee was in a more energetic mood than the other two and wasted no time racing into the yard and leaping onto a rock. From there, she launched herself off, ran around the tunnel and was back on the rock in seconds. Her sudden flurry of activity caught the attention of Cobe, who came hurrying over. He jumped up on the rock with Charlee, who promptly attempted to push him off. When that plan failed, Charlee agreed to share her spot, so long as Cobe didn't take up too much space. Their friend Ryder came over and gave Charlee a lick on the nose, which made Cobe very jealous. The two boys had a friendly wrestling match while Charlee watched them compete for her affection like a queen on her throne. She then got tired of them and came to cuddle with me instead.  Leah and Poppy enjoyed a lovely walk this morning. They are always so eager to get out on the trail and happily spent their walk trotting along and sniffing everything that caught their interest. When it came time for groups, Poppy was lounging on her cot and was so comfy that it took a bit of persuasion to get her outside. Once she was out the door, she became much more lively. Leah had already wandered off to sniff around the yard, so Poppy hurried after her, and the two of them were completely immersed in their explorations. Leah found the play structure - and the dog inside - to be quite interesting. She spent some time checking it out, while Poppy had moved on to find something more to her taste. She bumped into a new addition to the group, Jasmine, and promptly decided to be the welcoming committee, along with her friend Dushka. Poppy gave Jasmine a thorough sniff and then followed her around the yard while Jasmine said hello to the other dogs. The new dog was a bit shy but she loved hanging out with Poppy. Leah had made her way over to me and was busy soaking up attention when Poppy returned with Jasmine in tow. The three of them swarmed my feet as I attempted to pet all of them at once. Unfortunately it was a bit difficult with only two hands, so Leah kindly backed up to let the other two cuddle. She sat down to soak up some sun. After that, Leah and Poppy decided to stick together for the rest of group time, since Jasmine had gone to see Dushka. They were content to just amble about, enjoy the nice weather and keep each other company, all while receiving plenty of attention from me. Nymeria had an exciting walk with our huskies Ivy and Aurora this morning. She could hardly wait to get out the door and completely ignored the path while we were walking, preferring to just run in circles through the grass. She certainly has a lot of energy! For our first group rotation, Nymeria was getting prettied up in the groom room, though she was more than happy to join us the second time around. Immediately she ran outside and went right to her husky friend Syrus. She poked him with her nose and then darted away before Syrus could catch her. Nymeria must have been in the mood to make trouble today, because once Syrus had finished looking around for the culprit, Nymeria leaped out from behind a rock and tackled him. She then hopped to her feet and took off across the yard. The first dog that crossed her path was Milo, who unfortunately picked the wrong moment to run over to me. Before he reached me, Nymeria had pounced on him and more or less squished him. He quickly bounced back and the two of them had a wrestling match. After that, Nymeria spent some time cuddling with me - and attempting to lick my face numerous times - as while as running laps around the yard with no particular destination. Syrus was bouncing up and down with excitement before his walk this morning with his friend Oz. He was just as eager to get outside for groups and wasted no time flying through the door and into the yard. Syrus busied himself by exploring the yard. He wasn't quite sure where to start so he just ran around until something caught his interest, and he trotted off with his nose to the ground. As he was sniffing around the play structure, Mel poked his head out from inside and surprised Syrus, who hurried away to find something else to sniff. He bumped into Milo and Max. The boys took turns wrestling with each other. Syrus was careful to be gentle with his slightly smaller friends and happily let them pounce all over him while he attempted to swipe their legs out from under them. Eventually Max wandered off and left Syrus to play with Milo. The two of them were having a great time trying to tackle each other to the ground. Then Syrus suddenly took off across the yard with Milo on his heels and dove headfirst into the play structure. It was a bit of a tight fit, but Syrus had no trouble wiggling his way inside. He then scrambled out the back door and went running off again. Once he and Milo settled down to catch their breath, Syrus trotted over to see me and get some cuddles. Max E. was not to be left out of all of the excitement today and he was just as eager as the other dogs to get outside. On his walk this morning he trotted along with his tail wagging and happily sniffed everything on the trail, with his friends Dragon and Gryphon to keep him company. Once we got back, Max settled down for a rest before groups. All of his energy returned the moment he stepped out into the yard with the other dogs and I. Right away Max was leaping and pouncing along with the rest of his group. He had a wrestling match with Syrus and Milo, which he won, of course. Satisfied with his victory, Max hurried over to say hello to Mel. He started wagging his tail when he saw me standing there also and sat down for some cuddles. Then Max went to wander about the yard and find something interesting to sniff. The play structure was a good place to explore, he decided, so he spent a while poking his head in all of the openings. Then his toy-radar picked up something and Max emerged with a Frisbee. He ran over to me and dropped it at my feet. As soon as my hands touched it, Max got ready to race after it. This caught Milo's attention, who came running over. I tossed it for them and Max went sailing through the air to catch it while Milo cheered him on, more interested in watching than playing. We continued this game for a while, until we headed inside. Mel is always a delight as he's so happy to cuddle with me. Today he had a nice walk in the sun with his friend Dougie. Mel lead the way down the trail with his head up and nose sniffing the air; occasionally he would bounce off to the side if he smelled something good. He had his work cut out for him avoiding Dougie, who was busy zigzagging across the path. Then, as if Mel had suddenly remembered that I was walking with them, he spun around and came flying towards me. He was still full of energy once it was time for groups. I tried to interest him in a few toys, though every time I held something out to him, he thought I was inviting him over for a cuddle and would just wiggle around at my feet, waiting to be pet. I gave up on the toys and scratched his back instead. Mel enjoyed this plenty and if I stopped petting him for even a second he would spin around and nuzzle my hand to get my attention. We then headed over to the play structure, where Mel quickly jumped inside. His friend Syrus came over to investigate and Mel gave him a lick on the head before hopping down from his perch. Mel and I spent a bit more time walking around and saying hello to the other dogs, and he demonstrated his "sit" and "down" for me, which earned him lots of extra cuddles.