Thursday July 7th, 2016

Extra Attention

Pepper and I headed out to the field for some one-on-one time after her group outing this afternoon. We went out the front door and I let Pepper lead the way as she followed her nose. We explored all of the parts of the field that she didn't get to see on her walk this morning. We stopped at the bridge at the back of the field and Pepper had a good look around there in the long grass. The water had all dried up from the creek, and Pepper was curious as to what could be under the bridge. After a good long look, Pepper sat up nicely so I could take a picture. Once she had thoroughly examined the bridge, we made our way back out to the main trail. Pepper stopped at all of the hay bales before continuing on. When we reached the driveway, we slowly started to walk back towards the front door. It was nice and cool in the reception area, so we hung out there for a little bit. Pepper met little Julie and spent some time sniffing her and her wheelchair. I showed her some toys but she opted to sit down with Julie and I for some pets before it was time to head back to her kennel.

Millie was so wiggly and full of beans when it was time for her one-on-one session that I could hardly get her harness on! Once we made it out to the front yard, Millie was eager to follow her nose through the grass. We meandered around the field for a little while before going back to the front yard to play. I hooked Millie up to the long leash and took out a few different toys to see what she'd like to play with today. She wasn't too keen on the rope toy, but grabbed a frisbee without hesitation. i threw the frisbee a few times and Millie ran after it as fast as her little legs would carry her. After a few throws, Millie came across a rope ball in the grass, which she decided she'd like to play with next. We spent a while playing fetch with the rope ball until we both needed a break from the heat. Millie was happy to come back inside the reception area for a drink and some pets.

Gracie was very excited as I approached her kennel after walks to do her extra attention. She ran out of the kennel and started to bounce around in circles until I hooked her up onto the leash to bring her outside. As she was running around on the long line and exploring the front yard I took a seat on the grass and called her over to come and see me. She ran over and stood right beside me for me to pet her, I gave her lots of cuddles as she started to roll around on the ground and was trying to show off to get some treats. Of course it worked and as she did some tricks for me I gave her lots of treats in return. After that she sat beside me on the grass as I pet her, she got up a few times to go and explore some more but she mostly laid down and relaxed.

Feist is such a sweet girl. We had a great one on one time this morning. We started off by exploring the field out front. She motored around with her nose to the ground picking up on all the scents of the other dogs. From here we headed to the lounge where she was more than happy to jump on the couch and hang out by my side. We cuddled on the couch for a while and then she sniffed around the lounge. She found a bone and carried this around with her until we headed back inside. When we came inside we hung out in the playroom for a bit. She dropped the bone and traded it with a rope toy which we briefly played tug with before she hopped up onto this couch. She lay down and rested her head on my lap where she received endless pets and cuddles. Before heading back to her kennel I offered her some treats in return for some tricks. She showed me sit, paw, and sit pretty. I love when she would throw both her paws in the air at with a big smile on her face. She was then more than happy to head back to her kennel where she snoozed until it was time for her group outing.

Groups

Caesar and Monte couldn't wait for it to be time for group. As soon as I opened their kennel door they took off for the door to outside. Monte and Caesar set out to see if anything had changed in the yard. Caesar made it about three steps then promptly turned around and shoved his face into my stomach wanting lots pets and attention. Monte was happy to continue exploring on his own. Caesar eventually had had enough love and made his way out to join his brother in exploring in the grass. Monte was distracted from his explorations when he noticed Splash. He made his way over to Splash and introduced himself. Monte was then quite determined to get him to play. Splash wasn't sure he was ready yet so I showed Monte the rope toy. He was excited by the rope and practically launched himself at the toy trying to steal it away. We had a great time playing some fetch and tug. Caesar made his way over to check in on us before making his way back out to do some more exploring. Monte eventually didn't bring the toy back and turned his attention back to getting Splash to play with him. Still not having much luck, Monte decided to go and play in the pool. Caesar paused in his exploring to watch his brothers antics. It wasn't long before he made his way back to me wanting more pets and ear rubs. Once Monte was done with the pool I went and got the rope toy for another game. We had a nice game of tug going on when Gracie came over to join in.

Feist said a quick hello to me then headed straight out to the far part of the yard to start exploring. She continued to make her way around the yard checking out anything that caught her eye. Feist soon made her way over by the pool. She spent some time exploring around it. Next it was time for Feist to have some fun splashing around in the pool. She spun around, kicked at the water, and dunked her face having a grand old time. After some more splashing, Feist made her way out to the far yard to join me and the rest of the group. She checked on the other dogs before making her way over to me to lean against my side and ask for some pets. Feist left me to make her way back to the main yard and the pool. She was stopped by Splash who had taken quite a liking to her and rather wanted to play. Feist joined him for a bit, but when she saw the opportunity present itself she left him to hop in the pool. Now extra soggy, Feist tried to lean against me wanting more love.

Maggie set out with a determined air about her. She went trotting off right for the far yard, but when she got to the entrance she stopped. Maggie met up with Splash and they spent some time checking one another over. Once Splash had moved on, Maggie went to enter the far yard once more, but then noticed Monte and Caesar exploring nearby. She made her way over to see what they were looking at. Maggie then went running out to the far yard. After doing some exploring around the yard she made her way over to me and leaned against my leg wanting some pets. Eventually she'd had enough and decided to go and see what was going on by the pool. When Maggie got there Monte was in the pool. She went to put a paw in, but quickly decided there wasn't enough room for the two of them. While Maggie waited for her turn she came over for some more pets. Soon Monte got out and the pool was all Maggie's she spun around and splashed. Feeling all frisky, she hopped out and went to see about running around with Gracie. 

Gracie was the first to make her way out to the far yard. She was quick to put her nose to the ground and set off in search of something. When Gracie finished looking over the far yard, she quickly went trotting back to the main yard to see what the others were up to. After she had checked in with everyone Gracie went trotting back to the grassy fence line and put her nose down to continue her explorations. She stuck mostly to the fence, very interested in all the plant life growing there. Gracie soon had gone all around the yard and decided it was time for a nice drink in the pool. She was determine to not get her feet wet no matter how much I coaxed her. Feeling refreshed, Gracie came over to me for a little visit. After our pets she went trotting over to the hole in the middle of the yard with a big grin on her face. Gracie stated to dig and then went zooming around the yard. She ended up taking up a position on a pallet where she stood and watch Monte and I play tug. It didn't take long for Gracie to come over and join the fun. When Monte won the rope Gracie went chasing around after him. Needing to cool off, Gracie ended up back by the pool, but this time she got her front feet in the water.

Splash set out to see what everyone else was up to. He then noticed Caesar getting some pets from me and decided that seemed like a good idea. Splash made his way over to me for pets. Once he'd had enough he headed back out to check on the other dogs. Splash spent some time say his hellos to Maggie. When that was done he went to see Feist. Splash was stopped along the way by Monte who very much wanted to play with him. Splash wasn't quite interested in play and so went trotting off to check out more of the yard while Monte tagged along. The two of them ended up making their way over to the pool. Monte got in while Splash was happy to socialize with the others hanging around. First he spent some time with Maggie before he spotted Feist and went to see about getting her to play with him. Splash was stolen away from Feist by Monte who wanted to see if he could get him to play now. Splash followed his friend for a minute and then decided to follow his nose around the yard instead.


Tinkerbell made her way out into the yard and quickly decided to see what everyone was up to. With that done, she went trotting out to the far yard to start exploring in the grass. Tinkerbell was distracted from her explorations when she spotted Fergus checking Pepper out. She went trotting over to give Pepper a good once over of her own. Once she was done with that, Tinkerbell went trotting back to the main yard to check in on Rocky and Kouza. Fergus ended up joining Tinkerbell and they headed off to do some exploring together. The two of them met back up with Pepper, but now with the addition of Maya. The others then went running off and Tinkerbell decided it was time to socialize with me. She put her paws on my leg and asked for some love and attention. After she got that she wanted to play. Tinkerbell started to play bow and bounce around my legs. We had fun playing until Pepper came over to see what we were up to. Next we made our way out to the far yard where Tinkerbell hopped up onto one of the big rocks to give it a good once over. It was then time for some more pets. When she'd had enough Tinkerbell left me to check in on the other dogs once more.

Kouza was pretty happy to make her way outside for group time. She started her morning with saying hello to the other dogs in her group. Having said hello to the other dogs it was time for Kouza to start exploring in the grass. She stopped every now and then to check on what the nearby dogs were up to, but she was very focused on checking out everything she could. I went over and offered her the rope toy to see if made she'd want to play. She gave me a look and continued on exploring. After Kouza had thoroughly gone around the main yard she went out to do the same in the far yard. She soon became distracted by some noise on the other side of the fence. I heard birds, but she might have heard something else as well. Kouza spent quite some time with her head cocked just listening. Eventually she moved on and continued on exploring in the grass. Kouza's path lead her over to where Pepper was checking something out by the fence line. They spent some time together checking out that corner before Kouza continued on her way.

Maya and Rocky made their way out in distinctly different ways. Maya went booking it out the door looking for fun and someone to play with. Rocky made his way out much more slowly and quickly took up position in his favourite spot by the door. Maya ended up being distracted by a particularly interesting scent on the ground and stopped her running to check it out. After that she was all about the exploring. Maya made her way out to the far yard with her nose to the ground in search of something super interesting. Rocky let her go content to stay where he was spending some time with the dogs nearby. After they left he decided to set out and do a little exploring of his own. Maya soon grew tired of exploring and put her mind back to finding someone to play with. She spotted Fergus and that was that. Maya settled in the grass watching him, waiting for him to enter the far yard so she could pounce. The two of them then took off together. After running around for a little while they took a break to go and visit with Pepper and Tinkerbell. It wasn't long before Maya was back in sneaky position waiting for Fergus. I left her to her fun and went to have a visit with Rocky. He'd given up his exploring and was back in his spot having a nap. Rocky woke up when the rest of the group and I joined him. Maya had a quick visit with her brother then went off to play some more. This time she set her sights on Max. Soon they were tearing around the yard together having a blast. Pepper came running over to join them. After racing around for a while it was time to cool off and Maya headed for the pool. Feeling refreshed she was soon back to racing around with Max.

Pepper was a little nervous when she first stepped into the yard, but after taking in her surroundings she settled in just fine. She started her group time by making her way out to the far yard to check out all of the new smells. Pepper wasn't alone out there long, though and Fergus went trotting over closely followed by Tinkerbell. Both were curious about what Pepper was looking at. Pepper left them to head over to the fence line to explore in the rocks and grass. She finished up with the fence and made her way back to the main yard. Pepper found herself being followed by Fergus and Tinkerbell once more plus the addition of Maya. They hung out for a little while before all running off together. Pepper then saw Tinkerbell and I playing from across the yard. She stopped running with Fergus to watch us for a bit. Once her curiosity was satisfied, Pepper headed out to do some more exploring. She was quite happy to keep exploring until she spotted Maya and Max tearing around the yard. Pepper went racing out after them and joined the fun.

Teddy ran right out the door today to greet everybody in his group. He had so much energy that as soon as he got out the door he couldn't help but to start running around in circles. After he ran around for a bit to release some of his energy, he began to slow down and walk up to some of the dogs to sniff them and say hello. When he got to Domino something sparked between them and they hit it off immediately. Domino is such a funny boy. When he came outside this morning he started bouncing around all of the dogs right away. He would jump in front of one and play bow then jump to the next dog; he did this to all of his friends and then decided to head off to go explore around the yard. He started sniffing over by the far buildings and made his way along the fence all the way to me then started to back track. He came across a big hole that's been dug previously by another dog and became very interested in it as he stuffed his head inside. Teddy ran up as he was curiously checking it out and began to run around him and bark to try to get him to play. Domino couldn't say no to a good play mate and jumped out of the hole and started to chase him around the yard. The two played tag for a while as some of the dogs watched them with amusement, especially Millie.

Millie was being such a cuddly dog when she first came outside this morning, which was not what I was expecting at all since she ran out the door with so much enthusiasm to play with the others. When I walked out after her she was sniffing along the fence when I sat down on a big rock in the middle of the yard. She ran over to me and rubbed up against me so I would pet her. It didn't take long before Millie's eyes were all over Domino and Teddy racing around the yard that she started to get more and more full of beans. All of a sudden she stood up and started to chase Teddy around the yard as fast as she could as he was chasing Domino. Finally Teddy caught up to him and he and Domino started to wrestle around on the ground as Millie ran around them in circles. When they started to run again, Domino stopped at the hole to have another good sniff inside it. Millie noticed Domino run over there and followed him to check it out. Millie was just as interested and started to nudge her way into the hole next to him as he was sniffing around it. Meanwhile, Teddy went off on his own to see the other dogs and to socialize with them.

Tsavo and Cai were so happy when they realized it was their turn to go outside this morning. Cai began to jump up onto the door of the kennel to get out before I could even open it. I thought he just wanted to go outside really badly but once I opened the door and he started jumping up to give me kisses. Meanwhile, Tsavo went straight for the door to join the rest of the group. Once we got outside, Cai took off right away into the agility yard and started to explore around all of the tall grass that was along the fence. He sniffed as if he was determined to find something buried underneath all of the plants and never lifted his head up even if I called him over. Tsavo, on the other hand, was being more sociable than Cai. She stayed near me and all of the others and  went around to sniff everyone. I called Tsavo over when she was done greeting the other dogs. She made her way over to me and I started to give her a good head scratch. After she had enough of all of the cuddles she started to follow Kimi around and try to play with her. Cai saw Tsavo and I and came sprinting over to say hello and to get some pets himself.

Percy and Ginny were both so happy to see each other again when they went out for their group this morning. It's been a little while since these two saw each other and spent some time greeting one another. After he was done saying hello he walked off on his own to go explore around the buildings on the far side of the agility yard. Ginny did the same but sniffed around the grass instead. She was happy to wander around and sniff the yard and watching as the other dogs ran around. I called her over to me a bunch but at first she was very focused by something she saw through the fence. She was so intrigued that she didn't even look back as I was calling her and started pawing at the grass at the bottom of the fence. When Percy was done sniffing around on his own he made his way over to see all of the other dogs and started to get playful. He ran over to the agility tunnels and ran through them a bunch of times as Ginny watched him eagerly. Ginny started getting playful as well the more she watched Percy and after she started to run around the agility tunnel in circles she decided to make her way through, following Percy. I found a bone on the ground and Percy ran right up to me with a big smile on his face and his tongue sticking out. I threw it across the yard and he chased it and found a nice spot in the shade to chew on it. Ginny saw the bone go flying and chased after it right behind Percy.

Kimi had so much energy when she first came in this morning. She ran down the hall with a huge smile on her face and was so excited to be here. During her group outside she walked out the door and was very pleased to me outside, she was very social today and instead of staying on her own in the yard she decided to walk over towards all of the dogs to hang around them. For some reason all of the dogs loved Kimi and they all ran over to give her a sniff, Cai and Tsavo were especially interested in her and kept on jumping up on her back to try and get her to play with them. Kimi seemed to get a burst of energy with them and ran around them in a circle. She then walked over towards Issy who was sniffing around on her own in the far part of the agility yard. Issy loves to explore and that's the only thing she seems to be interested in doing some days. She took off as soon as she got outside and saved her hellos for later. Mocha followed her into the agility yard which was surprising since Mocha usually stays over by the door to relax. Today was different and she certainly had lots of energy! She trotted along the rocks and made her way over to me and all of the other dogs as I was sitting on a big rock. Mocha came over and found a nice comfy spot right in between my legs where she sat as I pet her a lot. She was so happy there that she didn't move the entire time until I had to stand up. She stayed near all of the dogs and took her time as she went up to them to sniff them. When she was done she decided it was enough walking around for her and she made her way back to the door to do what she does best: relax. Issy thought that Mocha had a good idea ran over to the doorstep and joined her.  Kimi stayed in the agility yard for a little bit longer after she was done exploring then finally joined the other two to wait to go back inside.