Wednesday July 13th, 2016

Extra Attention

Soon after his morning walk around the field, it was time for Vasco’s extra attention time. He was so excited to go outside and get some one on one time that he was jumping up at the kennel door just waiting to go. Once I put his leash on we darted down the hallway and out to the front where I put him on our extra long leash. Vasco loved the extra freedom that he got while on the long leash and enjoyed running around as far as he could. He was always at the very end of it just trying to explore further and further with his nose stuck on the ground. There was so many new smells for him to follow which kept him preoccupied for a little while. After he was done that, he joined me in the shade for a bit of a rest before we started playing. Once I grabbed the blue Frisbee in the yard it was go time! He chased me down for that Frisbee and was constantly trying to jump up and get it. The funny thing was that he wouldn’t actually run for it once I threw it, he simply wanted to try and get it away from me when I had it. We played this way with both Frisbees in the yard before picking up a toy ball. This was the only toy he’d chase after and grab. I had him also trying to jump for it when I’d throw it in the air. He was pretty good at catching it! After all the playing we relaxed in the shade for quite some time again and he got a good belly rub, which he seemed to enjoy very much.

Feist was all wound up after her walk in her kennel this morning. I walked in to give her some cuddles as she paced around it in circles. I tried to calm her down as I pet her and gave her some kisses and she started to settle down. That’s when I showed her a treat and she sat down immediately to show off to me so that she could get her snack. I got her to sit and lay down on her bed as I gave her a few. After that she gave me lots of kisses as I laid down on her bed with her. She stayed laying down with me for a little bit then got up and began to give me paw over and over again to get another treat. She sat down once again so I asked her to lay down so I could give her a belly rub.

Groups

Bella and Jake decided to start their morning off with some exploring. They set out with a very determined air. Jake and Bella didn’t make it too far when they stopped to see what Trixie, Roxy, Charlee and Fergus were all doing. Once their curiosity was satisfied they headed out to continue exploring around the yard. Jake and Bella were quick to finish with the main yard and make their way out to the far yard. Once they got out there they split up to check out different parts of the yard. It wasn’t long before Bella caught up with Jake and they headed off together once more. The two of them went around the far yard a couple times then retreated back to the main yard and the shade. Bell and Jake continued trotting around together checking out anything that caught their eyes. Jake then spotted me and decided it was time for some pets and cuddles. I was more than happy to oblige him. Eventually he’d had enough and headed out to trot around with Bella some more. Not too long after that Charlee went racing past. Jake couldn’t resist racing after and was soon having a blast. Bella stood a ways back and watched her brother have fun. Soon bored of that she made her way over to me for some pets. Jake finished running around with Chalree only to find himself being pounced on by Bella. The two of them then took off racing around the yard.

Trixie, Roxy and Charlee were so excited to head out for group time. Trixie and Roxy headed out with their heads together and their noses to the ground. Charlee went to follow them when she met up with Fergus. They spent some time saying hi and figuring each other out. It wasn’t long before Fergus was play bowing to Charlee. Soon they were racing around together. Trixie took a break from her exploring to watch Charlee and make sure she as okay. Roxy made her way back over to Trixie and they headed off to do some more exploring together. Charlee finished playing with Fergus and went running out to the far yard to do some exploring of her own. She made her way over to the hole and spent some time staring at it. This caught Roxy’s eye, who made her way over to give it a once over of her own. Trixie was too distracted by a bone she’d found to go and join the other two. They spent a little while longer in the far yard before making their way back to the main yard. Charlee was it with the zoomies and went off running around the yard. Trixie and Roxy got back to their exploring. Along the way Roxy found herself a good rolling spot and had some fun doing just that. Charlee’s zoomies led her to jumping up on the picnic table, she didn’t stay there very long and was soon off racing around, but this time she had Jake, Trixie and Roxy on her heels.

Bella wasted no time in headed out and getting right to exploring. She had barely gotten into the yard when she had to stop to check out the greenery and rocks by the fence. Bella finished with that section and headed out to check out more of the yard. That didn’t last too long as Bella had finally noticed the pool. She went running over and hopped in. It wasn’t long before she had laid down and tried to submerge herself as much as possible. Once she was sufficiently wet, she stood up. Bella then stood in the pool watching as Zak and Finnigan ran past. Once the coast was clear she got out of the pool and set off to check out more of the rocks and grass near the fence line. After touring around the yard for a while longer Bella decided it was time to have a visit with me.

Oakley headed right out for the far part of the yard. She got right to checking everything out and seeing what she might be able to find. As the rest of the group joined Oakley in the yard she decided to make her way over to me. After she had checked in with me and gotten some pets, Oakley headed back out to do some more exploring. Oakley didn’t stay away long and was soon back as my shadow following me around the yard. Her attention was then caught by one of the big rocks. Oakley headed over to give it a very thoroughly examination. Once she was done with that she headed to check out a couple more things. Oakley eventually make her way back to my side where she plopped down and demanded some pets and love. When she’d had enough she headed back out in to the yard. Along the way she met up with Zak. They spent some time saying hi and checking one another over.

Finnigan couldn’t wait to get outside and find someone to play with. He was pretty excited when he spotted Kaos and Zak. As soon as Zak took off running, Finnigan was there at his heels. The first bout of running didn’t last too long when everyone became distracted by stuff in the grass. Finnigan was happy to take a bit of a breather and do some exploring. Not for long though. Soon Finnigan was off running around trying to get others going. They were still focused on exploring so he headed off to do a little more exploring himself. It wasn’t too long after that that Finnigan got his wish. He, Zak, and Kaos were soon off racing around together once more. All the racing got them quite hot so Finnegan and Zak headed for the pool. Nice and damp, Finnigan took off running once more. The three of them were soon having a grand old time playing on, in, and around the tunnel. Zak ended up getting distracted by Oakley so Finnigan decided to go and join Ranger in the pool. This time Finnigan tried to fully submerge himself.

Zak was so excited to head out for group. He went to go racing out to the yard when he was stopped by Sky who wanted to give him a good once over. After she left, Zak found himself surrounded by Finnigan and Kaos. Shortly after that, Zak took off running and the other two went racing after him. The running didn’t last too long as Zak became distracted by something in the grass. When he finished with that he headed over to check on Ranger in the pool. Satisfied that Ranger was okay, Zak headed out to do a little more exploring. It wasn’t long before Zak was back to racing around and wrestling with Finnigan and Kaos. All the racing around got them quite hot. Zak and Finnigan then decided it was time for the pool. They went charging over and leap in. Both of them tried to get as wet as they could with the two of them in the pool. Feeling refreshed, Zak was ready to run once more and took off after Kaos. Their fun brought them over to the tunnel where Zak had a great time play on top of it. Zak then took a break to go and visit with Oakley. He then moved on to check on Ranger once more.

Kaos very quickly set her sight on Zak. When he went racing off around the she was quick on his heels. They didn’t run very far when they took a break to do some exploring in the grass. Kaos left Zak and Finnigan to go and do her own exploring. As soon as it looked like the boys were about start running again, Kaos was there and ready to play. With all the racing around the three of them got pretty hot. Zak and Finnigan went running to splash in the pool. Kaos tagged along, but she wasn’t about to let herself get wet. Since the boys were occupied, Kaos headed out to do exploring in the nearby rocks. She soon got bored and decided to get the part going herself. Kaos took off running and in no time had Zak and Finnigan on her tail. They raced all around the yard until they came to the tunnel. It was pretty fun to watch them play on, in, and around the tunnel. Eventually they got too hot again and split up to cool down. Kaos set back out to see if she had missed anything around the yard.

Hobart was the first to make his way further into the yard. He set out to see what all was going on in the yard. Not finding anything of interest there, Hobart made his way back to the entrance where Zak, Kaos, and Finnigan were having fun. Hobart watched them for a bit before making his way to one of his favourite spots by the door. I headed over to check on him.  A few of the other dogs ended up tagging along as well. We spent some time with him before leaving him to his sunshine. After a while I headed back and found him in the same spot. I managed to convince him to join us in the agility yard. Hobart headed out to do some more exploring around the yard.

Ranger was quick to make his way right over to the pool. He gave it a look and then decided that he wanted to do a little exploring first. Ranger didn’t stray far from the pool and enjoyed exploring in the nearby grass and rocks. When he was finished with that, Ranger made his way back to the pool and wasted no time in climbing in. Zak raced over to check on him, but let Ranger have the pool to himself for the moment. Ranger climbed out of the pool to head out and explore a little more of the yard. He wasn’t gone long when he made his way back to the pool only to discover Bella in it. Ranger decided to let Bella enjoy the pool longer and so headed out to do a little more exploring. Eventually the pool was unoccupied once more and Ranger was happy to make his way back. He wasn’t alone long as Zak and Finnigan went running over to check on him. Finnigan then took it a step further and joined Ranger in the pool. Ranger didn’t seem to mind and was happy to hang out in the pool with him.

Tallee was one crazy girl out in the yard today! The heat wasn’t going to stop her from having some fun outside and being social with all of her dog friends. Once she ran out the door she skipped all the way into the agility yard where she began to wander around with her eye out to see who she wanted to play with. As she ran around in circles while going up to each dog to give them a sniff, she finally found someone that was able to be just as active as her on a day like today. She and one of our huskies, Justice, kicked it off right from the start and began a game of tag where the ran as fast as they could from one side of the yard to the other, always switching up who was chasing who. It wasn’t long, though, before they both needed a break and ran towards the pool. They both hopped in to cool off and Tallee walked around in it as Piper made her way over to join in. Once she got there she noticed all of the dogs in the pool and how crowded it was so she stayed outside of it and sniffed around it. Once a few of the dogs jumped out she took the chance to join Tallee in the water and cool off finally. Piper wasn’t playing when she first went outside, instead she took her time as she explored the tall grass along the fence and said hi to one of the maintenance workers here. She was very interested in him and kept running up to him after she would walk away to say hello again. After she took a dip in the pool she seemed to have a bit more energy and once her and Tallee got out she began to play with her as well.

Caesar and Monte didn’t want to go outside that badly after their walk this morning, they seemed pretty tired as I woke up Caesar from a little nap he was taking on his bed, but once they got outside you could see the smiles on their faces opening up as they began to walk around and explore. Monte took it upon himself to wander around the further area of the yard on his own while Caesar was being exceptionally social with all of the other dogs. He would walk up to each of them and give them a sniff to say hello. He even started following some dogs around the yard as they were playing, he didn’t join in to play with them right away instead he and soon Monte walked over by his side to watch them as they ran around. It wasn’t until the playing got really intense as everyone was playing a game of tag that Monte and Caesar decided to give it a go and joined in with them. Monte took the lead as he ran like the wind with the other dogs while Caesar kept it a bit slower and more so hopped around where everyone was headed to. After they all settled down these two were very out of breath and made their way over to the pool where Monte didn’t think twice and hopped right in while Caesar just took a couple sips of the pool water.

Leah and Poppy were super excited to get outside for their walk this morning. They took advantage of their energy at first and sped out the door and on to the trail where they kept walking fast as they went from one side of the trail to the other. These two are so curious on their walks and long to stop all the time to sniff around and shove their noses into the tall grass to see if they find anything. Out in the yard they started off to be pretty quiet and relaxed. The two of them made their way into the middle of the agility yard and wandered around while sniffing along the ground. Poppy made sure to come up to me and say hi to get some cuddles as well, and right when Leah saw this she ran up to join in. They definitely know how to be friendly, once they got their cuddles they took off and started to walk around more when Leah all of a sudden started to get playful. She started to jump in front of some of the dogs to see what their reaction would be then based on that start running around with them. Poppy watched her as she ran around and was getting a little curious and envying her. She walked over and Leah stopped playing right away. The two jumped back as they touched nose to nose and before you know it the two of them were running around together on their own like the speed of light.

Feist and Vasco were on completely different levels when they got outside this morning. Feist was keeping it calm and relaxed where as Vasco was super energetic as soon as he walked out the door and began to run around. When I got out into the yard with them, Vasco was running around in circles. When he saw me approach him he ran right up with his tongue hanging out for me to give him a pet on the head, but he couldn’t stand still for long enough and ran off to go see the other dogs. Feist seemed to be in a really good mood and had a smile on her face as well. She trotted out into the agility yard and took her time as she walked along the rocks to sniff them as she said hi to some of the dogs. Vasco ran around with some of the dogs after he found a couple that wanted to play with him then headed straight to the pool where he jumped right in and laid down to get his whole body cooled off. Feist walked over as well. Once one dog jumps in the pool all of the others realize that there’s a pool in the yard and go over to join in at the same time. Feist walked around it then took a step inside and walked in a circle as she cooled off.

Olive and Finlay are both so adorable. These two fast paced munchkins always keep things very entertaining out in the yard. Today when I was letting them out of their kennel to go outside, Finlay ran out first of course then stood there and jumped side to side so Olive couldn’t get out of it. I watched and laughed for a moment then picked Finlay up to give Olive a chance to come outside as well. Outside these two headed straight for the further yard where  they both sniffed around the grass for a second before Olive pounced up onto Finley and the two began to wrestle around, that is until Olive escaped and ran as fast as his little legs would take him across the yard. Finlay chased him and tried to catch up until he finally did. Once he did it was Olive's turn to do the chasing and they kept switching. Once they had enough of that they were both extremely worn out, Finley made his way over to the pool where he didn’t even hesitate and jumped right in. Olive dipped her paw in, unsure whether or not he wanted to go in, but as soon as she did the rest of her body followed er in to join Finlay.

Kouza and Monty were both so affectionate with me this morning during their groups. Monty followed the others into the further yard and to my surprise Kouza did as well. She usually sticks by the door to explore around there with the more quiet dogs, but today everyone made the trip out to the grass yard, even Julie! Monty began by sniffing all of the dogs to say hello before moving on to me. He jumped up onto my knee as I was kneeling down and kissed me right on my cheek before he ran off to go sniff along the fence. He smelled all of the tall grass and dug his face through it to explore. Kouza was standing around with Julie, both of them sniffing around the same spot together. I called Kouza over to me and as she turned her head to the side and gave me a look until she decided to trot over and stood right beside me. She all of a sudden started to attack me with kisses and pushed me back onto the ground as she stood over me, I laid there for a minute and let her have her fun then got up to pet her more. She’s such a people dog and loves hanging out with all of us here at Tails & Trails.