Sunday, August 14th, 2016

Gracie was curled up on her bed in the staff room when I came to get her for extra attention. She seemed to know exactly why I was there and jumped up right away to head for the door. We went to the playroom, where Gracie wasted no time trotting around the room to sniff for anything interesting. She poked her head under the table, nosed through a pile of toys and then wandered back in my direction. I tried to interest her with a rope toy, although Gracie was much more content to cuddle instead. She happily sat down on my feet while I rubbed her ears. Gracie then went to look out the window, so I snuck out to grab some treats. As soon as I got back she immediately poked my hand with her nose, knowing exactly what I was hiding. I asked her to sit and give me paw, which Gracie did without any trouble. We tried out a few more tricks and then Gracie and I went to cuddle on the couch. After that, we decided to head outside for a stroll. Gracie picked up an interesting smell and followed her nose down the trail. I spent a bit of time giving her a backrub, and then we headed in. 
 
 Miko went racing up to the front, full of energy and enthusiasm for his extra attention. We were joined by his friends Pippin and Samson. Miko is always in a much more playful mood when there are other dogs around! He went right over to the purple bucket of toys and stuck his nose in, digging around to find the best one. Miko picked a small rubber chicken. He showed it off to everyone and then sat down to chew on it. Occasionally he would bring it over to me, and we’d play tug-of-war. Every time I let go Miko would shove it back into my hands as if to say “we’re not done playing yet!” I entertained him by tossing the chicken for him. Then he decided to go back to chewing on his toy. After that, Miko came over to sit with me for a cuddle. Miko, the other dogs and I went over to the chair. He didn’t want to sit in my lap with the other two, but was much happier to just flop over on my feet and wait for a belly rub. Then I grabbed a few treats for all of them and had the boys sit nicely. Miko was a bit overwhelmed and ran around the others until I caught his attention, then he sat right down and could hardly keep his bum on the ground, he was so excited!
 
 Pippin spent his extra attention hanging out at the front with Miko, Samson and I. He was delighted to have the company of his friends and immediately ran around saying hello to them. He wanted to play with Miko and followed him around for a bit. Miko, unfortunately was busy with a toy, so Pippin headed after Samson. The two of them trotted around together. Then Pippin decided to explore the room and went to sniff every corner. I headed over to the chair with Samson, and this caught Pippin’s attention. He hurried over and leapt right up into my lap without hesitating. Pippin happily curled up in a ball while I cuddled with him. He was too excited to sit still for very long, and once he was satisfied with the attention, Pippin hopped down and went back to running around the room. I tried to interest him with some toys, although Pippin seemed happier just jogging back and forth. We cuddled some more, and then I grabbed some treats for everyone. Pippin knew exactly what to do and quickly sat down at my feet. He didn’t even need me to prompt him; what a good boy! Once the other two were sitting beside Pippin, I handed out the treats. Pippin wouldn’t believe that they were all gone and followed me around for a bit to make sure I wasn’t hiding any from him. 
 

Carter had an awesome day today. In the morning when he went out for his first outing I could tell he was a lot happier to be outside now that it wasn't raining anymore, as it had been all day yesterday. He danced around the yard and happily explored in the green grass and plants. After that, it was time for walks. Carter enjoyed his walk with two of his friends, Bella and Sophie. The excitement continued when it was time for Carter's next outdoor play time. He followed his friends into the yard and began to greet everyone once he was out there. Marley came over to Carter and wiggled around as he sniffed him. They spent a while greeting each other. Marley started to pounce around at Carter then, Carter went over to explore with his pal Sophie. They enjoyed finding nice spots in the grass to sniff around together. Carter was so happy to see me come get him for his extra attention today. His little tail was wagging back and forth and his ears perked up. He was super cozy in his nice big bed, so I decided I would just join him there instead of bringing him somewhere else. The first thing I did was give Carter a big cuddle. Having his back and legs rubbed after his walk must of felt very nice. He stretched out his neck when I rubbed his neck, and tilted his head when I scratched his ears. By that time, Carter had figured out that I had some of his yummy apple treats in my pocket. Since he was being so good, I pulled one out and he very politely laid down and waited for me to give it to him. He crunched away on it. Any time I would talk to Carter, he tilted his head so much. It was like he could understand what I was saying! For the rest of the session we enjoyed more cuddles and he got a few more of his delicious treats. 

Max and Sadie had a great day with their friends. When they arrived for daycare this morning, we quickly got them out for a walk together to burn off some initial excitement and energy. They enjoyed their time exploring through the trails as usual. After that, It wasn't long before Max and Sadie got outside for their first group rotation. They were pleased to be in the same group of dogs as yesterday. Immediately when they got outside, Sadie was playing around with the huskies. She jumped all over a big rock and the huskies pounced at her as she did so. She then took off and started running super fast as they chased her. Max saw this all happening as he was sniffing around the pool and starting leaping through the grass to catch up to them. He caught up quickly and chased Sadie along with the huskies. Eventually everyone got pretty tired out so they all took a quick break. Max got the game started up again when he suddenly raced through the agility tunnel. Everyone got super excited, and Sadie and Kyah jumped up on top of the tunnel as he continuously ran through it. Magic blocked Max at one end of the tunnel, and was quite happy when she was able to catch him as he ran out.

Gracie had a nice day. In the morning, she happily wiggled around when I came to let her out for her first outdoor group rotation. After getting outside, Gracie went out for her walk. She walked with on the trails with Merida and Aurora. They had a good time together and enjoyed exploring the trails. After her walk, it wasn't long before Gracie got outside again with her group. She greeted everyone when she first got outside, then ran towards her favourite grassy part of the yard. The gate was closed to the yard, so she waited in front of it and looked back at me. I quickly came and opened the gate, and she leaped through the opening and around the yard. She enjoyed exploring around there for a while. She then came over to me, and I gave her lots and lots of cuddles. Gracie got curious as a bee was buzzing and flew around us. She sniffed out a yummy treat in my pocket, and since she was sitting nicely I gave it to her.

Pippin spent most of his day today curled up in his bed without a care in the world. When it was time to go out for his walk Pippin eagerly ran to the door. He couldn’t wait to start exploring. As soon as he got outside he had his nose to the ground to sniff out all the new smells that yesterday's rain had brought, but eventually he decided he wanted to run around with his friends. After his walk Pippin curled back up in his bed to get some rest for his groups. Once it was time to go out for his group Pippin met his new friends Zoe and Dash. As the three of them sniffed around each other, Pippin ran off to go find some friends to run around with. After chasing his group around the yard Pippin decided he wanted to go sniff around the yard and check out some cool toys. After Pippin was done checking everything out he came over for some nice long hugs and kisses until it was time to go back inside.
Zoe and Dash really enjoyed their first day of their stay with us. They started their day off with a walk and although Zoe was a bit hesitant at first she couldn’t wait to get outside. As soon as they got outside Zoe and Dash were very excited to see what was going on out in the field. As we walked by the horses next door, Dash's ears shot right up as he heard them neigh. Zoe, however, was more interested in sniffing around in the grass. By the end of their walk the pair were ready for a little rest as they waited to see what the day would hold. When it was time to go out for their group Zoe and Dash couldn’t wait to meet all the other dogs. After saying hi to everyone and giving them a sniff Zoe decided to wander around in the yard to see what was out there. Dash stuck around with his group to play a game of chase-me. After giving the yard a through sniff, Zoe saw a butterfly and she was off to chase it around the yard. As Dash finally got tired from chasing his friends around the yard he joined his sister in hunting down the butterfly. After the butterfly had left the pair came over for some nice cuddles until it was time to go back inside. 

When it was time for Dash and Zoe's extra attention they wandered out of their kennel then bolted down the hall into the playroom. It took the two of them quite some time to settle in. There are so many smells to check out that I let them sniff sniff sniff until they were ready for some cuddles. Zoe is the queen of cuddles. She hopped on the couch and practically plopped her bum right on my lap. Dash had fun jumping on and off the couch while his sister was smothering me. I then began brushing Zoe, which she loved. She sat down with her eyes closed, enjoying the nice scratching massage down her back and sides. Dash decided he wanted a shot at being brushed and wiggled his way under my arm. The moment I began brushing him he darted off. I don't think it was as enjoyable for him. He was happy to wiggle around the playroom checking out all the toys before showing off his tricks for me. Dash loved showing me his sit and paw for some yummy snacks.

Benji had such a nice day today. He started his day off with a nice walk around the field with his good pal Buddy. As Benji sniffed around the field he decided he wanted to run around and play with Buddy, so the pair played and rolled around in the grass together throughout their walk. When it was time to go outside Benji was the first one out the door. He is always so energetic and enthusiastic about everything! As Benji investigated the yard his friends chasing game caught his attention. Although Benji hadn’t joined in quite yet he sure was tempted. Eventually watching everyone play was just too much for Benji so he decided to join in on the fun. As Benji sped around the yard he was going so fast that he looked like he was flying. Eventually Benji had slowed down as some flowers had caught his eye, he decided to go sniff them for the rest of his group.

Miko was a very happy boy today. When it was time to go out for his walk Miko was ecstatic. He ran out the door as soon as it was opened. At the beginning of his walk Miko decided to do some sniffing around to see what the field had to offer, then he went on running around in the grass. By the end of his walk Miko couldn’t wait to rest up for his groups. When it was time to go out for his group Miko raced to the door excited to get outside and play around. Once he got outside Miko said hi to all of his friends but went straight to sniffing around in the yard. After thoroughly sniffing around the yard Miko decided to join in with some pals that were racing around the yard, he loved playing around with everyone. Eventually Miko decided to slow down a bit to sniff around some more but then decided he wanted to come over for some cuddles until it was time to go back inside.