Sunday, August 7th, 2016

Extra Attention Bella and I got to spend some time playing together after walks, for her extra attention. She was very excited and ran circles around me while we were walking to the lounge, barking to let me know how happy she was, and then she raced through the door and made a beeline for the couch. Bella took a big leap off the couch and trotted around the room to sniff everything while I set the leash down and got the camera ready. Then I found her a nice rope toy and the playing begun! First I had Bella sit nicely; she had so much energy that it was a challenge for her to sit still. Once her bum was on the ground, I held the rope toy out for her to see and then threw it in the air. Bella leaped right up and snatched it with ease. We continued to play a combination of fetch and catch, until Bella decided she was ready for a break. The two of us sat down on the couch and Bella snuggled up next to me for some cuddles. Bauer is always such a delight to spend time with. He knew exactly what time it was when I came to get him from his kennel for his extra attention. Since the weather was so nice today, I decided we would head outside for a short stroll. He was happy to explore and spent quite a bit of time sniffing around in the grass. Every once in a while I would call his name and Bauer would come trotting over for some attention. He snuggled right up against me while I was petting him. It was a bit warm outside for cuddling, so we continued on our way. I had him sit nicely for a picture before we turned around and headed back to the building. We went back to his kennel, as I know Bauer is a sucker for attention and spent some time cuddling where it wasn’t as hot. He flopped onto his bed and immediately started nuzzling my hands, searching for treats. I didn’t have any on me and decided to give him a back scratch instead. He seemed to enjoy the cuddles just as much! Groups Bauer is such a sweetheart. He had a nice walk this morning before it got too warm and when it was time for groups, he was ready to get back outside. Bauer immediately trotted over to me and gave me a big slobbery kiss to say hello. We cuddled for a bit while the other dogs wandered around, and then Bauer decided to explore with them. He picked up an interesting scent in the grass and followed it all the way around the yard. He still had his nose to the ground when he bumped into Parker. This was a new friend that Bauer hadn’t met yet! They both sniffed each other over with wagging tails, and then Parker play-bowed to see if Bauer wanted to wrestle with him. Bauer politely declined Parker’s offer and the two boys went for a stroll around the yard together instead. They stopped by to see me again and Bauer soaked up the attention, as always. Then he led Parker over to the pool. Bauer was content to just drink the water, but Parker climbed right in and lay down. He started splashing around while Bauer gave him a funny look, obviously confused as to what his friend was doing. Then Parker hopped out and decided to share the water with Bauer by shaking it all over him. Both of them were good and wet by the time they left the pool! Bauer parted ways with Parker after this and went for a walk around the yard, enjoying the peace and quiet while the rest of his group sniffed with him. Zoe was certainly in a good mood this morning. She happily said hello to the other dogs and me in the yard this morning, and then sniffed around to see if anything had changed overnight. Then it was time for walks. The weather wasn’t too hot yet and there was a nice breeze, which made it perfect for walks. Zoe enjoyed a nice stroll down the trail with a few of her friends. When it was time for groups, Zoe could hardly wait to get outside again! She bounced out the door beside Rex, gave a big hello to her new group mates, Mocho and Parker, and then immediately made her way to the grassy area of the yard where she could explore. There was a funny sound on the other side of the fence, which of course Zoe had to investigate. She tried sticking her nose through the fence, and when that didn’t work, she stood perfectly still with her head tilted and ears perked, trying to figure out the source of the noise. Eventually, Zoe decided it wasn’t worth her time and wandered over to the pool, where she had a big drink and then trotted over to see me for some cuddles. Of course, Zoe was still dripping wet and she seemed a little too happy to splash water all over my shirt. Once she was content with all of the attention, Zoe decided to sniff around the yard for a bit longer. She bumped into her friend Nova and the girls teamed up to cover more ground. They explored every inch of the yard together and then went to hang out with a few of the other dogs in their patch of shade. Casey had quite the exciting day today. After walks, he was already raring to get outside again and could hardly wait for groups! He raced out into the yard with the rest of the dogs and soon started jogging around to see if there was anything new or interesting. Casey was busy sniffing around when he bumped into me and happily nuzzled my hand to get my attention. We cuddled for a bit, then Casey and I headed over to the pool. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of getting his feet wet but was happy to stick his nose in the water and have a drink. Casey had just stepped away from the pool when out of nowhere a few of the dogs came flying over and splashed into the water. Then Bella jumped out of the tangle of dogs and play-bowed at Casey. The two of them took off across the yard. Soon the others followed them. Bella was racing through the tunnel and Casey was bouncing back and forth trying to catch her. Eventually, their friend Pippin leaped into the mix and tackled Bella. The girls squeezed their way into the tunnel while Casey barked and hopped around at the exit, waiting to pounce on them. This caught the attention of Leah and Lexi, who hurried over to join. The dogs were all racing circles around the yard with Casey in the lead. Occasionally Pippin would pounce on Casey, who would in turn pounce on Bella. When they settled down again, Casey led them back to the pool. He certainly had fun playing with everyone! Leah and Poppy enjoyed a nice walk this morning alongside their friend Pippin; the weather was perfect for it, and all three girls were happy to stroll down the trail with their noses searching for anything that smelled interesting. When it was time for groups, Leah and Poppy joined Pippin and some more of their friends to play in the yard. Poppy immediately got to work exploring the yard, while Leah first stopped by to say hello to me, get some cuddles and then go running after her sister. Poppy seemed to like the sun today as she kept pausing with her nose up and eyes closed to enjoy the breeze. She wandered slowly around the yard to make sure that nothing was overlooked, occasionally with a few of the other dogs joining her. Lexi was the best at keeping her company and the two girls decided to stick side by side for a bit to sniff around together. Leah had also been on her own adventure along the fence. She had her nose stuffed in a clump of grass when suddenly the tunnel beside her started shaking as her friend Bella ran through it. A couple other dogs came racing over to pounce on Bella, and Leah decided that she better join in on the fun. She ran to one end of the tunnel, beside Molly, and the two of them started barking at the dogs inside. When Bella appeared at the entrance of the tunnel, Leah leaped forwards to pounce on her and then quickly spun around, dashing away before the other dog could catch her. Her friends then started running around the yard, so Leah went flying after them. She stayed out of the center of the activity but was happy to bounce around with a few of the dogs on the outside. Poppy had made her way over to see what all of the excitement was about, and Leah promptly pounced on her. Poppy was a bit confused and just gave Leah a look. Both of them then jogged over to the pool to get a drink, before making their way to me for some cuddles. Bella was bursting with energy today. She had a fun walk with her friend Dexter, played in the lounge during her extra attention, and was still bouncing around when it was time to go out for groups. Right away Bella jumped up to say hello to me and then ran through the door beside her friend Pippin. The girls bumped shoulders and then went their separate ways. Bella jogged around the yard to see if there was anything new for her to look at. She noticed me taking pictures and her tail started wagging like crazy as she came flying over to shower me with kisses. Then Bella saw the pool and forgot all about cuddling with me. The water was certainly appealing on a warm day like today. Bella hopped right in and started splashing around. For some reason she figured that she should dig up the bottom of the pool, although the only thing she accomplished was thoroughly drenching herself and the dogs around her. Once Bella was good and soaked, she went running to the tunnel with her friends Pippin and Casey on her tail. Bella was the only one brave enough to run through, and the other two were waiting for her at the end. She wrestled with Pippin, and then switched to Casey, and soon all three of them were just one big pile. Leah and Lexi ran over to join them also, and even Bridie came to watch. After all that playing, Bella decided to catch her breath and cool down by jumping in the pool again.  Charlotte spent her day playing. In the morning, she wiggled her way down the hall to get outside and see all of her friends. A little later on, she went outside for her next outdoor play group. She was so happy to see all the other dogs and ran from dog to dog sniffing. She wanted to find someone to play with, so she ran up to her pal Dexter. She started to pounce around in front of him and make some playful noises. Dexter sniffed Charlotte but carried on exploring. She then flopped onto the grass and started to roll around. This attracted the attention of Duke, who came over to see what she was doing. He sniffed her, and she rolled onto her back. By this time, Marley came over as well to check out what was going on. Duke wandered off, and that is when Marley and Charlotte started to play. Charlotte was still lying on the ground when Marley started to pounce all over her. Charlotte got up and started to pounce around on Marley. Marley flopped onto the ground and let Charlotte pounce all over him. Eventually they both ended up on the grass rolling around on top of each other. It was very entertaining to watch Charlotte play, as she is so silly! Dexter had a nice day. Early in the morning, he had to hop out of his cozy bed to go outside. Once he was outside, he was quite happy to relax and wander around. Not long after that, Dexter went out for his walk with Bella. They had an awesome time exploring the trails together. He was able to relax a bit before his next outdoor play time. Once that came around, Dexter seemed pretty happy to be going outside. He first started off his time by exploring around the grassy part of the yard. He stuck his nose into holes that had been dug in the ground. Eventually, his friend Charlotte came running over to him. She was so excited and pounced playfully all around him. He was very curious and started to sniff her, but she was moving too fast. He then continued to explore around. After a little more exploring, he came over to me for some cuddles. He backed up on my legs and I scratched his back. He would constantly look back at me. I made sure to give him lots of cuddles. Tessa, Monte, and Simon had a fantastic day. The three dogs were full of energy this morning and ready to start their day. They were all happy to get outside for their first group rotation and ran around together. A little while later, they all went out again with their group for outdoor play time. When they got outside, Tessa immediately ran to the far end of the yard where it is grassy. She enjoyed exploring around there. Simon and Monte hung around where the husky puppies were for a bit, and greeted a few of them but then followed me into the grassy part of the yard where Tessa was when I went to see her. Simon started running around the yard while Tessa and Monte explored together. Eventually, I got the three of them to follow me back to where the husky puppies were. The puppies were very curious of the trio, so they all came to sniff them. Simon had his tail and ears perked up as the puppies pawed at him. He ran around in a little circle. Tessa had a lot of fun with the pups, as she played with them and pounced around at them. Monte was a little shyer around the puppies but was happy to be by Simon and Tessa's side.