Monday, September 5th, 2016

Cats:

Ferdinand and Archie had an action packed day today with all their pals. When I went to see the boys this morning they jumped right out of their condos as soon as I opened the doors for them excited to see their kitten pal Tippy. As Archie meowed at Tippy to say hello, Ferdinand went over to explore the cat tree and he stretched up his little paws for a nice scratch. After sniffing around the room the boys both came over and rubbed their faces on my legs, as cats do, to show me some affection. When they were rubbing against me Ferdinand decided he would go back over to the cat tree and climb up to the top to see what was going on. After failing to see that Tippy was on top, Tippy leaned his paws down on to Ferdinand for stability and gave his ears a few kisses. Before I left the boys I remembered just how much they loved the laser pointer and decided to play around with them for a few more minutes. 

Dogs:

George and Titan had such a nice time while they were outside with their group this morning. They went outside right after their extra attention session so they were happy to get a chance to interact with the other dogs. As they first went outside they began to explore right away. They love to use their noses whenever they’re in the yard and use them to lead the way. Titan started to sniff around the door for a minute before heading out further in the yard, while George stayed on his own to spend a little more time around the door to explore there. He liked to sniff all of the plants that were sticking out of the fence. Sometimes he’d even bite them and try to pull them out but they were too stuck in the ground and he’d only manage to bite off some leaves. Titan was roaming around the gravel when he noticed some of the other dogs come up around him. He lifted his nose for the first time since we got outside to smell them instead. Titan hung around the others for a while to say hi before making his way over to the agility yard to explore and run around the grass. George was right behind him too, and by the time Titan decided to walk to the grass George was finished sniffing around the door and decided to go and join him. We walked over to the grass yard together and he set off to explore once again. Titan walked over to George and they stayed near each other the whole time as they trotted around in circles. They moved from one spot to the other wherever their noses led them. When I began to fill the pool up Titan was the first one to run over to get a sip of the cool water. It was pretty hot outside so all of the dogs wanted a chance to cool off. Titan started to drink from the hose as it was filling up when George started to walk over to take a sip himself. Titan even went in the pool once it was all filled and started to dig in it, even though he wasn’t able to dig a hole through the bottom of the pool he still enjoyed doing it. After George got some water he walked over to me for a quick cuddle then wandered off to go and see who else was outside and interact with the others. During their extra attention session before groups George and Titan were both so excited as I opened their kennel door to let them up front in the reception. Once they first got up here they started to roam around the room and explore it. They sniffed around the entire floor then over by the desk and then walked right back to me to say hello. They both love their cuddles and were waiting until I began to pet them. Titan had a big open smile as I put my arms out for him to come in them for a hug. George likes to stick his head between my legs so I can scratch his ears. After they got some treats and sat for me they began to walk around again and that’s when Titan decided to make himself at home and jump up on top of the chair behind the desk. He sat there as if he was about to do some work on the computer and watched us all to observe what we were doing. George jumped up and sat with me on a chair and laid down on my lap to relax. He seemed super happy as I gave him some belly rubs.

Louis was kept very entertained as he was outside with his group today. Egan seemed to be all over him and didn’t leave his side the entire time we were in the agility yard. Egan can be very playful while he’s outside with his friends but the only dog he was interested in playing with today was his big pal Louis. Even though Louis isn’t the most playful of dogs, Egan saw something in him and was determined for Louis to play with him today. When they first went outside Louis started to sniff along the rocks by the door and he made his way along the fence as he was sniffing. Egan was a little excited as he first walked out the door and started to bounce around all of the dogs to see who he wanted to play with.

Once they followed me into the agility yard, Egan spotted Louis and decided to trot over to him to say hi. Louis is much bigger than Egan and bent down to give him a sniff. Egan was intrigued by his size and decided to jump up to him to try and get him to play. At first Louis stood there as Egan was jumping all over him but after a bit Louis decided to shake him off. He wiggled his body and ran a few feet forward to continue explore while Egan chased after him and did the same thing. When Egan jumped up on him again Louis jumped back right away and stared at Egan, Egan play bowed as Louis started to bounce around a little bit. Once Louis noticed the pool was full he walked over to it and stepped right in. This pool that usually fits 3 or 4 dogs could mostly only fit him. Louis took over the entire pool when he jumped in the water and stood there for a moment to cool off. As he was drinking some of the water Egan decided to say hi to some of the other dogs quickly before rushing back to Louis’ side as he walked over to the pool as well. He took a few sips but never went in as Louis was in it. During Louis extra attention session he came up to the front reception with me. At first he wandered around the room as he was smelling everything in sight. I called him back over to me so I could give him some cuddles but he lifted his head up to stare at me then decided to keep walking around to finish exploring. Once he was done he trotted over as I was sitting on the floor and gave me a kiss on my head. I began to scratch behind his ears as he sat in front of me enjoying all of the attention. Once I got back up some other workers walked over and gave him some love as well. I decided to do some tricks with him as I got him to sit and lay down for me. Once he was laying on the floor I started to rub his belly but all of a sudden he got distracted and jumped back up to investigate. Once he realized it was nothing he walked back over to me for more cuddles.

Keeva was a happy girl while she was outside this morning. She was super eager to get out of her kennel and on her feet to run around the yard with all of her pals. When I first got outside she had found a toy right away, a small soccer ball that she was holding in her mouth. She was running around in circles and showing it off to everyone as they were trotting around her curiously. When she saw me walk over she ran in the other direction with it and found a nice comfy spot in the shade on the grass to chew on it by herself. When I walked over to her she got up immediately and started to wiggle her body around me, all excited. As I tried to pet her she kept bouncing back so I couldn’t reach her as if it was a game. She wandered off to go see all of the other dogs that were scattered near the pool. Before she decided to go in the pool she thought she would take her time and splash around the puddles instead. She took big steps which made splashes as she walked through all of the water on the ground then walked over to the pool and stuck her head in to take a drink. After she quenched her thirst she hopped in the water and began to walk around in circles to cool off as the others walked up and jumped in after her to join in. When she was done in the water she jumped out and found a big ball on the group that she began to sniff, I walked over to it and threw it for her across the yard and we started a game of fetch. Keeva enjoyed a special one-on-one walk with Leah this afternoon after her group time.

Poppy and Paisley were both very excited to get out of their kennels this morning as I was letting them out for their group. They were both bouncing around in the hallway once they saw all of their other dog friends join them. Once I opened the door to go outside though they seemed to have calmed right down and stopped running around and began to walk. Poppy started to explore right away. She made her way from the beginning of the yard and sniffed all along the fence until she made it over to the other end. Paisley waited at the door for me until I came outside to join them. She had a big smile on her face as her tongue was sticking out playfully. Paisley was watching Egan as he was playing around with Louis. I think she was jealous that her favorite playing partner was distracted with someone else today. That didn’t stop Paisley from joining, though. She walked over and nudged Egan with her nose to try and get his attention. Egan jumped away from Louis and began to give Paisley a sniff as Paisley did the same to him. But when he was done he continued on with Louis as Paisley ran off to go and explore the yard on her own. Poppy was roaming around the middle of the yard and sniffing the grass as she decided to go over and say hi to the other dogs in the group. Once she was done sniffing around her energy level began to go back up and she started to get a little playful. Poppy started to bounce around some of the dogs as they were walking but none of them seemed interested until she walked over to Keeva. When I was playing fetch with her it got Poppy really excited and she wanted to join in as well. She would jump up on Keeva and chase after the ball whenever I threw it. Even if she got to it first he stayed by it and didn’t pick it up so that she could have it instead.

Lola is just as cute, if not cuter, as she was the last time I saw her. We had a fabulous walk with her two best friends Vega and Joe. Lola is such a little sneak on her walk. She acts all perfect, trotting by my side, while her two pals zoom around ahead. However, after watching them intently she bolts up behind them and leaps on them followed by grabbing one of their tails and tugging on it as hard as possible. She is very lucky that her brother, Joe loves her shenanigans. Vega on the other hand, is quick to leap around and pounce on her. They had so much fun wrestling and rolling around on their walk, making it very interesting for me. I spent almost the whole walk untangling their leashes. As soon as they got back to their kennel all three of them crashed. By the time groups rolled around Lola was ready to get going again. She motored out the door and began wandering around the yard with her nose to the ground looking for something fun to play with. Rather than picking up a good rope toy or bone she decided a weed was more appropriate. She carried this around in her mouth, showing it off to Vega and Joe, with her head held high and tail wagging. It didn’t take long for Vega to snatch this from her. As Vega jumped on the picnic table with it Lola was sure to follow in her footsteps. Next they were both on the table pawing and pouncing on one another, completely forgetting about the weed sitting on the bench. After a bunch of playing Lola was happy to lay down in the shade and accept a nice belly rub and some cuddles from me before heading indoors for an afternoon nap.

Max E. had such a great day today. The moment he got in the yard he began searching for a toy. It didn’t take long for him to find the blue rubber ring and bring it to my feet. As I began to pick it up off the ground he was quick to put his mouth on it and begin a game of tug. Max is much stronger than me, and he won very quickly. I think he was a big disappointed by my lack of skill at tug, so he left the toy at my feet for me to throw instead. We played a couple rounds of fetch before he headed to the pool to cool off. At one point, the ring was wrapped over his head and it looked pretty silly. He had to give his head a good shake to get it off. Later on Max was introduced to a Jolly Ball. This toy had Max more thrilled than I have ever seen before. We played a lot of soccer and he thoroughly enjoyed sprinting after it and pawing it around. He could not figure out how to pick the hard plastic ball up at first but after numerous tries he grasped it in his mouth through one of the holes and began prancing around showing off his treasure. His group mate, Scout, loved the Jolly Ball just as much as he. These two were quick to get a great game of soccer going on between the two of them and continued their shenanigans until it was time to head indoors. Max carried the Jolly Ball inside and down the hall. He dropped it just outside his kennel and head onto his bed where he enjoyed a nice nap. The moment he went out for his next outing he was quick to find his new favourite toy and play with it again.

Koda had another wonderful day with us. He has such a blast here, from the moment he wakes up right until bed time he is full of positive energy. We had a lovely walk this morning with two of our girls, Lucy, and Ivy. Koda was very pleased to have two husky girls walk with him. He was in the lead for the entire walk, marching at the front with his head held high and tail wagging. Ivy enjoyed trotting by his side, keeping him company while flirting with him every once in a while (which he was very pleased about). In the yard today Koda was very quick to get the usual games going with his husky pals. He was thrilled to be accompanied by Kyah, Justice, Rosie and Magic, four very playful huskies. He started off by leaping on Kyah and then bolting in the opposite direction looking for a chase. Of course Kyah bolted after him which caught the attention of Rosie and Magic who darted after them as well. Next thing I knew these four were zooming in laps around the agility yard, nearly knocking me down as they passed by. Justice was watching the action from a distance and as they headed for the tunnel he motored over and beat them to the entrance. Koda had to fly over top of him to avoid knocking him right down. I loved watching these five loop through, and over the tunnel while howling and chatting at one another. Koda decided it was time to cool off so he headed over to the pool where he was accompanied by Justice. These two had good fun splashing around and gulping up the cold hose water. Koda then decided to dig his way to China, in the pool. He sent water flying everywhere, soaking Magic and Rosie, which started yet another chase. It was Magic and Rosie teaming up on Koda who held his own very well. These three had so much fun racing around and wrestling right until it was time to come in and have an afternoon snooze.

Hudson is an absolute hoot! This handsome boy absolutely loves to play and socialize with all the other dogs. Hudson and I had a great one on one session this morning for his extra attention which he really enjoyed. We spent some time cuddling on the picnic table but this didn’t last long since all he wanted to do was play fetch. He was absolutely thrilled to have my undivided attention for numerous rounds of fetch. He found a great blue rubber bone which kept him very busy. Hudson loves leaping over rocks and holes to get to his toy as well as speed through the tunnel. He was always so proud when he would drop it at my feet and was very keen for me to throw it again each time. This afternoon he was even happier to be accompanied by his best buddies, Harvey and Duke. These three really know how to play. Hudson loved romping around with Duke. Duke and he had loads of fun wrestling and boxing. Hudson likes to play the victim, he will roll on to his back and kick his legs around then just as his friend eases up he will leap up and pounce on them. He did this over and over again, fooling Duke each time. Later on he joined in on some games with Harvey the young Airedale. These two have almost identical personalities making their time together very enjoyable. Harvey and Hudson bounded around the yard until it was time to come in. Hudson was very pleased to head into his kennel where he received a yummy treat.

Spencer had a lovely one-night sleepover with us! He’s always such a fluffly ball of positive energy when we’re out in the yard together. Spencer started off his morning bright and early, and followed his nose around the yard. He took in all of the morning smells before heading back in for some breakfast. Spencer couldn’t have been more excited when he realized it was walk time! He and two other friends made their way around the field together. Spencer had his nose to the ground yet again and loved feeling the dewy grass on his face. After walks it was time for some group play! Spencer spent the first little while doing exactly what he loves best: sniffing! He followed his nose all around the yard once again. When he was finished looking at every nook and cranny, Spencer noticed that a few of his friends were having a big game of chase and wrestle on the other side of the yard. He decided to go over and have a look-see before jumping in on the action. Spencer was very excited that Duke, Harvey and Hudson were all bouncing around together. Later in the day Spencer and I went for a little stroll around the field and Spencer’s nose was in charge of leading the way. We made it all around the front area, zig zagging anywhere he pleased. We stopped to watch a tractor go by and then started to mosey back inside. I spent a little while giving Spencer some extra cuddles before he went back to his kennel. Even once Spencer was in his kennel I couldn’t help but give him one last snuggle.