Saturday September 24th 2016

Cats:

Allie had tons of fun in the cat room today. After patiently waiting for her turn to roam around the cat room, she ventured off into the room and leaped right onto the shelf that is hidden in the cat tree. She hid there for a while before leaping off to come and see what I was up to. She rubbed her head along my leg and then sort of cuddled up into my feet and crouched there for a while, like she was hiding from something but she was also getting ready to leap up. To both of our surprise, Spooks had snuck out of his condo and joined us in the room. He and Allie were fast freinds as they roamed around each other in the cat room. Allie was curious about Spooks, but not enough to go up and sniff him so she kept her distance. She then returned to her litle hiding spot in the corner and perched there for a while. I had to bribe her with a treat to get her to come snuggle with me again, but she gladly came and enjoyed her little snack with me.

Dogs:

Abby and Dudley are definitely always peppy in the morning, after they finally roll out of bed at least. When I went to see them early this morning they were curled up right beside each other on their beds. Once they peeked up and saw me they decided that they'd better get up so that they could go outside. After a couple seconds of thinking, Abby shot up and Dudley followed right behind as she trotted outside for their first group. When it came to their morning walk there was no hesitation at all. Abby was right at their kennel door and wagging her tail like no tomorrow. Dudley seemed equally excited now that he was up and ready to continue on with another day. Dudley ended up being the first one outside and took the lead for the walk. Abby quickly caught up but she kept getting distracted by coming back to see me and getting me to give her extra pets here and there. However she always managed to get right back beside him. Dudley spent his walk being mainly focused on only the walk and continued to remain at the end of his leash as much as possible. When it came to their outdoor play group, Abby and Dudley were so excited to go outside! Abby raced out of the door, into the gravel yard and right into the grass yard to do a few laps. Dudley didn’t have quite as fast of an entrance but he was just as excited to see all of his friends once again. These two were just the little social butterflies of the group today. Dudley was playing for the most part of his group which was awesome to see. He especially loved play tackling with his good friend Jag. He played with him for quite some time before moving onto his next friend. Abby made sure to say hi to everyone around her but she always ended up right beside me. She was such a little cuddle bug today and no matter who I was petting or where I was, she’d make sure to find me at some point. Abby was so funny when she was playing today because someone would run by her and she’d start kicking her feet into the ground like a bull does. I think she was trying to intimidate them but I don’t think it really worked. In the afternoon, Abby and Dudley’s favorite time of the day came along; extra attention. They ran out of their kennel faster than for their group and went right into the front reception area. Abby’s favorite thing to do today was sit right up on my lap on the computer chair or on another big comfy chair. She wanted to be up on my lap, as close to my face as possible. Dudley had his time up in my lap as well. I saw him sitting at my feet and waiting for his turn so I put her down and picked him up gently to put him on my lap. Before I had even gotten him up Abby was already back up on me so the three of us snuggled for the rest of their extra attention time. Dudley especially liked getting his chin scratched.

Brodie and Cara were quite the adventurous duo throughout the entire day today. When they went out for their morning walk the two of them were still quite dozy but once they realized it was walk time they both jumped up and got ready to go. Cara quickly took the lead right away when we got outside. Brodie was following closely behind but trailed as he continued to sniff around everywhere he went. The two of them had an extra pep in their step as they were walking with our big bloodhound rescue named Adele, what a difference to them! As soon as they saw her they were taken back a little bit but Cara was very interested in her soon after. She gave her a good overall sniff and was then ready to walk. Brodie didn’t seem to care much for her as soon as he realized that she was just a really big dog. For the rest of their walk the three of them got along great! When it came to their outdoor play time Cara and Brodie were up and ready to play as well as venture through the yard. Brodie began the group time off on his own in the grass yard while he sniffed through all of the grass. Eventually he became more and more playful with a variety of different dogs. He liked play bowing and jumping up at his friends but did actually run around for a little while. Cara followed the same type of procedure but she spent half of her time with one of our resident husky puppies that kept her on her toes at all times. Once she was done playing, Cara had a few random bursts of speed around the yard before finally coming t sit up on one of the big rocks with me. Of course this interested Brodie and he decided he just had to find his way up there as well. This lead to both of them being back down on the grass and pushing each other out of the way to get the most attention, so silly. Keegan was just a bundle of energy today right from his very first group outing this morning. I could hear that he was up and ready before I even went down his hallway because he was showing off his big voice to everyone. I knew I had to let him out first and when I did he raced out and immediately went to all the other kennels almost as if he was showing off. Soon enough his friends were out to join him and he ran outside. When it came to his walk he was even more excited. It took some time to get him to sit and wait just because he was so excited but soon enough he did and after that it was go go go! We jogged out the door and into walk mode as soon as possible. Keegan spent almost his entire walk searching through the yard for anything to chase. He seemed to always want to be going faster and faster as he stayed at the end of his leash. At one point he was so wound up that he just started racing back and forth and between both sides of the trail, get he and his friends all tangled up in the leashes. Although he was tangled up, he still seemed to have tons of fun! Keegan got very excited as soon as he realized that it was his extra attention time, he was just about to lie down for a late morning nap when I went in to get him. Keegan shot up out of bed, waited for me to put on his leash and raced out of his kennel door. We began his extra attention with a little bit of a venture into the long grass out front. Keegan is known for his love of exploring so I thought this would be a great place to start. He hopped into the long grass as soon as he could and immediately started searching around while following any scent that he could pick up on. Some of the grass was taller than him so he'd almost disappear in it if he lay down. Afterwards, we headed over to the big pen that we have in the front yard to play around in the pool full of balls. I think the water might have been a bit chilly for him as he hopped out just as fast as he got in. Keegan still enjoyed playing with a few of the balls before continuing onto the next part of his extra attention. To finish off outside, I put Keegan on the long leash so that he had more freedom to search further. We also played a little bit of fetch but he was more interested in the grass than he was with the ball. At the end of his extra attention we came back into his kennel for some cuddles and so that I could give him a long belly rub. During his outdoor play group I think he was a little bit tires as he wasn’t as quick to trot outside. Keegan mostly stayed by himself for this group but enjoyed just venturing in the yard. He did however sniff and play bow with a few friends but he’d always trot back to being on his own. Pelley was such a cuddle bug throughout the entire day right from when I first saw her this morning. When I had gone to let her out she was still snoozing away on her bed. Once she saw me she immediately rolled over onto her back so that I could give her a belly rub before letting her outside. During this first early morning outing all she wanted to do was be right beside me. I decided I’d go sit up on the picnic table so that she could join me and before I was even up there she was right by my side ready to jump up on to it. When it came time for her walk, Pelley skipped the cuddles for the only time in the entire day so that she could race out the door and start walking. She was in a very happy mood today as she left for her walk with a new friend named Lexie that she got along great with. Throughout Pelley’s entire walk she had a case of the sniffs. She was obsessed with any little creature that she could follow. Pelley especially enjoyed sniffing a little grass hopper that crossed her path. She seemed surprised when it jumped and decided that it was a little bit creepy for her liking as she quickly trotted back onto the trail and continued on her walk. During her outdoor play group it was back to the cuddles. Pelley came and sat with my as soon as she got outside but she still ended up playing with her friends. Once she had decided I gave her a long enough back scratch, she trotted into the yard to see who was available to play. Pelley ended up playing a little bit with everyone. She enjoyed running around the yard with some friends, chasing after a toy ball and even just sniffing around the yard with a couple of her good friends as well. At one point she got very playful and was play tackling with her friend Jag. For Pelley’s extra attention today we spent some time together in reception. When I went to get him from his kennel he spun around in circles as he smelt the treats in my hand. After I gave him a few we made our way together up front for some cuddles and play. We she got to reception she spent some time thoroughly inspecting the toy bin, and after she found the right one she brought it over to me to throw around for her. After we spent some time playing with the toy Pelley showed off a few tricks that she knows for treats, her favourite thing to show off is how well she can give a paw. After getting a few treats Pelley and I went over to the comfy chair and cuddled for a few minutes, before I took her for a wonder out front. As she sniffed around out front she saw a few pals still on their walk and she barked hello at them. After spending some time lounging around out front she decided she wanted to go back inside, so we did. Before I took her back to her kennel I gave her a few more treats and we made our way back to her kennel. Lexie is coming out of her shell little by little as she becomes more comfortable being here once again. This morning I could see the excitement on her face when she knew it was time for her walk. Lexie joined her new friend Pelley for a relaxing but fun walk this morning with one of our volunteers. She was up and ready to go once I went to get her for her walk. As soon as she got her leash on she was out the door and in the yard ready to start walking. Lexie spent most of her walk time at the end of the leash with either her nose up in the air getting in all the fresh air or facing forwards and looking determined to go faster. Lexie was curled up napping after her walk when I went to get her for her extra attention. She seemed a tiny bit reluctant to get out of her cozy bed so I pet her for a bit while she woke up, and then we slowly made our way to the playroom. Lexie wandered around the room for a bit, checking everything out, and snacking on the occasional treat that I gave her. There was an interesting sound coming from the other room and Lexie quickly climbed up on the couch to listen through the window. Not finding anything out of the ordinary, she hopped back down and followed me over to the bucket of toys. The toys didn’t seem to interest Lexie all that much, so we sat down and cuddled instead. After I had given her a good back rub, Lexie went to go look out the window at the yard. I was standing beside her, taking pictures, when suddenly Lexie went flying to the other side of the room and starting jumping up at the wall. It took me a moment to realize what she was doing; turns out that Lexie was chasing the reflection of the camera! I grabbed my phone so that she could continue chasing a reflection while I took pictures with the camera. Eventually Lexie wore herself out, racing in circles and bouncing around, and she came back to cuddle with me for a bit before we went back to her kennel. She was a bit hesistant at first to go outside when it came time for her outdoor play group but she quickly got out of that thought of mind and trotted out of her kennel. As soon as she got out she wanted to be right beside me. She followed me around for a little while, while sometimes straying to smell another dog in the yard. Eventually she gained some independence and went into the grass yard looking for someone to sniff. Lexie ended up getting herself caught in a game of chase with a few new friends in the yard. She seemed to be the target of the game so she made sure to move fast enough that no one else could catch her. I didn't realize how much speed little Lexie could have when she wants it. Towards the end of the group time Lexie joined me up on the picnic table for a good chin scratch. Lexie was curled up napping after her walk when I went to get her for her extra attention. She seemed a tiny bit reluctant to get out of her cozy bed so I pet her for a bit while she woke up, and then we slowly made our way to the playroom. Lexie wandered around the room for a bit, checking everything out, and snacking on the occasional treat that I gave her. There was an interesting sound coming from the other room and Lexie quickly climbed up on the couch to listen through the window. Not finding anything out of the ordinary, she hopped back down and followed me over to the bucket of toys. The toys didn’t seem to interest Lexie all that much, so we sat down and cuddled instead. After I had given her a good back rub, Lexie went to go look out the window at the yard. I was standing beside her, taking pictures, when suddenly Lexie went flying to the other side of the room and starting jumping up at the wall. It took me a moment to realize what she was doing; turns out that Lexie was chasing the reflection of the camera! I grabbed my phone so that she could continue chasing a reflection while I took pictures with the camera. Eventually Lexie wore herself out, racing in circles and bouncing around, and she came back to cuddle with me for a bit before we went back to her kennel.

Buddy began another day with a wonderful long walk around the field. He was very excited to get outside and potentially meet another friend. He had the chance to become friends with two new bigger dogs for a change instead of all of the small dogs that he’s met so far. Throughout this walk he did a little bit of everything including; sniffing around in the longer grass, trotting by my side and occasionally racing to the end of his leash to be with the others. He seemed to get along great with his new friends and lucky enough one of them happened to be in his outdoor play groups later on today. Buddy was practically buzzing with excitement for his extra attention today. After walks, I went to get him from his kennel and we headed up to the playroom. Buddy trotted around exploring the room while I grabbed a camera and a handful of treats for him. As soon as I opened the door he came running over and started to sniff my hands. There was no hiding anything from him! Buddy quickly sat down and I gave him a small piece as a reward, and then asked him to show me a few more tricks. He performed “paw” and “lay down” without any trouble and then happily gobbled up some more treats. Then we moved on to toys. Buddy didn’t quite get the concept of carrying the toys back to me, but he was happy to chase after them while I threw them. We continued this game of modified fetch for a bit, and then Buddy came to cuddle with me for the last few minutes. I sat down on the ground and he wasted no time climbing into my lap, nosing around for more goodies. Unfortunately I had no more treats on me, though Buddy was satisfied with a nice scratch behind the ears. He walked one last lap of the room, making sure he had sniffed everything, and then we headed back to his kennel. Once it came time for his outdoor play group, Buddy seemed a little bit sleepy but willingly got up and proceeded to jog down the hallway and into the yard. He was immediately overcome with all of the dogs in his group and didn’t know who to sniff first. Buddy made sure to greet each and every friend before deciding to sniff along the fence and eat a bit of grass on his way. He spent most of his group time on his own but enjoyed keeping a close eye on each group of dogs that he could see.

Buddy was practically buzzing with excitement for his extra attention today. After walks, I went to get him from his kennel and we headed up to the playroom. Buddy trotted around exploring the room while I grabbed a camera and a handful of treats for him. As soon as I opened the door he came running over and started to sniff my hands. There was no hiding anything from him! Buddy quickly sat down and I gave him a small piece as a reward, and then asked him to show me a few more tricks. He performed “paw” and “lay down” without any trouble and then happily gobbled up some more treats. Then we moved on to toys. Buddy didn’t quite get the concept of carrying the toys back to me, but he was happy to chase after them while I threw them. We continued this game of modified fetch for a bit, and then Buddy came to cuddle with me for the last few minutes. I sat down on the ground and he wasted no time climbing into my lap, nosing around for more goodies. Unfortunately I had no more treats on me, though Buddy was satisfied with a nice scratch behind the ears. He walked one last lap of the room, making sure he had sniffed everything, and then we headed back to his kennel.

Hudson is having a great time during his stay with us. When I went to get him for his walk this morning, he raced around his kennel as saw that I had some leashes in my hand.  After we got outside Hudson ran through the yards with his best pals Bentley G. and Bentley M. excited to be out in the fresh morning air. As we approached the field, Hudson took off like a spring and we jogged around the trail together. As we went along Hudson and Bentley G. stopped for a few minutes to play and roll around in the grass together. After the two got up and ran along beside me, we went back inside for a much needed rest. When we went out for groups Hudson ran out the door and ran around the yard a few times until he saw his pal Jemma and ran over to play with her. As the pair ran along Hudson tackled Jemma to the group, and the wrestled around for a few minutes. Eventually I had to break them apart as we went back inside, and although Hudson was a little sad to not be playing with his pal, he ran right up to his bed and curled up for a rest when we got back inside.                    

Birdie had a very fun filled day today. When I went to get her for her walk with Max C. she ran in circles as she saw Max and the lashes in my hand. As soon as I opened the door, she made sure to be the first one out the door, but waited patiently for Max and I before continuing on with her walk. When we got to the field, Birdie stuck her nose to the sky to smell all the fresh morning scents, as her tail wagged a hundred miles a minute. Near the end of her walk, Birdie took some time to sniff around in the field but her main focus was to get back to her nice warm bed. When it was time for groups, Birdie ran outside and politely greeted all her pals before continuing on running around the yard. As she ran around she saw the pool and ran over to play in it, although it was too cold to fill it. After seeing her pal Max C. the two took off together to sniff around a bit before they played around. Before it was time to go back inside, Birdie made sure to come over to me for a nice belly rub and a few kisses.

Kenzie and Kodi are having so much fun together during their stay with us.  When I went to get them for their walk with their pal Jemma the two bounced around when they realized what time it was. When we got outside Kenzie put her nose to the group to sniff around while Kodi said a quick hello to Jemma before sniffing around. When we got to the field the trio decided they wanted to run for their walk, so we did. As we ran Kenzie kept her nose to the ground for most of the time while Kodi let his ears blow and flap around in the wind. After stopping for a bit to play around with Jemma we all went back inside, and Kenzie and Kodi curled up on a bed together for a nap. When it was time to go out for their group, Kodi and Kenzie ran out the door, blowing past everyone excitedly as they got outside. After saying a quick hello to everyone Kenzie went on to sniff around the yard, while Kodi enticed some pals to play around with his. As Kodi became tired he went over to join his sister in some sniffing around before it was time to go back inside.

Fez and Rex are having a fantastic first day of their stay with us. Rex had a great time on his walk this morning with his pals Bailey and Ruca. As the trio walked along Rex asked the girls a few times if they wanted to play, but sadly they always declined, so Rex spent most of his walk sniffing around. For Fez’ walk this morning we went for a little wander around the front and out on the short trail. For most of his walk Fez had his head held high, smelling the morning breeze, but he did stop a few times to sniff around in the grass. For Rex’s group today, as soon as I opened his kennel door he bolted outside to join his pals, excited to be back here with us. As he said hello to all of his pals he saw that his friend Hudson is also staying with us too, and the two took off playing. As they sped around the yard a few times their pal Jemma saw them and joined in. When Rex got tired he walked over to the rocky area to sniff around until it was time to go back inside. While Fez went out with his group today he started out by exploring around the yard, checking out all the new holes that had been dug since he had last been with us. But Fez then decided that he would spend the majority of his time sniffing around, however he did come over for some cuddles before it was time to go back inside.

Teddy and Kizmet are having a terrific second day with us. When I went to get them for their walk the boys lazily got out of bed with big yawns and made their way out the door. As we walked through the yard Teddy put his nose to the ground to sniff around, while Kiz had his nose to the sky, smelling the fresh morning breeze. When we got to the field the boys spent most of their walk sniffing around, but they did stop a few times to snatch up some grass. As we made our way back to the building Teddy and Kiz passed some pals and Teddy barked hello. Once they got back in their kennels they ran over to their big beds and laid down for a nice rest. When it was time to go out for their group the boys seemed a little more awake while they ran down the hall to the door. As they got outside they said hello to everyone but they were mostly just interested in getting out to sniff around. As the group progressed Teddy ran over to a pal and chased her around the yard a few times before jumping into the empty pool, and he seemed relived that it was empty. As Kiz made his way around the yard a pretty wild flower caught his eye and he went over to snatch it up. Before it was time to go back inside I called the boys over for a quick cuddle, and a few kisses.