Thursday, September 15th, 2016

Max and Sadie were just as keen to be here today as they were yesterday. They had a great walk with Syarah this morning. I was out front with one of our senior guests and both Max and Sadie spotted me walking around. They were so curious when they spotted Mombasso trotting around. Max was bouncing up and down, as Sadie was pulling as hard as possible. After a little coaxing, Syarah got them back on track and they motored on to finish their walk. Max and Sadie were pleased to have Tsavo and Cai in the yard with them today. Max instantly began zipping around these two, using his nose to say his hellos before pouncing on them asking them to play. Sadie was a bit more graceful with her hellos. Patiently waiting for everyone to finish their sniffing before she slowly made her way over to say hello. After she did her greetings she head to her favourite hole in the small dog yard where she began digging and investigating. As usual, Cai was more than happy to get in on some games with Max. They boxed and wrestled for a bit before Cai wandered off to play with other group mates. Max then bolted over to Justice to say hi which got the whole group going. All the huskies, joined by Tsavo and Cai, were looping around the yard with Max in the lead. They got into some shenanigans around the tunnel, bolting through it and flying over it, then pouncing on one another. They continued this rotation of games until everyone was tired. Max then met up with his sister, Sadie, and they briefly played around until it was time to head indoors.

Tsavo and Cai were a pleasure to walk this morning, accompanied by another daycare friend, Spencer. Despite their rambunctious personalities in the yard, these two are absolutely wonderful to walk. They have great leash manors, never pulling or straying too far from my side. Cai and Tsavo were so excited to get going into the yard later on in the morning. They went running up and down the halls chatting to all their friends letting everyone know how excited they were. They barely let me open the door before they plowed through to get outside. They began darting around with one another, kicking the grass up and sending pebbles flying. As soon as the pair spotted Max, Sadie, and their husky friends come into the yard their eyes lit up. It took no time at all for Cai to meet up with Max, and for Tsavo to say hello to Kyah, Rosie, and Magic. After some quick hellos and play bows the games begun. Before long, Cai was with Kyah and he was absolutely in love with her! I couldn’t get over how much of a flirt this man was being. He kept pushing himself against her side, and then putting his bum in her face wagging his tail a million miles an hour. He would then paw at her, and pounce on her, looking for some fun and games. After lots of attempts, Kyah finally gave in to Cai’s wishes and the pair began boxing and wrestling. These two made a great duo. Soon enough, Tsavo joined in on the games and it was two against one. Luckily Kyah had some great friends in the yard to back her up. Kyah, Justice, and Rosie began pouncing all over Tsavo and Cai, which led to one big chase around the yard. Next thing I knew the entire group was darting at the speed of light around the yard. They kept one another very busy until it was time to head indoors.

Teddy S. is such a sweet boy. Every day as we head into the yard, he walks down the hall looking up at you to see what’s next. He is always excited to get in the yard and begin exploring. Today he motored right over to the grassy yard to do his investigating. With his nose to the ground he weaved around all the obstacles in the yard, ensuring to cover the entire yard. After he was happy with his exploring in the grassy yard he hopped into the gravel yard, where there were lots more smells to check out. Teddy spotted me hanging out on a rock in the grassy yard with two of his group mates and slowly sauntered over to check me out. He was very pleased to be offered pets and cuddles in the sunshine. He lay down at my feet, basking in the warm rays, as I scratched behind his ears and pet down his sides. One of his group mates, Dudley, began pouncing around him looking for a playmate. Teddy wasn’t too sure at first, but after a little convincing, he stood up and pounced back. They had a very brief play session before Teddy retreated back to my side for more cuddles. Towards the end of playtime Teddy head back out into the yard where he found a really great patch of grass to roll around in. He wiggled his back into the grass with his limbs flailing about. This drew the attention of some dogs in his group and next thing he knew he was surrounded. Teddy escaped the situation fast by heading to the front door, avoiding all the curious pups with grace and ease.

Iris and Amber are simply adorable; I cannot get over how cute they are! It seems Iris gets cuter and cuter as time goes on. Amber is really doing a great job of bumping up their cute points, as she is very precious too. Iris was more than ready to get going in the yard today. She zoomed down the hall as fast as her little legs could take her and head out in the yard without any hesitations. Once she realized her little sister wasn’t right on her tail, she wandered back indoor looking for her. Iris was pleased to see me sitting on their beds in their kennel next to Amber. Iris hopped on my lap, as I was petting and cuddling Amber, getting her familiar with me. After some pats and cuddle, both the girls were picked both the girls up and we head outdoors. Iris was quick to leap up onto the picnic table and instantly begin basking in the sun. Amber wasn’t too far behind, and made her way on the table as well. They were both very happy to have my company while enjoying all the warmth the sun had to offer. Later on I convinced the pair to wander out into the grass yard with me. Iris had to hesitations and began zooming around in the grass exploring. Amber was a bit more hesitant, but followed in her sister’s footsteps. As I sat down on a rock in the grassy yard the pair made their way over to me looking for more pets and cuddles. I really wanted Amber to do some more exploring, and be a little more independent, so I had to say no to them coming on my lap. Iris didn’t really mind, she sat by my feet instead. Amber wasn’t too sure what to do, she did a couple loops of the rock I was sitting on then she head out to the perimeter of the yard to sniff. She was very brave wandering around the yard on her own. After a bit of solo exploring, Iris caught up to her and the pair returned to the picnic table where they relaxed until it was time to come indoors.

Abby and Dudley are two big bundles of love. It’s hard to devote my attention to anything else when I’m with them because they are so insistent on constant love. This really isn’t hard to handle. I absolutely love how cuddley this pair can be. Abby adores sitting on my lap, nuzzling into my chest, and licking my face, while Dudley prefers to hang out at my feet and weave his way in and out of my legs rubbing himself against me. In the yard today Abby followed me around until I parked myself on the picnic table. She hopped up and joined myself, and two group mates Iris and Amber. Abby found a great spot right under my arm, where she sat and rested while Iris sat on my lap. After a little while she began nudging me, looking for some cuddles. I picked her up allowing she and Iris to trade spots. After a little bit of attention Abby leapt down and began nosing around the yard. She wandered into the grassy yard where she found her brother Dudley and checked him out. Dudley was very focused on a group friend, Teddy, today. Dudley followed him around for quite some time until finally Teddy gave in to his begging for games. They had a very brief dance off which had Dudley very excited. He was so fired up from this little play session that he made his way over to Ringo to ask for playing from him too. Ringo gave in to him right away and they danced around for a while. Once Dudley was done playing he made his way over to myself and Abby sitting on a rock and accepted some attention too. Abby and Dudley were so excited to make their way up to the front for some extra attention time. When we got up there the two of them went touring around the room checking everything out and seeing all who was around to give them lots of pets. Abby wasted no time in coming and planting herself at my feet wanting all the love and attention I could give her. It didn't take long for it to turn into Abby sitting on my lap watching Dudley continue to check out the room. He eventually made his way over so he could share in the pets and attention. After a little while I put Abby down and let Dudley have some lap time. Abby left her brother to it and went to roam around and check out the room. 

Myself, Ranger, and Piper had a great walk this morning accompanied by their friend Brutus. Brutus is a big dog that is sweet as can be. Piper was rather flirty with him at first, which I thought was pretty cute. She danced around him with her tail wagging and then bolted off to the end of her line looking for a chase. At this point Ranger was very curious as to what all the commotion was and he too had to check Brutus out. Once the duo was fully sure of their pal Brutus, they motored on ahead to finish their walk. In the yard today it took Ranger and Piper to come out of their shell and get playing. At first they wandered around with their noses to the ground doing some serious exploring. The moment I picked a Frisbee up Pipers eyes lit up. I launched it across the yard and she bound after it like she had springs in her legs. Her group mates were all very fascinated as well, however she beat them to the treasure. Once Kane spotted her sprinting he decided to sprint after her. Piper wasn’t too sure at first, however Ranger was very keen to get in on the chase. After Kane running laps and laps on his own, finally, the whole group joined in. Kane would dash through the tunnel full speed and I was so impressed to see Piper and Ranger zip through right after him. I saw Piper and Ranger run more today than I have ever see them run before. It was so much fun watching them spring and bound around the yard with giant smiles on their faces.

Max P is such a handsome man. We had a great one on one session today in the front playroom. Max loves to show off all of his commands for any sort of treat or goody. He is such a show off, slapping his paw on my legs before I even ask, demanding a reward. After he got some treats he settled down by my side and accepted bundles of love in the one sunny spot in the playroom, which he really enjoyed laying in. IN the yard today Max had his nose to the ground for the first portion of the outing. He insisted on exploring every inch of the agility yard before even greeting his playmates. Once he did all his investigating Max made his way over to Kane to say hello. Kane was already on the move at this point, looking for someone to play and run with. Max was keener than I expected to join in on his shenanigans. Max did a lot of running with Kane, leaping after him trying as hard as possible to stay right on his tail. Kane is pretty agile, weaving in and out of the tunnel. Max was smarter than Kane and would run around and meet him at the exit of the tunnel to beat him there. These games continued for a while until Max had his fill of entertainment for the afternoon. He came over to my side for some pats before the group returned indoors for an afternoon snooze.

Sophie is such a sweet girl. She has a lot of young energy, which I didn’t expect to see. As we went out in the yard she went bounding outdoors with her tongue out the side of her mouth and her tail wagging a million miles an hour. She practically flew out the door and began hopping around the yard, looking much like a deer leaping through a field of long grass. She then tucked her bum and had some brief zoomies around the yard. I had a good laugh watching her zip around like a puppy. She was happy with herself for getting all her energy out and then came by my side for some attention. Sophie loves to be pet down the neck, along with a good scratch under her collar. As I was doing this she was leaning into my leg, putting gall her weight on me. We had a great cuddle session before Sophie head back into the yard to do some more sniffing and investigating. Her friends had a serious chase going on and this distracted her from all the exploring. She stared at her friends bounding around the yard and briefly joined in. After her spurt of fun, Sophie returned to my side where she watched her friends play for the remainder of group time while accepting some more pets and cuddles.

Pelley was so eager to go outside and play this morning. She was jumping up in her kennel just waiting for me to open up the door so she could go outside and start her day. Once she walked out the door she began to wander around the gravel at first and sniff around the door where all of the other dogs were hanging out. She didn't stay there too long though. Pelley stuck by herself at first and once she was done sniffing around the door she made her way out further into the yard and began to explore other places. She walked over to the picnic table and began to smell around the ground, then she decided to jump underneath it when I wasn't looking. I called her name not knowing where she had gone and she popped her head out of the side with a cute smile on her face and looked at me. She jumped back out after that then made her way over into the further yard to explore around the grass. As she was out there wandering around a few other dogs trotted over as well to go and join her. Pelley was running around in circles and started to get playful when she saw the others come and join her, she began to play now to them then once they began to chase her she would run away and hide behind the agility tunnel and then play boy to them again once they stopped running. As she was playing she noticed the pool being filled up and ran over to go for a dip in the water, Pelley loved the pool and dunked her head right underneath and began to stroke her two front legs as if she was actually swimming. It was so funny to watch her.

Maya and Rocky came in for day care today and I heard them coming up the lane way all the way from the yard. Maya loves to make some noise on her way here and was howling alongside Rocky until they got out of the car to come inside. Once they got into their kennel they calmed down immediately and sat together on their cot. Rocky seemed to be a little tired today as he was sleeping the entire time he was inside. Rocky was as relaxed as usual and today, Maya followed suit. When they walked out the door they stayed close by each other and began to sniff around the gravel. Maya stayed by Rocky's side at first and the two started to expore and sniff around. Rocky wasn't too interested in exploring all that much and once he was done wandering around he went to go sit in the shade to relax as Maya took off to continue exploring on her own. Maya didn't wander too far though and she made her way over to the grass and started to trot around with her nose glued to the ground. She then walked over to the picnic table to scope it out quickly before she noticed some of the other dogs walking towards her. She walked up to some of them and gave them a sniff as they passed by her. She didn't seem like she wanted to play as she continued to watch them run off into the other yard but she instead she stayed in her spot and watched them as they ran around together. Maya was so calm while she's outside with the others and liked to hang around with Rocky much more than playing with everyone else. When she was done watching them she trotted over to Rocky and sat with him until it was time to go back inside.

Abbie and Jock came in this morning for daycare and were super curious right away. As I let them down the hall they began to wander into each room to check out what was going on and do some sniffing around. They were avoiding coming to the back with me as they kept running into a different room whenever I got them to come out of one. Once they got into the back however, they walked straight into their kennel to relax for a bit. During groups they seemed very excited to go outside. These two were running up and down the hallway as they were joined by the other dogs in their group and walked over to them to say hi. When I opened the door all of the dogs ran out and Abbie and Jock were the last ones in the hall. They love to take their time and sniff around as much as possible so I let them finish exploring around all of the kennels before I put them outside to join their friends in the yard. When they first went outside they took off to explore right away. Abbie and Jock decided to take there time as they began to wander around the gravel at first before with all of to other more quiet dogs. Abbie seemed to be a little social today and as she and Jock were walking around she made sure to walk over to some of the dogs to give them a sniff and say hello. Jock wasn't too interested in socializing with the others and stuck right by Abbie's side the entire time. If a dog walked over to see Jock he didn't even look up to see them and kept his focus on Abbie instead. One of the dogs were getting playful and as Abbie and Jock made their way further into the yard to roam around the grass. One of the dogs ran up to Abbie and started to run around. Abbie got a little excited and scooted ahead to chase after her but didn't run for too long and stopped after a minute to keep smelling the grass instead.

Louis had such a nice day outside today as he made his way out into the yard to join all of his friends that are in his group. He seemed to be pretty eager to see everyone and get some fresh air as he was waiting at his kennel door when I walked down the hallway to let him out. When he got outside he stood at the door and greeted everyone as they made their way out to join him in the yard. As they passed him he would lean his head down and give them a sniff and once he was done he followed everyone into the agility yard to start his day. He began to walk out in the middle of the yard and started to take a look around. He stared at the other dogs as they were exploring or playing for a while then once he was done he walked back in the direction to go back inside but stopped at the very beginning of the yard and started to sniff along the fence instead. He made his way along the fence and used his big nose to sniff up all of the scents he could smell. At the same time he was exploring he decided to munch on some grass as well for a snack. When he was done exploring by the door he walked over to the other side of the yard and started to use his nose skills over there to scope everything out. After he was done he wandered around until he walked over to me for some company. He put his face down for me to scratch his head then proceeded to walk back to the door to relax before it was time to go back inside.

Keeva is such a playful girl. She was snoozing all day today while she was inside in her kennel. Keeva was spread across her bed every time I walked by but once it was time to go outside for her group she seemed to have gotten a burst of energy that come into her and it really showed. Right as she walked out the door she began to speed up until she was almost running and made her way all the way to the other end of the yard where her and a couple of the other dogs that she's friends with followed her. She began to roam around while occasionally stopping to sniff around the bushes and tall grass and started to rub her face against it. When she was done I called her over to me and she came running over with a smile. I let her for a moment before she took off again to run around. Just when I thought she didn't want my attention she came running back with a Kong ball in her mouth and dropped it at my feet for me to throw for her. When I picked it up she got so excited and started to wiggle her body. Once I through it across the yard she went chasing after it and raced another dog at the same time to catch it. Keeva caught it before the other dog did and she came running back to give it to me, we continued to pay for most of the time we were outside and let's just say she went straight back to sleep by the time she went back into her kennel. This afternoon Keeva was scheduled for a spa day so I cleaned her up and made her look all pretty before she goes home tomorrow. After her bath and pawdicure we headed outside for a nice relaxing walk in the warm sun. Keeva lead the way around the field stopping to sniff the fall wild flowers. When we returned from our walk Keeva group was heading outside so we went out and she headed straight to the tunnel to rub against. 

Hobart and Gracie were both in very relaxed moods when they went outside this morning. Hobart was super energetic when he first got here but after he went for his walk around the trail with me it tired him out and put him in a calm mood for his group time. Gracie spent the day in the kitchen today with us and boy was she ever a joy to have in there with us. You would have never even noticed she was there since she sat so quietly and didn't disturb any of us. I made sure to lay down with her on her huge bed to give her cuddles. When I went to see Hobart in his kennel he got super wound up and started to bounce around me but as I let him outside his excited energy went away and he started to wander around instead. Gracie was very calm outside as well, she and Hobart didn't play at all when they were outside and spent their time exploring instead. Gracie made her way out to the very end of the yard on her own to begin to sniff around while Hobart stuck by himself and stayed near the door. He sniffed around all of the small rocks that are along the fence and tried to move them with his nose to smell underneath. When that didn't work he began to move them with his paws a bit but didn't try hard enough and only managed to move one. Gracie ran up to some of the dogs to say hi while she was outside but when we they got too playful with her she would back away and run towards me for some cuddles. This girl is such a people dog and she loves all of the affection she can get. While we were outside she did some tricks for me for a couple treats and after I gave her some she didn't leave my side the entire time. When Hobart was done sniffing around the door he decided to make his way out to the middle of the yard. He began to look around then walked right back to sit at the door. He sat there for the rest of the time we were outside and waiting to go back in. When I went to see him he started to get rambunctiousness again and pranced around me as he attacked me with kisses. It's too bad he didn't want to play with the others as much he wanted to play with me.

Gracie and I spent some quality time together this afternoon. She came up to the reception area and got lots of cuddles and attention from all of her people friends. We then went out into the field and had a nice time roaming around wherever Gracie's nose led us. She took us all over the place, through the long grass and back to the main trail. Once she was finished her walk, Gracie was ready to do some brain work! I started with some simple commands like sit, down and stay. We practiced these a few times and then I started to work on the basics of "play dead" that we had begun during Gracie's last stay. She's such a good girl! 

Issy, Mocha and Kimi spent their day in the staff room today. They spend most of their days in their with us which they love so much more than being with the other dogs. They are always so relaxed and all they like to do inside is sleep so the peace and quiet of the staff room is ideal to them, plus they have a never ending pile of blankets they get to lay on that one of the dogs love to pull off the shelf on to the floor to make some extra beds. During their way this morning they got the chance to all walk together. They were behaving like such Angels the entire time on the trail. Every now and then Issy and Mocha would stop in the middle of the trail to sniff some of the tall grass. Mocha would stay and just sniff it from the side as she was still on the trail but Issy wanted to run through it and she did just that. She ran into the grass and began to hop around for a bit until she ran back out to continue walking. Kimi stood there and watched them entertained, but the second Issy got back on the trail Kimi began to walk again and she didn't want to wait for Issy any longer. When it was time to go outside for groups Issy and Micha were both fast asleep while Kimi was wide awake standing at the door ready to go out and play. She only plays sometimes but when she's in the mood she always has so much fun. When they all joined everyone outside all three of them began to explore right away. Mocha stayed as close to the door as possible and didn't even walk into the agility yard until I called her over to come and see me. She's always very shy outside and doesn't like to interact too much with the other dogs. Whenever a dog ran over to her she didn't pay too much attention to it but Issy would run over and give them a sniff until their attention was turned to Issy instead. Issy made her way into the agility yard and started to roam around the rocks along the fence. She loved to explore and did it the entire one she was outside. She walked along the rocks at first then made her way over to the middle of the yard and once she was done she set off to explore all of the other parts. Issy kept her head down the entire time so she wouldn't miss any of the scents that passed by her, she was always using that nose for something. Kimi made her way over to the middle of the yard at first and she took her time as she roamed around and smelled everything. She seemed to be super curious in the agility tunnel and stayed by there to smell it for a while before she decided to poke her head in then walk through it. I waited at the other side and gave her some cuddles when she got out and as I was petting her she noticed some of the other dogs starting to play around and wrestle. Kimi stayed by me as she watched them run around and I saw her get more and more intrigued by them. Soon she jumped away from me and ran over to the other dogs to watch them play. She didn't join in but made sure she stood close by just in case. When the other dogs started to jump up on her Kimi started to prance around In circles then back away and kept watching. She didn't join in with them but she liked to be on the sidelines anyways.

Teddy and Jemma had such a fun time today while they were outside with their group. They both came in for daycare this morning and were both filled with energy right from the start. When they were going outside with their group Jemma just couldn't hold back her excitement and started to run around right away. Teddy was feeding off of Jemma's energy and was loving how excited and energetic she was. He started to run over to her right as he saw her running around and jumped up on her back then kicked off and ran back. Jemma turned around and watched Teddy run away and waited for a moment. All of a sudden she bolted towards him and did the same thing to him; she jumped up and bounced off of him and ran back in the other direction. This started up a game of tag as Teddy chased Jemma all around the agility yard. They ran from one end of the yard to the other as fast as they could. Jemma couldn't help but to stop every now and then to say hi to the other dogs that were outside with her. She wanted to play with more of the dogs and ran over to them in the middle of her game and started to bounce around them and on their backs to get their attention. Teddy stopped and ran over and began to run around them in circles. He started to bark impatiently as Jemma was with other dogs and he wanted her to continue running again. Finally she took off and started to run across the yard as Teddy and a couple of the other dogs chased after her. They ran around in circles until they cornered her on the ground and Jemma was left to lay on her back with her legs in the air as she started to roll around on the ground. Teddy bent down and started to sniff her belly all the way up to her face then gave her tons of kisses as all of the other dogs joined in to do the same. When I walked over to pet her she jumped right up and did a circle as the others watched. She then ran over to me as I was sitting on a rock and jumped right up and started to attack my face with her kisses. From then on all she wanted was my attention and Teddy began to play with the other dogs for a bit before he started to sniff around and explore.

Percy and Spencer came in for daycare today which is always so exciting. These two are best friends and love to spend time together when they are out in the yard and playing with the other dogs. Percy seemed extra excited to see me this morning when I was letting him outside for his walk. He started to jump up all over me in the hallway and give me so many kisses. He's such a sweet boy and he's always ready to get going! I think Spencer settles him down a bit when they're together because even though Spencer can be super playful in the yard he still takes the time to go and greet everyone and do a thorough inspection of the yard. During their groups outside Spencer took off on his own at first to start exploring the yard. He stayed by himself and began to sniff along the fence to go wherever his nose led him to. He smelled all along the rocks and made his way around the yard until he reached the outdoor kennels. Spencer seemed to be so intrigued by them and spent a good while hanging out near them and sniffing through the tall grass around he edges. Percy ran over after he was done doing his business to join Spencer as he was sniffing around. They trotted around together for a bit before Spencer took off again to wander around the other side of the yard on his own. Percy stayed where he was and walked over to a couple of the more playful dogs and right as one began to sniff him they started to bounce around and tried to get Percy to join in and play with them. Percy was so excited and started to jump around them in circles. He couldn't help but to let out some barks as well. He started to chase them around the yard as they began to play a game of tag as he was running as fast as he could. Whenever they caught up to each other they would begin to wrestle around the grass until either one of them decided to take off again and run around more. As Spencer was roaming around near the door he walked over to the middle of the yard and saw everyone playing. He made his way over to check it out and began to watch them closely. He didn't join in until Jemma began to jump on his back with excitement as she began to greet him. Spencer was a little unsure but once Percy and Teddy started to run to continue their game of tag Spencer decided to join in as well. They all ran around the yard for the rest of the time they were outside, these four had so much fun together and by the time they went back inside they were super tired and ready for some water and a nap.