Kai had a very nice and relaxing extra attention time this morning. She was quite excited to come up to the front reception area and see all of us. As soon as she got up here, Kai greeted each and every one of us by rubbing her back against us or giving us a kiss. Soon enough Kai was ready to be pampered. She laid down right on her back and showed me her fluffy tummy so that I could give her a belly rub. I alternated between belly rub and brushing for quite some time. Kai seemed as though she could be pampered the whole day and not get tired of it. After the belly rubs were done, I had Kai do a few tricks so that she could enjoy some treats. Kai was awesome at her sits and especially when she sat pretty. Every time I asked her to give me a paw she’d immediately sit pretty instead which was very cute. I tried getting her to practice her lay downs but she would end up on her back asking for another belly rub each time. Overall she was quite content when she went back to her kennel.
The small dog group was pleasantly surprised to see Santa Clause join them out in the yard this morning; did Christmas come early? It was actually our little girl Resa, dressed up for Halloween as Santa, and boy did this get the excitement going amongst the others. Timbits the little man was especially excited to start chasing Santa around the yard and his older sister Coco was following right behind him. Usually the somewhat reserved Coco didn’t miss a beat when playing with her favorite pals. Resa and Timbits are quite fast, but when Coco eventually caught up she would jump on Timbits' back for a good wrestle. Meanwhile in the opposite yard, Jake and Marley had their own wrestling match going on. Jake would wiggle his bum and jump down into a play bow to get the attention of smaller Marley who accepted his offer to play with much enthusiasm. Bella on the other hand was hanging out away from the commotion with little Julie who was dressed up as a ladybug/butterfly hybrid; these two little ladies kept each other company but I think Bella was more amused at the outfit Julie was wearing! I would walk over to give these girls some extra pets and the whole gang would follow behind me. Once Bella saw her goofy brother Jake approach, she couldn’t resist a quick wrestle and chase around the yard. Towards the end of their outing, Coco the inquisitive girl must have heard or smelt something interesting and she began to howl; Timbits and Marley joined in the chorus and before I knew it both Bella and Jake joined the howls of these three curious beagles. Finally I broke the song and encouraged them back inside to the warmth where Coco and Timbits immediately curled up together, while Bella and Jake waited patiently for their lunchtime snack!
What a treat both Sadie and Max had today as they were joined by two sweet Husky ladies named Aurora and Kyah. Sadie and Max love to play with both old and new friends and were ready to burn out some energy this morning with these gals. Kyah must have literally made Max weak in the knees as Kyah pawed at him to play and Max’s bum would hit the floor and ears would fold back in excitement as they wrestled. The usually confident and bold Max was definitely on his best behavior today when interacting with these special girls. Sadie especially took a liking to Aurora and would follow her aimlessly around the yard as her brother wrestled with Kyah. Aurora jumped up on the picnic table with Sadie close behind and Sadie pawed at her and the two of them shared some gentle sniffs and licks. Since Aurora was mostly busy making rounds of the yard; Sadie would then join in with Max and Kyah and the three of them would wrestle and run laps around the yard together. It was nice to see such sweet bonds form between these four pups as they all closely played and roamed the yard together. I think they will all be looking forward to their next outing where they can meet again to play!
Francis and Nunu are always happy to head out in the yard and meet new friends. Today they were pleasantly surprised to be part of a very fun group, which had a couple young dogs. Francis was so excited to see her pal Charly, as well as a new friend named Finnigan. Charly and Finnigan love to wrestle, which kept Francis very occupied. She insisted on supervising their every move, and referring their games with great seriousness. She would pounce and bounce all around them as they rolled around on the ground. Occasionally, she would toss a paw in on their games reminding them that she wanted to be involved too. Charly would leap up and pounce on her, then immediately roll onto her back looking to be tackled. Francis was more than happy to prance all over her in the friendliest way, which would quickly involve Finnigan too. Francis spent the majority of her time in the yard with this duo, occasionally breaking away to check up on her other group mates. Nunu is always happy to meet new dogs. She doesn’t’ get involved in as many games, but she loves to be around them. Today she was happy to frolic around the young dogs goofing around, slowly making her way closer to the games, then dashing away once she was right in the centre. Nunu alternated between Walker and Justice, and Charly and Finnigan before finally settling down with Kyah. Nunu and Kyah love to bounce around together, pawing at one another and then running around side by side. Nunu was happy to play around with Kyah for a while, before making her way to my side where she gladly accepted pats and cuddles.
Finnigan always brings so much positive energy and joy to whichever playgroup he ends up in. Today he was thrilled to be in a group with his good pal Charly. These two have become two peas in a pod, both sharing very similar playing styles. Finnigan kept himself so busy outdoors, rolling around with her from the start to the end of his playtime. Finnigan loves to roughhouse with dogs, pulling on their fur and leaping all over them. Charly is such a great match for him as she loves to bounce all over with her friends. This pair is hilarious to watch, as their limbs are flailing around and other dogs are hooting and hollering at them, they continue to roll around with smiles on their faces and their tales wagging. The only thing that distracted Finnigan enough to leave Charly, was a great stuffed snake toy. He snatched it and began sprinting in circles around the yard, until a friend took it from him. He then decided he needed to find something else to chew on, and what better than a root stuck in the ground. Finnigan had a great game of tug with a branch that was rooted heavily into the ground. He tugged, and tugged, then barked at it, then continued to tug, then decided to chew on it, until he finally got it! He was so proud of himself and began dancing all around the yard with his stick. Charly and Kyah were all over him, trying to snatch it, but he did a great job at keep away. He ended up bringing the stick indoors and gnawing on it in his kennel for a bit before crashing.
Walker has been having so much fun with us. We all love having him back for daycare, it seems like it’s been forever since he spent this much time with us. Walker is so happy to spend his time indoors in the staff room. Despite having the space for him in a kennel, he much prefers hanging out in the staff room with staff dogs, Merida and Charly. The moment he entered he began playing around with Charly, tugging on the same toy and then cuddling up on the same bed. He was happy to be in an outdoor group with her as well, starting things off by dancing around with her. His attention was quickly diverted to Justice, a Siberian husky, who Walker was very interested in. Walker and Justice became quick friends, instantly starting to chase one another around the yard. Walker was very fast on his feet, sprinting as fast as he could with his ears flapping in the wind as Justice bolted after him staying right on his feet. Their racing eventually turned into a fun boxing match, which Walker dominated. To my surprise he had no problem toppling Justice over onto his side, proceeding to wrestle around with him on the ground. The pair was adorable together, definitely an odd couple, but they ended up being a great match. Walker then spent the remainder of his outdoor time dividing his time between Justice and myself. Walker is such a suck for a good cuddle, never afraid to leap up on me asking for more attention. After he got all the love he wanted he would quickly find Justice for some more romping around. Walker was so excited to get back in the staff room after his first group outing, and find a bone. This kept him very occupied until his next outing.
Chloe is so entertaining to watch in the yard. She is constantly looking for something to pick up and play with, whether it’s a toy, a stick, the agility tunnel, or the big slide. She manages to get just about anything in her mouth and drag it along. She was thrilled to have a stuffed animal in the yard today. She and I played so many rounds of fetch, and tug, I thought my arm was going to fall off. Chloe is so funny when throwing a toy; she never lets it land before catching it, which results in some hilarious photos. Chloe leaps and bounds in the air, almost looking like a shark breaching out of the water for a meal. I had some good fun trying to capture some photos of her flying in the air for her stuffed animal. After a large amount of games, Chloe finally settled down long enough to get some good sniffing in. She wiggled her way around the yard with her nose to the ground, picking up on all the great smells left behind from other dogs. She continued this until it was time to head in for an afternoon snooze.
Kai and Bauer were two peas in a pod this morning during their group outing. These two instantly spotted one another from across the yard when their outdoor time started, and quickly made their way towards one another. They spent a good amount of time sniffing each other overhead to toe. I think they were so fascinated with each other because of their similar looks. It was adorable watching Bauer kissing Kai’s ears, and pawing at her side, asking for her to play. Kai was so happy to have this loving extra attention from such a handsome boy. She pushed herself into him over and over, asking him to keep bugging her. The pair ended up dancing around for a while, flirting and goofing around with their tails wagging a million miles a minute. As I walked closer to the pair, they slowed down their games to wiggle their bums and make there way to me. Both Kai and Bauer love extra attention. These two loved having both my hands all to themselves, rubbing their sides and itching their ears and under their chins. Bauer is so silly, always walking under my legs. He tends to take my right off my feet, as he is so big and I’m short! Kai prefers to nuzzle into my side, giving me kisses and snuggles when I kneel down to her level.
It was great to have Summit with us for the day today. He made for a great walking buddy, accompanied by two friends Magic and Kyah. Summit is so well behaved on his walks, always walking right in front of me, only straying into the field to sniff and do his business. He is very determined to walk as fast as possible with his pals. These three would have made for a great sledding team! In the yard, Summit was so happy to have buddies to goof around with. He was quick to meet up with Kyah and begin dancing around with her. The pair put their muzzles around each other’s shoulders, wagging their tails very fast, which turned into a boxing match. Summit and Kyah were great at balancing on their hind legs with their front paws wrapped around one another’s necks. They danced around for a while, pawing at each other over and over until they got another boxing match started. Merida briefly joined in on their games, which got Summit extra excited. The trio danced around in circles, which turned into a brief sprint around the yard. Summit them broke off from the chase to sniff and explore. Kyah insisted on following him around, keeping him company as he explored the yard. By the end of outdoor time, Summit was happy to spend some time by my side getting his ears scratches and sides patted.
