Friday, October 14th, 2016

Some days I wish I could just film Lola, rather than writing about her, because that would describe her day so much better. Needless to say, she is an absolute riot to watch. Today they were in separate kennels, and this caused a bit of a ruckus. Without her bff in sight, she didn’t have a clue what to do! Lola was rustling around for a couple minutes before finally settling down. Once she relaxed, she was quick to flip on her back and sleep with her legs sprawled in the air like a typical husky. She is always first in the yard followed by her partner in crime, Vega. The pair was quick to pick up right where they always leave off, which is under the picnic table. They instantly began romping around underneath the table, moving it around as they leapt over one another. One day, this duo won’t be able to fit underneath, and they will be very confused as to what they should be doing in the yard. They kept themselves very busy wrestling and playing under the table while all their group-mates circled around checking up on them and their shenanigans. Finally, Vega bolted out looking for a chase. Lola was right on her tail and the team zipped around the yard at their lightning fast pace. Jemma was happy to join in on their race and soon the trio came to a halt, and began wrestling on the ground. Lola loved jumping all over Jemma as she rolled about on the ground. Vega was quick to pick up on her buddies’ behavior too and soon enough the pups were bouncing all over miss Jemma. Jemma loved being the center of attention, and Lola loved having someone other than Vega to play pick on. After good fun with other group-mates, Lola and Vega made their way back to their table to continue their shenanigans until it was time to head indoors. Might I add, I had to carry both of them inside today since they refused to stop playing, what monkeys!

Jemma is my heart and soul. I love her to pieces, as you may be able to tell by the photos. Jemma is such a sucker for a good belly rub, and loves cuddles even more. We had a great cuddle session in the grass today; she did a wonderful job of keeping me warm while I rubbed her belly. Jemma loves to give me kisses all over my face as I give her loads of extra attention. It didn’t take long at all for Jemma and Finnigan to become the best of friends. I knew the moment I saw their names in a group together that they would be best friends. These two both have such a welcoming personality, as well as super loving and happy. Their outgoing attitude and positive outlook towards other dogs makes fun and games easy as pie. They met up and instantly began romping around with one another. Their games didn’t involve much running, rather a lot of rolling around, mouthing, and pawing. Both Jemma and Finn are known for rolling onto their back and submissing to their group mates, asking to be played with while showing that they aren’t any trouble. The problem with this today was that they both kept rolling onto their backs for one another, at the same time! It was hilarious to watch them realize no one was on top of them wrestling with them as they lay side-by-side on their back sprawled out. These shenanigans continued for ages until Mowgli joined in. Mowgli was a great addition to Finn and Jemma. Mowgli got these two up off their backs and running around. The three of them were so fast on their feet, sprinting in circles around the yard over and over again until the two puppies Lola and Vega joined into. Shadow wasn’t far behind, followed by Resa, meaning the whole group was in on the game. It wasn’t long before Jemma broke off with Shadow and begin sprinting around the yard. These two were a funny little pair, a little unsure of one another at first but soon became good pals. Meanwhile, Finn was rolling around with Mowgli, keeping himself very occupied with a new best friend. This group was so much fun to watch. Jemma and Finnigan were having so much fun that they both got to take part in another group to expend some more of their energy. By the time mid-morning groups were over, they were both very happy to get back to their kennels and snooze to re-charge their batteries in order to be full of gas for their next outing.

Indi is such a sweet girl. She has settled in much more since first arriving. She feels much better in the yard than in her kennel, however, as the days progress she loves spending time on her bed and chewing on her yellow ring, which keeps her relaxed between group outings. Today Indi was thrilled to meet up with Jemma on her walk. This pair met when Jemma was in for daycare on Tuesday, and was happy to be re-united today. I had a good laugh watching Susan walk the duo behind me. They barely realized they were on a walk, as they wrestled and bounced around with one another for the majority of their walk. These two are such a fun pair that I couldn’t resist putting Jemma in Indi’s outdoor group today. Despite my best efforts to get these friends playing, Indi decided to play with an un-expected friend, Tobin. Tobin is a lovely, mature boxer who is full of young energy. Indi and Tobin made for one very cute couple. It surprised me to see Tobin initiate the games by wiggling his way over to Indi and rubbing his hind end against her side. Indi was very smitten with his behavior, allowing him to flirt but wouldn’t give in to his request to play. Tobin’s last attempt to get her to play was by licking her ear very gently. He then backed away, play-bowed, and darted off. This got Indi going right away. She zoomed after him and was very quick to catch up. Nothing stopped Tobin from trying his hardest to keep up with this young agile girl, so he motored along behind her. Indi was showing off, weaving around her friends and darting through the tunnel. Tobin still wasn’t going to give up as he trotted after her with a big smile on his face. Finally, Indi stopped her running and plopped herself down on the ground. It was the cutest thing ever when Tobin lay down right next to her. I took a hundred photos of these new best friends lying side by side, catching their breath, and enjoying this cool fall day. After fueling up, Indi was quick to hop up and get back to exploring the yard. She was hilarious walking all over the upside down sand box. She loved to stand on it and stick her nose in the air, with great pride. Tobin found her on the sandbox and continued to flirt with her. The duo then broke off to sniff and explore the gravel yard where Indi showed off her jumping skills over the agility jump and Tobin nuzzled into my side accepting pets and cuddles.

Tobin was a busy man this morning; we decided to switch up the scenery for his extra attention this morning and that meant taking a little tour. First we started out with a one-on-one walk as he seems to adore the extra attention on a simple walk. He would actually get so excited when I would call his name in a high pitch tone and his bum would start to sway back and form as I call him over. I even gave him some time to sniff out the front yard on the long line so he could freely roam, so many new smells to sniff in this area! Next up was a little play session in the lounge. I know he doesn’t care too much for toys, per se, so I would call him over to different areas for some cuddles. That meant the cot on the ground and both couches where he would sit like a good boy for some head rubs and photo opportunities. He then got up on his hind legs to take in the view from the window. Last stop of the morning was to the indoor playroom so sniff around; he is always curious as to what’s behind closed doors so it was nice for him to take this little morning tour!

Duke is such a love bug. It’s hard to go far in the yard without him pushing himself into you, requesting love and attention. At first Duke was happy accepting pets and cuddles by my side. This wasn’t good enough after a couple minutes and he snuck his way between my legs. He looked up at me from between my legs as if he were asking “ok where are my pets and cuddles now?!”. Of course I spent some good time cuddling the handsome man, and he did a wonderful job of keeping me warm on this freezing fall day. Later on in groups, Duke surprised me by getting involved in some of the playing. Duke really enjoyed watching his group mates frolic around with one another. At one point he was even sprinting around the yard with Indi and Tobin, trying to get in on their game. He was quickly distracted by Casper the big marshmallow, and started to investigate him. Duke requested Casper to play numerous times and finally he gave in. The duo was very cute, bouncing around side by side, slowly playing with big smiles on their faces. Their games didn’t last long, but they put Duke in a great mood. Duke found me shortly after the games ended and requested more cuddles. I got Duke to run around with me for a bit, getting him to show me his agility skills jumping over the jump in the yard. By the end of groups he was tired enough to spend the remainder of his outdoor time with his nose to the ground sniffing and exploring. Duke was very excited to hang out in the playroom for a while this afternoon. He sniffed all around the room, taking a look in the toy bin and exploring the couch. He's such a handsome guy that I couldn't help but have him pose for some pictures. He was such a good boy so I gave him a yummy treat afterwards. We then settled down together for some back scratches and pets. Duke eventually laid down on the floor and sprawled out, soaking up all the attention.

We are always so pleased to have Tasha and Boris visiting with us as they bring such an energetic spirit to their groups! You could say that Boris was the “life-of-the-party” as he always is. It was hard to keep up with him as he was visiting with all of his buddies in the yard. He definitely doesn’t waste anytime and makes the most out of his visits. Tasha, on the other hand, likes to start her mornings off by sniffing around the yard and takes her time to stretch out her legs, however it’s not long before Boris entices her to play and off they go! Tasha and Boris were joined by their husky friends Kyah and Justice. You could call Kyah the queen of the agility tunnel, as she loves to jump up and tease the others to try and get her. Well Boris took her up on that challenge and wanted to wrestle her down. At one point he even jumped up himself and the two of them barked and pawed at each other. This really had Tasha going as well and she would run back and forth and up on her hind legs to try and keep up with the two of them. The fun didn’t stop there either, next up was some extra attention and more playtime in the indoor playroom; I think its safe to say that these two will have a good sleep tonight! Boris and Tasha had a blast in the playroom for their extra attention time today. We started off with a couple of cookies, before Tasha and Boris took their time to sniff around the room. Tasha kept her eye on me as she sniffed along, waiting for me to pull another treat out of my pocket. Meanwhile, Boris was pawing around in the toy bin, taking his time to make a selection. He decided on an orange bouncy ball, which he pawed as it bounced around in front of him. I sat down in the chair and both Tasha and Boris came running over for some pets and cuddles. When I stood back up the pair started to bounce around together, hopping up on the chair and back down while wrestling the whole time. They tumbled all over the room until they both needed to take a break and have a drink of water. 

Tasha's training session took place outside where we worked mainly on her walking skills. She knows how to heel very well, so I challenged her today by taking her to places she hasn't been in a while and we worked on alternating between staying at my side and being released to "go sniff." Tasha excelled at our random stops, sitting and sometimes throwing herself to the ground when I asked her to "down." She makes me laugh when she does things with such force and enthusiasm. We finished off with some "watch me" work, which is always fun when the dogs figure out exactly what they need to do to get their reward. Tasha was no exception and really enjoyed the game.

Boris had to wait until later in the day for his training session, which he didn't think was entirely fair. He protested when I took Tasha for her session without him, but was extra enthusiastic when it was his turn. It took a minute to get him into work mode, which is excellent practice for those exciting times in life when dogs want to run and jump on doors and people. We started out with some recall work on the long line and Boris was successful every single time I asked him to "come." We moved into the lounge to practice some place and it was a very distracting environment for Boris since his dad had been hanging out in there earlier. He had a harder time concentrating on staying in place because he wanted to sniff every place Tycho had been. We worked on it, however, with Boris brow furrowed in concentration. When he had been successful for a nice, long period of time, I released him and we went outside to do some heel work. However, Boris's good friends Adam and Krysten arrived in the parking lot right then and it was a great opportunity to practice some meet and greets. I was surprised at how much trouble Boris had in keeping his bum on the ground, but Adam and Krysten worked with me to make sure Boris was in a calmer state of mind before giving him some pets and attention. 

Next up was one of our small dog groups of the day including our good friend Jax the bulldog and two lovely daycare ladies Iris and Amber. As usual Iris and Amber eagerly started their morning off with a nice trail walk but today was extra special because they were joined by a new friend named Vanna who is just as small and sweet as them, and therefore a good match. Vanna was very interested in meeting Iris and Amber and would wiggle over and try to get their attention. Iris politely told her that this was their structured walk time and not the time to play, ha! Amber was flying behind Iris during their walk; she tried to make sure she didn’t stray too far from Iris as she enjoys her comfort. However every so often Amber would unexpectedly fly by Iris and take the lead in the pack with a brave smile on her face but once she realized she had gone to far she would quickly look back and join Iris’ pace. The fun continued in the yard today and Iris now told Vanna that it was time to play and the three girls would run circles around me in enjoyment. Jax the big man thought this was pretty funny and came over to see what all the commotion was about. He is always so gentle and polite with the little ladies and they were very curious of him as well and would come over for a quick sniff and hello. I decided to get on the ground with Jax today for a few cuddles. He would then paw my shoulders when I wasn’t paying enough attention to him and demand some pets. Jax is such a funny guy and is very vocal about what he wants, especially to tell me that playtime was over and he wanted to go in for his afternoon nap. So off he went, wiggly bum and all.

Jax and I had a lovely one-on-one session around midday and Jax was all about the cuddles today, which was fine by me. We sat on the floor together, with Jax as close as possible to get maximum massage and pets. I like to think he enjoys my massages and is anticipating it when he plants himself in front of me like he did today. I also got some interesting upside down kisses when I kissed the top of his head; what a sweetheart he is. Jax made sure to greet and get pets from anyone else moving through the reception area and then told me when it was time for a quick explore out front. He loves checking out the big rock at the corner of the parking lot and spent a good amount of time reading the public bulletin board and all the messages other dogs had left there.