Saturday, October 22, 2016

Saturday October 22nd 2016

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Sophie and Charlotte had a wonderful first full day back at Tails and Trails! The two girls were so very happy when they arrived last night and just couldn't wait for their stay to begin. This morning Charlotte was quite uppity and ready to get outside to start moving. Sophie wasn't quite sure that she wanted to get out of her comfy bed just yet but soon enough she joined Charlotte, who was up and waiting to go out. This morning, Sophie and Charlotte each got their own walks that was best suited for them. Sophie got to go on a special one on one walk with our volunteer. She was quite excited when she first got outside and trotted right to the end of her leash. Eventually she slowed down a bit as she was determined to sniff every piece of grass in sight. For the rest of her walk she remained right by our volunteers side. Sophie even got some extra snuggles and back scratches during her walk. I think Sophie was very excited to go back inside onto her warm bed. Charlotte was on a very energetic and fun walk this morning. As soon as she got outside and saw who she was walking with she went nuts! Charlotte started racing around the others, bouncing all over them and coming up to me to say hi as well. Soon enough she slowed down but she was definitely not at her slowest speed for her walk. Charlotte did a little bit of everything while she was on her walk. She enjoyed sniffing the grass, especially the long grass that she could also jump around in. I swear Charlotte spent most of her time weaving in and out of that long grass. Charlotte was also determined to hunt down any little creature she could find with her nose, however she seemed to come up empty handed. To end of her walk, she raced around the yard with her friends with me trailing behind them. I think she wanted me to be running with them instead of slowing them down. When it came time for their outdoor play group I don't think either of the girls were very excited to go outside in the cold rain. However, they both eventually got up and were ready to join me in the yard. Charlotte made sure that she was always playing with everyone. She met a new friend named Dani and the two of them absolutely hit it off! Charlotte raced around the yard with Dani as she was trying to get the toy that she had. Every so often she'd come to me for an extra pat but soon enough she'd be off to the races once again. Sophie had a quieter day today. She found it suiting to come join me for a nice warm cuddle while we were outside. For the most part of her group time, Sophie remained by my side. She did however move around a little to greet everyone in her group as she passed them. Overall they both had excellent first days back!
Right after both their walks, Sophie and Charlotte joined me in the playroom for their extra attention today. Sophie was very excited to run up to the front, bouncing along after her little sister. They both ran right into the playroom and Charlotte leaped right onto the nearest toy that she could find. Sophie perused the room and then settled down beside me in the middle of the room. In one hand, I was giving Sophie a lovely ear massage, and the other I was playing tug-of-war with Charlotte. Eventually Sophie decided to take a little nap while her head was resting on my lap. We sat there together while I pet her back and rubbed her ears. Charlotte eventually st down beside us too, soaking up even more attention. After a little while, both girls got up to check out the room some more. Near the end of our time together, I left for a second to grab some treats for these lovely ladies. They both sat very nicely for their treats when I got back, and Charlotte even gave me her paw to really show off her manners. I tossed the ball around for her for the next little while, and she chased after it each time, pouncing right on it. She is so funny because she jumps on the toy, and then stands there for a second, debating whether she wants to pick it up or not. Almost always she would grab it and come barreling into me to throw it again. These two are so cute and I love when they come to visit!

Tasha and Boris got to have the whole trail all to them selves today as they were on a nice walk by themselves for a change. They were both so excited to get outside and explore all along the trail. Once Boris got out he immediately started sniffing all over the place. Tasha seemed interested in following but she headed to the end of her leash so that she could get the walk started. Throughout their whole walk, Boris kept his nose glued to the ground. He would occasionally look up at me or Tasha but he'd soon return to the grass for some more sniffing. Tasha decided she wanted to walk beside me for the most part of her walk. She continuously looked up at me to get an extra pat on the head. Eventually she joined Boris for a little while to see what he was sniffing. When it came time for Boris and Tasha outdoor play group the two of them just couldn't wait to go outside and start goofing around with their friends. Boris was the first one out of the kennel as per usual. He jumped out as soon as I opened the door and raced outside. Tasha was quick to jump up shortly after him and follow him out the door. Once they got outside, Tasha quieted down a bit. i don't think she expected it to be so cold and rainy. Although she wasn't loving the weather, Tasha still did her typical rounds around the yard. She enjoyed sniffing along the fence line and occasionally stopped to say hello to her friends. At one point she joined in on the playing that Boris was doing but she came to snuggle with me soon after. Boris was still very energetic and playful despite the weather outside. As soon as he got into the yard he started trying to play with anyone around him. Eventually he found the perfect play friend, Gryphon. Boris ensured that his friend raced around the yard with him. At various times the two boys were tackling it each other so much that they were just rolling around on the ground, silly boys. Eventually Boris got Tasha to join in on it because he wanted her to play with him. Tasha and Boris had a lot of fun play tackling and chasing each other through all the puddles. 

Boris and Tasha were so excited for their extra attention they almost went right by the playroom in their hurry to reach it. Both of them trotted a quick lap of the room to check things out. There were toys everywhere that Boris spent some time nosing through. Then I pulled two treats out of my pocket, which caught their attention. They both quickly sat down at my feet. After I gave them their reward, Tasha didn’t seem to believe that there was none left, and followed me around while I threw toys for Boris. Eventually Boris distracted her and the two went racing around the room. Tasha leaped into the chair and Boris didn’t even hesitate to jump on top of her. She kicked him off and then defended her perch from all of his attempts to join her on the chair. When the two of them settled down, we cuddled for a bit on the couch. Boris chewed on a bone while Tasha was happy for a belly rub.

Boy did Dani ever have another energetic and wonderful day! She was always go go going as fast as she could and always found something to do. Dani's exciting day  began with her very fast walk this morning. She joined her friend Jemma in the yard and the two of them were attached at the hip from the very start. Dani raced to the end of her leash but made sure that Jemma was right beside her as they took off on their journey. Dani spent most of her time tugging away at the end of her leash while trying to get me to go as fast as she wanted... this eventually led to a full on run at one point. She and Jemma were completely obsessed with chasing each other in circles. They ran around me so many times that they ended up getting all of us so very tangled up, silly girls! I thought that eventually they would take a break and slow down but Dani always wanted to keep going. Dani was also very excited when it came time for her extra attention time. She waited patiently for me to get her but took off as soon as I opened the kennel door. We raced up to the reception area where there were so many toys and people for her to play with! Dani greeted everyone she passed before grabbing a toy out of the toy bin. Once she had selected one, she was ready to play tug of war with whoever would join her. This continued for quite some time until Dani wanted a new toy. I think Dani must have gone through at least 10 toys whether it be a ball, rope toy, stuffy you name it she had it. Eventually Dani wanted some cuddles and treats which was how we decided to end the extra attention time. She especially loved the little liver treats that she got for doing a variety of different tricks. When it came to her outdoor play group she had a variety of new and old friends to play with. However she first needed to settle before I let her out. Dani was playing a game of twinkle toes as she waited for me to come get her. She bounced all over the place with anticipation before I finally got her. Once I let her outside she was just ecstatic. Dani raced out the door like a bullet and quickly met her friends in the yard. I had brought out a few toys from inside that she soon became obsessed with. Dani basically kept her eyes on the toys as much as she could. The two of us played tug of war with a variety of different toys but Dani's favorite game was keep away. Whenever I'd get a toy away from her I'd try and hide it underneath my jacket which drove her nuts! She'd race around the yard and would then somehow notice that I still had it. 

For her extra attention today, Jemma and I headed out to the lounge. Since she was so full of energy I took her for a short stroll out front, although the weather wasn’t the best and Jemma was happy to go inside where we could play. First I had Jemma show me some of her tricks and rewarded her with some tasty goodies. Then I picked up a rope toy and we played one of her favourite games: tug! I could hardly keep up with Jemma and once she had gotten the toy from me, she pranced around the room, flinging it in the air. Jemma hopped onto the couch for a belly rub and chewed on a bone, seeming to have quieted down. Something must have wound her up, however, because all of a sudden she was racing around the room at top speed. Jemma was practically bouncing off the walls! It was a good thing that we were heading to groups right after, and she could use her energy to play with the others.
Jemma, as usual, was the center of all activity in her group. She loves everyone and is great at getting the other dogs playing. As soon as we got outside, Jemma made a beeline for her best friend Mowgli. The pair is practically inseparable outside; they absolutely love wrestling with each other. Jemma immediately tackled Mowgli and he quickly pounced back. Then Mowgli was flying across the yard with Jemma right on his heels. They raced through the tunnel and came out the other side in one tangled heap. Jemma leaped to her feet and bolted towards me. She narrowly missed colliding with my legs, spinning around in a circle and going after Mowgli again without even slowing down. This time she had Vega chasing after her as well. The three of them were in the tunnel, on the tunnel, and bouncing around in the grass. When Max came running over, Jemma happily welcomed him into the game by jumping on his back. It seemed that wrestling with the others had wound her up because suddenly Jemma went tearing to the other side of the yard again. The rest of the dogs could hardly keep up. Luckily Jemma put all of her energy to good use. Although Mowgli and Vega are her go-to playmates, she was playing with everybody in the yard today! It was quite fun to watch her running around with the others.


Poppy’s group was full of very excited dogs today. She started out by sniffing around in the grass, though eventually their energy caught on and soon Poppy was running around right in the middle of everyone else. Poppy partnered up with her friend Kodi to race laps around the yard. She had no trouble keeping up with him despite her legs being considerably shorter. Kodi eventually ended up tumbling around in the grass while Poppy pounced on top of him. It wasn’t long before some other dogs caught Poppy’s attention. Mowgli, Jemma and Vega were just bundles of energy and they were flying all over the place. Poppy went soaring after them and tackled Vega. The growing puppy was just the right size for Poppy and was happy to play while Jemma cheered to two of them on.  Eventually Poppy decided to slow down for a break. She trotted over to me to cuddle and watch the others play. I gave her a nice scratch behind the ears while Poppy sniffed my pockets. Not finding anything terribly exciting, Poppy wandered off to see what Max and Achilles were doing. Only a few minutes later, and she was back to playing chase with Jemma and Vega. I could hardly keep track of Poppy today! She really enjoyed playing with everyone in the yard and was more than ready for a nap by the time we headed inside.

Max C. was full of energy and so were the other dogs in his group, which made for a great playtime. He was bouncing around enthusiastically when I collected him from his kennel. Max wasted no time sprinting out the door and running straight to the agility yard, where he soared through a puddle and splashed everyone nearby. All of the dogs seemed to enjoy splashing around in the water and it was a challenge to keep chasing them out so they wouldn’t get too muddy! Max was the biggest culprit; every time I turned around he would be racing back and forth through the puddles. Eventually he got distracted by Jemma, Mowgli and Vega running around and went to go chase after them instead. He especially enjoyed playing with Vega, and even though she is much smaller than he is, she had no trouble showing Max who was boss. When Vega went off the play with the others, Max went to find another playmate more his size. Achilles was the perfect match. The two of them immediately pounced on each other and spent a good chunk of time wrestling. Occasionally another dog would join in. Max was having the time of his life playing with everyone! If he wasn’t with Achilles, he could be found racing through the tunnel on the heels of Jemma and Vega.

Keegan was in a cheerful mood today and made for a great addition to his group. After walks and his extra attention, we headed outside to explore the yard with the other dogs. It was a bit chilly and rainy for group time this morning, but Keegan was still happy to be outside enjoying the fresh air. He jogged a brief lap around the yard to sniff everything and make sure it was all in order. Then, to keep warm, Keegan ran around for a little while with Resa and Bella. When Bella wandered off and Resa went to play with a different dog, Keegan ended up at my feet waiting for a cuddle. As soon as I knelt down Keegan snuggled into my lap. He had a nice back rub and then trotted along beside me to the other side of the yard. Keegan immediately put his nose to the ground to give the area a more thorough sniff. He discovered a bone in the grass and quickly snatched it up before anyone else could grab it. He carried it over to the picnic table where I was petting some of the other dogs and laid down at my side to start chewing it. It kept him busy for the rest of group time. Occasionally, if Keegan was feeling a bit cold, he would jump up from his bone and chase after Resa and DJ until he was ready to go back to chewing.
Keegan was pretty excited to head up front for his extra attention time. He went trotting around the room checking everything out and seeing everything there was to see. That done Keegan made his way over to me wanting some pets and attention. Once he'd had enough Keegan went trotting off to see what was behind the desk. Keegan then spotted Alyssa and was quick to make his way over to her to demand some pets and love. He soon ended up on one of the chairs and was happy to check out things from a higher vantage point. We then broke out some treats which Keegan was for. He was more than happy to do some sits and downs for treats. We finished of the treats and went back to pets and cuddling.


























































































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