Jax wasn't too sure what to think when we went to the front reception area for his extra attention. I pulled out the toy bin and showed him all kinds of toys. He didn't seem to interested in anything until he noticed the bone. We found a winner! Jax picked up the bone and pranced around the front showing it off. He gently put down the bone when I asked him if he wanted some treats. He showed off all his tricks from sit, paw, down and spin around. What a smart boy! He then promptly picked up his bone again and did a few more laps with it. We finished off our time together by going for a short walk down the driveway to explore in the grass. As I write up this blog, I am actually joined by Jax in the lobby where he is having some extra attention time with Katie! I can hear him panting around with a nice bone in his mouth that he found. He is very proud of his bone and is prancing around as if he was saying, “look at me”. Jax is such a gentleman and a lovable boy at that. You can fit him in any group as he gets along great with everyone and is always up for a good romp around the yard. He is loved by all of the staff here and always seems to get extra hugs and kisses because how could you resist such a lovable face. Like all retrievers, he is just grateful so be surrounded by good friends out in the yard. He would happily bounce around with his tail perked right up often coming over to me for extra head rubs. Also if anyone approached him for a wrestle, he was always happy to join, what a sweetheart.
Boris and Tasha started their morning off with great
enthusiasm, as always. Every time I would approach their kennel door their
little ears would perk up and bums start wiggling back and forth. They were
even more excited to have a new walking buddy this morning, their pal Haley.
I knew right away that Boris and Haley would hit it off and to no surprise they
didn’t do much walking, but more playing. Anyone who knows Haley knows she is a
very chatty girl and Tasha found this quite amusing and would tilt her head
every time Haley would howl, which was often. Next up it was time to burn off
some more energy out in the yard with some of their favorite daycare pals
including Max and Sadie. Both Max and Boris can at times be dominant dogs but to
my surprise they both played so gently together and had a blast wrestling and
running circles around the others. Tasha never seems to initiate play herself
but when she sees Boris playing in the yard she can’t help herself but run over
and join in the fun but she always seems to engage with Boris mostly. What a
special bond those two have together. Boris and I went out to the long line in the front yard for our training session today. We started with some basic stuff to warm up, including sit and down. He did a great job at down, but returning to a sit was a bit more of a challenge. I asked him to do "puppy push-ups" where he had to sit, lay down, and return to a sit. This was a good workout for Boris' brain, so we practiced until he was completing the task every single time I asked. We finished with a little bit of a break, where Boris roamed around as far as the rope would allow. I used that as an opportunity to practice recall. Finally, we headed back inside where we hung out with our two little friends, Julie and Resa.
Max was joined by his other half and silly sister, Sadie. You
can never catch these two without a big smile on their face or tails wagging
with excitement. I would say out of the two Max is the more social one and
always wants to make sure he is in the centre of the action so he doesn’t miss
out on any fun. As mentioned earlier he spent most of his time wrestling or
running circles around the yard with Boris, often joined by Percy and Tasha not
far behind. Sadie on the other hand was more interested in sniffing out the
yard, especially the long blades of grass by the fence. Actually she was quite
the busy girl; next up she went to dig up her favorite hole in the gravel. Boy
is she quick; before I knew it she had a dug right down! When she got bored of
that she would join the others in the far yard and entice them to chase her up
onto the picnic table. Boris couldn’t resist this challenge and he would try to
jump up and paw her down in excitement. Both Max and Sadie made sure to say
hello to some of the shyer guests including Mocha and Issy.
Issy is a confident little girl but has her own agenda when
she is out in the yard. Although she doesn’t necessarily like to be the centre
of the attention, she doesn’t let that stop her from sniffing out the yard just
making sure to avoid the wrestling action. She is always very pleasant however
when the others come over to say hello as she passes by. Once she is done
sniffing around and doing her business she likes to join her sister Mocha in
the quieter yard. Mocha made some rounds of the yard as well making sure to
soak up some of that afternoon sun we had. Much like her sister, she is also
very gentle and pleasant when some of the more excitable dogs approach her for
a sniff and a lick. They were delighted when they went back inside for an
afternoon treat and nap.
Percy was the last one to round out this morning group and
we all know that Percy loves to be a part of all the action. He would bark and
run circles around Max and Boris as they wrestled. It was as if he was the
referee and was commentating with all of his excited barks. When Boris and Max
started the grand chase around the yard, Percy was right up their with them bum
a wagging. Percy gets along great with all of our other guests, he just needs
some energetic playfulness and that’s just what he got today. Every so often I
would call Percy’s name and his ears would perk up with a heavy tongue hanging
out the side, the perfect photo opportunity. What a lovable and silly guy he is
and always such a great addition to any group.
Tobin has really been enjoying his stay with us, if anything
I think he gets more excited and playful with every day that passes, especially
when it’s time for his extra attention! He enjoys that extra trail walk, so
this morning we headed out on such a beautiful morning. To switch things up a
bit, I took him into the playroom after his walk. We had some cuddles on the
couch then gazed out the big window leading into the yard. Tobin had a fun time
out in the yard today as well, some of this favorite pals included Indi and
Rex. Tobin is one of those who doesn’t necessarily initiate a wrestling match
but is more than happy to play if enticed by the others. Indi did just that
today; she would follow Tobin around the yard then give him a big bark and paw
on the back to initiate play. Tobin happily joined in but made sure not to get
too wild, a gentle play was good enough for Tobin. As usual Tobin loves to
follow others around the yard to see what everyone is up too; he is a favorite
of the group as he is so gentle yet just as excitable when he needs to be. He
is our handsome boy as we life to call him!
Rex started his morning off with a nice long trail walk with
Jemma and Mowgli, two of the most energetic girls around. It was nice for Rex
to have two girls that could keep up with him, however just the opposite ended
up happening. He could hardly keep up with them! They would zig-zag across the
field and Rex would watch with excitement but he was very gentle on his walk
which was a bonus for me and my arms! Fez on the other hand got a special one
on one walk this morning. His tail perked right up as he went out for his walk
and enjoyed every minute of his extra attention. Out in the yard, Molly the
retriever who you could say was ball obsessed intrigued Rex. Rex didn’t care so
much about getting the ball away from her but rather watched as she obsessed
over it. Every time she went to go chase the ball he would follow right behind
and try to get her to play. He finally gave up on Molly and decided to wrestle
around with Jax the other retriever. Fez was also a busy boy out in the yard
today, he loves to take his time to explore and sniff out all of the smells.
Today though I just couldn’t keep him out of the puddle. I would look over and
there he was just having a nice seat. I ran over and finally enticed him out
and he went to go lye down in the grass to dry off, but sure enough next time I
looked over he was back in the puddle; I guess labs will be labs.
I was very happy to get to spend some extra attention time
with Jemma this morning. I wasn’t feeling well, and her fun loving personality
really made me happy. It was almost as if she knew I wasn’t feeling 100%, as
all she wanted to do was snuggle into me and get her belly rubbed. She nuzzled
into my side on the front chair and right into my lap on the floor. She was
then very thrilled by the toy bucket and began dragging bones out to show to me.
We kept one another great company for a while until she was ready to head out
in the yard for some fun. Jemma continuously loves to meet up with her great
pal Mowgli during groups. Mowgli and Jemma really are a match made in heaven.
Jemma has done such a wonderful job of making Mowgli feel right at home during
his first stay with us. It took half a second for this pair to meet up in the
yard and instantly begin romping around. Both Jemma and Mowgli prefer to be on
the bottom of the games, however they have learned to realize that one has to
be in charge of the game. They have gotten really good at alternating rough
housing while the other flails about. They rotate back and forth, loving every
minute of one another’s company. Their new group-mate Haley insisted on
joining in on their games, which lead to a very fast paced race around the
yard. This trio was quickly joined by some huskies and the whole group continued
to lop around the yard at full speed. Jemma put the brakes on when she game
across a big puddle in the middle of the yard from the storm last night. She
and Mowgli took their time splashing around in it, getting one another very wet
and dirty. Jemma had a big smile on her face the entire time, practically
laughing at me knowing that I would have to clean her up after. To distract
them from the water I showed Jemma a Frisbee and she was quick to pounce right
on it. Mowgli also wanted in on the games and the pair was soon tugging the toy
back and forth. These two did
fabulous job entertaining themselves as I stood back and watched. Jemma loved
to zip in and out of the tunnel to dodge Mowgli as she paraded around the yard
with her Frisbee. She is so fast
on her feet, but will always slow down as soon as she realizes she’s getting a
little too far from her buddies. Jemma was so excited when she got back to her
kennel today, as there was a great chew stick waiting for her. This chew stick
kept her occupied for the remainder of the morning until her next outing.
Jake was full of beans this morning, and couldn’t have been
any more obvious expressing this. The moment we got in the yard he began
bounding and bouncing all around me. As he was springing off the ground,
leaping off my legs, his sister Bella insisted on joining in too. This pair
kept both my hands very busy as I scratched an snuggled them for the first bit
of outdoor time. Jake then took off to meet up with his group mates and join in
on some games. He loved playing around with Vega, and getting in on a chase
with DJ and Resa. Bella spotted him zooming around and briefly joined in as
well. Soon enough Bella and Jake broke off from the chase and began romping
around with one another. They love to wrestle around when their moods are just
right. I had good fun watching this pair get feisty with one another. Their
group-mates politely asked to join in but they preferred to keep the game to
themselves. After some good playing Bella head back into the gravel yard to do
some sniffing and exploring with her quieter friends. Meanwhile, Jake began to
dart around the yard in search of a friend to play with. He was very happy to
come across Pippin the Bichon Frise who kept him very busy until it was time to
go indoors. This pair had so much fun bouncing and pouncing around the yard
side by side.
DJ had a great first day with us. He was pretty reserved as
he first went out in the yard, which is to be expected. He kept his nose to the
ground following Tinkerbell around the yard. This pair did a great amount of
exploring before DJ spotted some youngsters sprinting around the yard. He eyed
them out for a while before he gained the confidence to head their way. The
moment he got close to them, both Resa and Vega were more than happy to
politely greet him and invite him in on their games. DJ was thrilled to have
two friends his size up to bolt around the yard with. DJ is very fast; he
impressed me very much as he flew across the yard. Tinkerbell hung back by my
side for most of group time. She loves to paw at my legs requesting attention
as well as perch on top of things so that she can oversee her group. Today Tink
found a nice rock to stand on top of as well as the picnic table. She kept
pretty busy supervising her new brother goof around in the yard. This duo was
always sure to meet up with one another every once in a while to check in on
each other. When it was time to head indoors, DJ wanted to keep playing so I
had to convince him to come in by offering him a cookie. TInkerbell knows the
drill as she motored indoors and hopped up onto her cot in her kennel right
away.
Miko was so excited to have his good buddies Lola and Pearl
back today. As I went to let them out of their kennel, they were already
playing. Miko ran out into the yard with Pearl right by his side. This pair was
whining and barking as they raced down the hall and into the yard. Miko flew
into the grass yard without looking back and was a little surprised to see he
had lost Pearl. Pearl was busy back in the main yard with her sister Lola,
sniffing and exploring around. Miko didn’t let this stop him, as he quickly
joined in on some games that were already going on. He loved bouncing around
with Pippin and Merlin. Their game was much more of a two-dog game, so Miko
took the hint and came and hung out with me. After some snuggles he made his
way back to the gravel yard to find Pearl and Lola and see what they were up
to. Lola was very content lounging around with her calm friends. Pearl on the
other hand began to wiggle her bu and zoom around Miko the moment she saw him.
This was an obvious invitation for the games to begin. Miko and Pearl then
spent the remainder of their time in the yard romping around. MIko loves
mouthing at her neck while Pearl tries to squirm away. When she does get away
she bolts off, while looking over her shoulder ensuring that he is following
her. They kept up these shenanigans until I had to carry them to come indoors.
They were both happy to get back in their kennel with Lola where they all
hopped up on the cot and napped side by side.
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Merlin and Pippin were instant best friends today. It took
these two absolutely no time at all to meet up and begin playing around. The
second Pippin got into the yard he zoomed his way over to Merlin looking for a
buddy. He gently pawed at Merlins side then darted off. Merlin was fascinated
with the invitation and slowly trotted after him. Once he caught up to Pippin
he play-bowed then darted back towards me. Pippin was happy to zoom after him,
staying right on his tail. AS they got to my side they both turned towards one another
and stood up on their hind legs wrapping their arms around one another. This
duo remained in boxing position for ages, waddling around in circles while
hugging one another. It was adorable to watch and you could tell they were
having a blast. Group-mate Miko finally interrupted their session, leading them
to fall to the ground and start to bounce around. They were happy to briefly
include Miko, which soon lead Jake to join too. These four were funny to watch,
bouncing and pouncing all over one another. Merlin then broke off with Miko
while Jake and Pippin had a play session. Merlin is such a sweet guy, he gets
along with just about anybody as long as they offer him a game. Merlin had a
great time bouncing and pouncing around with Miko, until he heard me slip the
word “treat” out of my mouth. He then zoomed over to my side and sat like the
angel he is. I snuck him a treat without his pals seeing, and he was very
content. Pippin spotted what I had done and made his way over to my side too.
Pippin got one and then Merlin asked for another, but I was all out. The pair
made the best of the situation and ran off together to distract each other from
the disappointment of no more treats. They continued with some more boxing and
games until I called them indoors where they happily had an afternoon nap.
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