Daisy was perched on the shelf in her cubby, waiting patiently to be let out into the rest of the room. She hopped down as soon as I opened her door and went straight to the window sill. Daisy likes to look out the window, and today she gazed out at a hazy, rainy day. I gave her some chin scratches and offered her a toy before she decided to make her way onto the cat tree. She only hopped up on the shelf for a second and then moved further down towards the scratching post. Daisy stretched her fluffy little legs up on the post and yawned. I scooped her up and gave her a snuggle since she seemed to be feeling cozy and sleepy. Daisy hopped down from my arms and went to sit under the cat tree again. She rubbed her chin on the ladder and scratching post again before hopping into the cubby box for some rest and relaxation.
Teddie and Kizmet were happy to participate in a more laid
back group today. It is nice for the duo to have a relaxing day
occasionally. They happily spent most their outdoor time with their noses to
the ground. Teddie is always more than happy to wander around checking out the
entire yard, and greeting his group mates along the way. Kizmet was pleased to
have access to 3 yards today, providing him with endless territory to explore.
He was fascinated by the kiddie sand box in the small dog yard that has ice and
water accumulated within. Kiz was funny when he was pawing at the ice chunks
and then snapping at them as they floated around in the water. This was a fun
game for him, that kept him pretty busy. Despite being part of a quieter group
today, the duo was sure to meet up and have some fun together. They happily
mouthed at one another while rolling in the snow, pushing each other around and
rolling on top of each other. This drew the attention of some of their other group
mates, leading to a brief group wrestling match. Teddie and Kizmet were happy
to have such easy going, happy dogs to hang out with today.
The thawing of all the snow and melting of all the ice had
George and Titan very occupied today. There were so many scents to uncover
beneath the frosty layers in the yard which kept their noses glued to the
ground. The boys were hard to distract as all the smells were pouring out from
the freshly thawed grass and dirt. When called, they are both keen to look up at
me with a giant smile but quickly return to sniffing and exploring before long.
George was more than happy to dash around, thoroughly investigating every nook
and cranny in the yard. Titan did a lot of exploring but preferred to stick
close by myself. Titan was happy to run after group mate, Gunnar, when he was
playing fetch. This was a quick break from sniffing for Titan, but it didn’t
last long. He was fast to return to digging at the snow to uncover all the
great new smells beneath. George and Titan spent some one-on-one time with Katie later on in the afternoon, after walks and two group rotations. The boys were feeling more relaxed after their busy morning, and were happy to hang out in the reception area. George went straight for the toy bin, as usual. He sniffed and dug around for the perfect toy, which was the fox stuffy, of course. George loves that toy, and always picks it out of the bin to shake around. Titan went to see Julie and have a look behind the desk. When the boys were each finished with their own activities they met back up to have a few little treats from Katie. Titan then settled down on the armchair, which is one of his favourite spots, and George went to look out the front window.
Gunnar is always a ray of sunshine in whichever group he
joins. Today he was pleased to join a group of older, less playful dogs. He
didn’t mind taking a break from his crazy friends one bit, as this meant he
didn’t have to share the ball with anybody. Gunnar couldn’t have been happier
to have three balls all to himself today. He was pleased to be reunited with
the Jolly Ball, which occupied a large chunk of his time. He and I played a lot
of soccer, batting the ball back and forth across the snow and grass. Gunnar is
very agile, always capturing the ball before it lands or stops rolling. As we
were playing with the Jolly Ball, Gunnar came across a great hockey ball which
soon became his new favourite toy. We played lots of fetch with this ball,
although he was reluctant to give it up for me to throw. Soon enough he was
distracted by the finally, red rubber ball. We had a lot of fun with this ball
as it is very bouncy. I continuously tossed it at the ground, sending it flying
in the air which lead Gunnar to leap as high as he could to grab it. We had so
much fun playing around that he forgot to even say hello to his group mates.
Before this rotation was over, he quickly made his way from dog to dog saying
his hellos and play bowing to whomever he thought may give in to play. He was
happy to briefly bounce around with Kizmet and Teddy as well as Titan and
George.
Max P and I enjoyed a great walk this morning accompanied by
two other friends, Viggo and Mocho. Max is much better behaved on a walk than
some would expect. He does like to walk at the end of the leash, but he doesn’t
pull for much of his walk. He likes to lead the way, with his nose to the
ground, sniffing everything under his paws. Max was very busy in the yard today
as all the ice and snow was melting, uncovering lots of new scents. He motored
around with his nose glued to the ground, pawing at the snow whenever there was
something great beneath detected. After lots of sniffing and exploring Max made
his way around the yard, introducing himself to his group mates. He was fond of
Titan and Gunnar, chasing after them looking for a game. These boys were much
too busy with their own agenda, which didn’t both Max much. Max was happy to
spend the rest of his time outdoors by my side being pet and cuddled before it
was time to head back indoors.
Max and Sadie couldn’t have been more thrilled to see me
head into the back playroom with leashes in hand this morning. They were quick
to begin chatting away, begging to be released from their kennel and hooked up
for a walk. After lots of patient waiting, the duo finally had their bums on
the ground and weren’t crying. Of course, this was rewarded with lots of
praise, followed by a great walk. Max was on a mission to catch up to the dogs
ahead of us which resulted in me stopping and waiting for a bit. Max was so
great at this point when I called him and asked him to sit by my side. He
stares at me with his big brown eyes when asked to sit, waiting for the next
command. Meanwhile, Sadie was frolicking around us with her nose very deep in
some snow. The duo was happy to pick up the pace and continue our walk around
the field. In the yard the pair didn’t waste any time. They instantly met up
and began sprinting around the yard. Sadie took it upon herself to be the
chaser today, nipping at Max’s bum as he was only steps in front of her looping
around the yard. Max never lets Sadie fully catch her, but he slows down so
that she can get close. The pair ran and ran and ran until they were both
pooped. I didn’t have to convince Sadie to come inside today, she politely
followed me in the back door. Of course, Max was right by my side as we head
indoors. The pair happily got comfortable on their cot in their kennel,
snoozing as their next outing approached.
Polly, Finnigan and Kane were part of the most action-packed
group of the day. I wouldn’t expect anything less from these three playful pups
and boy did they ever play! They were the easiest group to take photos of since
every moment was a good moment and every dog in that yard was playing to their
little hearts content! Polly and Finnigan were the leaders of this pack and
wasted no time rolling around and wrestling on the ground with Kane close
behind. I am not sure how the three of them intertwined but there were paws,
tails, feet and mouths just about everywhere as they rolled about in the wet
snow. Finnigan made his signature move and rolled onto his back on the snow
while Polly and Kane excitedly attacked from above. One would grab the ear
while the other tugged on the tail in excitement; all in good playful fun of
course! As always Finnigan loved the attention and eagerly enticed the group to
chase him. Polly was full of beans this morning but then again when is she not!
When she wasn’t rolling in the snow with best pals Finn and Kane, she was
chasing after Charly trying to steal the balls away. She didn’t actually want
the ball of course, she just wanted to antagonize Charly and entice her to
play. Once Finn saw that precious ball, he immediately ran over and joined
Polly as they tried to steal it away from Charly. This just led to another big
wrestle and they were thrilled to have Charly join in on the fun. Even little
Merida couldn’t resist a good wrestle with silly Polly, she seems to bring out
the playfulness in just about everyone. I am certain these pups will be in dire
need of a rest this afternoon after all of that play; Finnigan decided to take
his rest early right outside the door as he rolled onto his back in protest and
decided to play dead. Sorry Finnigan we know your tricks all to well!
There must have been something in the air this cool morning
because my next group was just as action-packed as the one before! Daycare pals
Boris and Tasha were joined by Bella and Oakley and this created the most epic
playtime. Oakley the sweet girl started her morning off in her happy place,
right between my legs! When I came out the door she ran straight towards me
while her whole body vibrated in excitement as she pawed me right in the knee.
She is most definitely a people person and a cuddle bug at that. However, I
knew it wouldn’t be long before she left my side to play especially since Boris
was enticing her to play all morning and she could see how much fun her pal
Bella was wrestling with him. With one paw to the shoulder from Boris and
Oakley was ready to play. Up, she jumped onto her hind legs to join Boris in a
dance but soon this dance turned into a trio once Bella jumped up and decided
to join in. Oakley then remembered where I was and made he way back to my side
but not before stopping to have a few nose nuzzles with best Husky friend Kyah!
Bella was a total flirt this morning and just loves her time spent with
confident Husky males Boris and Justice. She is quite the confident girl
herself and therefore enjoys the company. We all know how much Bella just
adores Justice as she cant hardly contain her excitement when she sees him but
today she had her eyes set on Boris! These two were basically inseparable all
morning long. Back and forth they would zoom across the yard then roll around
in the snow. Justice led the chase in and out of the agility tunnel as Boris
and Bella tried to keep up with him! Although Boris was pre-occupied with Bella
and Justice, that didn’t stop Tasha from trying to jump in and steal his
attention away. But she herself found a new buddy in Teddy P and she soon
forgot about Boris as she wrestled and played with her new friend; did she ever
love the attention from this little guy! Last but certainly not least, Charlie
our favourite fetch loving pup rounded out this playful group and he was the
perfect addition. This was a new group for Charlie and he quickly said hello
like the sweet boy he is but he really only had one thing on his mind and that
was fetch! He quickly found the little red ball and dropped it at my feet in
anticipation for me to throw it. We played this game all morning long as he
weaved in and out of the bunch with that ball with nothing but that great big
smile of his across his face. He has to be one of the most fun-loving boys
there is around!
We were so happy to see Kaos join us for daycare this
morning, we missed that sweet face over the past couple of weeks. Kaos was
thrilled to be swept away first thing with daycare pal Bella for their morning
trail walk. Although Kaos is a big girl, she is always so gentle on her walks;
in fact she is always gracious and gentle at all times. Kaos was curious to see
some new faces out in the yard this morning, she waited out by the door for me
at first so I could walk with her into the yard until she got some confidence
on her own. Husky sisters Skie and Jynxx immediately took interest in Kaos and
followed her around the yard to say hello. Kaos submissively rolled onto her
back as these two girls said hello but Kaos quickly realized that there was no
danger to be found and before I knew it she was spending the rest of her time
playing and wrestling with the two. It only takes a couple of minutes for Kaos
to warm up and then she is literally flying through the air in joy, skin folds
and all! Vasco was another new face to the group and although he spent some
time playing with Kaos, he found a true friend in chocolate lab Marley. Marley
was sad to see his Golden friend Sophie leave but that was soon forgotten when
he met the sweet Vasco. It was so funny to watch the two of them interact, lots
of paws to the face and tails perked up in excitement in typical Labrador
behaviour! Vasco loved his time spent outside and was too busy to even notice I
was there even though I was offering free head rubs; he had all the attention he
could ever want from Marley! In for a quick rest for Vasco before he headed
back out to do it all over again!
Vasco is such a sweet boy to spend time with. We had a great one-on-one session today, doing a few different things. We started out by exploring the reception area. Vasco buried his nose in the toy bin as soon as he entered the room. He had a good sniff and then went to see who was sitting behind the desk. He was happy to find Katie there, and he sat next to her while she gave him some pets. I then got out a couple of treats for Vasco, and he sat like a perfect gentleman for his snacks. We then made our way outside to the front yard to wander around there. I let Vasco lead the way around the field, following his nose wherever the smells led him. He noticed a car pull in the driveway, and had to go back to the entrance way to see who had arrived. Vasco was happy to meet Delaney at the door, who gave him some extra pets before starting her shift. We went back inside with Delaney and Vasco resumed his post next to Katie behind the desk, where he eventually laid down to relax.
