Tuesday, November 15th, 2016

Miko started his day off on the right foot, by enjoying some extra attention up front with the girls. Miko loves roaming around the reception area where he has access to loads of toys, treats, and cuddles. Today Miko had his face right in the toy bin, personally selecting which item he wanted to goof around with. He was happy to shake around his favourite big yellow bunny, and also enjoyed playing around with a new stuffed blue snake. Miko had a little wrestling match with Julie and Resa for the snake, giving up rather fast when he spotted an empty lap to sit in. Miko was more than happy to accept loads of cuddles and scratches from myself. We cuddles for quite some time before he decided he was ready to wander down the hall leading me back to his kennel. Miko was thrilled to have his two girls Lola and Pearl in for daycare today. He was more than happy to share his big comfy blanket with them as well as his spacious kennel. In the yard today, Miko was so excited to see so many new faces. He kept himself very busy by running around with different dogs, ensuring to get in on all the action. After running around with Tag, boxing with Pippin, and wrestling with Resa he stuck his nose to the ground to hunt out Pearl. He was happy to find her nosing around by the pool and quickly joined her. The pair did some thorough investigating of the area before getting into their usual shenanigans. They had a good time romping around with one another, gently mouthing at each other and racing around in circles. Pearl was so happy to have her buddy giving her his undivided attention. She led Miko in and out of the tunnel as well as looping under the picnic table. I was surprised to see her so full of beans today, asking for more and more games. Miko and Pearl kept one another very busy for quite some time. As I made my way into the gravel yard the pair followed behind me. Pearl was quickly reminded that her sister was in the yard too. Like usual, she zoomed over to Lola and gave her a goof sniff over. The girls sounded like little piglets greeting one another with happy wiggling bums. They then strolled around the gravel yard, staying in the sun, sniffing out all the scents under their paws. They were quite content with the warm weather today, leading Lola to wander much further than usual.

Bella was her usual nosey self today, spending the majority of her outdoor time in the gravel yard sniffing and exploring. She is always very happy to keep the more solitary dogs company as they wander around on their own. However, whenever Bella hears me say her brothers name, she comes running. Today I was saying Jakes name a lot as he was very into jumping and bouncing all over me. I never mind his friendly greetings, as he is so handsome and adorable. Jake was also very occupied with Tag, Duffy and Resa today. These dogs all spent their fare share of time giving in to Jakes request to run around the yard. Jake is known for play bowing at just about anything that breathes, requesting a chase. He was so happy to have different dogs at different times give in to his famous request. I love watching Jake bound across the yard. It tends to remind me very much of a deer pouncing across a field, bounding with all fours at once with his ears flapping in the wind looking like he could fly away at any moment. He didn’t fail to disappoint me, keeping me very entertained by bouncing and pouncing all around the yard with his friends. At the end of playtime I was happy to have both Bella and Jake at my feet begging for their routine end of playtime treat. The duo was very polite after my request for them to sit, and then happily accepted there goodie before heading indoors.

Buddy is an absolute charmer. He has gotten into a funny habit of running towards me with his lips curled up, showing off his teeth as if he were grinning at me. I find it absolutely adorable. When he does this, I know he is on the hunt for some pets and cuddles. I never deny his polite request for attention that always brightens his mood. Buddy was very happy to enjoy a nice walk with his wheaten friend Duffy this morning as well as a lovely Australian shepherd named Pirate. Buddy is a great boy to walk, leading the walk by marching at the front of the pack sticking right to the trail. In the yard Buddy was very happy to see so many lovely faces to get familiar with. He kept himself very busy by wandering from dog to dog, saying his polite hellos. Buddy was very fascinated with all the games going on involving the young, playful dogs. He was sure to pay close attention to all the action, but also very sure to not get himself involved. A couple of times playmates Pippin, Duffy, Miko and Merlin invited him to join, however each time he politely declined by sticking his nose up in the air and wandering off. He didn’t want to stray too far from the fun, as the running around and wrestling was very entertaining for him to watch, keeping him pretty occupied during his main outdoor outing today.

I had the pleasure of spending some time in the yard with miss Dixie today. She is so active and spicy for her age, always interested in getting involved in the young ones shenanigans. Today, Dixie was extra interested in fellow bichon frise, Pippin as well as the handsome Merlin. Dixie found herself getting right in on their boxing match, trying her hardest to pounce around with them. Dixie soon realized that boxing was better for two dogs, so she took a step back and watched very closely. As she was pouncing around the outskirts of the action, Dixie met up with Miko who wanted to dance around with her. She was more than happy to give in to his request to play and the pair frolicked around together for a brief amount of time. Dixie seemed rather satisfied with the amount of playing she had gotten involved with today, leading to her taking a break from the action. She was happy to then stick her nose to the ground and motor around the yard sniffing and exploring. She occasionally made her way to my side, requesting pets and cuddles.

Pippin and Merlin are a match made in heaven. This duo seems to always find one another when their daycare days overlap. Their personalities and play styles match up so well, making them two peas in one pod. This duo is known for their signature boxing moves. Their ability to balance on their hind legs while wrapped around the opposite one with their front paws is rather impressive. They are able to walk frontwards and backwards, while mouthing at one another and bouncing up and down. Their silly games drew the attention of Duffy today, which was rather fun to watch. Duffy doesn’t’ always play, but when he finds the perfect dog he really gets going. Pippin and Merlin were more than happy to include Duffy in on their games. Both Pippin and Merlin even tried getting Duffy to box with them, but soon realized his size wasn’t a perfect match for boxing. Rather than boxing, Merlin and Pippin took a break so that Duffy could join in on some games. They were quick to get running around, constantly looking over their shoulders to ensure they were being chased. To no ones surprise, Duffy was very speedy compared to them since his legs are longer. He really gave them a run for their money, leading them in endless circles around the yard. Duffy was having the time of his life with these two young, outgoing boys. He kept himself very entertained with them by getting involved in whatever action they were up to, or simply closely supervising the games. When it was time to come indoors, I had to chase Merlin and Pippin around the yard, as they weren’t ready to stop playing. Duffy watched me from the sidelines, probably laughing. I ended up giving them 5 more minutes to play, and enticed them indoors by offering them a treat. Once they settled down in their kennels they passed out. All the hard playing caught up to them!

Max and Sadie were very obedient today; we have been working on their manners when exiting their kennel out into the yard and they are doing fantastic! Although they are beaming with excitement, their wiggly bums hit the ground when we give them the command and they patiently wait until we tell them its ok to go. Finally they leap out of their kennel and into the yard, their favorite place to be! I thought they were going to be quite quiet and relaxed this morning since the past couple of days they wasted no time getting to wrestling but not this morning. They stretched out their long legs and made their usual laps of the yard with their noses to the ground in exploration. As soon as I saw Max’s ears fold back and that clever grin sweep across his face I knew it was time to play! Max chased Sadie into the far field and she happily played along. Sadie the speed demon out ran her brother and jumped up onto her favourite rock to take cover. That didn’t stop Max from jumping up as well and continuing to play. From there Sadie leaped over Max and up onto the picnic table and Max quickly joined. Max is always very good to go back inside when their rotation is up like the good boy he is, but Sadie on the other hand is quite the trickster. Sadie likes to roll on her back in protest when its time to go back in and has quite the goofy smile on her face as she does it! After a few moments however she obliges and gallops back in knowing it wont be long until their next outing and the fun happens all over again!

Boris and Tasha were thrilled when we met them at the front door this morning for their trail walk. Today, the lovely golden Molly joined them and Boris was very interested to meet this wiggly pup. The three of them galloped in front of me as they sniffed out the trail in excitement. It was a busy morning for Tasha and Boris, not long after, they were whisked away into the agility yard for their outing with some of their favourite friends. What a bunch they were out there today; full of excitement and playfulness. Boris was happy to see Husky pals Magic, Justice and Isis. Huskies have a different way of playing, its all howls and rambunctious play; Boris was beaming with energy, especially to have pals that could keep up with him! Everyone herded around the agility tunnel and it was hard to keep up with Tasha and Boris as it was just a ball of white and black fluffy fur rolling and running around. Kyah, another Husky pal jumped up on the agility tunnel and this had everyone going crazy and running laps around her. Boris joined her up there and this enticed Tasha to jump up on her hind legs and bite at his legs along with Isis and Magic. Everyone then took turns digging and sniffing in one of the holes in the ground; there must have been something really interesting down there because one after another they all dug and sniffed around. There was an odd couple also out their today, little Merida really took a liking to Tasha and I saw her sniffing and giving her lots of kisses. Even Boris had Merida playing, which at times can be rare for Merida; she could really sense their playful energy and just adored them and it was adorable to watch.

There was another big and playful group of the morning and to no surprise this included energetic pups Polly and Maggie. Polly was a favourite amongst all of her friends outside and she could be seen running, playing and wrestling with just about everyone out there! She did however spend most of her time with Birdie and Molly who are just as playful yet sweet and gentle like her. Molly grabbed the big rubber ball and enticed Birdie and Polly to chase her knowing this would give her the greatest challenge. The three of them ran circles around the yard and back and forth through the agility tunnel all morning long. Percy loved the great energy that was flowing around and of course he is always down for a good chase through his favourite agility tunnel but boy those girls were fast for him! Percy is so great to adapt to just about every group he goes out with and is able to pick up on everyone’s energy. He was such a gentleman out in the yard today and just loved being in the company of these playful girls; they sure did tire him out from all of the chasing around the yard and through the agility tunnel. He was due for an afternoon nap to rest up before heading out with these girls again. Birdie and Polly spent most of their time glued at the hip but Maggie was able to steal Polly away for moments to have a good wrestle of their own. Maggie just adored Polly and you can definitely see that because at times Maggie can be particular about who she plays with but just loved her time spent with Polly. Maggie’s funky fro would blow around in the wind and her tail wagged frantically back and forth as her and Polly wrestled. When she wasn’t rolling around with Polly, she was happily following me around and posing for a few pictures as the chaos unfolded behind her but it was hard for her to stay away from the fun for too long especially when sweet Polly was around. When it was time to go back inside, Maggie decided that they should have one more good wrestle at the door; Issy and Mocha found this quite amusing and had to dodge the playful two since they were taking over their usual spot! You can always predict what Issy and Mocha will do out in the yard; these sweet two girls know exactly what they like and don’t often change their routine. The bouncy and fluffy Issy is usually the first one out the door and off into the far yard to get her exploring out of the way. I always find myself looking for her since she is such a curious girl and always on the move. Once she is happy with her exploring she will usually make her way back to hang out with her sister Mocha who can almost always be lounging in the warm sun. Today however, I was able to get Mocha to follow me out into the yard to greet the others and she happily obliged but then quickly made her way back to her happy place by the door like the stubborn but ever adorable girl she is!