Monday, November 28th, 2016

Allie was snoozing away in her suite when I opened her door. She gave me a typical "Allie look", wondering why I was disturbing her beauty sleep. I gave her a few chin scratches and ear rubs which seemed to perk her up. I found her favourite toy and flicked it around a bit trying to get her attention. Allie tried so hard to ignore me and the toy, but soon enough she just couldn't resist. She pawed at the toy, grabbing and chewing on it. She didn't want to let the toy go, but I managed to get it unhooked from her paw to play some more. 

Now it was Daisy's turn to come out her of suite for a stretch and roam around the room. She head butted my hand for a good head rub before heading to her favourite spot in the room, the window. She hopped up onto the ledge and looked out the big window to see what was going on outside. As she watched the going's ons she enjoyed some more scratches and cuddles. I left her to window watch the rest of the afternoon away. As I passed by the cattery I would often see her exploring the room before going back to the window.

After a leisurely stroll around the front yard with Leah, Jax was excited and ready to head out into the yard to find today’s favourite toy. Right away, Jax found the Jolly Ball and picked it up. He waved it around above his head before putting it back down and barking with excitement. I went to see if he’d like me to throw the ball for him, but he declined my offer and picked it back up again. Jax took the ball through the gate and into the next yard, setting it down only when he saw a different toy that he needed to investigate. This new toy was also a red ball, but much smaller than the Jolly Ball. Jax picked up this new ball and walked further out into the yard with it. I offered to throw this one too but Jax did the same thing as with the Jolly Ball, and picked it up and kept on roaming the yard. A little bit later on during our group time, Jax decided to take a break from his toys and say hello to the other dogs. He was very intrigued by Julie in her wheelchair, and spent a few minutes sniffing and watching her as she interacted with the others. He then saw Coco and Timbits having tons of fun wrestling together, and decided to tag along in their shennanigans. Jax hopped along behind the pair and barked as if he were the referee calling the shots.

Charlie is always ready to get going in the morning! He hopped right up off his bed when I approached his kennel with leashes in my hands. I hooked Charlie up with two friends, Eva and Amadeus, and we hit the trail. The snow is nice and packed down now on the forest trail, so we marched along at a good pace, stopping occasionally to sniff around the trees. Charlie was happy to return to his kennel after our walk for a drink and a bit of relaxation time. I came to get him for group time a little bit later, and Charlie hopped up from his bed once again, ready to get going. He spent a bit of time hanging out by my side in the yard as all of the other dogs came up to say hello before running off to other areas. Charlie and I walked further into the yard when he spotted his favourite thing: a ball! Charlie liked to switch back and forth between the larger size red ball, and the smaller orange hockey ball. I threw the red one for him as many times as he wanted to chase it. Charlie seemed to like this red ball better because it bounced in a different direction every time it hit the snowy ground. Some of the other dogs started to notice our game and bounced over to join in. Muggins was new to Charlie’s group today, and she gave him a real run for his money during the game of fetch!

Gunnar Gunnar Gunnar… This boy is the absolute life of the party during group time! As soon as we entered the yard, Gunnar showed me his famous smile and bolted off to burn off some of his zoomies. After a good hard run, Gunnar met up with his friend, Kizmet. Kiz play-bowed immediately, prompting Gunnar to do the same. The boys mouthed and wrestled together, rolling in the snow and on top of one another. Even Kizmet’s brother Teddie joined in the wrestling match for a little while. Next, Gunnar decided to give Teddie and Kizmet a break and made his way around the yard again. He met up with Justice this time, and he took an immediate liking to him. Justice and Gunnar stood very still with their tails wagging a mile a minute, before they pounced and started to run around together. Muggins happened to be running by at this moment, and jumped in on the chase with Gunnar and Justice. She had been chasing a ball when she joined the boys, and Gunnar couldn’t help but break away from his friends to go and catch it. Leah came out to join us in the yard and Gunnar brought his prized ball over to her. He gave her the ball like a very nice boy, and she tossed it for him a few times. He ran and ran, and by the end of group time, Gunnar was sporting his big smile with his tongue out the side of his mouth, ready for a break in his kennel!

Max and I headed up to the playroom together shortly after his walk this morning for some one-on-one time. I took the toy bin down for him and offered him a few selections. Max politely declined the first few, until I pulled out a red kong. He really liked the look of this one, and bounced it around on the floor. I went and grabbed a couple of kibbles from Max’s bag and put them in the kong to make things extra interesting. His eyes lit up when I offered him the kong. Max immediately started nosing at it on the floor, but when no kibbles came out he changed his approach. Max picked up the kong and tossed it on the floor again, making kibbles fall out. He gobbled them up eagerly, and then repeated the process until it was empty. We then spent some time sitting on the floor together, since Max was very happy when I started to give him a belly rub. We finished our time in the playroom by practicing a few “sits” and “shake-a-paw”s. I went back to get Max a little while later for group time. Max was absolutely smitten by a new friend named Muggins. He wanted to be her very best friend right from the moment he saw her. Today was her first day, so Muggins was a little bit shy, and so Max left her be while she sniffed around a little bit. Instead he spent some time saying hello to the other dogs in his group, and went over to see Leah in the other yard a little bit later on. Later in the afternoon, Max and Susan got to work with some training. Yesterday they just went over the basics since Max was so excited to be back and there was so much to distract him, but today he was ready to work! What a good boy. They practiced a lot of duration work and Max was a star. He stayed put for downs, place, and sits and even stayed in place when Leah came through the door and a piece of a treat broke off and fell to the floor. Max really enjoys working and he knows when he's a good boy. They ended their session with some off leash heel work. Max likes to switch sides, but he will catch on before too long!

Finnigan is such a goofball out in the yard. He absolutely loves his friends and getting pets, but when he finds something particularly juicy in the toy department, that takes the cake. Today, Finnigan found himself a big stick (which I think was actually a root) and waved it around in the air. He does the cutest thing when he settles in to chew on his prize: he stretches out, and then chews away at the item with his bum in the air and tail wagging. I came over to see Finnigan’s stick, and right at that moment he decided to abandon it and chase after the orange hockey ball. It took a little bit of time before he successfully swiped it from one of his group-mates, but sure enough Finnigan settled back down in the snow with his new prize. I was playing fetch with some of the other dogs and they happened to run by while chasing the ball. Somehow, Finnigan caught the ball that I had thrown, leaving behind the hockey ball for Charlie to pick up. When it was time to go inside, Finnigan wasn’t quite ready to leave his toys behind and wanted to stay out in the sunshine!

Teddie and Kiz started their morning with an early outing, followed by breakfast. The boys were all curled up on their beds when walk time rolled around, but hopped up quickly when they saw me coming. Teddie, Kiz and their friend Titan were all noses on the trail today. Teddie walked along very nicely, only stopping to roll every now and then in a good smelling spot. Kizmet was very interested in all of the brush and trees and the smells they held. We made it back inside for a little nap before the boys were ready for their morning group outing. Kizmet was so happy to find his friend Gunnar outside today. He immediately ran up to him and started to play-bow. Teddie watched as Kizmet waved around, being silly. When Gunnar and Kizmet started to wrestle, Teddie couldn’t help but join in for a little romp around in the snow. After some good quality wrestle time, Teddie and Kizmet did what they like to do best: roll around in the snow! Their rolling had them feeling frisky all over again, and Kizmet went running after Gunnar once more. Teddie went over to say hello to Justice and Muggins, while always keeping an eye on his brother. Eventually the boys met back up and had a good wrestle, just the two of them.

It was so nice to see Muggins this morning! She was very ready to go for a stroll on the forest trail with Sophie and I shortly after she arrived. Muggins had her nose glued to the trail, taking in all of the good and exciting smells she found along the way. We walked along the whole trail and eventually made it back to Muggins’ kennel, where her bed was laid out all cozy for her. She hopped up on her blanket and pillow, settling down for a little relaxation before group time. During her first outing with her new friends, Muggins made sure to say hello to absolutely everyone! She had the biggest goofy grin on her face as she made her way around to all of the other dogs. A chocolate lab named Max was particularly friendly with her, and Muggins spent some time saying hello to him. After a while, though, she was ready to get running around! Muggins zigged and zagged across the yard as fast as her legs would carry her! She saw that Charlie had a ball in his mouth and went over to see if she could have a turn. He wasn’t quite ready to share, so I found another one and tossed it for Muggins. She was so excited and ran after the ball. Charlie caught sight of our game and couldn’t help but chase after the ball, too. Muggins took a quick break from chasing the ball to say hello to Gunnar, Teddie and Kizmet. The boys were wrestling around together so she left them to it, and made her way over to Finnigan. He was chewing on a toy, so Muggins walked right up to him and laid down in the snow to watch. She kept her eye on his toy and watched very intently. After a few minutes she made her way over to me for some pets. She’s the sweetest girl!

George and Titan were very happy when I let them up front for their extra attention time this morning. The boys knew exactly what was going on as they got up front. Without any hesitation, Titan jumped on the comfy chair and settled in. Titan politely requested me to pet and cuddle him by pawing at my leg. I was more than happy to give him a good nuzzle. Meanwhile George was wandering around nosing all the staff members up front for some extra attention. The boys were thrilled to receive some cookies from Susan, after some polite begging. Soon enough they were both on the chair snuggling one another while happily getting their heads scratched. In the yard both Titan and George were ecstatic to have access to three yards. George was flying around with his nose to the ground taking the opportunity to pick up on all the extra smells. Titan wasn’t far behind him, burying his nose deep in the snow to capture all the scents underneath the melting ice. The duo kept busy outside wandering around sniffing and exploring. They were both happy to stop and be pet whenever walking by me.

Anja couldn’t have been happier to spend a day with us for daycare. It’s safe to say she barely stopped running from the moment she got here. Anja was very fond of Vega, the puppy. The pair made fast friends and didn’t part from one another’s side throughout their entire duration of play time. Anja was especially a fan of Vega’s tunnel games. Vega really had her going by looping through the tunnel and around it repeatedly. Anja only gained confidence to follow her through the tunnel after numerous laps; prior to this she was running outside the tunnel as Vega was inside of it. This game of cat and mouse kept the pair very busy. Anja trapped Vega inside the tunnel a couple of times which was fun to watch. Anja was also a big fan of all the other huskies. She was more than happy to play with anyone if there was wrestling and running involved. Vega was always involved in the games that Anja partook in, and the duo sure made for one feisty team. Anja and Vega teamed up on all the other huskies in attempts to prove they were just as mature and in charge as their mates. To no one’s surprise, they didn’t succeed as their silly young antics made their attempt to look mature, fail. Isis, Kyah, and Justice were sure to put the silly youngsters in their place by mouthing at them and  sending them to the ground. Anja took the play wrestling like a champ, rolling around flailing her limbs like the silly girl she is.

Max and Sadie are always a fan of Mondays. Their energy level is usually a bit higher on Mondays after their weekend break. I could tell there were still recovering from their brief boarding stay with us as today they weren’t as silly as they usually are on Monday’s. They were happy to spend a good chunk of time sniffing and exploring the yard when we first got outside. I had to convince Max to get running by running around the yard myself. Finally, he picked up the pace and bolted for Sadie looking for a chase. Sadie slowly slinked towards Max and then leaped right on him. This cued the beginning of their usual racing around. These two ran and ran for so long today, I got dizzy watching them circle the yard. They kept going for ages, with their tongues hanging out and their ears flapping in the wind. After endless laps around the yard, Max actually made his way to the door where he collapsed on the ground catching his breath. I took this as a cue to let them back indoors. Max was happy to get into his kennel and begin snoozing, while I had to convince Sadie to head indoors. After her usual antics, she got up after belly rubs and a cookie, and headed into her kennel with Max for an afternoon snooze.