Thursday, December 22, 2016

Thursday, December 22nd, 2016

Harlow and Rumple had a very nice first full day at Tails & Trails! When it was their turn to roam the room, Harlow was quick to hop down off the shelf in his cubby to go and explore. Rumple, on the other hand, decided to stay curled up on his blanket for a little while. Harlow went around the room looking high and low at his surroundings. He hopped up onto the windowsill, then onto the cat tree, and back down onto the floor. He posed for a few pictures before sneaking underneath the bed to see if there were any hidden treasures there. Harlow then made his way back out and over to see Rumple, who was still in his cubby. I went to give Rumple some pets and see if he'd like to join us in the main room. Leah came in to see us, too, and she got some toys out for Harlow, while I had some cuddle time with Rumple. Harlow found one toy in particular that he absolutely loved: a small brown plush toy, that is stuffed with cat nip! He rolled around on the floor, batting the toy and then running to chase it! Rumple and I watched as Harlow and Leah played with this toy, and then moved on to his second favourite: a soft red ball. Leah threw the little ball for Harlow and he lept up in the air to catch it. We all hung out together for a little while longer, until I realized that Rumple had made his way back into his cubby. I went to check on him and he had nestled underneath his blanket! 

Syrus was pleased to see two new faces to his group this morning and although he has formed some bonds with the others, he is a social boy and loves to meet new pups to play with. Today he saw Barley and Cai and when he saw Barley barreling out the door like the goofy guy he is, Syrus knew he was in for a good time! He was right; Barley brought so much fun loving energy to the group that he had just about everyone chasing after him and Syrus gave him a run for his money because he was almost just as fast! When the Syrus finally caught up the two of them would wrestle, bark and roll around together in the snow. Syrus, the most handsome boy also made sure to make a few stops by my feet where he posed like a model for some pictures and a few extra head rubs. Although he couldn’t be bothered to stay still for too long, there were far more interesting things to do out there! Cai just looked too handsome with his long flowing black fur amongst the sparkly white snow and he was the perfect addition to this group. When paired with the right pups, Cai is extremely playful and loves to be a part of the energetic pack! Today he just adored brothers Zak and Cesar; he was very interested when they started to play and quickly tried to join in. Cesar tried to bark him away but Zak just loved Cai’s attention and enticed him to play and the two of them had their own wrestling time!

Next up was a very big and busy small dog group and boy were they pleased with the milder weather and everyone was feeling especially saucy today. Perhaps it was the addition of brother-sister duo Cara and Brodie, who were just full of beans and ready to play! Cara is a ball obsessed girl and much like Jax. She will bark at the ball until I will throw it for her. She didn’t have much time however, little Dugan is just as ball obsessed and would sweep in and steal it from her at every chance he got. He would then run off with the ball in his mouth and prance around in the snow. He is such a little guy that the small ball still looked humongous in his mouth but he is a champ! Dugan and Cara had even bigger competition to watch out for; Jax joined the group a little later after his extra attention time up front. Once he saw the two of them playing with “his” balls, he immediately charged into the far field and started to collect all the balls as he barked his lungs out trying to deter the others away. At one point he had all three balls secured in front of him with Dugan and Cara patiently waiting in his coattails interested to see if he will let any of them up. Jax was so determined to get all of his balls that he even charged right into the agility tunnel to collect it. It might have taken him some time to back out of the tunnel but he sure got it! Cara’s brother Brodie was too busy to worry about Jax and his balls, he was off doing some exploring of his own and sniffing out the yard. It wasn’t towards the end of the outing that he all of a sudden got a spurt of energy and joined in with his sister in the ball war with Jax. What a funny and lovable pair those two are! Dugan’s brother Keegan did make his way into the far yard with the others; he thought to himself that it’s much warmer today and was due for a few laps around the yard. It wasn’t long before he was back in his favourite spot by the door with good pals Julie and Resa; it didn’t hurt that that happened to be the spot where the sun was shining! Keegan is a clever little boy and a cuddly one at that, he was gracious enough to give me a few hugs and kisses out there today!

Jax ran alongside me on our way to the playroom for his extra attention. He seemed to be so excited as we got into the room, and immediately starting running towards all the toys on the ground. I noticed right away that he loved one of the toys in particular- a big bone. He carried it over to a spot on the ground where he plopped down and started chewing away at it. Occasionally he'd pick it up and bring it over to me so that I could toss it across the room. After chewing the bone for a while, he got up and found a rubber ball toy under a chair in the room. We played fetch for a while. After that, he retreated to the couch for a cuddle. He loved having his ears scratched and it is stop for even a second he would nudge me with his head.

Max and Sadie have gotten so good at calming down before their group time. It has become a rule that they must settle before their kennel is opened. Originally it took a lot of waiting and correction for them to finally sit and wait. Now, the moment I walk into the back playroom the duo immediately sits and patiently waits. Max instantly puts on his “I’m trying so hard to be calm” face, which consists of his ears pinned back, his eyes wide open, and his tail wagging a million miles an hour while the rest of his body is still as a rock. Sadie on the other hand, tries to ignore me when I am waiting. She lays down, refusing to look me in the eye, and then sticks her nose into their bed waiting for the “ok”. When I do give these two the “ok” they bolt out the door like they have fire under their paws. I worked a lot on Max and Sadie’s recall in the yard today. The pair are getting to be so great for me. Both of them know when I mean business, as I use a bit stricter tone of voice. When I speak this way they come to me when called and sit no problem. Sadie has began skipping the “sit” step, and goes right into a lie down when I ask her to come here. I always get a good laugh at this. Sometimes I think miss Sadie is rolling her eyes at me. Max is always very eager to please me, and happily comes, sits, and lies down without any reminders. After some focused work I let the pair run around before it was time to head back indoors.

Teddy never fails to keep his playgroup on their toes. Today was no exception as he never stopped moving from the moment he got outside to the second it was time to come indoors. Teddy was very happy to see all of his usual daycare friends in his group. He quickly said his hellos to everyone before catching a glimpse of some playing going on in the corner. Teddy wasn’t going to let Dushka and Riley get away with playing without some refereeing going on. Teddy was quick to get to the spot in the yard that they were and begin looping around them. His fast paced running only encouraged these two to keep playing and begin chasing each other. Teddy tried his hardest to keep up with their fast games but wasn’t too successful. He wasn’t very bothered, leaving them to head over to his pal Percy. Teddy, Percy and myself then enjoyed a couple rounds of fetch. Their golden retriever friend put an end to our fetch game when she stole the ball and barrier it in the snow. Teddy wasn’t bothered by this either and took off across the yard to monitor some more fun and games going on.

I had a good laugh driving in behind Spencer this morning. It’s impossible to mistake him for any other dog when his head is out the window and his hair is flowing in the wind. He sure has a one of a kind hair do! Spencer had a great walk this morning. I trotted along behind he and Ashley, as well as some of his friends. He loves galloping through the deep snow, collecting snow on his muzzle as he parades through the powder. He displays much of the same behavior while out in the yard too. Spencer loved lying down in the snow and rolling about, occasionally snacking on some of the cold snow. He gave me a good laugh as he chomped away at it, like a little land shark. In between his snow baths, Spencer wasn’t afraid to dance around with his friends. He tried playing with each member of his group, looking for the perfect match. He was happy to race around with a group of dogs as well as take part in some tunnel fun with another group of friends. He stayed very busy between his pals and the snow today.

Percy had a good time being the leader of his group in a chase today. He got everyone going by first, barking at them and then taking off in the other direction. As his friends flew after him he picked up the pace more and more. I could tell Percy was very focused as his eyes narrowed in on the tunnel and his tongue went from flying out the side of his mouth to tucked back in. I knew he was going to bolt through the tunnel to dodge his friends. He did just this, confusing his playmates very much as he briefly disappeared and came out the other end. Percy loves playing this trick on his group-mates that aren’t as familiar with our tunnel. He did this a couple more times before he got distracted with a ball. We then played fetch for a brief period. He was happy to finish off his outdoor time running around with his usual Thursday friend, Teddy.

Tsavo couldn’t have been happier to go for a walk on our back trails with her brother after all this fresh snow had fallen. It gave her a lot to sniff and explore as she marched along the somewhat paved path. Tsavo was keen to get out in the yard and see who would be accompanying her in the yard. She was very polite, walking from dog to dog saying her hellos before trying to get involved in any games. She was happy to see her husky friend, Justice as well as her other mate Spencer. She briefly tried playing with both of these boys before giving up to do some adventuring. Tsavo was happy to sniff and explore around the yard, mostly along the perimeter of the yard and in the corners with her very strong nose. At times she would even get digging to get a closer smell at whatever was hiding beneath the snow. After some good sniffing and exploring Tsavo happily hung out by my side accepting pets and cuddles. Later on she was happy to have Susan come in the yard, as she provided another set of hands to receive cuddles and kisses.

Duke started off his outdoor time with his nose to the ground. His always likes to have a good idea of what’s around him before settling in to his group. Duke enjoys sniffing along the fences, and peaking through the slits to see out front. If he’s lucky, he’ll see another person and then he gets very excited. Duke wasn’t only exited at people on the other side of the fence today; he also got a burst of energy with Gryphon the Burmese mountain dog. This pair was pretty cute, dancing and prancing around the yard together. They even got a fast-paced chase going at one point. The chase didn’t last long since Dragon, Gryphon’s brother, barged in and interrupted. Duke wasn’t too bothered as he then diverted his attention to Dragon. Duke was happy to have friends play around with him. After some fun and games Duke set back off to do some more sniffing and exploring. Before we head indoors he was sure to sit himself down right on my feet where he could without a doubt get pet and cuddled. Duke joined me in the reception area this afternoon for his one-on-one time. I sat down on the floor and he immediately plopped down on my lap for some cuddles. I scratched his chest and his back foot started kicking away! It was too funny. I then got Duke to sit nicely for a photo and for a treat. He’s such a good boy. I got out the Zany Ball next, which is a fun battery operated toy that wiggles across the floor on its own. Duke wasn’t too sure what to think of this strange gadget, and watched it roll around before coming to see me for some more pets.


























































































































































































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