Friday, January 13th, 2017

Boris was full of energy and excitement today. He was so pleased to get in the yard and see that his group consisted of a whole bunch of huskies, along with three young black pups. Boris couldn’t decide who he wanted to play with the most, so he alternated between each dog. Boris loved goofing around with young Oakley, who begged to be wrestled with. The pair hit it off fast and enjoyed a long game period. Boris was happy to join in on some fast sprints around the yard after that with all his husky buddies. The main reason he joined in on the husky shenanigans was because Tasha was obsessed with Ariel today. The two were so funny together at first, bouncing around each other chatting away. I got a good laugh listening to these girls yapping and howling back and forth before setting off across the yard for a fast paced race. Both of these ladies have the one blue eye, that stands out like a sore thumb when running. They look a little crazy while sprinting full speed across the yard but it’s really cute. Tasha had loads of fun with her young husky pals, they kept her very busy today.

Finn and Polly have been a match made in heaven since day one. Today was no different than any other day that these two overlapped their daycare days. Not only are these two both young black dogs, they both have identical personalities. Polly and Finn kept each other busy right off the bat using a ball. Polly snatched a big red ball up off the ground the moment she got out there and Finn was very intrigued, as usual. He chased after Polly at such high speeds working very hard to get the ball from her. Polly really wasn’t bothered by Finn and was very happy to hand the ball over to him. The pair continued to race around hot one each others heels, trading the ball with one another and taking turns pouncing all over the other. After loads of ball fun, the pair lost track of the ball and continued to play around one on one. They wrestled and rolled all over the yard, gnawing at each others faces and licking each others necks. The pair continued to goof around for the remainder of group time, in and out games with other dogs too.

It’s a joy to have Lilo back with us. She is always so eager to get here and begin her fun time at camp. Lilo was very lucky to have so many outgoing young dogs to have fun with! She was so excited at first, that she was flying on top of everyone and pouncing all over her friends. Her friends are very easy going and gently let her know to play softer. Lilo was thrilled when her friends began to play back. She was especially a fun of Hudson who enjoyed to frolic around with her, bouncing and pouncing left and right. Lilo also liked goofing around with Piper who is such an older girl full of young spunk. Lilo was sure to meet up with everyone in her group at least once for some fun and games. She wasn’t going to let her time pass outdoors without racing around either. Lilo was thrilled to bolt in circles around the yard on her own, and with her friends hot on her heels.

I had so much fun with Hudson today. He never fails to put a smile on my face and give me a good laugh. Today, Hudson was so occupied by the ball. Hudson picked it up right when he got out the door and kept it with him for so long. We had loads of fun playing fetch as well as some good tug matches. Not only did we have fun with the red ball, we also had fun with a nice black kong. Hudson loved playing fetch with me and he also enjoyed competing with his friend Barley for the toy. After endless rounds of fetch and retrieval and playing around with Barley, Hudson finally took a break from the toy to meet up with new comer Lilo. Hudson and Lilo had so much fun together. The pair were very bouncy and enjoyed frolicking around in the snow together. Hudson continued to play around with Lilo for the remainder of his outdoor time with a big smile on his face. When it was time to come in, Hudson ran into the hall so fast that he slid down the tile. I got a good laugh at this, watching him like a kid on a slip n slide.

Ruby and Piper are having a wonderful time so far. These girls are so easy going, happy and loving. The pair thoroughly enjoyed their morning walk along the trail. They both enjoy to sniff the trail, in and out of the deep snow. They also enjoy all the trees along the way. Ruby was very keen to get outdoors today for her group time to do some sniffing and exploring. She put her nose to the ground and made her way around the yard in peace. After sniffing and exploring the whole yard, Ruby found a comfy spot in the snow to lay down. The sun was shining on her, making her extra happy. She got a good fresh role in the snow, flailing her limbs about while doing so. Piper on the other hand was so playful today. She was thrilled to meet up with Lilo a young vizsla and play around with her. Piper is hilarious when playing, play bowing and bum bumping asking for playing. Lilo was a great match for Piper and the pair kept each other so busy. Piper couldn’t have been happier to have her to play with. They continued to goof around until it was time to come indoors.

Rufus and Sherman had another great day started off with another great trail walk with little Samson bright and early this morning. It was a little bit colder they thought than the last time they were out, but luckily for them they both looked extra handsome in those winter jackets of theirs! The jackets gave them just enough warmth to get the energy flowing and they could have stayed out there all morning with the fun they were having! They were excited to meet little Shelby who was running circles around them and enticing them to chase her. They both loved the attention they were getting from this sweet girl, especially Rufus who seemed to be the more playful one of the two today. Sherman, much like yesterday stayed close to my side because he knew that’s where he would get the most pets, smart boy! I knelt down beside him and gave him some head-rubs as we watched his brother Rufus weave in and out of his friends in excitement and it wasn’t long before Sherman decided to leave my side and join him. Such a sweet pair those two!
Rufus and Sherman are quite the smart cookies, and food hounds. I started today's training with Rufus and then followed with Sherman. Rufus was a little unsure of me at first but as soon as I showed him the treats he was more than willing to work. I figured we would start off with the basics to see what we were working with. Both happy boys were a little too exuberant with taking the treats from my hands, so I practiced taking the treats gentle with them. They picked it up quickly and minded their manners. I then continued to ask them to sit and lay down, which they both did willingly and quickly. Daschunds can often be quite stubborn, but both boys seemed eager to learn. I brought out a mat a taught them what "place" was. Rufus picked it up in a matter of minutes. Sherman seemed to understand after the second try! We continued to practice our "place" and learning to be comfortable and relax while on the mat. They were both doing so fantastic. To finish up both session with them I worked on their "leave it". This is probably one of the hardest things for these little guys, especially since they love food sooo much. But as quick as before they understand what I wanted from them and were leaving the treats on the floor in front of them until I asked them to "break" and get the treats. These two boys are a lot of fun.

Coco and Timbits, two of our favourite little daycare guests, were excited to spend another day with us and their favourite friends. Immediately upon arrival, they were whisked outside for a trail walk with friend Resa and they couldn’t have been more thrilled! A short while later, they joined Resa again outside along with the rest of the small-dog clan. Tim immediately noticed the bright orange ball in the middle of the yard and took a run for it before Shelby snagged it away from him. He caught the ball first and pranced around with it in his mouth with pride! Meanwhile, Coco was out making her usual laps of the yard but this time she met up with fellow beagle Sam and really enjoyed his company. Sam just loved Coco and it was so sweet to see these two silly beagles wander the yard side-by-side. Tim then decided that he wanted to meet Sam, he dropped the ball and soon this duo became a trio, the cutest trio around if you ask me!

Kai and Monkey were next up for their turn to have some fun in the snow! Gentle hearted Kai was happy to soak up some afternoon sun, so much so that she rolled around on her back in pure happiness, but when is this girl not happy? She is the kindest and most loveable girl around and her four-legged friends seem to agree! Kai spent her day with pals Jake and Korvo who were kicking up snow behind her. She enjoyed watching Jake run around with all the toys in his mouth from the comfort of my lap, I don’t think she realized how big she is, but I surely enjoyed the company. She then heard something in the adjacent yard and ran over to see; she saw Finn on the other side of the gate and the two of them gave each other long distance play-bows! Meanwhile Monkey was catching some good air, he couldn’t help but fly across the yard in excitement as he ran from the far field to the front; this made for some epic action-shots! Today, Monkey spent a good chunk of his morning with Husky friend Kodiak who was following him around trying to get him to play. At first, Monkey didn’t know how to react but when Kodiak would turn away, he would then chase back after him, I think he enjoyed the company more than he thought! Kai and Monkey then finished their afternoons off with their extra-attention time up front, a very special part of their day! 

Monkey was pretty excited for it to be his extra attention time. He went running down the hall in front of me and right into the playroom. Monkey went nosing around the room checking out all the toys and see what there was. He decided he didn't particularly want to play with any of them and so came to me for some pets. I then left him for a second to go grab some trips. As soon as Monkey realized what I had brought he started to bounce around. As soon as I picked up a treat he sat like a perfect gentleman. Monkey also takes the treats really politely, which is always nice. I asked him to give me his paw and for a down. Monkey was very quick and happy to do both. I then stuffed one of the toys with treats and had him try to figure out how to get them out. It didn't take Monkey long to have himself a little snack. Once all the treats were gone we settled down for some cuddles.

 

 Kai had another good extra-attention session with us up front. Apart from being outside with her friends, this is her favourite part of her day! When I approached her kennel door this afternoon, she seemed to be in a deep sleep, but she opened one eye and immediately jumped up knowing it was her time! She happily trotted down the hallway and immediately took a seat by the cookie jar in the reception area. She loves to show us how good she is at giving a paw for a cookie. Obviously without hesitation, we played a few rounds of paw and she got her fair share of head rubs and cookies, no complaints there! She spent the rest of her time relaxing on the floor by my feet as she watched the cars drive by out front. I gave her a good brushing and she found this quite relaxing and the perfect way to end her afternoon!

Last, but certainly not least was an outing with the fantastic duo Max and Sadie who were thrilled to spend another day in our care! Max and Sadie are basically part of our family now and we certainly miss their silly antics when they are not here! Luckily for me, today they were full of silliness! Sadie has been enjoying our usual games of fetch so much so that she decided to cut her exploring short to catch some air. Boy, did she catch some air; this agile girl flew in the air to catch the orange ball before big brother Max could steal it away from her. Max doesn’t necessarily love playing fetch, he more so loves to play with Sadie as she plays fetch. When Sadie is excited, so is Max and he darted so fast across that yard to wrestle with her. This of course caught Sadie’s attention and she left the ball to run laps around the yard in usual fashion. Towards the end of group, these two were pooped and were thankful to head inside to have an afternoons rest on their fluffy beds before they headed back out to do it all over again!