Saturday, February 11th 2017

What a fun and playful day it was for Maya and Rocky J, but especially Maya as far as being playful goes! Right from their first morning outing Maya seemed very excited about what lay ahead today. She was up and ready to go out before I even approached her kennel and gave me a quick smile while I let her out before trotting into the yard. Rocky wasn’t quite as chipper but I made sure to give him a long hug as well as a belly rub when I said good morning to him. Although he wasn’t fully awake, Rocky headed outside and had a good stretch. Maya always does a good job of making sure she greets absolutely everyone before going about her business. This morning that's exactly what she did before coming over to see me for a nice head scratch. Rocky on the other hand, does an amazing job of giving the yard a thorough sniff. He couldn’t take his nose off of the snow but that was partially because there was so much snow in the yard this morning! When it came time for their morning walk, Maya got put with a very exciting and energetic friend. She immediately got along great with him and was ready to start on her walk. Maya took the lead at the end of her leash and joined her friend in trying to go as fast as they could. I think the two of them were trying to race one another even though both of their leashes went the same distance. I thought Maya’s walk might have tuckered her out a little bit because when I passed by her kennel a little while after she was all snuggled up in her comfy bed and snoozing away. However, when I went to go get her for her afternoon play group she was up and ready to play once again. Instead of a long walk, Rocky went out into the yard with a few of his other friends for a little outing. He would have just been too cold to make it through an entire walk so this seemed to be a fun alternative. Rocky was up and ready to go as soon as I opened his kennel. He trotted directly outside and quickly started doing his favourite thing; sniffing. He seemed very pleased once it was time to go back inside. After having a quick nap, Rocky and Maya were both ready to go back outside. Maya did all sorts of things throughout her playgroup. She started out just hanging out with me in the yard but every so often she enjoyed finding someone to play with. Maya often found herself in full group chases around the yard. She spent a lot of her time watching what all her friends were doing and would decide on who she wanted to play with. At one point, I had Maya playing a game of fetch with me with a light pink rubber toy. I couldn't keep her as interested in this since she was always running off with the rest of her group but she had fun while it lasted. At the end of her group time I caught her attention with a stuffed animal that she loved to play with for the rest of her group time. Rocky was very popular today. Everyone that passed by him wanted to greet him with a sniff before continuing. I don’t think he minded all of the attention but he wasn't that interested in returning the gesture. Rocky stayed on his own for the most part of his group but sometimes he enjoyed following Maya around when she wasn’t playing. He also enjoyed keeping an eye on where everyone was in the yard. Towards the end of his group, I gave Rocky a long cuddle.

Toast and Benji were almost inseparable throughout their outdoor play group time. It was Toast’s first full day of boarding here at Tails & Trails. He was in for daycare last week so he knew he was going to have fun. Benji was ready to join him! He sure showed me he was full of beans right from his morning walk all the way through to his outdoor play group. Benji met up with a few new friends as he was getting ready for his morning walk. When I went to get him, his tail was already wagging a mile a minute and he was flashing his handsome smile at me so that I would hurry up and take him outside. Once we got outside he was still full of energy. Benji immediately ran into the yard and started sniffing all over the place. Once he was through with that, Benji went to greet his new friends. Soon after he took off to the end of his leash and was ready to walk. For the most part of the walk, Benji enjoyed sniffing in the snow. He would sometimes stray into the trees or bushes while on a scent but he always came back to my side and would flash me that handsome smile once again. Toast started his day with a very energetic walk with new friends as well. He couldn't wait to get outside and as soon as he did it was go time. He bounced all over the yard and tried his hardest to get his new friends to play with him. After a little bit of time, Toast realized that it was walk time and not play time so he trotted to the end of his leash and focused on his walk for the rest of the time. I think Toast was just a bit excited about the fresh snow on the ground as he kept jumping through the big piles on the trail. Both of the boys were just as excited and energetic when it came to their outdoor play group. At first, I didn't even realize that they would be that good of friends but as soon as Benji saw Toast in the yard he raced over and they clicked from that moment on. Benji loved tackling Toast over and over again until Toast turned the tables and started racing after Benji. They played a few games of chase here and there but for the most part they enjoyed play bowing to one another. Benji and Toast also enjoyed following their other friends in the yard to see what they were doing every so often. They also got involved in a few games of fetch but would always return to each other. When Benji wasn't with Toast he loved snuggling with me. The two of us sat in the snow for quite some time while Benji got a good long belly rub. Toast loved running around with a few of his other new friends when he wasn’t with Benji. He seemed to be quite the hit when it came to his group time because everyone wanted to sniff him or play with him. I think he was quite content with all of the attention he was getting.

Riley and Roobee were very excited for their morning walk. Riley quickly took the lead as he ran to the end of his leash with Roobee following closely behind. Although Riley enjoys walking fast, he was a bit slower today since he just had to sniff around every inch of the new snow. This didn’t bother Roobee at all because she wanted to do the exact same thing! The two of them had their noses attached onto the ground for almost the entire walk. Sometimes Riley would even wander into the trees a little bit and then realize he was off track. Once he realized, he’d come trotting back and purposely bump into Roobee. Roobee didn’t seem to mind as she just wanted to focus on her sniffing. The two of them were so excited to get outside when it came to their group time. Riley's nose soon hit the ground and he was off checking something out in the snow. Roobee went trotting off around the yard checking everything out. When they both finished exploring they decided it was time to socialize for a bit. Roobee didn't last very long and was soon back to checking things out while Riley spent some time with a few friends. Riley then spotted Roobee over by one of the agility fences, thoroughly checking out stuff in the snow. Curious, he decided to run over and join his sister. Riley and Roobee spent some time going over everything, and eventually they were joined by a few of their friends. While Riley hadn't really acknowledged the arrival of his friends, he made sure to watch Roobee wherever she ended up. Roobee had just finished up with that section of the yard first and headed out to check on the other yards.  Riley soon did the same thing. Even though they headed in completely different directions, eventually Riley and Roobee met up over by the far fence and were intensely focused on all the smells that could be found in the snow. Riley left first this time and went to see what the rest of the group was up to. Roobee, not wanting to miss out on anything, went running over to check it out for herself. It didn't take long for him to decide that he wanted to follow the group around and show off her excellent voice. Eventually, she got tired of following everyone around and decided to come hang out with me for some pets and attention. She stopped to say hi to Riley first and see how he was doing, before finally making it to me. Riley started playing with his favourite toys in the yard. He was almost always looking at me and waiting for me to throw them for him to chase. Riley loved chasing after them. It was almost as if he didn’t care about the toys much, but only cared about the chase. Riley tried to bounce into Roobee and get her to join in on the running but she simply enjoyed watching Riley. At the end of their group time, Riley decided he wanted some attention as well so he came to see me for a belly rub.

It was another wonderful day for my good pal Max E. He began his morning with yet another excellent walk that included a variety of fun things to do. I took him out with two big playful siblings who absolutely adored being with Max. As soon as Max saw that they were joining him he started bouncing all over the place in anticipation. The three of them immediately started tackling one another in the hallway before racing out the door, which set the tone for the rest of the walk. Max would run to the end of his leash and then sprint back so that he could pounce on one of the other two siblings. This would lead to a short play tackle before Max would run off and then do it all over and over again. After his walk, he laid down on his bed for a short nap before his outdoor play group. Once I went to get him for his outdoor playgroup, Max jumped up and when I opened his door and he came barreling out of his kennel to see his friends in the hallway. As soon as Max got outside it was immediately play time. He did a few quick laps of the agility yard before settling down to greet his friends. The two that he was most excited to see were the siblings, or so he thought. Turns out that it was two brothers that just looked like Max’s other friends! Oh well, he started becoming best friends with these new boys as well. Max was all about playing. He was really into running as well as playing with the toys in the yard. Every so often he'd get involved in a really good chase around the yard that would leave him tired and breathless. When he wasn't playing, Max joined me every so often for a quick cuddle. When he was with me, we had some fun with the toys. I loved throwing the ball up for Max to catch and he was almost always ready to catch it successfully. Sometimes I’d even throw snow up in the air and he’d think it was a toy.

Mika had an excellent first day here! She was a playing machine right from the very beginning of the day, all the way to the end of it. She began her morning with a very exciting and exhausting walk with a new friend that she met in the hallway and became best friends with instantly! Her new friend has a habit of walking fast so he made sure that Mika was keeping up with him the entire time. Mika had no problem keeping up with her friend, so we were walking as fast as possible. She was constantly trotting along and racing from one edge of the trail to the other one as fast as she could. This led to a few little play tackles between her and her new friend which she mostly started. It wasn't always clear who won because they would both be on the ground tackling one another and then they would sprint to the end of their leashes and be ready to run the rest of the walk. I think it's safe to say that Mika enjoyed having a friend she could play with. When it came to her outdoor play group. Mika was more than ready and excited to go outside and meet all her new friends. She wasn’t even close to being tired yet and bounced out of her kennel as soon as I opened the door. Once she got into the yard she was greeted by all sorts of friends and just couldn’t sniff all of them at once. Mika said a quick hello to everyone but was more excited to look for toys that she could play with! However, she ended up getting all caught up in a full group race around the yard. With the race having most of her group involved, Mika couldn’t have found a better way to get to know all of her new friends. After she had slowed down a bit, I grabbed a bright pink ball for her and I to play with. Once she saw me pick it up, Mika raced over and was ready to play catch. Every time I threw the ball she was basically already at the landing spot because she would be running so fast to grab it. This went on for a little while and she always looked even happier with each throw. Although she wasn't quite tired yet, Mika came over to me once we had finished playing catch and snuggled up right against my leg. I gave her a nice long belly rub and made sure to also give her a good head scratch before her play group was over. Once she got back inside, Mika was excited to snuggle up on her bed but I knew she still had a bunch of energy to share with her group the next time she went out.

Max and Sadie had an amazing day today at daycare. They started their day off with a nice back trail walk this morning with one of their favourite pals, Delaney. As soon as they got outside, Max and Sadie led Delaney around the yards, sniffing as they went. When they got out to the field, Max took a dive for the snow, and Sadie followed his suit. It was so cute to watch them rolling around goofily in the snow. However, as soon as they got to the trail it was all business and no play. Max and Sadie spent most of their time on their walk walking right beside Delaney without a care in the world. When they got back to their kennel, they both cuddled up on their big fluffy beds and had a little nap. When it was time to go outside for their group, Max and Sadie ran out the playroom door into a big pile of fresh fluffy snow, which of course, Sadie rolled around in. As Sadie laid there rolling around, Max spent some time sniffing around the yard to see who had been there before him. After having a nice roll around, Sadie decided to join in with Max’s sniffing. Not long after, Max and Sadie decided it was time to play. As Sadie raced around the yard, Max followed her closely behind planning when to tackle her, and once he did they just got up and did it all over again. When it was time to go back inside, Max and Sadie went into their kennel to curl up on their beds and warm each other up 

Nymeria had a blast with us for daycare today. Nym got to spend the day today with her best pal Koda, and she loved it! She started her day off on a back trail walk with some of her dearest pals Aurora and Justice. When the three got into the yard, Nymeria tackled Justice down to the ground and started playing with him, until Aurora told them it was time to move along. As soon as we got out to the trail, Nymeria bounced around in the snow like a bunny while Justice and Aurora followed suit; it was absolutely adorable. Throughout her walk, Nym spent some time sniffing around trees and digging in the snow, however the main highlight was when she took a dive for the snow and rolled around. When she got back inside, Koda and Nym spent some time playing around while they waited for group time. When it was time to go outside with her group, Nymeria ran down the hallway as fast as she could, excited to get back outside in the snow. Throughout her group, she spent some time playing with her pals Justice and Kalum. As Nymeria ran around the yard Kalum and Justice chased her around like a cat with a mouse; it was hilarious. When they finally caught up to Nym, she tackled Justice to the ground and the two of them spent the rest of the group playing together. When she got back inside, both Koda and herself were very tired, so they took a nap together.

Sophie and Charlotte are having a blast with us here at Tails & Trails. They started their day off on a snow-filled walk of the back trail, Charlotte with Brutus and Sophie with Barney and Jetta. On Charlotte’s walk, she and Brutus spent some time playing around in the snow, but she was mainly focused on sniffing around in the fresh powder while Brutus walked ahead of her. For Sophie’s walk, she went on a shorter walk, but she enjoyed it just as much. While they walked along, Sophie nose caught a scent in the snow and she spent some time searching through the snow for this new scent and had a great time doing so. When they were both back in their kennel. Sophie and Charlotte curled up together and went for a nap. When it was time to go outside for groups, Sophie and Charlotte ran down the hall and out the door in one swift move. As soon as they got outside, the girls went their separate ways, Sophie to sniff around and Charlotte to go find her pals. When Charlotte finally found her friend, Tango, they raced around the yard together as happy as could be. Before the end of the group, Charlotte and I spent some time playing with some toys while Sophie patiently waited at the door, ready for a break. As soon as they got back inside, Sophie headed straight for their bed while Charlotte took a big drink of water.