Saturday, February 25th, 2017

Max and Sadie didn’t let the rain get them down. As soon as they got out the door Sadie noticed some toys that had been stashed on the fence. After checking them out she turned her attention to exploring in the snow. Max of course wanted to run and wrestle as soon as he got out the door. He let Sadie do a little exploring before he went bouncing over to her to demand that she play with him. Sadie expertly ignored him. Max actually gave up pretty quickly and decided to do some exploring with Sadie. They checked out the main yard before making their way out to the far yard. Once they got out to the far yard Max quickly gave up on exploring and tried to get Sadie to play with him. She continued to expertly ignore him while checking out every little thing that caught her eye. Max came bounding over to me for some pets. Sadie finished with the far yard and decided to make her way back to the main yard and see if she missed anything. Max decided to tag along with her and actually put some effort into his exploring. Though for the most part he just had fun licking up water from the ice. They eventually made their way over to the picnic table. Max climbed on up. Apparently rainwater is quite delicious. Sadie watched him for a moment then went on to continue exploring. Max noticed Sadie over by the tunnel, he quickly decided to go racing over and see if she wanted to play now. About two seconds after that they were tearing around the yard with some wrestling thrown in.

 Mylo didn’t seem overly thrilled with the rain, but he didn’t let it stop him from heading out and doing some exploring. After walking around with his nose to the ground for a while, Mylo stopped and took up a position where he could see all of what the other dogs were up to. Once Mylo knew what everyone was up to his nose hit the ground once more and he was off in search of all the interesting scents. His path eventually led him over my way. Mylo proceeded to give me a good once over. When he was finished he decided to stick close by and get some pets and ear rubs. Eventually Mylo had enough love and set out to make sure he hadn’t missed anything in the yard. Mika crossed his path so Mylo stopped exploring so he could check her out. With that done Mylo put his nose back to the ground.

Duke found himself to be very popular with his group today. As soon as he got out the door he found himself being asked to play by Henry. Duke wanted to do a little exploring first so after a little bouncing with Henry he went trotting out to the agility yard. Henry tagged along after him. As they were doing some exploring by the lounge, Olive joined them. It wasn’t long before she asked Duke to play. He was still very intent in his exploring, but let her tag along as well. Duke was very focused on his explorations, even while Henry kept bouncing around him trying to get him to play. As they all made their way around the yard and over to the tunnel Tucker joined them. Once Duke had checked out the tunnel he decided he was finished with his explorations and was ready to play. Henry and him were soon bouncing and running around. Tucker and Olive waited on the wings to join the fun.

Wow was Duke ever excited for his extra attention time this afternoon. He jumped up and gave me a great bis kiss on the cheek as soon as I went to get him. I think that may have just been a distraction so that he could pass me, race out into the hallway and get up to the front reception area as fast as possible. When he got to the front he was ready for some treats. I had Duke doing all sorts of tricks for the special treats. He did an excellent job at sit, lay down as well as paw. Duke especially loved showing me his paws but was mostly focused on the treat he got afterwards. A little while later I brought out a toy pig and Duke became obsessed with it. I had never heard the toy squeak so much and so loudly! Duke carried the pig around non-stop and continuously threw it up into the air for himself to catch. It was so funny and so cute. Julie was able to catch him with the pig at one point so they ended his extra attention time with a bit of tug-of-war.

Henry found his new best friend as soon as he got out the door. As soon as he stepped foot in the yard he met up with Duke. It was instantaneous love on Henry’s end. He was quick to ask Duke to play and barely noticed Millie standing at his side. Millie then pounced on Henry so he spent some time playing with her. Henry finished playing with Millie and turned back to Duke, only to find him heading out to the agility yard. Henry went racing after him. He then proceeded to follow Duke quite closely everywhere he went. They ended up over by the lounge, where Olive soon joined them. As Henry, Duke, and Olive headed out to check out more of the yard, Henry continued to bounce around and ask Duke to play. Duke was determined to check everything out, so Henry was out of the luck for the moment. Next they were joined by fellow Golden Retriever Tucker. They all made their way over to the tunnel. Once Duke had checked it over he finally allowed Henry to coax him into playing. Soon they were having a great time wrestling and running around, while the others tried to join in. They continued to play for the rest of group time.

Molly was all about the exploring when she headed out for group time. Her nose hit the snow about two seconds after she got out the door. Molly then set out to thoroughly explore the agility yard. She was so focused she barely acknowledged the other dogs. At one point Molly was joined by Tucker, who was very intrigued by how intensely she was checking everything out. I think this knocked her out of the exploring zone she was in and she went trotting off with Tucker. Not too long after Molly had her nose back to the ground. She was once again distracted from her exploring when she noticed the majority of the group by the tunnel. Curious, Molly made her way over to see what was going on. She watched them play for a bit, then decided to check out a couple more things. As soon as that was done Molly headed right back to the group to join in the fun. She had a great time with the other dogs.  A little while later Molly noticed Dani running around with a rope toy. As soon as Dani dropped the toy, Molly was there snatching it up. She spent the rest of the group tossing it around and playing keep- away.

Olive didn’t seem to mind the rain at all. As soon as she out to the agility yard she went running over to where Duke and Henry were looking at things by the lounge. Not finding the exploring overly exciting she was quick to ask Duke to play. He wasn’t exactly in the mood, but that didn’t deter Olive. She decided to tag along after him and wait to see if he would play with her. Every now and then Olive took a break to see what else was going on in the yard. She then met back up with Duke hoping he was ready to play. Eventually she almost got her wish. Duke was ready to play, but he was playing with Henry. Olive stood waiting for her opportunity to join the fun. She still bounced around and goofed off. Eventually Olive left the boys to make her way over to me for some pets and attention. Once she’d had enough love she went bouncing back over to see about getting Duke to play.

Dani went trotting out to the agility yard and put her nose to the ground. She set out off to see what might have changed in the yard from the rain.  Dani was quickly distracted by the other dogs and went running over to see what they were up to. With that done she went running off to tour the yard. As Dani was doing her laps she came across a rope toy. She snatched it up and came racing over to show me. Dani ran some circles around me all the while trying to get me to grab it. He antics caught the eye of Millie who came over to see what was going on. Dani also wouldn’t let her grab it. Eventually I did manage to grab an end. Dani was then quite happy to have a game of tug-o-war. She quickly won the game and went prancing off with her prize. Dani eventually dropped the rope toy and put her nose back to the ground to do some more exploring.

Coco and Timbits were ready to take on the day as soon as I saw them this morning. They were up bright and early and were definitely ready to head outside for their very first morning outing. This outing was probably the most energetic one they had, however a lot of their friends were still half asleep so they remained on their own. Once Coco and Timbits got outside they immediately zoomed around the yard while doing laps of every one of their friends. It was almost as though they were trying to wake everyone up so that someone would play with them. After a few failed attempts, Coco and Timbits decided to play with each other until the end of this group time. For their long outdoor playgroup time later in the day, Coco and Timbits were on a mission to search the yard. Coco led the way as she trudged along the fence line, hoping to find anything at the end of her scent trail. Timbits was quick to follow her but would sometimes stray off on another scent. Eventually they had done laps around the yard a few times when their new friend Pepper decided to initiate a bit of playing. Coco and Timbits loved bouncing back with her when she'd bounce at them but they weren't focused on playing enough for it to lead to much. However, all of a sudden, Coco jumped towards Timbits as he was sniffing something and the two of them took off as fast as they could around the yards. Timbits loved jumping right on top of Coco and taking her down with a play tackle. Coco was a bit faster that Timbits today though so she was able to get away from him faster than he could jump. They ended of their playgroup in a full-speed chase around the yard.

Pepper loved getting to spent another day in our comfy cozy kitchen. She was very chipper and even a little bit playful throughout the day. When I first went to see her this morning, Pepper had a cheery little smile on her face but she wanted me to come to her instead of her getting up to come see me. Of course she drew me in with her cute little tail wag and I gave her a quick belly rub before continuing on. When I went to get her for her outdoor playgroup, Pepper pulled the same sort of thing but this time she didn't hesitate to get right up and give me a kiss. Once she was done saying hi to me, we joined her little dog friends in the yard. Pepper is still very interested in the dogs in her group so as soon as she goes out all she wants to do is sniff. Pepper especially enjoyed following a few new friends around named Coco and Timbits. They were two of the most curious dogs in her group today so she spent a lot of time following them as they sniffed around. Soon enough she was play bowing and jumping around with the two of them. Pepper had a lot of fun pouncing at Coco and Timbits. This persisted for a little while before she ended her group by my side.
 Pepper perked right up when I went and joined her in the kitchen, which was the best place to do our extra attention time. She was quick to demand pets and ear rubs. We then settled down on her bed. Pepper was quick to press against me and demand all the love she could get. She then started to get a little frisky and started to toss around a treat that she hadn’t eaten. Pepper played with it for a while, but eventually ate it. She was then happy to resume cuddles and pets. It didn’t last too long as Pepper got up and started giving me kisses. With that out of her system she plopped back down at my side and demanded lots of belly rubs.

Kouza is so happy to be back here at Tails  Tr&ails. When I saw her first thing this morning I could tell that she was going to have another excellent stay with us. Kouza was ecstatic to hear my voice in the morning for one of her outdoor play groups. As per usual she was waiting right by her kennel door for me to come get her. Once I did, Kouza took it upon herself to make her way outside. Once outside, she was immediately obsessed with all of the smells from the melting snow. Kouza didn't pay much attention to any of her other friends in the yard at first because she was already very preoccupied. Kouza decided that she must follow every scent she could smell right from the get go. However, soon enough she decided it was time to socialize for a little while. Kouza headed off to find and sniff some friends. There were a few new dogs in the yard which Kouza was interested in sniffing before moving on to a few of her old friends as well. Soon enough Kouza sniffed out a delicious pig toy in the yard. As soon as she had it in her mouth, Kouza never let it go again. She loved carrying it around with her and always made sure to show each dog that passed her. I threw it up in the air for her a few times but she mostly enjoyed just walking around with it.Later in the afternoon, however, when we were up in the reception area, Kouza was all about asking me to throw the pig for her. I showed her a few other toys, but the pig was still her favorite and she had it making some pretty crazy sounds. I was careful to throw it so that it landed fairly close to her and she could hear it bouncing on the floor. It was awesome to see Kouza ready to play endless rounds of fetch with the toy.

Benji was super keen to head outdoors. He knew exactly who he wanted to see, and was thrilled when he spotted him across the yard. He bee-lined it for Finlay, not even stopping to say hello to myself or the other dogs. He instantly began pouncing all over him asking him to play. Finlay was in a more serious mood today. All the melting snow meant there was a lot of scents to sniff and explore. Benji didn’t mind his attitude today, in fact, him declining Benji only made Benji want to play with him more. He continued to dance and prance around with him until he finally gave in. The duo then set off for a quick race around the yard followed by their typical play tackling. Benji was thrilled to have this time with Finlay. Once he had been playing with Finlay for long enough, Benji broke off to do some exploring of his own. While exploring the yard he came across a bright red ball,which he was fascinated by. Benji gave it a couple sniffs and then brought it to me to play with. The two of us played fetch as well as tug-of-war for a little while. He then made his way to my side and got lots of cuddles before meeting up with Finlay once more for another quick play before heading back indoors. 

Newt had another lovely day today which was full of snuggles as well as playing. She was up bright and early this morning and was definitely ready to play when it came time for her long outdoor play group. I went to get Newt and she was already ready to go, waiting right by the door for me to come get her. There was no slowing her down once I opened her kennel door and she raced into the yard to see her many many friends in her group. Newt was quite interested in sniffing at the beginning of her group. She went right up to almost all of her friends and sniffed them all over before continuing on to play. Newt immediately found a toy pig in the yard which she couldn't give up. Newt ran right over to it, swooped it up and ran off so that no one had a chance of stealing it from her. Soon enough she was doing a couple laps around the yard until she had found a really good and comfy spot to sit and play with her pig. Once she did, Newt snuggle into the snow and played with it for quite some time. Eventually Newt saw the bright red ball I had brought into the yard and decided she needed to have it right away. Newt raced over to me and gave me a pretty sit before jumping right up to the ball. Once she had it, she also wouldn't let this one go. However, Newt did let me play fetch with her occasionally but she was more happy to keep the ball for herself and show it off to me, silly girl. We ended off her group time with some snuggles and she loved getting a long belly rub.

Olive and Finlay are such lovable goof balls sometimes. When our volunteer Kally went to get them for their walk this morning, they ran around in circles before she hooked them up to their leashes. As soon as they got outside, they both took off like rockets with Kally close behind them. On the trail, Olive and Finlay spent some time sniffing around in a few trees and rocks, but they mostly stuck to the path. When they got back to their kennel, Olive and Finlay snuggled up right beside each other. When it was time for them to go out with their group, they ran down the hall as fast as their legs would take them. As soon as they got outside, Olive and Finlay parted ways to go do their own things but Finlay always made sure he knew exactly where Olive was at all times. Finlay went to sniff around the tunnel while Olive said hello to me, but soon decided to go over and sniff around with Finlay. Finlay is always so interested in all of the other dogs, especially when a new friend joins him in their group. Today he followed Kouza around for quite some time. However, once he realized that she was preoccupied with her toy, Finlay lost interest. Olive was very interested in a bright red ball that I had brought into the yard. She seemed to always keep her eye on it even if she wasn't the one playing with it. Before we went back inside, I spent some time cuddling Olive while giving her a few treats. They both couldn't wait to come back inside out of the light rain we were having.
For their extra attention time this afternoon, Olive was quite the affectionate girl. She wanted to have some time with me, especially when I got down on a bed on the floor with the duo, but every time she did, Finlay would waylay her and give her big kisses on her face. Eventually I got up and went to sit in the office chair and Finlay popped right up onto my lap. He is a squirmy boy, though and he bounced off again pretty quickly. I picked Olive up and cuddled her while she gave me lots and lots of kisses. It was wonderful to get so much love from both of them and to see Olive's little ears go back each time I called her to come and see me.