Monday, March 13th, 2017

Calvin, Obi and I had some fun in the cat room this afternoon! I sprinkled some cat nip on the floor and on the cat tree, and the boys absolutely loved it. Obi rolled around on the floor, stretching his front and back legs all the way out. Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Calvin was kneading away at the cat tree and rubbing his chin on the platform. Obi was happy to receive some pets from me, while Calvin gazed out the window from his perch. After a little while, Obi made his way back over towards Calvin and the cat tree. Calvin decided to hop down and return to his cubby, where he rolled around on his bed. Obi took his turn to have a look out the window while I went to give Calvin some attention.

Quincy and Seamus had a blast this morning trying to keep up with the young and energetic pups who were having all sorts of fun chasing after the balls in the yard. Quincy especially loved ball-fanatic Phoebe and tried to keep up with her as she chased after the ball. Quincy wanted to be in the centre of all the action and there he was keeping up with all the rambunctious ones. Seamus on the other hand was quite content roaming around on his own time. But he had little pal Millie keep him company. Although they are an unlikely pair, they really enjoy each other’s company and spent some time nose nuzzling. Millie of course had to jump up on her hind legs to reach Seamus’ face. Both Quincy and Seamus are a pair of social butterflies and our four-legged guests just love having them around. Cool and calm in nature, they are the perfect addition to their groups. And not to mention they are just loved by our staff and are cuddled every moment they are outside of the kennel. They just love the attention and demand love by assertively pawing at your shoulder until you scratch their heads! Quincy and Seamus had a blast during extra attention today.  Seamus played tug-o-war with a rope toy for a little bit but Quincy was more interested in cuddles.  Both of their personalities hold true to the golden retriever breed.  They are so loving and loyal.  Both of them were so content just to be pet.  Seamus had his head leaning on my shoulder and closed his eyes for about ten minutes.  Quincy always needed to have some sort of attention, if I was petting good enough he was sure to let me know by pawing at my other arm.  The two of them are quite the pair.  After a little while both dogs lay down to get some belly rubs, one arm for each dog.  Quincy also liked to look out the window at the other dogs outside playing in the yard.  He had a great time watching them.  When it was time to go back to their kennel, both Quincy and Seamus always listen so well.  They both went right onto their beds for some much deserved rest.  

Sophie joined Quincy and Seamus out in the yard this morning for their first outing. She was as spunky as ever and ran circles around the group as she howled in song. Sophie always has the best stories to tell and she will tell it to just about anyone that listens. I made sure to give Sophie some extra attention outside today and she happily wrapped herself around my legs as I rubbed her head and we watched the others play around us. But she didn’t stay for long, that lady is always on the move and off she went running for a few more laps around the yard until it was time to go back inside for a much-needed rest!

Chloe was one of those “young and energetic” pups I was referring to earlier. This little one is a toy addict and will do just about anything to make sure she has the best toys in her presence. Quick to jump out the door, Chloe wanted to be the first one to check out the yard and snatch the best ball away. She quickly laid eyes on the red jolly ball and picked it up in her mouth and pranced away, even though her vision was blocked since the ball is so big! But then she noticed that Charly found the smaller red ball and Chloe wanted to see if she could steal this one away too. She had some competition, both Phoebe and Finn were eyeing up that small ball, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal it away from Charly. There Chloe was hovering over Charly, ball already in mouth curious as to why she can’t have the other one. If she can’t have it than no one else can. Such a funny girl this one is!

Finnigan was excited to see that he was spending the day in the staff room with girlfriend Charly. These two already had a morning full of wrestling before it was even their turn to head outside. But Finn never gets tired of playing as we all know, he even decided to stay out for the next group in usual Finny fashion. Lots of action going on in his group today and Finn had lots of buddies to play with this morning. He was wrestling with Charly, chasing after Phoebe and Chloe for the ball and even spent some time nose nuzzling with sweet Seamus. After his second outing, I think it was safe to say that he finally burnt off some much-needed energy when I saw him snoozing on his back in the staff room shortly after.

Max and Sadie had another fun filled morning in our care, starting off with their favourite part of the day, their morning trail-walk! A short while later it was time to head outside and get straight to their usual Max and Sadie wrestle. Some things never change for these two, but they know what they like and wrestling is always on the agenda for these two! I was able to lure Sadie away with the red ball and she quickly snatched it up in her mouth and ran towards the picnic table before Max could catch her. She jumped up as fast as she could but Max was hot on her trail and put up a fight for that ball. They spent the rest of their time trying to steal the ball away from each others’ mouth. They didn’t even care all that much about the ball to begin with, but they just didn’t want the other to have it! Sibling rivalry at its finest!

Gracie had such a fun time outside today.  At first, she was very focused on sniffing everything in the yard and had no interest in the other dogs.  She would wander away from the group for some peaceful time alone to her herself.  She sniffed all along the fences.  Every once in a while, she would look up and come over to me to say hello, wag her tail and then quickly get back to where she left off.  After she had thoroughly investigated the entire yard she was now ready to play.  Three other dogs about Gracie’s size happily welcomed a new a playmate to their game.  Gracie really liked one dog-named Finn.  He loves to play but is very submissive which she appreciated as Gracie is a very gentle soul.  Finn would just lie on his back and allow Gracie to sniff and run around him.  After finished playing Gracie was happy to cuddle up to me when I knelt down next to her.  She is an adorable dog.  
Gracie joined me for the first of her two one-on-one sessions in the reception area this morning. She showed off some of her great tricks, such as sit, down, shake a paw and roll over. She's such a smart cookie. Next, Gracie decided to hop up on the big comfy chair and pose for a picture. She was happy to receive some pets and cuddles for the next little while, and finished off her first one-on-one session with a bone with peanut butter. In the afternoon, Gracie came back up to have a try at the treat puzzle. She nosed around and pawed at each of the compartments to reveal their prizes! She's such a nice girl to spend time with.

Bear took some convincing to get outside today as I was clearly interrupting his nap.  Once outside though he was happy to be there.  He is such a softhearted dog.  All he wanted for the first ten minutes was to be next to me, leaning his head on my leg.  He was so content just to be pet.  After he had gotten his fill of cuddles he quickly made friends with a Brooke, a golden Labrador retriever.  They sniffed all around together and played only a little bit.  Bear’s only complaint was that Brooke tail is always wagging so fast sometimes it hit him in the face, unintentionally of course.  Bear did play a little bit with another dog his size named Spencer.  They got along great.  After his big play, Bear was tuckered out and lay down in the snow outside.  Once we got back inside he got cozy up on the bed where he had been so rudely interrupted from before to finish off the nap he started.

Spencer had a big play outside today!  He became great friends with Babette and Burley.  The three of them ran from each side of the yard and back again.  They were having such a good time.  Spencer also did a lot of sniffing outside today.  He was very interested in whatever it was he smelled.  Even when I would call his name outside his tail would wag real fast but he was not moving from that spot., must’ve been something good.  Spencer did come over multiple times while I was sitting on a rock to say hello.  He really enjoys getting some cuddles but he didn’t seem to want to be bothered by the other dogs around me so he would come for a minute or two then turn around and go off on his own.  I did try to get Spencer to go through the agility tunnel outside but he was not very impressed by it and preferred some playtime with Babette and Burley. Spencer, the happiest boy around was thrilled to spend some one on one time up front this afternoon for his extra attention session. That meant lots of treats and toys were in order for this fun loving boy. Spencer dug his whole head into the toy basket and came out with the Nylabone. He found a comfy spot on the front door mat and started chewing away. Next he had some brain work as he tried to collect the treats from the "big-paw" dispenser. He was very good at it! Next he settled for a peanut butter bone as he lounged out in the front lobby, the perfect afternoon spent! 

Today Kouza must have been feeling adventurous. Normally Kouza doesn’t venture out too far into the yard but today she went all the way to the back gate.  Since it was cold out today a lot of the smaller dogs wanted to go inside early but not Kouza!  She was having such a good time exploring and sniffing in the far yard.  Kouza also hung around with Julie.  Julie uses a wheelchair so she doesn’t move to fast and I think Kouza liked this aspect about her.  The two of them walked slowly around the yard taking their time and just enjoying being outside.  During Kouza’s extra attention today I put some carrots in a kong for her.  Anyone who knows Kouza knows how much she loves her veggies.  She always gets very excited about this, and she works hard to get those carrots out!

Pepper played almost the entire time she was outside today.  She met two dogs-named DJ and Tink.  The three of them really hit it off.  Pepper enjoyed chasing after DJ and he was happy to let her do it.  Both DJ and Tink are huge sweethearts so even though Pepper can sometimes be a little bit shy they went slow with her until she was comfortable with them. DJ and Tink never jumped on Pepper or chased her so their play styles matched up perfectly.  Pepper was having such a good time outside when it came time to come back inside it took some convincing.  Normally Pepper always listens exceptionally well but today she just wanted to play a little longer.  After her big play she stretched all the way out on her bed and went to sleep. Pepper was full of beans today and could hardly wait for her extra attention session this afternoon! She wanted to show off her new pair or purple mittens she found, the most special treasure she thought! She couldn't be bothered to play with a toy today, she much preferred to shake those mittens around in her mouth instead! I took a seat beside her on the floor and she stretched out into her signature move, arms in the front and legs long in the back, just like a cat. I must say Pepper is a great cuddler and she enjoyed every minute of her head rubs. She was so content that she decided to roll over on her back so her belly could have a turn for a scratch. I think she got a whole body massage by the time her session was over and immediately went down for a snooze she was so relaxed. 

DJ and Tink played so much today!  They met a dog-named Bruno who had the same coats as they did.  He loved to chase Tink around.  They also met Pepper.  She can be a little bit shy sometimes but both DJ and Tink were so gentle with her it only took a few minutes before she was running around with them.  It was interesting to watch them all play together.  Bruno is a firecracker and can play rough while Pepper is much more timid.  Somehow DJ and Tink knew exactly how to play with each one changing up their play styles to suit each new friend they made.  Near the end of the time outside Tink did get a little cold and was eagerly waiting at the door to go inside. DJ was still running around having a blast.  Once we got inside though both of them curled up together to rest up for their next adventure outside.

Today was my first time meeting Bruno and I instantly fell in love with him.  He is so adorable, especially in his red coat.  He loves everyone and everything.  He was so excited to get outside today to play with the other dogs.  He really got them all moving out there!  He loved to chase Tink, another small dog about his size all around the yard. I think Bruno may have managed to play with almost every dog outside today.  Big or small, old or young he didn’t care he was a fan of everybody.   He only paused every once in a while to roll on his back all over the ground.  He seemed to be everywhere at once.  Always playing with other dogs yet every time I knelt down he was there to steal a kiss or two. Bruno was happy to spend some special one-on-one time with Brooke and her pug friend, Molly. Bruno said his hellos to Molly and then immediately went straight to Brooke for some pets. He rolled onto his back for a belly rub before scurrying over to the big comfy chair. Bruno showed off his high-five/shake-a-paw tricks for a couple special treats.