Sunday, March 19, 2017

Max and Sadie were very excited to start another stay with us here at Tails & Trails. Every morning that I see Max he always ensures to greet me with plenty of kisses and this morning was no different. Sadie came back into their kennel shortly after and had her big smile on with her tail wagging. I could tell it was going to be a good day from that moment. When it came time for their long outdoor playgroup, Max and Sadie bolted out of the door and began tackling each other as fast as they could. Sadie ran with all her might to get ahead of Max and into the far yard first but Max was smart to tackle her at the right times and then hop over her. Eventually the two of them were in the far yard and started doing laps. Both Max and Sadie each had their turn to take the lead but Max was ahead of Sadie for the most part. Soon enough the duo settled down and Sadie decided it was time to sniff around the yard. She did a good job of following every smell along the fence line and was even wandering all over the middle of the yard with her face down in the snow. Max was sniffing right behind her until he stopped and began enjoying a nice snack made of snow. Once Sadie saw this she knew that she just had to have some snow too. The two of them then laid down and simply ate snow while I gave them both a good back scratch. All of a sudden it was time to play tackle once again. Sadie was the one to initiate it this time. I think Max must have tried to take some of her snow and so Sadie hopped up and pounced right on top of him. The two of them took off all around the yard once again while stopping to play fight along the way. To end of their group time I brought out two of their favourite stuffed toys and they both went wild. Max raced right over to me and picked up the red bird stuffy. He raced off with it in his mouth, as proud as he could be. Once Sadie saw that he had a toy, she decided she needed one too. Sadie came over and played a little bit of tug of war with their stuffed snake. She too took off with it in her mouth. Although they seemed pre-occupied with their toys, as soon as I sat down in the snow, Max and Sadie both trotted over to me and covered me with plenty of kisses. Before they went back inside I made sure to give a belly rub to each of them.

Sam spent the entire day with her two best friends; our huskies Justice and Magic. She was so very excited to start her day this morning with a very fast paced walk. I think she forgot that it was walk time because she and Magic play tackled and raced after each other for almost the entire time. Sam kept getting herself tangled among all the trees but being the smart little cookie she is, she could always found a way to untangle herself before I could. When it came to her long outdoor playgroup time, Sam was just as excited once she got outside and saw her best friends. The chase began immediately as Sam took off into the yard with Justice and Magic following right behind her. Boy was her playtime every full of energetic activities. The races kept happening periodically as Sam got distracted by a toy or even a smell every so often. However, once she was in the running mode, no one could catch her! Eventually they had slowed down on the running and Sam came over to me once she saw that I had a bright orange Frisbee. She raced over and jumped up to get the Frisbee as soon as she could. Lucky for her she grabbed it just before I could throw it and we began a game of tug-of-war. Sam was especially strong today and gave it her best try to get the Frisbee from me. Once she was successful, Sam started doing laps around the yard with the Frisbee in her mouth. She looked so funny as she would continuously throw the Frisbee into the air and wasn't always the best at catching it every time. Towards the end of the group time, Sam, Magic and Justice all took off in another race but this time it led them into the agility tunnel. Magic and Justice ran in with ease but Sam wasn't so sure about it. Instead, she stayed on the outside and pounced at the sides of the agility tunnel to get her friends to jump back out.

Chloe had yet another great day. She couldn’t wait to get started first thing this morning, and wasted no time racing out the door to say hello to everybody in their first group rotation. After breakfast it was time for walks, and Chloe met up with Sophie and Maverick to conquer the trail. All three of them seemed to be in a wonderful mood as they left the building and headed down the path. The sun was shining and Chloe was eager to explore. She trotted between the trees with her nose down for the majority of the walk, checking out everything that caught her interest. Next up were groups, and Chloe was very excited to head outside again. She and the rest of the dogs are really enjoying the weather. Chloe wandered between everyone, giving them each a quick sniff before she moved on to the next. She spent a little bit longer with me as I gave her a nice back rub. Then, Chloe set out to find a toy, as usual. She absolutely loves her toys! I watched her darting around the yard until eventually she pounced on a red ball. It was a bit of an awkward size for her to carry, though Chloe was determined and soon wedged it in her mouth. While she was walking, it kept slipping out and bouncing away, so Chloe would patiently follow it and pick it up again and again. Finally she made her way over to me! The ball was poking out of her mouth and Chloe seemed very proud of herself. She set it down at my feet and stepped back, waiting for me to throw it. Chloe’s eyes never left the ball. As soon as I moved she would tense up, getting ready to chase it. I tossed it for her a few times and Chloe happily raced after it, bringing the ball right back to my feet each time. After a while, Chloe decided to take a break and wandered around the yard to show off her toy to everyone.

Spencer is such a fun dog to have staying with us. I went to get him out of his kennel this morning for his walk, and he could hardly wait for me to find his collar in all that hair of his! Once we were ready, we met up with Tucker and Phoebe, and then headed out to the trail. Spencer happily led the way with Phoebe right behind him. Although Spencer was content to just sniff around in the snow for a while, Phoebe really wanted to play and soon Spencer gave in. They were bouncing around and tangling the leashes faster than I could unknot them! Eventually the two of them calmed down and went back to exploring, side by side. The yard is a much better place to play, and when it was time for groups, Spencer did just that. He raced outside and nearly went headfirst into the side of Silver. The boys took one look at each other and then barreled off. They were leaping and pouncing and rolling all over the place. Occasionally their friend Maverick would join in, and help Spencer tackle the larger Silver. They had a great time wrestling with each other. When Silver finally stopped to catch his breath, Spencer flopped over in the snow and poked at Silver with his feet. After a while, Spencer ended up racing around with Phoebe, this time without any leashes getting in the way. Both of them were tumbling around in the snow and having a blast. Spencer seemed to be full of energy today, and whenever one playmate needed a break, he would go racing after somebody else, and of course he made stops in between to cuddle with me!

Spencer and I headed up to the front for his extra attention today. He immediately started trotting around to check out the room. I got him a treat from the jar and Spencer happily showed me how well he could sit and lay down. Then we headed over to the toy bin to find something for him to play with. The first one we found was a bright orange ball. Spencer chased after it a few times until he decided he wanted something new. He picked up a stuffed bird and carried it around for a while, before settling down to chew on it. I sat down with him to give him a belly rub. Whenever I stopped, he would paw at me until I kept petting him. Once he had enough attention, Spencer went back to the bin and chose a different ball to play with. After that, it was nearly time for groups, so we headed back to his kennel after a few more cuddles.

Sophie, as usual, was a bundle of happy energy today. She is always a delight to have around. For her walk, she joined Maverick and Chloe, and the three of them headed out to the trail. Sophie lead the way while the other two were zigzagging behind her, trying to catch a whiff of something good. Occasionally Sophie would slow down to see what they were sniffing. Of course it wouldn’t be a regular walk if Sophie didn’t stop for a big roll in the snow. While she was wriggling around, Maverick ran over to see what she was doing, so Sophie quickly hopped up and kept trotting along down the path. It was such a nice day for walks, and Sophie definitely enjoyed the weather! She couldn’t wait to get outside again with her group. There were lots of playful dogs in the yard with her and she was so excited to see everybody. Sophie ran from dog to dog, giving them all a thorough sniff while her tail wagged like crazy. Her last stop was right at my feet, nuzzling my hands until I started rubbing her ears. Every time I paused to pet another dog, Sophie would lean her head on me to make sure I didn’t forget about her. Once she got the cuddling out of her system, Sophie wanted to explore. She quickly got to work in one corner and followed her nose all the way to the opposite end of the yard. Every once in a while, she’d pick up on a sound from outside the fence, and would immediately bounce to attention with her ears pricked. She caught the attention of Molly, who wandered over for some company while the two girls sniffed around. Soon they had covered most of the yard. Sophie had another roll to conclude her adventure. Then she was on her feet and trotting across the yard again. She’s got an endless supply of energy! Sophie ended up with me again, for more cuddles, and in between she would run back and forth across the yard to see what the other dogs were up to.

Keegan is really enjoying the nicer weather this weekend! There is lots of warm sun for him to lounge around in. This morning he teamed up with his friend Maggie for a walk in the back trail. The two of them were so excited to head out. Keegan was eager to start exploring and was soon darting between trees, trying to sniff everything at once. Further down the trail he found a nice patch of snow and flopped over for a roll. It must have felt pretty good; all four feet were flailing while he wriggled around. A bit later, it was time for groups, and the sun was shining even brighter! Keegan happily followed the other dogs into the yard and wandered around to say hello to everybody. He gave Kouza a sniff and then moved on to run around with Maggie and Shadow. The three of them raced over to the far yard where there was more space for them to play. Shadow was bouncing around like crazy and although Keegan tried his best, she was just too fast for him! He decided to sit back and cheer her on instead, while he and Maggie roamed around in the snow. Keegan had another roll in the snow to give his back a good scratch. Then he wandered over towards me for some cuddles. He leaned right up against my legs as I pet him and we watched the rest of the dogs exploring. Keegan’s friend Cascabelle came over with her ball, so he trotted around behind her while she and I played fetch. Keegan’s next stop was a patch where the snow had finally melted, and he could get a good sniff of the grass. After that, Keegan ended up relaxing in the shade with Juliette, Benson and Kouza. Occasionally he would appear beside me for some more attention, though he was content to socialize with the others and soak up some sun before we headed inside.