Friday, April 15th, 2017

 Rumple is taking his first day back at Tails & Trails to get accustomed to his surroundings. He was perched in his cubby when I went in to visit and he seemed quite content to hang out there while Harlow roamed around. Harlow was as full of beans as ever and hopped right down into the room. Harlow was interested to see that there was another cat in the room, a big orange and white tabby named Jessie. Harlow and Jessie sniffed each other before Harlow turned to me for some chin scratches. I was happy to provide them and then we got out some toys for Harlow to swat at. The long brown and blue toy was his favourite, same as last time he was with us! Harlow also enjoyed batting at some pompom toys. As he chased one around, he noticed another friend sitting in her cubby. Harlow and Rhapsy sniffed each other through the door for a moment. I left him to it and went to give Runple some chin and ear scratches while he watched his brother roam.

Bruno loves his daily walk more than anything. He knows it’s coming when he sees us enter the hall with leashes in hand. Today he was like a Mexican jumping bean, leaping mile high to get going. I had to settle him down to get him into his harness and on the leash. Once we were all buckled up, the crew bolted out the door. We had a great time walking along the trail on this beautiful sunny day. Bruno loves the company of the other dogs on his walks and he is also a big fan of all the scents in the field. He likes to walk off the path, in the fresh grass with his nose to the ground. By the time we get back from the walk he is so tired he heads right to his comfy cot with his blanket on top for a nap. In the yard Bruno was mostly eager to cuddle. He was happy to circle around me as I knelt down offering him my hands for pets and cuddles. Bruno was briefly interested in Pelley too. The pair love to zoom around together when the timing is right. They did a couple fast laps around the yard before both Pelley and Bruno got distracted by a bird on the opposite side of the fence. From here, Bruno decided to sniff and explore the yard on this beautiful day until it was time to head indoors. Bruno joined me for extra attention this afternoon and was all about the cuddles. He wiggled his way to me and rolled onto the floor for belly rubs. We filled the treat ball with some liver treats which he pawed around the room for a little while before deciding those treats were too much work and it was much easier to sit and give a paw to Leah for some yummy liver bits. 

This weather is a dream come true for Pelley. She truly enjoys the warmth of the sun more than anything. She was ecstatic to have the opportunity to go swimming in some fresh river water during her walk today. I knew she saw the water from further back, so we strayed from the trail to go check it out. It took her no time at all to be right on her belly with her face fully submerged. Pelley trotted around in the water and continued to lie on her belly and push herself around in the shallow pool for ages. She was dripping wet by the end, and graciously shook off right next to me. In the yard today Pelley was mostly happy to zip around sniffing and exploring. She enjoys the company of all the dogs, but prefers to play with the humans. We had a good run around the yard together as well as a nice snuggle on the picnic table. She kept very busy roaming around along side her mates and hanging out with me. When all the action calmed down, she was happy to stand on the picnic table with her nose up in the air, taking in the nice breeze and warm sun.
I brought Pelley up for extra attention at the other staff's break time so there would be lots of people for Pelley to buzz around. She likes to stay busy, this girl, and she went from person to person, checking everyone out, saying hello and getting some pets. When she headed to the front door, I put on a leash and we went out to find some more adventures. Pelley got to check out a totally new area, which she really enjoyed. 

Keegan was such a little spit fire in the yard today. He never stopped dashing around, chatting to all his friends, and myself. He is always smiling, and eager to meet new friends as well as new people. Keegan is a very proper dog, avoiding the puddles and dirt at all costs. I wish all dogs had the mindset of Keegan. He was very interested in the dogs in the bigger yard, but to get there he had to avoid some mud. He stared around the yard and I could practically hear him thinking. He finally came to the realization that he if he did one big jump, he would make it to some grass, and then carry on along some rocks. He did just this, and then made his way to me for some cuddles. I carried him back to the dry yard when he was done to prevent him from going through that obstacle. Keegan didn’t mind the puddles as much on our walk. He trotted through them with a smile on his face, following his mates with his tail wagging. When he got back inside he spotted a treat in a neighbours kennel and was very insistent on getting it. Luckily, I had a cookie in my pocket to offer him instead. He brought it to his bed and gobbled it right up before taking a nice snooze.  

Keegan sure does love his treats! We went into the playroom and after Keegan had a chance to explore the room, I went to get the treat puzzle for him. He was very intent on getting every last treat out of every last nook and cranny. Once I knew he was done but he was sure there was more, I took the puzzle out of the room so that he could relax a little. We sat in the sunshine below the window, Keegan's back to me and had a very cozy time. I scratched up and down his back and Keegan soaked up all the scratches and massage for as long as our session lasted. 

Khal had a great day. We are trying to keep the pups out of the muddy yard as much as possible, resulting in many more walks. Khal was very appreciative of this. We worked on his socialization today by walking him with some new friends, as well as having him in a small group with some of our females. Khal loves walking along the trail this time of year. There are so many scents that come uncovered as the day progresses from melting, puddles, and the drying up of water. He is sure to get his nose on just about everything he can. He enjoys when I stray from the trail into the middle of the field, allowing him to investigate potential hiding places for field mice and birds nests. He was quite content wandering around in the sun today. I don’t think we could have asked for the weather to be any nicer. Khal enjoyed his extra attention with Leah very much today. He munched on a few treats before settling onto the ground for some cuddles. Leah got a brush out and Khal seemed to be in heaven. He rolled onto his side enjoying every second of it, pawing at Leah if she stopped to keep going. 

Finnigan really embraces the idea “dirty dog is a happy dog”. This guy lives for the water and loves the dirt. It has come to the point where we can’t really do anything to keep him out of it. After a lot of talking to him, he turned his nose up to me and marched right over to the one puddle and lay right down while staring at me. He is so mischievous, he is lucky he is so darn cute. Luckily, Henry got Finnigan's attention which distracted him from the puddle. Finn was keen to race around with Henry after Henry asked him to pay numerous times. This pair is great. They kept each other very busy for their whole time outside. Finn loves chasing after him, and looping through the tunnel to confuse him. Finn was also very excited to get into the staff room today and see some treasures. We received a whole big bag of new stuffed toys from a friend, and this was Finnigans idea of heaven. He stuck his head in the open bag and snatched a toy immediately. We had to tie the bag shut after a bit. He was happy to have one dog stuffed animal as well as a bunny stuffed animal. He carried these guys around like little babies. On his down time, Finn was sure to keep them close by to suck on and nap with.

I couldn’t be happier to see Henry here when I arrived this morning. Henry never fails to put a smile on all of our faces. He couldn’t have been more excited to get outdoors and check out who his group mates would be. His easy, outgoing personality makes his company very enjoyable for every dog. Henry got just about every dog in his group playing, including the dogs that are usually more independent. It was adorable watching Henry play around with with Charlie, a fellow golden. Charlie and Henry loved getting low to the ground play bowing back and forth and then darting in circles around the yard. Henry wasn’t worried about avoiding the mud whatsoever. We tried our hardest to keep him on the grass and in the gravel yard but his puppy mind said otherwise. In between his games with Charlie, Henry loved ripping around the yard with daycare friend, Finnigan. These two were very speedy around the perimeter of the yard and around the tunnel. All their fast movement got the attention of numerous play mates, turning their games into a big heard playing. It was a lot of fun watching Henry really in his element. This youngster would play all day long if it were up to him. He was happy to head indoors for a quick nap before his nice mid morning trail walk. On the trail he kept Tiff very busy as he wandered left and right, forward and backwards, all along the trail. His tail never stopped wagging all day long.

I was so excited to see my best friend Duke today when I came in this morning. As soon as I let him out I was greeted with a huge kiss on the cheek and a flashy smile as Duke raced past me and out the door. Duke was full of energy today; it must have been because it’s so beautiful outside. When he went out for one of his long playgroups, he was so excited that he was jumping onto his kennel door before I even got to his kennel. He nearly knocked me over as he shot out of his kennel but quickly stopped to give me another kiss. While outside, Duke was a busy big bee. He began his group with a few laps around the yard. I think he was trying to burn a little bit of energy off. Once he was down his running laps, Duke came over to greet his friends. He was especially interested in a new friend named Colin. Duke followed him wherever he went for a little while but soon got distracted by a rope toy that I brought outside for him. As soon as he saw the rope toy, Duke raced over and grabbed it right away. The two of us played tug-of-war for quite some time. However, he is very striog so I did my best to hold on, but he always won. A little while later, Duke was once again sniffing his friend Colin. This time it led to a little bit of play tackling. Duke looked so funny because he would paw at Colin while Colin tried to tackle him. He wasn’t quite sure how to play with him. Eventually Duke came back over to see me for some love and affection. We snuggled for a little while before running around the yard together to end off his group time. We found Duke's new favourite thing during extra attention, the treat ball! He enjoyed some cuddles from Tiff before I filled the ball up with liver treats. I shook the ball to show him their was something inside and rolled it across the floor towards him. Duke instantly chased after the ball nosing it around the room hoping for a reward. He would pick the ball up and toss it across the room before playfully racing after it again. 

Kai is always such a happy girl. I could tell that today was going to be just a wonderful day because of the bright smile she showed me as soon as I let her out this morning. I think Kai must have been in an extra good mood today because she was so peppy and playful. When it came to one of her group outings, Kai wanted to be involved in everything hat was going on in the yard. She was always watching what all of her friends were doing even when she was simply sniffing around the yard. I caught her attention when I showed her a bright red ball that I had gotten in the yard. She raced over to sniff it and seemed as though she wanted to play with it. However, when I threw the ball, she’d race right over and simply sniff it before trotting back over to me. Kai saw a few of her friends play tackling in the yard so she immediately trotted over to check it out. Soon enough she found herself in the middle of it. Kai looked so cute because she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to play tackle or just sniff her friends, but she was definitely interested. She ended up fully joining in on the fun and enjoyed bouncing around for quite some time before coming over to see me. Kai became such a cuddle bug once she got over to me. She always loves attention but this time she wanted to make sure that all of the attention was on her. Between rubbing her head against my legs and pawing for a longer belly rub, Kai definitely got the attention she wanted. I made sure to give her a long belly and head rub before it was time for her to come back inside. Kai was her usual cuddly self during extra attention, I mean that's what its for right? We spent some time relaxing together before she went to the door looking out the window. I grabbed a leash and we went for a stroll around the front yard enjoying the beautiful weather. When we returned from our stroll I grabbed a couple of treats from the treat jar. Kai plopped her bum on the ground and sat pretty for me raising her two front feet. Silly girl then showed off a nice down and paw. 

Poppy was such an interested little girl throughout the entire day today. She was always getting her nose into everything and kept an eye on everyone in her group. During one of her outdoor playgroups, Poppy did a little bit of everything. She started off her group by finding a playmate that she could follow around whenever she wanted. After sniffing a few friends, Poppy found the perfect friend, Colin. She gave him a good long sniff and began to follow him around, always joining him in whatever he was doing. Soon after, Poppy saw a bone that I was carrying and decided she had to come investigate. She hopped her front paws right up onto me and stuck her nose to the bone. After a bit of smelling, Poppy decided to take it with her. However, she dropped it once she got distracted by another group of friends who were play tackling. Poppy had to run over to see just what was going on of course. This time she ended up not as interested and came back over to me for some snuggling. I picked Poppy up right in my arms and carried her around for a bit while snuggling her. Poppy made sure I got tons of kisses while she was up in my arms. Once I put her down, Poppy suddenly got a burst of energy; she started racing around the yard, trying to get anyone to run around with her. After awhile I joined her for a run and grabbed a ball for her to chase. She was very excited to run after it a few times but she soon decided it was time to sniff her friends again. Overall, Poppy had a wonderful and busy spring day.

Colin had an excellent first day back and was definitely busy at all times. His walk was full of interesting events that included a new friend, Paisley. Paisley and Colin got along the instant that they met each other. When I let Colin into the yard to begin his walk, he raced right over to her, gave her a quick sniff, and the two of them went racing to the ends of their leashes. This energy continued throughout their walk. Colin and Paisley spent most of their time play tackling one another. The two of them ended up getting all tangled amongst a few trees but they were always ready to tackle once more. During one of Colin’s outdoor groups, he was mixed in with a few old as well as new friends. Colin spent the first portion of his group time trying to remember who everyone was as well as meet his new friends. The playing began soon after. Colin wasn’t quite sure whom he wanted to play with today. He would start sniffing one of his friends, which would lead to a little bit of bouncing around and finally a play tackle or a bit of a race around the yard. However, once that routine was over, Colin wanted to move onto the next friend. He did this quite a few times but always returned to the same friends. By the end of his group time it was safe to say he was a little tired. However he was always rested and ready to go out again when his next group time would come along.

Sophie W. was full of energy and she wanted to make sure I knew it all day long. Every time I got her from her kennel throughout the day, I always saw a happy smiling dog looking right p at me. She made sure to always be waiting right by the door when it was her turn to go outside and somehow she always knew exactly when that would be. When I let her out for her long outdoor playgroup, Sophie flew past me, ran right down the hallway and outside. Before I knew it, Sophie was racing around both yards, trying to get everyone to join her. I grabbed a stuffed fox toy from the yard and once she spotted it she was right by my side. Sophie loved jumping up to try and grab the toy right out of my hands but I didn’t make it easy for her. We played keep away for quite some time before Sophie made one huge leap and got the toy right out of my hands. She pranced around with it for a little while until she realized that she wanted to play with me once again. This time we grabbed a red ball and started playing fetch. In between each long throw I’d get Sophie to jump up and try to catch the ball. She seemed to love this and was always ready to catch it. Once we had finished playing, Sophie decided it was time to roll around in the grass. She spent the time finding her perfect spot before diving onto the ground and rolling.

Nymeria was very excited to begin another stay with us today. She came racing down the hallway full of energy and I knew that I was in for an exciting day. When it was time for her playgroup, Nymeria leapt out of her kennel and went shooting out the door to meet her new friends for the day. Nymeria made sure that she got a good sniff of everyone before she moved into the grass yard. She was a bit more focused on all of the scents of spring today so she ended up sniffing around for a little while to start her group time. Eventually, after sniffing along every part of the fence, around the rocks and even the inside of the agility tunnel, Nymeria was ready to play. She started bouncing around a few friends but got very excited once she saw the stuffed fox toy that I was carrying. She immediately raced over to me and grabbed it as fast as she could. This led to a long game of tug-of-war which some of her friends even joined in on. At one point, Nym was playing tug-of-war with her good friend Jynxx. She always seemed to win whether she was playing against a friend or myself  and she definitely showed us how proud she was to win. Nym would trot around the yard with the toy in her mouth, as proud as could be. She ended off her group time by play tackling with her friend Vega.
Nym was quite funny to watch with the treat puzzle during her extra attention time. She was very focused on the toy, but seemed convinced that it must be an endless fountain of treats. When all the treats had been found, she still insisted that there could be more. Eventually I had to take it away. What an optimist this girl is! We played bouncy ball and tossed some stuffies around but Nym's favorite toy was a prechewed tennis ball. Once she had hold of that, her enthusiasm mounted and we had a very spirited game of ball. At the end of her session, it was all I could do to get Nym to give up her ball.