Wednesday, April 19th, 2017

Chloe loves her days with us. She is always a bundle of joy when she arrives, wiggling her way down the hall greeting everyone as she passes. She is just as happy to get outdoors and meet up with her friends, regardless of who they may be. Chloe was thrilled to run into her pal Kane. These two are both young, and full of energy. They make for quite the duo when it comes to running and playing. They race around the yard in circles for a long time, not stopping for anything. Chloe is a big fan of water and mud, so she specially took the route that led her through the puddles. Kane was a bit more graceful dodging them. As Chloe runs, her limbs are flying all over the place, sliding around with s mile on her face. When she finally burned off most of her energy, she took a break to check out Kyah who was sitting on the picnic table. Both Chloe and Kane were fascinated with Kyah, and tried their hardest to get her attention. She briefly gave in to them, but returned to sticking her nose up at them in a jiffy leaving the pair to play together some more until it was time to rest indoors.    

Oakley was keen to get into her kennel this morning as I was laying down a fresh blanket. She danced around as I was trying to lay it down, preventing me from placing it on the ground. I ended up putting it on her back, and she sat there staring at me as if she were saying, “are you kidding”. I was the only one laughing, so I placed it in front of her and then she finally lay down. Oakley was happy to get out into the yard and wander around. She did a lot of sniffing and exploring before making note of Kyah sitting on the picnic table. She made her way over to say her hellos and the pair quickly re-united. After some friendly kisses they hung out side by side, as usual, doing nothing. When Bella came into the yard, Oakley’s interest sparked and she made her way over. As they sniffed and explored together, youngster Kane caught Oakley off guard inviting her to play. Surprisingly, she gave in to him and the duo briefly boxed and wrestled. Oakley tried to avoid his paw slaps by ducking her head, however this just resulted in Kane zipping and zooming around her with excitement. They had a cute play session before Oakley made her way to Kyah on the tunnel to relax and hang out until they could head indoors.    

Bella arrived just in the nick of time to join her favourite playgroup. When she was put into the yard, all of her friends were already outdoor and she quickly became the hot topic. As everyone surrounded her to say hello, she immediately made eye contact with her boyfriend, Justice, and the games started. Justice was feeling extra playful today and led Bella on a big chase around the yard. The pair zipped and zoomed around the yard in high-speed circles. Kyah and Magic weren’t far behind these games, making Bella the odd lady out between the three huskies.  Bella loved all the attention she was getting, especially from Justice, so she continued to goof around. Once she finally drained most of her energy, Bella broke off from the fun to sniff and explore. Along the way she met up with Oakley who was happy to hang around. These two enjoyed wandering around the perimeters of the yard sniffing all the smells.    

Finn was nothing short of a bundle of joy this morning. He was so excited to have the yard to himself for a quick moment. He did so many fast zoomies, anticipating the arrival of his friends. When Pippin got outside the cuties quickly met up for some fun. As more of his friends joined, their twosome quickly became a big party. Finn loved playing around with Pippin, Nyxx and Farley. These four were having a lot of fun dancing and wrestling. Pippin pulls a Finn, by lying down and pawing at the air, which got him a bit confused. I think he was surprised to see someone else pulling off his move. After a lot of fun with friends, he made note of Cabot and Tupper playing fetch. These two are stiff competition for Finn. If there were an Olympic team for fetch, Cabot and Tupper would be ranked #1. Finn had a lot of fun chasing after the ball, and them. He tried so hard to get to it before them, and catch it before them. Their smooth moves and agility was no match for Finn. He realized that the two drop their balls at my feet and then back up. He decided to cheat a little and wait at my feet for them to drop it and he would snatch it. This became a routine for Finn. Cabot and Tupper didn’t mind since we had two balls on the go, and Finn was the happiest guy around carrying around his treasure. He continued to race after the other ball, but refused to drop the original ball he had. This fun continued all day long, not letting the rain stop his happiness at all.   

Duke was pretty excited to partake in two group outings this morning. He enjoys getting to know numerous dogs. Today, Skie was particularly fond of Duke. She is such a vocal girl, howling and chatting to him requesting him t play. When this didn’t work, she would play bow and then paw at his sides or face. Duke loved all the attention this pretty girl was offering him and gladly gave in. They danced around for a bit, before he decided to take off for a run. Skie happily chased after him and they frolicked around for a while. He chose to break off from her to do some sniffing and exploring before re-uniting with her for some more fun and flirting. He was such a good boy when it came to listening today. He listened to all his commands in the yard and behaved like an angel with some reminders from myself. Duke was happy to enjoy a walk this morning just as the rain began. He had a lot to sniff and explore along the path, alongside friends Nyxx and Finn. By the time his playgroups and walk was over, he was eager to climb onto his cot for a mid morning snooze. 

Duke is always ready for some extra attention time. Today he joined me in the playroom and made himself quite comfy on the couch. I sat next to him to give him some pets and cuddles before moving to the floor. Duke saw this as a great opportunity to sit right on my lap. We cuddled for a little while longer and then I grabbed him a few treats. I tossed a couple around the room for him to sniff out and use his brain to find them. Once he found them all he wandered back over to me looking for more. He showed off his sit and lay down for a few more rewards.

Bunker is a sweet boy. He is a nice boy to have in the yard, as he is so easy going and keen to enjoy the company of humans and dogs. Today he was happy to spend his outdoor time with a couple lovely ladies. Bunker was particularly fond of Skie and Jynxx, two pretty huskies. He followed them around with his ears perked and tails wagging. When the girls acknowledged him he got very excited and danced around. There was some play bowing done, back and forth, until Skie took off looking for a chase. Bunker wasn’t as eager as she was to play, so he continued to hang out with Jynxx instead. Bunker broke off from Jynxx to do some sniffing and exploring around the yard. While he was adventuring around he visited me for some pets and cuddles. Bunker loves a good side pat as well as a nice ear rub. We kept one another company for a while, while the playgroup goofed around. He was happy to have my attention for a bit before it was time to head in for a nap. 

Bunker is already settling in fantastically. He headed straight up front for his training, although I would have liked to go outside where there are more distractions, with all the rain we stayed inside. But that's alright we played some recall games instead. I opened up the doors to the reception area, hall and playroom and let Bunker have a good sniff around. I caught his attention with a few treats and let him wander off again on his own. When he wasn't paying attention to me I would call his name and the command "here". Bunker responded every time, each time a little quicker once he caught on to my game. We continued this all around the front, and no matter how far or "hidden" I was, he always found me.

Pippin and Bailey enjoyed a modified routine today, as they got all cleaned up this morning and we didn’t want them getting dirty from the rain. Both boys looked so handsome after their groom. I love how white Pippin gets, and Bailey is so soft and clean. The boys enjoyed strolling up and down along the driveway rather than walking on the wet path. After this we hung out in the reception area. Bailey loved out treat ball so much. We loaded it up with liver snacks and he pushed it all around the room with his nose, trying to uncover the treats as fast as possible. He stayed pretty focused on this for this entire time upfront, only stopping to accept some pets and cuddles. Pippin was mostly happy to sit on my lap and get snuggles. He too also enjoyed the odd cookie, but he preferred taking it from my hand rather than working for it like Bailey. Later on, Bailey and Pippin happily joined all the small dogs in the playroom. As usual, Pippin made lots of friends. He really enjoyed boxing with Flora and darting around the room after Julie. He kept pretty busy with his playful friends. Bailey was happy to enjoy the company of the other dogs while being pet and cuddled by Tiffani. He was happy to meet and greet so many new faces but mostly wanted human attention and cookies. 

Winston had a wonderful first day back! When he first got here, he wasn’t quite sure where he wanted to go at first. He made sure he had greeted everyone he passed before finally ending up in his kennel. Winston gave me a big kiss on the hand as soon as I saw him to take him out for his outdoor playgroup this morning. Although he knew it was wet and rainy outside, he didn’t seem hesitant at all to go out into the yard. Winston simply walked out of his kennel and went right out into the rain, I was shocked! As soon as he got outside, his nose was in charge. Winston walked around the yard with his nose stuck to the ground, I’m not sure what he smelled but it definitely smelled good, that’s for sure. He continued to follow his nice for a little while until he wound up sniffing my foot without even realizing it. He looked up to realize that he was sniffing me and was then ready for some extra loving. Winston spent the rest of his group time by my side for the most part. He especially liked getting a little bit of a bum and head rub before we went back inside.  Winston is such a cuddle bug! He was more than happy to follow me up to  the reception area, where he sat down on my lap and enjoyed a back  scratch. Katie joined us in the room and Winston went over to visit with  her. While Winston was enjoying more back scratches, I went and got his  brush, which he loves. After a brushing, Winston came across the treat  ball! He nosed it around the room and treats fell out for him to gobble  up.  

Bruno is loving all of the extra attention that he's received for the last few days. This morning he couldn't have been more excited to go outside for his group time. However as soon as he got to the door and realized it was raining, he wasn't so sure. Bruno had a long stare outside before finally realizing that he wanted to go out and eventually hopped out onto the patio stone. He soon became very excited once he realized that I had brought out some special treats for him. Bruno spotted the treats and came running right over to me. He stood up on his back two feet like the most handsome little boy before receiving his first treat. Bruno loved showing me all of his tricks as he was trying to get some more treats. He sat, laid down and of course he showed me how high he could jump when he really wanted to. After all of the treats were gone. Bruno decided it was time to search the yards for all the different spring smells. He was hooked on a few of them, which led him sniffing around the yard for quite some time. Eventually he decided to trot back to me and snuggle for the ending of his outside time. Bruno hopped both of his front paws up on my knee and waited for his long belly and back rub.    

Penny was very excited to start her first day here at Tails and Trails. She was a tad bit nervous when she first met her new group of friends but she quickly settled in once she realized how nice everyone was! Penny was definitely the star of the show as soon as she got outside of her kennel. Right from the get go, our husky Vega raced up to her in the hallway and gave her a quick sniff before racing outside together. From that point on Vega was her new best friend. Soon enough, Vega’s mom Aurora and Penny new friend Kai were also giving her an overall sniff. The attention was constantly on whatever Penny was doing. I think this helped her come out of her comfort zone pretty quickly. Penny loved dashing around the yard throughout her group time. She would run back and fourth and in circles around everyone. Her friend Vega especially enjoyed following her around as she ran so this made for a bit of play tackling. Penny wasn’t so sure she liked the play tackling at first but she loved when Vega would play bow. As soon as Vega play bowed, Penny would start running around all over the place just waiting for another race to begin. Towards the end of her group time she became quite a cuddle bug. Penny trotted over to me and was definitely ready for some attention. She pressed her head right up against my led until I gave her a good ear rub. After a few more runs around the yard, Penny was ready to come inside and snuggle up in her kennel.

I don’t think Kai was very impressed with the weather today but she still sported her lovely smile throughout her group times. Kai was in a group with a new friend named Penny as well as a couple of our husky girls, Aurora and Vega. These three definitely kept her busy and always playing. As soon as Kai got outside she was greeted with the three lovely girls and it was game on. Vega started play bowing at Kai right away but Kai was trying to sniff out her new friend Penny. After a bit more sniffing, Kai decided she was ready to play as well. She played bowed at Vega right before Vega pounced at her in full play mode. Kai had Vega play tackling her while trying to also play with Aurora and Penny, talk about hectic! I think Kai liked the attention she was getting from the other girls but that didn’t mean she didn’t need any from me. Between play tackle sessions, Kai would trot over to me for some extra loving. She enjoyed rubbing her head against my leg and getting a long ear rub every time she came to say hello. Within seconds Kai would be off again in another run around the yard with Vega or Penny, sometimes even both of them. It ended up being quite a good day for Kai despite the weather.

Nanook had another wonderful day, despite the rain. He was too thrilled when I woke him up as he didn’t want to leave his warm comfy bed to go outside in the rain. However he became quite the trooper once he got outside and started sniffing all of the spring scents. When it came for his long outdoor play group time, Nanook was ready to go outside this time. He sat patiently at his kennel door before hopping out and joining me outside. Nanook was quite the explorer today as they were so many puddles in the yard. He would walk over to every single one, sniff it, and then decide he didn’t feel like getting wet so he’d move on to the next one. Eventually he jumped right into a big puddle in the grass yard, getting his paws all wet. Nanook couldn’t have been happier to get his paws wet at that moment. SO much so that he decided he need to come right over to me and get me wet as well. Nanook jumped onto his back paws and rested his front paws on my legs while waiting for some extra attention. He ended up following me around the yards for the rest of his group time which I enjoyed. The two of us sat up on the picnic table cuddling for the rest of his group time. He especially enjoyed getting his back scratched.
Nanook joined me in the reception area for extra attention time this morning. We went for a little stroll around the front yard, but Nanook decided he'd rather go back inside, out of the rain. I showed him the treat ball, which had some yummy treats inside. I showed him that if he pushed it around, the treats would fall out, but Nanook much rathered that I do it and hand him the treats! He's so funny. We spent the rest of our time together hanging out while he enjoyed having his back scratched.

Pelley is such a trooper when it comes to these wet, dreary days. She really doesn't let the gloomy weather get her down at all. She came up to me with a smile on her face as soon as I saw her this morning and kept it there throughout his entire day. Pelley was so good on her walk today. Some days she’s quite the active girl and runs in circles around me, tangling her leashes up. All the puddles kept her very focused on the task at hand, as she jumped from puddle to puddle, trying to get as wet as she could. Pelley was very excited to go outside despite the rain today. Her group had a few active friends in it, which kept her hot on her feet. She loved racing around the yard with a couple of her friends but she especially enjoyed chasing me around. The two of us would rip around the yard while Pelley had a huge smile on her face. Pelley was very excited to make her way into the tunnel, looking for an exciting new place to sniff. After a bit more running, Pelley and I started playing with a bright red ball that I had found in the yard. I got her to sniff it for a little while but she ended up only wanting to play with it for a short time. After chasing the ball a couple of times, Pelley decided it was cuddle time and would be until the end of her group time.

Pelley went straight to the treat jar today. She bounced up against the desk looking up at it and back at me, hoping I could get her some yummy treats. I grabbed a small handful and gave them out to her and her friends, Resa and Julie. Pelley wanted to go play in the puddles again today, but it is much to wet out and we stayed inside where it was dry. Pelley joined me over by the desk, balancing on her back feet and pawing at me, hoping for some extra cuddles. She continued to explore the room until it was her time to go back.