Wednesday, April 5th, 2017

Ziggy spent his first day back at Tails & Trails getting accustomed to his surroundings and saying hello to his new friend, Strider. Ziggy was perched on his shelf when Strider came in to say hello. They sniffed each other before Strider continued on his way around the room. I went and picked Ziggy up for some cuddles, and he nuzzled into my shoulder like the little sweetie that he is. I placed Ziggy on the cat tree and he nestled into the hammock's cozy blanket. Ziggy looked out the window from his new spot and I gave him some chin scratches as he relaxed. He had a lovely first day, relaxing and making new friends. 

Nanook had a great time outside today.  He started off by sniffing all around the yard; it has been awhile since he’s been here so he had to check out all of the new smells!  Nanook made sure to take the time to meet each new friend outside individually.  He took a particular liking to a dog-named Rudy.  Rudy is a little bit smaller than Nanook and very outgoing.  It took Rudy a couple of attempts to get Nanook to play with him but after that they had a blast!  Nanook let Rudy chase him around the yards.  However if Rudy jumped on Nanook, Nanook was sure to let him know he didn’t appreciate this.  Rudy would respectfully stop and happily go back to their game of tag.  Even though the ground outside was covered in mud Nanook did a pretty good job at keeping his all white coat clean.

Bruno has always been a firecracker.  The second he is let outside he really lights up.  He is so full of energy and loves everything that moves.  Once outside he was so excited to meet all of his new friends, though everyone was busy sniffing around before playtime started. He eventually charmed Rudy into some fun and games. Rudy would chase after a dog named Nanook and Bruno wouldn’t be very far behind.  Rudy would take breaks from his game of tag to play with Bruno both of them jumping all over each other.  I think Bruno was happy to find a friend that also enjoyed a little bit of rough play.  Bruno was sure to come over to me to get some cuddles and pets whenever he could spare the time.  By the end of the outdoor time Bruno was patiently waiting at the door to go inside and get some rest. Bruno and I spent some time together in the reception area this afternoon and right off the bat he found a bone under the chair! He was very happy with his treasure and carried it around before settling on one spot to chew it. Next, Bruno had some fun chasing after the bouncy balls from the toy basket. Julie came in the room to join us and scooped Bruno up for a hug before she kept on her way. I sat down with Bruno for some belly rubs, and he rolled right over onto his back, absolutely loving it! 

Lola stayed pretty close to the door today.  I don’t think she appreciated how wet and muddy it was outside.  After I called her a few times she did come over for some pets but quickly returned to her spot.  Luckily for her she had some company as Julie was waiting with her.  The two did sniff around the small area near the door and seemed quite content doing so.  Pearl was a lot more active.  She was the first one to bolt into the second yard after I opened up the door.  She was very eager to sniff around and made sure she covered the entire perimeter.  She did meet a few of the dogs outside but did not have a big interest in playing today.  She came over when she saw Lola with me and also enjoyed some nice pets.  She seemed quite satisfied to be by her self and do some solo exploring outside.  The pair cuddled up together once inside.  

Chloe C was pining to get outside this morning.  She was not extremely interested in the other dogs at first, as she's always on the look out for some toys!  She did a full sweep of the yard, sniffing and then quickly came over to me for some pets.  Three of the other dogs were really playing hard in throughout the mud.  Chloe would not get too close but she would chase them from corner to corner barking at them.  Almost in the midst of all the action but not quite.  I think she liked this because she could leave the group whenever she pleased in case she heard a noise or smelled something interesting, but she still managed to feel like she was part of the group.  Also Chloe isn’t always keen on having the other dogs jump all over her so this was her way of avoiding that.  When it came time to go inside she seemed quite happy to.  After walking her back to her kennel and closing the door her little nub of a tail was still going 100 miles an hour.

Chloe E quickly became part of a new trio of friendship outside.  Chloe and Finn who have met before and have always played together very well both met Bandit, a black lab to today.  They welcomed him into their play circle with open paws.  All three of them started out so clean and almost immediately became covered in mud.  I think Chloe may have been the happiest I’ve seen her out there in the puddles.  She was jumping from puddle to puddle making the biggest splashes she could.  Of course she sprayed me and a few of the other dogs but who could be upset when she was having so much fun.  The three dogs were running full speed in between the yards.  You could see them go around the corner and then come charging back around again.  For the most part Chloe let the other dogs chase her around.  Whenever one of them got tired she was sure to play bow and get them right back into the game.  Chloe got to go on her walk with Finn today as well.  Whenever we came across a puddle she would lift her two front legs high into the air and pounce right on top of it. 

Finn got to reunite with one of his favourite dogs named Chloe today.  The two are both very rambunctious and get along famously.  They also allowed another dog-named Bandit to join their group.  All three burned off so much energy running full speed chasing after each other.  Only taking a few breaks to play in the mud.  A few times Finn would look right at me while pawing at the mud puddle.  I would sternly try and tell him “no” after which he would quickly follow with turning over onto his back and rolling in it.  Lately Finn has been getting to go for two groups outside.  Today he was actually waiting near the door when the time came to go back inside.  This is one of the most active plays I have ever seen him have and I think he was pretty beat after it. 

Bandit was sure to meet every dog outside today but quickly found his place with Chloe and Finn.  Both Finn and Bandit would chase Chloe as fast as they could around the yard, splashing in all the mud puddles as they went.  Bandit had slobber flying in all sorts of directions as he played with the two other dogs.  He did take a few breaks to come and hang out with me though.  I had climbed onto one of the rocks in the yard to try and get some better pictures and within seconds he jumped on it too and remained sitting beside me until I had finished.  He is a very sweet dog who listens extremely well when called.  He was very at ease with the other dogs outside and was very friendly. 

Oakley was rather flustered when she first entered the yard today. Her ears perked up when she saw Kyah come around the corner, but then, the huskies just kept coming at her. She was one of 8 dogs in the group and she only had one fellow non-husky friend. She wasn’t sure if she was excited or overwhelmed about all the attention she received right off the bat. She stood still, and then sat, and then circled with her tail wagging as they all smothered her with love and attention. Puppy Vega, was especially fond of Oakley. In fact, Vega is Kyah’s niece; maybe that’s why Oakley gave her the time of day. The two were pretty cute dancing around. I was surprised to see Oakley have so much patience for the youngster. Next on the list were Skie and Jynxx, two boarding huskies. They too smothered Oakley with a lot of love. They were keen to play bow and dance around with her and then do some fast zoomies around the yard. After a lot of husky fun Oakley made her way to me for our usual Wednesday cuddles. It was here that she re-united with Kyah for their usual pow-wow.

I was surprised to see Spencer come down the hall this morning, as I’m used to seeing this guy on Thursdays. I was eager to get him into a playgroup, with new friends, and see how he would do with so many new faces. He had his best day ever, as he took part in a group of ALL girl huskies. This is Spencer's version of a dream come true. He was in his very own dog paradise. Spencer was so full of excitement he couldn’t choose who to play with and give his attention to. When Spencer walked by Ivy, his decision was made for him. He thought she was so pretty and lovely. He gave her numerous invites to play by pawing at her, play-bowing to her, and dancing around her. She was very happy to give in to these requests. Soon enough Spencer was frolicking with Ivy. It wasn’t long before he turned his back on her to play around with Aurora. He was then all over Jynxx and Skie, battling them in a fun boxing match. After endless amounts of fun with all the new faces, Spencer was happy to meet up with two if his daycare pals Kyah and Oakley. They hung out as a trio, relaxing and exploring the yard before returning indoors for a nap.

Riley was full of energy today. He was mostly motivated to run and play by his young group mates. The two younger boys, Kane and Louie, had Riley zipping and zooming around. At first Riley was trying to keep the youngster’s in line, but once he realized how much fun it was to run free and happy he changed his perspective and began to splash through the mud with them. He loved pawing at the boys as they toppled over one another, and he loved to stay hot on their heels as they zoomed in circles around the yard. Soon Chloe was in on the fun too, and Riley really enjoyed her company. Riley managed to stay rather clean, in comparison to some of his friends. Meanwhile, Roobee was flustered at her son’s crazy games. She as trying her hardest to follow him around and monitor his every move, however, Roobee refused to get her paws dirty. This made it extra challenging as the only snow remaining is around the perimeter of the yard. She did laps along the perimeter trying her hardest to keep a close eye on Riley. When they were let into the somewhat grassy yard, she was much happier as she could stay close to Riley. After following him around for a bit she broke off to hang out by my side. We had some nice outdoor cuddles before they head back indoors.

Iris and Louie are an absolute blast to have. They add such a fun element to every group they participate in. Today, they made two new great friends who matched their play style very well. Kane the young Weimaraner was a perfect pair for Louie, while Chloe the young St. Bernard kept Iris on her toes. The four ended up collaborating their games to create one massive play session. Kane is so fast and speedy, keeping Louie and Iris moving non-stop. Louie does an excellent job of motoring across the yard, keeping up to Kane very well. Iris tries her hardest, but also tries to stay somewhat clean which slows her down. Louie couldn’t care less about the results of our spring weather. He splashes through the puddles and romps in the mud with a smile on his face. I had a lot of fun watching him run around with Kane. The joy that I could see in these two’s eyes as they looped around the yard was contagious. Iris stayed pretty occupied with them, however, she also enjoyed spending some time sniffing and exploring. She was sure to meet up with me for some pats and cuddles in between her fun and games and yard investigation too. When it was time to finally come inside, the lab duo was ready for a mid morning nap before walk time. 

Max and Sadie have really been enjoying walking on the front trail. There are a lot of new smells for the duo to pick up on as we walk along the path. Sadie loves to roam between the trees, while Max finds a lot of good scents in the field. They keep pretty busy as they motor along with their noses to the ground. In the yard the pair wasn’t all that playful today. All the spring smells had their noses going, rather than their feet. They moseyed around the yard with their noses going back and forth, digging at the mud and dirt to uncover more smells. Occasionally, they would meet up for a romp around, but would always return to sniffing and exploring. OF course, Sadie found herself on the picnic table to relax while Max hung out by my side. They then continued to explore before making their way to the tunnel for some brief fun. Sadie loves taunting Max by staying on one side of the tunnel as he howls and chats at her from the other side. When he finally makes his move to her, she bolts away, starting a chase. This is usual game for them, which never seems to get old.