Sunday, May 21st, 2017

Nymeria was the center of activity in the yard today. Before groups, she joined up with Casper and Nyxx for a walk. They were bouncing around with excitement and Nymeria led the way, sailing through the gate and onto the trail. The first half of the walk was relaxing as everyone was sniffing around and enjoying some peace and quiet. Then Nymeria got a burst of energy and pounced on Nyxx, who happily pounced back. When we got back, Nymeria settled down in her kennel for a rest before groups. Back in the yard, she wasted no time jumping on the dog closest to her. This turned out to be her husky friend Maverick, who was also in a playful mood. As soon as the two of them went racing off, side by side, Nyxx noticed this and hurried over, not wanting to be left out. Nymeria decided to show the boys how it's done and wasted no time throwing both Maverick and Nyxx to the ground. She then hopped over them and bolted for the tunnel, where she fiercely defended her new spot. Ariel wandered past and decided to help out, along with Kaya and Meeks. Soon the entire group was tearing around the yard with Nym right in the middle. She was leaping and twisting all over the place. Between the dogs running around and wrestling, everybody was quite tired once we headed inside! Nymeria and I headed up front for her extra attention, and she wasted no time sniffing out the treat jar. After she showed me her manners, I gave her a few treats and we went to check out the toy bin. The first toy that Nymeria wanted was the pig squeaky, but soon she discovered that the ball was much more fun and had a great time chasing it around. She then picked up the snake stuffy and we played tug of war for a bit. Then, she was happy to just lounge on one of the chairs and cuddle.

Vasco had such a great day with all of his friends! He started things out with a walk alongside Hudson and Winston, and the three boys were eager to get onto the trail. Vasco took the lead while the other two bounced around after him. He was very focused on sniffing everything he could on the walk. When we got back, it was time for his extra attention. Vasco knew right where to go as we headed up front to the leash outside. He was so excited and immediately started wiggling around when I scratched his back - then he started "talking" and happily flopped over for a belly rub. He then showed off his skills by sitting, laying down and offering me his paws. After enjoying some more cuddles, I found him a Frisbee and we played fetch for a bit. Then the two of us went back inside as it was almost group time! Vasco was delighted to say hello to everyone in the yard and made a beeline for his two favourite pals, Kaya and Meeks. The girls warmly greeted him and then the group trotted to the agility yard. Kaya and Meeks soon started racing around with the others, and Vasco skipped after them. Eventually he decided he would much rather sit back and watch the action instead of trying to keep up with the crazy dogs who were racing around. Vasco cheered on Kaya for a bit and then she slowed down as well, and the two of them started sniffing around. They gravitated in my direction and when Vasco noticed me, he hurried over for some snuggles and politely posed for the camera. Then he wandered off to socialize with the rest of the dogs.

Today Pepper was really enjoying the fresh, cool breeze. When I walked up to her kennel you could tell that she was ready to go out and seize the day! She pranced out the door and followed her friends to the yard. She was an especially good friend with a dog named cooper, and they ran around the entire time! Later Pepper got to go for a walk with her friends Meeks and Kaya and they strutted around the trail as a team. Pepper had lots of fun finding scent trails and exploring on her walk and even got into some of the games Meeks and Kaya had created. After when we went back into the yard for some more time outside, Pepper and Cooper started chasing after a ball I had randomly kicked, which had turned into a full blown game of fetch! This led to a lot of playful jumping, and in the end a whole lot of panting from all the exercise. When we came back inside Pepper went to her bed and curled up, ready to relax and go to sleep until her next outing. 

Pepper's extra attention time was fun for both of us. As soon as she saw me with the leash in my hand, Pepper couldn't wait to get out the front door, bounding happily ahead of me. We went off the beaten path and explored the parts of the field where the dogs don't walk in the morning. Pepper took her time and really sniffed everything carefully; at one point she even sat down and refused to move, indicating that she was not done. It was pretty easy to convince her that there were lots more interesting things to sniff and see and we headed to the bank of our small stream. I think she was a bit hesitant to jump across the narrow gap, but when I went ahead she happily followed and scrambled up the opposite bank. We meandered around the back trail and then when we came to the bridge, Pepper knew exactly where she was and headed right back for the kennel. Inside I gave her lots of time to explore the reception area but I was also on the receiving end of lots of wags and kisses. Eventually, Pepper settled down to lay beside my chair.

Barney was really ready to start the day with a smile today! He bounded to the front of his kennel and zoomed out to the yard and immediately started exploring for new scent. When he’d finished, Barney went over to greet the other dogs with curious sniff and joined in a game of chase. When yard time was over, Barney was ready to out for a walk with our volunteer Eric. Joined with another dog, Duke, the three set off down the trail for a stroll in the fresh morning air. After his walk, Barney got in some good moments of relaxation before coming up to the reception area for extra attention! Trotting happily around his area, Barney jumped up onto one of the big green chairs to sit and get comfortable. Later Susan, who Barney rushed over to for cuddles and affection, joined us and gave some of her time to hang out with us. Finishing up, Barney was able to go back to his kennel and rest well for the rest of the day.