Tuesday, May 9th, 2017

Mercedey had another day well spent in our care, she has quickly caught on to our daily routine and has much more confidence heading outside and has even made some new friends along the way! She was happy to see Luna and Sophie outside this morning; their calm energy made her feel very comfortable. She followed the energetic ones Charlotte and Juno into the agility yard where she spent most of her morning exploring the yard. She would come over for some head rubs but was very camera shy this morning. I put the camera away and she made her way to my side for a quick cuddle before she was off exploring again; that one is always on the move!

 Jack and Maggie have made themselves right at home with us and have been enjoying their visit! They are constantly spoiled with lots of love and attention and are just the sweetest pair! They had fun this morning with all of our regular Tuesday daycare guests including little Miko. Miko was very curious of the pair and vice versa, both Maggie and Jack has a good run trying to keep up with this little rascal! After a morning outside it was time for their morning walks! Maggie excitedly joined Miko and Pearl on the back trail while Jack enjoyed his trot out front with good pal Kouza. By the time they both made it back to their comfy beds, it was time for a lunchtime treat! Both their bums wiggled with much enthusiasm, and they enjoyed their tasty treats and settled down for an afternoons rest!

 Miko was the life of the party this morning; he could hardly contain his excitement and stood up on his hind legs jumping up so I could let him out of his kennel door. Then he whipped down the hall and out into the yard and his ears flopped in the wind he was moving so fast! He said a quick hello to new friends Jack and Maggie, but then he was off leading the pack into the far yard with Charlee and Timbits not far behind! He had a good friendly wrestle with Charlee and a few laps around the yard with Timbits. He was moving so fast I could hardly keep up with him! He was having so much fun that he decided to stay out a little bit longer and made us humans run a few laps around the yard ourselves before he agreed to come in!

 Ladies Lola and Pearl were excited to be back on another beautiful Tuesday, well Pearl was at least; I think Lola wished I didn’t interrupt her nap for social time! But off she went down the hall and sniffed around in the front yard for a bit. She happily took a relaxed seat by the front door along with Julie and Resa who kept her company for most of the morning. Every time I would come over to say hello and have a pet, she excitedly got up from her seat thinking it was time to go back in! Not time yet Lola, Pearl needed her time to investigate the yard and sniff every inch of it with that curious little nose of hers. She only lifted her nose off the ground to look up at me with those big beautiful eyes of hers when I called her name or offered her a head rub!

 Much like Pearl, Coco and Timbits were busy themselves exploring the yard and letting their strong experienced noses lead the way! But Timbits kept getting interrupted every time Miko or Pearl would whip by him and he would excitedly lift his head with the most peculiar smile. Tim is still a puppy at heart and can easily be distracted and is always down for a good wrestle! Coco on the other hand is a very determined little one and doesn’t let much distract her. We all know how much Coco loves to sunbathe, but it was another dreary day so Coco spent her time investigating the yard. After a few laps, she felt tired and took a rest by the side of the building and happily watched little Tim maneuver around the yard and play with his friends. She was most excited for her morning trail walk a short while later and she and Tim joined Resa for a trot along the trail!

 Max and Sadie back again for another fun-filled day but this time they get to spend the next few nights with us for boarding, hurrah to a slumber party! For their first outing, they both excitedly greeted me at their kennel door; Max couldn’t wait to get outside and had trouble getting his excited bum to the ground! Finally they were out and free to run the yard like the wild pups they are, and Sadie decided that she wanted to bring out the special treasure she found along the way- a bone! It was time for their usual shenanigans outside, lots of running and grunting from Mr. Max and lots of lounging for Sadie as she made her way from rock to rock. There is just something so special about being the tallest one in the yard for this girl and she definitely knows how to sit pretty while doing it!

 Miss Kimi was lucky enough to take part in two playgroups today! She spent the first part of her morning out in the yard with her mom Tasha and half-brother Boris, among other friends. Kimi did her rounds of the yard and sniffed up all the good smells she could find. She perked up when Boris, Tasha and Lola raced past, and briefly jumped into the chase. Kimi left the crazy huskies to their game and went to have a sniff at the agility tunnel before we went back inside. We were only inside for a few minutes when I went to get Kimi for her second group time of the morning. She was a little bit surprised that it was her turn again, but was happy to follow me outside into the yard opposite the one we’d just left. Kimi said hello to this group, which included some new friends and some old. Kimi watched as Icarus the puppy and Stella the Shepherd ran very goofily across the yard together. She then came across a brand new friend, a young Husky named Nova. Kimi very much liked Nova, and went to paw him playfully. Grandma Issy came over to see the new youngster, too and she and Kimi gave him a good look over. Eventually, Nova took off running around the yard with his pals, and Kimi went back to see what Icarus and Stella were doing now. She joined these silly guys in a chase around the yard and around the agility tunnel before getting back to her explorations in the grass.

Although Mocha stuck to her usual daycare routine of sitting on the doorstep, Issy marched straight out into the yard to greet the other dogs and she was delighted to see a few new, friendly faces. Issy always likes to goof around with her grandson, Nyxx, but today there was a new young buck in the group! Nova the Husky blended in seamlessly with his group full of playmates. Issy was very curious about Nova and spent quite a while sniffing him over and pawing around with him. She was very frisky, and Nova was such a good boy, play-bowing and pawing back at Issy. Meanwhile, Mocha was back at the doorstep so I went to try to encourage her to come and join in the socialization. She followed me a few steps, enjoyed a quick head scratch, and then made her way back to her perch. I went back to see the rest of the gang and Nova had started up a big game of chase with yet another Husky puppy named Icarus, and Stella the Shepherd. Issy watched the youngsters as they raced past, and came to sniff at my pocket for a treat. Luckily for Issy, I had a cookie with her name on it! Nova and Icarus came barrelling back towards us, and Issy stood ready and waiting to jump back in with her new friends. She trotted along with the bunch as they passed, and then took up a good spot on the sidelines to watch. Nyxx came to see what all the fuss was about and he and Nova started up a wrestling match. They made such a great pair!

I think Percy was even more excited to come and play today after missing his regular Thursday last week, if that’s possible! He was pouncing and bouncing around in the reception area, singing his greetings to the staff before making it back to his kennel. When we went outside for group time, it didn’t take long at all for Percy to find the red ball and start running laps with it in his mouth. Percy dropped the ball at my feet a couple of times so that I could throw it for him, and he flew across the yard after it each time. Eventually, Percy scooped up the ball and took it for a stroll across the yard to the big puddle, where he dropped it in the water. He pawed around for a few minutes, but couldn’t seem to figure out where it had gone! I went and got another toy for Percy, and he happily chased after the black rubber bone for a while instead. Percy only left his toy behind when he went to join in the chase with some of the other rambunctious daycare friends. Later in the morning, Percy went out for a lovely trail walk with his Tuesday daycare friends, Issy and Mocha.

Freya is just the sweetest girl! She walked very bravely out into the yard to greet the other dogs during her group outing this morning. There were lots of new, happy faces staring back at her, and she seemed happy to be meeting lots of new friends. She stuck close to me for a little while, getting a feel for the other dogs and her surroundings, but once Freya got comfortable, she didn’t stop moving! She flew around the yard, leading the dogs in a big chase through the puddle, and she even went into the agility tunnel! Freya took turns playing with just about everyone today, but her best playmates of the day were Haley the Shepherd, Marley the lab and Barley the doodle. She took turns wrestling and running in little bursts around the yard with each of her buddies. She loved Haley in particular, while it seemed Marley was infatuated with Freya, although it seemed to be unrequited. Freya ran up to Haley and play-bowed, and threw a few playful paws in her direction. The girls bounced around together while Marley followed, getting in on the wrestling match here and there. Suddenly, the girls’ play was interrupted, when Freya’s brother Tucker emerged from the door to join us! The dogs all flew over to inspect the new addition to the group, and Freya’s ears flattened and her tail started wagging right away when she saw Tucker making his way towards her. It’s so cute to see these two together! After lots of greetings, Tucker met up with Barley, while Freya and Haley started up again. Later in the morning, Freya and Tucker went for a walk on the trail with their friend Nova the Husky, followed by another group outing in the afternoon!

Boris has been such a good boy lately. He always encourages the other dogs to play, and is learning his manners when they decline his offer. Today he was very keen to play with his old pal, Sky and his newer friend Lola from last week. Sky wasn’t sure she was ready to play quite yet, so Boris went off into the grassy yard with Lola. Charly the Golden was already out in the grass yard with her toy, but she decided to join in the play with Lola and Boris instead. Boris welcomed her with open paws and they had a good run! Tasha saw the youngsters playing and she and Kimi went to have some fun too! She flew around the yard after her son and daughter, having a blast. It’s always the best when we get to host family reunions! After a few laps, Tasha slowed down and went to say hello to Kyah and Merida, who were sitting pretty on the other side of the fence. Soon, though, Boris was racing towards them, bringing the playful dogs all back across the yard with him! 

Maggie and Jack are just the sweetest little dogs. I had the pleasure of spending time with them today and they sure do love their cuddles and cookies. They both explored around the room checking everything out, making sure they didn't miss a thing. I asked them to hop up on the chair with me and sure enough the both bounced up beside me. I broke up a few treats for them which they both took enthusiastically from me gobbling them up. After each little tid bit they'd look at me with those hopeful eyes, hoping for another. After I ran out we just cuddled together, which of course they were just as content with. Maggie gave me a few gentle kisses on the nose while Jack relaxed behind me.
Katie and I had a lot of fun working with Max and Sadie during their training session. Max is so funny, though. He knows place very well and quite enjoys the opportunity to have a lay-down on the cot when asked, but when I ask him to lay down on the floor he turns his nose up at that idea and insists on laying on the cot :) Sadie had a cozy comforter for her place work and also quite enjoyed it. We kept the dogs' attention by mixing up when they could get up from place I don't think they got it wrong more than once. They love waiting to see whose name will be called. We also worked on recall, which was more of a challenge because we also switched dogs. When we felt Max and Sadie were losing some focus, we gave them a break to play and wrestle and then called them back to work.