Friday, June 2nd, 2017

Allie was being quite the cuddle bug today. She gave me a big MEOW hello when I greeted her for some cuddle and pictures. She arched her back, had a big stretch and yawned. She rolled and rubbed her face on the cat tree and against my hand leaning into the chin scratches. Allie hopped down from the tree and balanced on the window sill for some more face rubs.

Sam had a great start to her morning by heading out back for a trail walk shortly after arrival. Huskies Boris and Tasha kept her company along the trail and she was very excited to meet some new faces! After a quick rest, she was ready to head back outside yet again for her group outing. She met up with Boris and Tasha again and met the Golden girls, Charly and Merida. Sam remembers Charly from her last visit and was excited to see a familiar face. Sam is full of great energy and is always on the move! This afternoon she enjoyed another trot along the trail; she loved it so much this morning and it was the perfect way to expend all that energy! Sam and I went for another walk to start off her extra attention time this afternoon. She bounded through the long grass beside the trail in excitement! When we went down to the creek bank, Sam started zipping back and forth by the water's edge. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy! Sam plunged her whole face into the water and flung droplets all over the place. She leapt across the creek and took me for a walk down the trail, looping around to the bridge, where she posed for a few pictures like a model. When we came back inside, I set the treat puzzle up for Sam and she spent some time nosing around and munching on her special snacks. 

Boris and Tasha were excited to join Sam for their morning trail walk, but even more excited to meet up with their usual pack for a morning of fun. All the ladies adore silly Boris and he relishes every moment he spends with them. I was just waiting for the grand chase around the yard to begin and sure enough within a moments notice, Boris was leaping across the yard with Isis and Charly hot on his trail. Tasha was waiting to intercept Boris on the other side of the yard but he is much too fast! Finally, she trapped him on the other side of the agility tunnel and they had a Husky pow wow. Everyone took a quick breather, but then Boris was fending off Merida and Sky who eventually decided that they wanted to join in the fun. Tasha was happy to see her favourite pint-sized Golden friend Merida. Before heading back inside, Boris showed me a beautiful jump over the agility jump. He saw Charly doing it and wanted to show her up!

Teddie and Kizmet, two of the sweetest brothers around are having such a wonderful stay with us so far. They really are two of the most obedient dogs around, never make a fuss and bring such a positive energy to their groups. They have made many new friends this visit, but they have especially taken a liking to Bear. But before play, they must make their usual rounds of the yard. Both of their noses were buried to the ground in exploration; they did make sure however to stop by my side for a few mandatory cuddles! Now they were ready to play and sought out Bear in the yard. They followed him everywhere from the grassy yard into the gravel yard and Bear loved this game and all the attention he was getting. They finally caught up to him and had a good wrestle. The three of them were pooped by the time they headed back inside and were thankful for a rest.

Birdie was one happy girl out in the yard today, I brought out a special red ball just for her and she could hardly contain her excitement when I presented it to her. But that meant she was no where to be seen most of the morning, she was obsessed with that ball and wanted to make sure no one was going to snatch it away from her and off she went into the grassy yard. She did however loop back around when she heard Duke and Nyxx wrestling, she couldn’t resist running around with them, but of course she had that ball in her mouth, no way she was going to drop it. Sophie W loves her toys as well but there was no way she was going to try and steal it from Birdie. She was perfectly happy just running around being her usual silly self. She was in such a good mood this morning that she was often found rolling around on her back in the grass. Always full of great energy, she took a few jumps over the agility tunnel and wanted to show me just how agile she still is! She spent the rest of her morning nuzzling up to my side and gracing her group with the most beautiful song, always is and will be a chatty one!

Max and Sadie were up to their usual antics out in the yard this morning for their first outing. They had just come from their trail walk and were ready to explore the yard. Max took his usual leaps and bounds across the yard while Sadie moved slowly always with her nose to the ground. I sat down with Sadie on the rock for a few cuddles and before we knew it her silly brother was right up there with us, he kicked me off! They both obediently sat for me and I took a few pictures, they are the best models! Then Max showed me his leap over the jump, but stubborn Sadie preferred to walk around rather than jump over!

Jemma started her day bright eyed and bushy tailed! She was eager to greet her walking partner, Birdie after her first outing of the day and breakfast time. Jemma and Birdie led me on a fast paced walk around the trail, and the girls did lots of sniffing and exploring along the way. When we approached the back gate at the end of our walk, Jemma and Birdie decided that it was play time! I encouraged them to save their wiggles for group time, which was coming up next in our itinerary. Jemma met a few new faces during her big group outing today, including Victory the Newfoundland Dog. These girls said hello to one another before Jemma sped off to meet up with her good buddy, Finnigan. I went and got a ball from the other yard and Jemma and Finn raced over and sat in front of me as soon as they laid eyes on it. I threw the ball and the fetch-loving pair chased after it for a few rounds, until Jemma pounced on Finnigan, starting up a wrestling match! Victory joined in occasionally, but Jemma and Finn were glued together for the rest of our time in the yard, already excited to meet up again for more fun this afternoon. Jemma is such a sociable girl and she loved spending time with her people friends in the reception area between group times this afternoon. She rolled on her back for belly rubs. I set up the treat puzzle for her to nose around at, and she found all the treats in no time! Next, we went out onto the trail towards the creek. Jemma loved bouncing around at a leisurely pace through the long grass. When we got to the creek, Jemma slowly made her way down to the water's edge, where we sat together for a minute. She's lovely to spend time with. 

Kai enjoyed her morning walk alongside doodle brother and sister Kodi and Kenzi this morning. We took our time on the trail since Kai, Kodi and Kenzi were all happy to stroll in the long grass beside the actual walking path, stopping here and there to sniff, and of course for Kai to roll. After a little relaxation time in her kennel, Kai joined her playgroup in the yard and luckily the sun had poked out through the clouds just in time for our outing. Kai said hello to her friends and made her way all around the yard, soaking up the sunshine and taking in the smells. She stopped for a minute at the back fence that faces the field, and a few of her friends came over to have a gander out at the walking trail and the grass blowing in the wind. Kai closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards the sky, taking in the smells carried in on the breeze and enjoying the warmth on her face. Kai then made her way over to the play structure, where she took a break from the sun and laid down under the bench in the shade.
Kai was ready for her favorite time of the day when she saw me walking down the hallway. Once I got to her kennel, she met me at the door and couldn't wait to join me for some extra attention time. Kai and I headed off onto the front trail for a short walk. She definitely led the way as we both trotted through the field. Every so often Kai would stop and sniff the ground. Soon enough she'd be rolling on her back and giving it a good scratch in the grass. We must have walked all sorts of zig-zags in the field since she was constantly following wherever her nose led her. Once we got back inside, Kai was looking forward to a few treats. I got her to sit, shake paw, and lay down for her treats. At the very end of our time I gave her a big treat and a back rub. 

Victory has been a great addition to her playgroups over the last couple of Fridays! She was bouncy and excited to hit the trail with her new friends, Blue and Duke, soon after she arrived this morning, and couldn’t wait for group time to come shortly after. Victory met some more new friends and took a particular interest in two husky girls, Lotus and Moka. She was curious about this pair and enjoyed trying to keep up with their faced-paced exploring, which led her on a zig-zagging path around the yard. Moka turned around and saw Victory close behind her, and decided it was time to finish exploring and start playing! They had a brief chase around the yard until Victory saw Kai and a few other dog friends lined up at the back fence, looking out into the field. She went and had a look, but quickly turned her attention to Jemma and Finnigan, who had begun to wrestle. She had so much fun running and wrestling with her pals!

Little miss Mosey was a very welcome addition to our small dog play group today! She spent the first little while wandering around the yard, sniffing around and getting accustomed to her surroundings. Along the way, she met up with a few friends, who were also following their noses. She met Bella and Jake, who she had walked with on the trail earlier in the day. Next, she came across her best friend of the day, a young beagle named Timbits. At first, Mosey wasn’t too sure she was ready to play, but when Timbits play-bowed to her again and again, she couldn’t help but let her wiggles out! Mosey zigged and zagged around the yard with her new friend hot on her tail. Mosey eventually slowed down and spent some time rolling around in the grass and being silly. She noticed some of her friends playing in the distance and sat still to watch for a minute. They quickly made their way across the yard towards Mosey, and Shelby marched right up to greet her. This sparked a second wind from Mosey, who started running and pouncing around with Shelby and Timbits. After more laps of the yard, I went to say hello to Mosey and give her some pets and cuddles.

After Mosey spent her morning racing around the yards with new friends I scooped her up from her kennel and brought her up to the reception area. She looked like she took a bit of a mud dip for her feet so I cleaned those up quickly before cuddling with her. She was quite content to curl up with me on the comfy chair and relax. She fell asleep in my lap, Shelby and Timbits must have really tuckered her out. She wasn't too keen on any treats today so we just stuck to cuddles and pets. She is a sweet girl :) 

Beauty is such a lovely lady! As she builds her confidence, she seems to enjoy being around the other dogs more and more. Since the first day she arrived, she’s met lots of different smaller dogs, including Finnigan and Resa. The three made a lovely trio on the trail, all walking together and stopping to sniff together. Later in the morning we went out into the yard for group time, where Beauty met up with a few more friendly faces, including Coco and Timbits, the Beagles, Bella and Jake the doodles, and Resa once again. Beauty enjoyed spending her time out in the yard following her nose around through the long grass and rocks, sniffing all of the interesting smells that hid there. She went and gazed through the fence at the field beyond, and did her cute little howl when she saw Katie walking by with other dogs. I went and crouched down to sit with Beauty and give her some pets and cuddles while we watched the dogs walk by and the others in her group as they played. She’s doing so well as part of the small dog group! Beauty's tail is always wagging. She happily got right into her training when I brought her up front   She of course sat and gave me a paw, but today we were working on her recall. I would let her wander around the front area and then call her name and the command "here" when she was distracted. Every time she would happily come trotting over for a treat. She was even getting some cuddles from Kinsey, and when I called her to me she instantly came running over. Such a smart girl. 

Coco Bean was all nose both on the trail and in the yard today, as usual. She, Timbits and Pippin enjoyed a breezy walk on the path with Nicki shortly after they arrived this morning. Coco was interested in a new small dog friend named Mosey out in the play yard, but Mosey quickly met up with Timbits for some rough and tumble wrestling. Coco continued on her way around the yard and stopped to stand on top of the big rock, where she could have a better look at the goings on and at Timbits playing with his new friend. Meanwhile, Shelby joined Timbits and Mosey in their wrestling match, which then turned into a game of chase. He eventually came full circle around the yard and flew over the agility jump before meeting up with Jake for some more wrestle-mania.