Friday, June 9th, 2017

Abby and Dudley were ready to explore the yard after their morning trail walk today. The pair put their noses to the ground as soon as they set foot in the yard and wandered wherever the scents led them. Dudley branched off and went around the edge of the fence, while Abby came to see me for some pets. I scooped her up and she gave me lots of cheek kisses and we went to find a place to sit down together to watch the other dogs in the yard. Dudley was still on the move, snacking on a piece of grass here and there and sniffing the other dogs that he ran into. Abby was ready to go and meet back up with her brother, so I let her down to go and find him. After a while, Dudley wandered back towards the door and sat on the step in the shade. Abby kept herself busy by following her nose and greeting her group mates. They both had a very relaxing group time this morning!

Not long after their arrival this morning, Amber, Iris and Darby led me on a nice walk on the trail. These three girls may be little, but they love their walk time! Iris stayed at the end of her leash the whole way, while Darby stopped to sniff and walk through the long grass. Amber certainly loves her big sister, and stopped every time Darby did, waiting for her before continuing along the path. After a quick break on their comfy blankets, Amber, Iris and Darby joined me in the yard for their morning group outing. Much like on their walk, Iris went off and did her own thing, while Amber followed Darby around as she explored. Eventually, Amber and Darby ran into a new friend, a Beagle named Bailey. Bailey was very interested in her new, tiny friends, and play-bowed to Amber hoping that she would like to play. Amber wasn’t so sure though, and kept on walking along with Darby. They made their way back around the yard and over by the agility jump, where they met up with Iris. She had been very busy with her nose buried in the long grass at the edge of the fence, but was happy to see her best friends there to join her. I knelt down and Iris came bouncing over for some pets; she never turns down an opportunity to cuddle! We sat together and watched Amber follow Darby around, which is just the sweetest thing. The girls were happy to cuddle up on their cots after group time for a little break until their afternoon outings.

It's been a great week for our beagle friends Coco, Timbits and Bailey! Like most days this week, Coco spent her time watching her brother goof around with Bailey, while keeping her nose very busy in the grass. Coco followed me around the yard as we watched the silly youngsters as they played with one another and a few more friends. Bailey bumped into Amber the Chihuahua and instantly wanted to play with her! Amber is a little shy, though and wasn’t quite ready to get silly, so Bailey went right back to goofing around with Timbits. Meanwhile, Coco had made her way back across the yard towards the wooden fence, which is her favourite spot to sunbathe. I followed her, and Timbits and Bailey weren’t far behind me. Bailey stood up on her hind feet on the edge of the agility jump, so I started running and jumping back and forth across it to encourage her to follow me. She and Timbits didn’t hesitate for a second and they both flew over the jump at full speed! This pair was a match made in heaven, and they’ve had so much fun together.

Lovely Miss Poppy was absolutely full of beans today! She only spent a few minutes nosing around in the grass during her group outing before she was off to the races. Her group consisted of a mix of quieter dogs and a few fun-loving and playful dogs. She saw Bruiser the lab and Red the Bloodhound starting to run around together, and raced over to join in on the shenanigans. Poppy flew back and forth across the yard with her friends, dodging the other dogs and the agility tunnel as they went. After a good long chase, Poppy took a few minutes to cool down and catch her breath. Her rest didn’t last long though, once she saw Nyxx the Husky nosing around by the tunnel. She trotted right up to him and placed a playful paw on his back, starting up a whole new play session with her new buddy. Nyxx and Poppy wrestled and batted away at one another until they were out of breath and ready for a break! It was an action-packed and fun filled group outing for Pop-Star, that’s for sure! She was happy to go for a lay down on her big fluffy comforter before afternoon play-time!

Kai was very happy when I approached her kennel door this morning for her trail walk; she was even more excited to be accompanied by Husky pals Boris and Tasha. They make the best company. Kai was smiling from ear to ear along the trail. She was taking her time and enjoying the sun and fresh air. Boris and Tasha are strong so they were quite confused when we had to stop to let Kai have her usual rolls in the grass, she just couldn’t help herself! During her group outing, she decided that she wanted to have a lazy day in the sun; she excitedly made her way over to the play structure and took a seat in the shade. It ended up being the perfect view to watch Finn and his friends whip around the yard!
 Kai couldn't have been more excited for her extra attention time this afternoon. We headed out to the front right away for some fun in the field. Kai led the way as she frolicked through the field. We roamed around for quite some time as she followed wherever her nose led her. Soon after, Kai and I stopped for a rest on top of the hill in the front field. The two of us sat there and cuddled for quite some time. Kai kept smiling up at me as if to say thank you for all of the belly rub and head rubs I was giving her. Just before we left to go back inside, Kai was ready to show me some of her tricks. She did an excellent job of giving me a paw, sitting down and laying down. Next up we headed into the reception to cuddle some more. Kai was excited to see who all was up there and made sure to greet everyone. 

Finnigan was in his usual frisky mood this morning and excited to see good pal Georgia out in the yard. These two have become fast friends over the past couple of months and to no surprise they picked right up from last time. Running and jumping and playing all across the yard, these two were inseparable for most of the morning. However Finn did take a couple of breaks to play fetch - we all know he can’t resist his favorite toys. He rolled over on to his back in the gravel yard with the Frisbee in mouth and put his paws up in the air in happiness. Some things never change!

I was thrilled to see Max and Sadie after a week away and they were just as excited to be back. Before we could even head out for their walk this morning, they both covered me in lots of kisses to say hello! After a trot along the trail, they headed outside on this beautiful sunny morning and they were straight to business as usual. They both sniffed out that yard like it was the first time they were ever there! Once their laps around the yard were complete, they were all smiles and play from then on. Max gave me a few jumps over the agility tunnel, and Sadie found a nice place to lie down in the shade, tongue out of course!

Boris and Tasha had a great morning walk with Kai, but they were as excited as ever to get out in the yard to play! Joined by Husky sisters Isis and Sky, they had a blast chasing one another around the yard. Boris loved that Eric our volunteer joined us today. He couldn’t help but rub up against his legs for attention. He even showed me how agile he is with a few hops over the agility jump with ease. But things got really exciting during the latter part of their outing. Boris got a case of the zoomies and started furiously whipping around the yard knowing that he would get a rise out of Mom Tasha. Tasha was ready to go and chased him just as furiously back. It was hard to keep up with the two of them they were moving so fast. The yard was theirs to play, as Isis and Sky decided to take a seat by Merida so they could enjoy the show. Boris and Tasha always provide the best entertainment with their silly Husky antics!