Friday, July 21st, 2017

Jack and Maggie enjoyed some time in the reception area with me this morning after their walk time. I laid out a comfy bed for Jack and some stuffed toys for Maggie, but Jack hopped right up onto the big arm chair while Maggie climbed on my lap. These two were all about snuggles and relaxation today, maybe because it's a little cloudy with a cozy feeling in the air. After their extra attention time this morning, Jack and Maggie joined me in the yard for some group time with their friends. The pair wandered out to the grassy part of the yard and started to explore along the fence line where all of the good smells hide. I showed Maggie the agility jump but she wasn't quite ready to play and kept her nose glued to the ground next to Jack. They eventually made their way back towards the shade by the door where some other dogs were relaxing. Jack said hello to Rocky the Dachshund while Maggie greeted the spaniels Casper, William and Ringo. A few minutes later Jack wandered out to hang out with our resident dog Julie and have a good sniff at her wheelchair. Each time I saw Jack and Maggie in their kennel between group outings, they were both stretched out on their beds having a snooze.

Barney is such a silly guy. I set up the treat puzzle for him in the reception area for his extra attention time, and he walked in circles around it, trying to open all of the little compartments. Each time he got his treat, Barney would run over to me for a quick pet. Once he'd found all of his snacks, Barney sat down on the bed I'd laid out for him. I joined him on the floor next to it, encouraging him to lay down and get comfy but instead of curling up, Barney jumped up on the armchair! I sat next to him and Barney snuggled right up on my lap for the rest of our time together. After a little more relaxation time in his kennel, Barney was full of beans and ready to play during his group outings. Barney went around and said his hellos to his pals, stopping to say an extra long greeting to Cooper, who was tossing a ball around for himself. Cooper play-bowed and pounced to Barney, and they took off running together in a flash. These silly boys wrestled and ran all around the yards together, and occasionally had another friend or two join in.

The lovely ladies Roxy and Trixie were bright eyed and bushy tailed when they arrived this morning! These girls spun around and jumped in excitement when I walked up to their kennel with leashes and harnesses in hand. Roxy loved sniffing and walking in the long grass on the edge of the trail, while Trixie stopped here and there to roll around with their walking partner, Ringo. After a little snooze on their cozy blankets, Roxy and Trixie were more than ready to hit the play yard and have some fun. This pair are quite the explorers and spent the first little while following their noses to every nook and cranny of the yard, tunnel, picnic table, and anything else they could find. Their noses led them right to the agility jump, and the girls found their hidden talent: high jump! They flew over the bar over and over again and eventually attracted a little audience. Once they were all out of steam for jumping, Roxy and Trixie went to cool down in the shade together. Trixie placed a paw on Roxy's back as if to say "good jumping!", which was so adorable. The girls had a little wrestle in the shade together before relaxing and watching the others for a while.

Maya and Rocky are such a lovely little duo, who clearly love each other so very much. It always warms my heart when I walk past their kennel and they're both curled up on their big bed together. They were laying side by side when I went to retrieve them for group time today, and seemed to be enjoying their nap! When Maya got up, Rocky was sure to follow her out into the yard. It was another warm day, so Rocky took up his post by the fence to lay on the warm ground. Maya had the opposite idea today, and went for a little stroll to the pool and waded in to cool her toes and have a sip of water. She was feeling quite refreshed and frisky after her dip, and took off running back towards Rocky, but was intercepted halfway there. Cooper the doodle wanted to join in on Maya's jog, and pounced on her as she ran past, instigating a wrestling match! It was awesome to see her letting loose and having some fun. Maya eventually went back over to check on little Rocky, and Cooper joined her and gave him a little smooch.

I was lucky enough to take Poppy out for her extra attention time today. We roamed outside in the field, and I let Poppy lead the way. She followed her nose all around the long grass and the trail, and ventured towards the middle of the field when she saw a bird. We eventually made our way towards the back of the field to the creek. Poppy didn't hesitate before walking down the creekbank and splashing in the water! She walked back and forth in the water and gazed out at what lay at either end of the creek. Once she was finished in the creek, Poppy and I continued on our way and stopped to hang out at the bridge. We then finished our walk so that we could make it back for group time! Poppy was happy to meet a few new friends in the yard during her group time today. Her favourite pal was a fellow Doodle named Finnigan, who has such a fun-loving energy. Poppy watched as Finnigan raced around with the other dogs and even bounced over to join in here and there. Poppy made sure to go up and greet all of the other dogs in her group in between exploring the yard and getting accustomed to the routine. She had a great first full day with us!

Finnigan is such a goofy guy who always loves to play with just about anyone. His group was a mix of dogs, ranging from big guy Justice the Husky, all the way down to little Barb the Lab puppy. Finnigan made sure to say hello to everyone before climbing into the pool to lay down in the water. Barb hopped in next to him and splashed around in the cool water, sending drops flying all over Finn. He let her have some more space to splash and went to go see Charly the Golden girl, who was playing with the blue frisbee type toy. Finnigan can never pass up a game of fetch or a good jog around the yard, and he and Charly took part in both!

It's been a couple of weeks since my good friends Max and Sadie were in for daycare, and were they ever thrilled to be back today! When I went to leash them up for walk time they could barely contain their excitement. They eventually simmered down though, and off we went onto the trail. There were plenty of new and exciting smells to take in along the path and Sadie made sure to sniff them all. After walks, Max and Sadie joined me in the yard to hang out on this beautiful day. They both took a gander at the pool but opted to keep their feet dry for the time being, and Sadie ventured out to lay in the empty green pool in the grass yard. Max kept his nose to the ground and searched for scents around all of the yard's obstacles. I sat on the picnic table and Max came to stand next to me for a back scratch, while Sadie climbed up on the tabletop to give me a kiss. Max kept his nose glued to the ground for the rest of our time outside, but it was Sadie that found something interesting in the grass! She came across a little frog and perked her ears up while figuring out what it was. She watched it hop until it went through the fence and into the field.

Sophie, our forever young and rambunctious Golden was full of amazing energy again today. She had a blast running around with the young and energetic Harvey the Airedale. Sophie of course had a toy in mouth and was taunting Harvey to come and chase her. Harvey could hardly even keep up with her; she was whipping all over that yard, and rolling around in the grass. She was surrounded with just as energetic pups today and there was an epic chase around the yard that surely Sophie couldn’t miss!

Annie the St. Bernard was full of beans today as well; she was thrilled to have so many friends like Gracie and Lilo who were running circles around her. Although much bigger, she wanted to be part of all the fun and that didn’t hold her back from flying in the air towards the girls to play. She was smiling from ear to ear and her whole body wiggled in excitement as she tried to keep up with the running pack of pups today. Finally she was ready for a rest and ran over to my side and brushed her head against my legs demanding a head rub!

I had the privilege of spending some time with sweet girl, Annie. We changed it up today and went into the playroom. I offered her the bone she loved yesterday, but she wanted to try something new. We looked in the toy bin together and found lots of options. She chose the large nylabone and wandered about with it to find the best place to chew it. While having a good chew I gave her some cuddles. Annie wanted to check out the other options, so she got up, gave me a big sniff and then settled back down with not one...not two...but three bones to choose from! 




Gracie was so excited to have Lilo the Visla join her for their outdoor group this morning. These two agile and silly girls were inseparable for most of the morning and Lilo really brought out the energetic side of Gracie! They tumbled around the yard together and excitedly pawed and pranced around all morning long. Gracie had to be on her toes because there is never knowing when Lilo will rip around the corner again and jump on her back to play. These two ladies were the ones who started the grand chase around the yard, but they were much too quick for the others to try and keep up, even for Syrus the Husky! Gracie would run and take cover on top of the wooden plank and this deterred Lilo to chase after Annie and Syrus who were just waiting for her to loop back around. Both Lilo and Gracie never stopped moving from the moment they set paw outside today and were the best of friends anyone could have ever asked for!

Gracie knew exactly where we were headed when I approached her kennel door this morning, time for her extra attention session up front! Lots of moving bodies in the reception area which meant Gracie had all the extra hands to give her head rubs. Gracie excitedly ran around and made a stop to check out the toy box. She must have really liked the stuffed snake because she picked it up and dropped it at Kinsey's feet to play with! She made herself comfortable on the chair and curled herself up in a ball while getting her head scratched, now that's service! She only perked up to accept a treat and gave us the perfect sit and paw to accept!

Syrus was in great company with all of these playful ladies around. He looked one way and saw Gracie and Lilo wrestling, then looked the opposite way and found Harvey and Sophie playing tug of war; he didn’t know who to join! We all know that Syrus cant resist a good chase around the yard and he was quickly on his toes with tongue out as Gracie and Lilo started leading the way! Although he couldn’t reach them fast enough, he still had a blast running out his energy and was picking up on all the fun and energetic vibes this group had to offer!

Meanwhile Mr. Titan was off having a game of chase on his own! He was running and around and playing with new bets friend Lotus the Husky. These two have become inseparable this past week and picked right up where they left off today. Although not part of the big game of chase, Titan zoomed in and out of the grassy yard after Lotus. Only looking up at me with those great big puppy dog eyes when I called his name over for a pet! He has really been enjoying his visit and has made some long-lasting friendships!

After Titan had his walk and group time he joined me for some extra attention in the playroom. I grabbed a handful of cookies and offered him one. He was so excited he almost took my hand off! Silly guy. I stuffed the rest of the cookies into a kong so he could work for them. He nosed and pawed the kong around the floor until he got all the cookies out. He spent some time exploring the room before I took him for a short walk outside before heading back to his kennel for a rest.

Millie started her day off with a morning trail walk with sweet siblings Riley and Roobee. Although Millie’s legs are much shorter, she definitely kept up the pace and excitedly took the lead as Riley and Roobee gently trotted behind. The three of them all had their tails perked right up and never stopped smiling; clearly this was their favorite part of the day so far! But the fun continued outside a short while later when Millie, Riley and Roobee were paired with playful Huskies Boris and Tasha. Roobee loved watching Boris and Tasha whip around the yard with Haley the Shepherd, but made sure not to get in their way! Riley, slightly more confident than his sister excitedly followed Millie and I out into the grassy yard to see what was going on. Riley got a burst of energy and playfully jumped down into a play bow ready to wrestle! Millie thought that was pretty hilarious to watch and ran over to see what he was up too! Boris ran up to Millie to introduce himself and being a confident girl herself, she loved Boris bold behavior! While Millie ran around with Boris, Riley and Roobee were excited to see that I was filling up the pool for them. They ran over to check it out but were interrupted when Boris and the gang splashed right in! 

Millie couldn't wait until it was time for her extra attention. After she had a little break from her walk she raced to the playroom. As soon as she got in their she spotted two toys and couldn't decided which one was best. She settled on the kong bone tossing it around. I grabbed a rope toy and of course she grabbed onto the end pulling and tugging with all her might. Millie was curious to know if there were any better toys in the toy bin so I put it in the floor for her. She grabbed a rubber spring toy and loved chewing and whipping it around. Before her time with me was up to joined me for some cuddles and extra ear rubs. 

Riley and Roobee are just the sweetest pair and they were ecstatic to follow me down the hallway and into the reception area for their extra attention session after their morning group. I set up a nice bed, filled the bucket full of toys and had the treat puzzle ready to go! Of course they both went straight for the treat puzzle and each took turns turning the nozzle with their noses to successfully get a treat! What a smart pair these two were and solved the puzzle in no time. They spent the rest of their time relaxing, tongues out and legs stretched out in both directions. They were thankful to have some rest and cuddles after spending a fun session out in the heat with their four-legged friends!




To take a look at today's pictures click on the link below:

Friday, July 21st, 2017- Click here for pictures.