Monday, July 10th, 2017

It was so nice to see Max and Sadie after their week away! They’re the best greeters I know, since they always sing at the top of their lungs when you enter the room. Max was quick to settle down when I asked him to be patient before the leashes were hooked on for walk time. Sadie sat with her head held high waiting very calmly while I clipped the leash on Max and then on her. There were lots of smells to track in the long grass after a week of other dogs walking along, so Max and Sadie zigged and zagged from one side of the trail to the other to thoroughly inspect every inch. They continued to follow their noses later on during their first group outing of the day. Sadie started out by the door and eventually made her way out into the grass to join Max and I. I tossed a few toys for both Max and Sadie but they were too focused on exploring and checking on each other for the time being. Max and Sadie both enjoyed some pets and ear scratches when they lifted their noses to pay me a visit.

Coco and Timbits were both in quite the relaxed mood in the yard today. Their pal Bailey ran up to greet Timbits and see if he’d like to join her in a wrestling match, but he opted to continue meandering around the yard with his nose glued to the ground. He went over towards the back fence and stood right in the middle of the biggest puddle, silly guy! It must have smelled quite interesting since Timbits stood there for a good few minutes. Meanwhile, Coco was still hanging around with a few other friends by the door, just using her outing to relax and watch the other dogs. Back on the other side of the fence, still in his puddle, Timbits noticed Bailey running around with Duggan and Barb, and raced off to join them in their game. Timbits chased his friends as fast as he possibly could for a few laps, and then put on the brakes so he could go and visit with Coco. He had great timing since I was just offering Coco a little liver treat from my pocket, and she started to drool immediately! Timbits sniffed her face and then sat like a gentleman, so I of course gave him one too.

Bailey is such a goofy girl and she loves just about anyone she meets! She was thrilled to be greeted by Duggan the Border Terrier during their morning group outing and the pair hit it off right away. Duggan made a great match for her with his outgoing and active personality, and they didn’t stop running and chasing one another for more than a couple of minutes throughout their whole time in the yard. Keegan popped in to play with his brother and their new friend here and there, but he was much more keen on receiving pets and cuddles from me and hanging out alongside some of the quieter dogs in the group. Bailey and Duggan met up with a few different friends along their chase route, including Barb the lab puppy and Benji the little sheepdog mix. When Bailey took a break from playing with Duggan to pounce on Barb, Duggan and Benji started up a little wrestling match of their own. Ultimately though, Duggan and Bailey always met up to continue where they left off. I knelt down to hang out with Keegan and watch his brother as he goofed around, and Keegan happily hopped on my lap and gave me some kisses. They were both even more thrilled later on in the day when they were ushered up to the playroom to have some indoor fun until the rain ended!

Benji was in the mood for a little bit of everything today! He started out his time in the yard by wandering around and watching what the other dogs were up to. He stood up on the wooden pallet to get a better vantage point, when he noticed Duggan, Bailey and Barb wrestling under the picnic table. Benji trotted over to see what all the commotion was about, poking his head under the tabletop and eventually climbing right underneath. The games led Benji back towards the door, where he and Duggan started up a little wrestling match all of their own. The boys stood up and danced around together as if they were hugging, too cute! After plenty of playing and goofing around, Benji joined the likes of the quiet bunch and settled down for some pets and cuddles right next to me. I gave him a good head scratch while we watched his buddies continue to wrestle around. Benji was especially happy when I snuck him a little bit of liver treat from my pocket. 

Bessie is just the sweetest little girl; this was the first time I got to meet her and she happily greeted me at her kennel door bright and early this morning with the biggest smile and wiggliest bum! She excitedly followed me around the yard and even found the rubber ball on her way and happily carried it around in her mouth with her great big eyes peering over the top so she could try to see where she was going! A little while later, she found that ball again, but this time she was surrounded by some of her favorite four-legged friends and had some competition for the ball! But she is very fair and shared with ball with big-girl Stella who had made her way over to see what Bessie was up too. Stella is such a playful girl and always brings such a pleasant energy to her groups and gets along with everyone we pair her with. She was thrilled to have little Bessie around and excited to see daycare sisters Annie and Zen and of course silly Finnigan. Annie and Zen were perfectly paired in size for Stella and the three of them had a blast running around the yard together all with their tongues out! But the real fun happened when Finn and fiery redheaded Husky Vega started a playful rumble in the yard. All the ladies, including Bessie and Stella ran over to see what all the commotion was about. Annie and Zen love a good chase around the yard and both their heads whipped back and forth as they watched them run from one end to the other. Zen headed right in the middle of the pack to be part of the fun, while Annie and Stella sat together and took a front row seat to all of the entertainment that is Finnigan!

Spencer was excited to see daycare pal Tanner in for a visit today; usually Spencer and Tanner come in for daycare on opposite days but since Spencer is boarding with us, he was thrilled to be able to spend the day with him. Victory was just as excited to see Tanner; in fact the two of them were almost inseparable for the duration of their first outing. Tanner the happy man couldn’t believe all the attention he was getting and loved every minute of it! He also had to get the human kind of attention as well, and in usual fashion weaved himself in and out of my legs for cuddles. Victory wanted some attention of her own  and made her way over to a perfect sit so I had no choice but to reward her with head rubs! Meanwhile Spencer had already made his way out into the far grassy yard to see what Sophie the Golden was up too. Sophie had more energy than the lot of them and was rolling around in the grass and collecting toys. I could see that Spencer was eyeing up one of the stuffies that Sophie had, so I picked it up to throw it for him but Sophie started leaping off her hind legs to try and get it back. Spencer got it just in time and excitedly took off in the opposite direction so Sophie couldn’t steal it back. Luckily Sophie got distracted by Victory and Zeke who engaged her in a friendly wrestle, and the three of them played the rest of the morning away!
Spencer flashed me the most handsome smile when I went to get him for his extra attention today. He raced right down the hall by my side as he was ready to play. To start off, Spencer and I played a few games of fetch. Instead of throwing the ball for him to chase after, I simply bounced the ball and let Spencer try and catch it. Spencer was showing off some pretty funny jumps as he was trying to catch the bouncing ball. Next up it was time for some outdoor fun mixed with a few treats. I brought Spencer outside with me and set up the treat puzzle for him. He loved searching through every little nook and cranny for the treats. After he had gotten them all out, the two of us headed out onto the trail for a quick walk. Spencer searched through every section of grass that he could in order to follow the scents that he was picking up.