Saturday, July 22nd, 2017

Boy oh boy did Mikka ever have a wonderful first full day here at Tails & Trails. She started to get into the swing of things when it was time for her longest outdoor play group of the day. When I let her out of her kennel, she immediately greeted me with a few kisses but suddenly tore down the hallway in order to meet her friends outside. Once outside, she was the hit of the group. All of her friends wanted to give her a full sniff over before the games began. Mikka was full of energy at the beginning of her group. After her friends were done sniffing, she tore into the yard while joining a fast game of chase with her new friends Cooper and Max. These boys definitely gave her a run for her money but she ended up coming out on top as she outraced both of them! Next up for Mikka was joining Cooper in the pool. There was no hesitation from her whatsoever; she simply jumped right in and was ready to swim. After splashing around with Cooper for a little while, she met up with her friends Coco and Timbits. Coco and Timbits were completely full of beans this morning! They were almost bouncing from wall to wall as they waited for me to let them out into the yard for one of their group times. Coco was especially excited and sped out before Timbits had even finished saying hello to a few of his friends in the hallway. He quickly followed behind once he noticed that she was gone. Coco was already in the far grass yard. She spotted a funky ball in the yard and decided it was a must have! After swooping it up into her mouth, Coco ran to the far corner of the yard in order to ensure that no one was going to be able to take the ball from her, silly girl. After a bit of chewing, she joined Timbits who was rolling all over the place. The two of them were very intrigued by a certain smell in the yard today. No matter where they were, they each had their noses on the ground. Most of the time, they'd sniff around for a little bit and then flop onto their backs while rolling in the grass. Soon enough it was time for a game. Timbits spotted his new friend Mikka and as soon as they looked at each other, the two of them were stuck like glue. Coco joined in shortly after the race had started. Mikka was quite good at playing with the two of them. If they were ever both chasing her, she would jump into the agility tunnel and it was as if Coco and Timbits had no idea where she went. Then in a few seconds, Mikka would bounce back out from the other end and surprise them, giving her a head start. Timbits finished his group outing in the pool with Mikka while Coco joined me for cuddles on the picnic table. 

Roxy and Trixie were a pair of busy little bees this morning. They wasted no time greeting anyone in the hall as they were too excited to go outside and see what their noses could find. Trixie took the lead as she headed into the far grass yard with Roxy following closely behind. The two of them immediately began searching the fence line. They sniffed high and low, almost bumping into each other, they were so focused on all of the smells. Eventually, I noticed that Trixie was following something. She'd take a few steps, then stop and sniff, a few more steps and then sniff again. Turns out she was following a tiny little frog that she had found, how cute. We let it jump away past the fence line and went over into the other yard for a little while to practice a few tricks. Roxy could smell the treats in my back pocket from a mile away and suddenly she was my new best friend. I had the two of them jumping over the agility jump for a treat and they each did an amazing job! Roxy was a little bit more focused on the treat afterwards but that just gave her a bit of extra motivation. I moved the jump up two notches higher and they were still able to jump over it!

Barney was all snuggled up on his bed when I went to get him for his extra attention. However, once he saw me at his kennel door, Barney shot up and ran over to see me. The two of us headed out into the front field for an adventure. Barney had his nose up in the air in search of a good scent to follow. He ended up leading me over to the creek. I'm sure he remembered it from his past extra attentions because he jumped right in to the water as soon as we got there. Barney walked around for a little while, sniffing at the long grass and trees that surrounded the creek. Soon after, we went back inside for some cuddle time. He hopped up onto one of our big comfy chairs and waited patiently for a treat. When it was time to go outside again, this time for his group, he was just as excited. Once getting outside, Barney only had one thing on his mind: the pool! Barney jumped right in and proceeded to splash around with his friend Cooper. This led to a mad dash around the yard between the two of them. They each took their turn being in the lead but Barney was more interested in chasing. One time, when Cooper was chasing Barney, Barney hopped up onto the picnic table with me to try and hide from Cooper. Luckily for him it worked as Cooper got distracted. Barney gave me a few kisses and off he went back into the pool to cool off. I joined him for a little while before the end of his group time and the two of us played a little game of splash.

Riley and Roobee were very excited when they saw me coming down the hall to get them for their extra attention time this morning. Roobee was showing off her beautiful voice as Riley did circles of the kennel. They raced up ahead of me to go into the play room. Once they got in, Riley noticed that I had the treat puzzle set up and ready to go. He was completely focused on that so Roobee and I practiced her tricks. She showed me how well she could preform sit, stay, lay down and of course, paw. Every time I asked her to do something, Roobee did an excellent job of listening right away. When Riley had gotten each and every treat out of the treat puzzle, he came over to see Roobee and I and began licking Roobee's face all over, it was pretty darn cute. They had such a fun group to play with today. The two of them were up and ready to go out when it came time for their group outing. To start off their group, the two of them simply followed one another around the yard, making sure to stop and say hello to me. However, once they got over by the pool, Vega was ready to play with Riley. She bowed down in a play bow and bounced towards Riley. Riley was ready to play so he pounced back at her. All of a sudden the two of them took to the yard in a full blown sprint. They were racing around rocks, the picnic table and even did a few circles around the pool. Every so often the two of them would play tackle in the middle of their sprint, which made it very entertaining to watch. It was almost as if they weren't sure which they wanted to do so they did both at the same time. While Riley was tearing up the yard with Vega, I brought Roobee over with me for some one on one time. I wasn't sure if Roobee was going to be interested in the agility jump but as soon as she saw the treat I was holding, Roobee cleared the jump with ease and came over for her treat. We did this a few times and she cleared it each and every time. Riley eventually came over to test his luck with the jump as well. By the end of their group time, I had the two of them jumping over and over again... as long as there was a treat involved of course. 

Poppy was full of beans today and was so excited to get out here this morning! She had a great time during her walk with the Huskies Vega and Magic. The grass in the field had just been cut so they all had a blast jumping through it together and checking out all the new smells. Poppy was in a very cuddly mood this morning as well. During her extra attention she tore around the room for a bit before coming over and giving me a big hug and lots of kisses while I sat in the rocking chair. She settled her head right onto my lap and we sat there relaxing for a little bit while she got some treats. She is so much fun to play with and is happy and friendly all the time! During playtime outside she had a blast tearing around the yard with her friends Lilo and Sophie. There was lots of jumping around and excitement happening today and Poppy got right into it while playing very nicely with everyone!

Nymeria  had a great time during her walk checking out all the new smells in the freshly cut grass with the Huskies Justice and Moka, and was very curious the whole time. During outside time she and the Golden Retriever, Charlotte, took a particular liking to each other and spent the whole time rolling around in the grass together and cruising around the yard. When they got tired of the sun they went and sat under the play structure together, which ended with them having a big wrestling match! Nymeria and Charlotte were quite a fun pair, and brought the excitement with them wherever they went. When Nymeria was all tuckered out she came over to say hello and get a scratch behind the ear—she is such a sweet girl! During our extra attention we played inside for a bit, she was very excited and she jumped on all the couches and ran around the room! When I brought some treats out she sat and lay down nice and calm. We then went outside for a little stroll around the yard and she jumped after all the bugs and butterflies that flew by in the air. We sat in the grass together for a little while as she got a cuddle and then we were off again as she explored some more.

Lilo had an absolute blast today! She was so excited to get out into the yard this morning and tore around as soon as she got out there. She had lots of fun during her walk with her friends Gracie and Haley. She was the life of the party during outdoor play time this afternoon and is always so happy to see everyone. After sprinting around the yard for a bit she decided to get in on all the action and started playing with her sweet friend Poppy. They leapt through the air together and tumbled around in the grass. Lilo was also the first one to get in on a game of fetch and was ready to go after the Frisbee as soon as I picked it up. She was in such a happy mood today and went bouncing after the Frisbee, running back with that big goofy smile of hers!

This morning Sophie W went on a walk with her buddies Titan and Finnigan, and had absolute blast rolling around in all the freshly cut grass. She was very curious, stopping to check out all the new smells, but whenever I called her name she would perk right up and run out ahead again. During outside time, we filled up the pool, and although she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to get in on the action at first, she ended up jumping right in after a little while! She had so much fun cooling off—she lay right down in the pool, rolled around a bit and splashed all her friends by jumping everywhere! She had lots of fun tearing around the yard with Indi and Hobart, and was very eager to pay fetch with everyone. She is so much fun to have here and always bring the excitement with her wherever she goes!

After Millie went for her fun walk with friends Bella, she joined me up in reception for some one on one time. The treat puzzle was available so I filled it up with yummy liver treats, and boy did she remember exactly what to do with it from her past visits. As soon as I placed it on the floor Millie pouned on it, pushing at the moving compartments with her nose. She snorted her way around the puzzle until she got every last little crumb out. I picked up a snake toy and Millie latched onto the end for a game of tug. She pulled every toy out of the toy bin before relaxing on the cool floor for a snooze.  During her group time, Millie enjoyed standing in the pool and cooling off - it was quite a warm day! She noticed Riley and Vega tearing around the yard at full speed and thought it looked like fun; Millie loves playing with the huskies when they get rambunctious. After a while, she decided to come and see me and Roobee and even take a turn going over the agility jump! Good job, Millie.

Titan was a ball of energy today, and had so much fun out in the field this morning during his walk. His buddies Sophie W. and Finnigan, the golden Retrievers, joined him during his walk and they all had a ball together. During outdoor playtime he followed Lotus the Husky around, trying to get her to play. Eventually, he made his way over to the pool and splashed around for a little bit with everyone else. He had a big smile on his face the whole time, and loved the opportunity to cool off in the sun! He also enjoyed digging today, and even tried to dig into the water in the pool—he’s such a funny guy! Everyday he gets more and more excited to play with everyone, and today he was having a blast tearing around the yard with Lotus, Sophie W., and all the other dogs!

Titan seemed to know exactly when it was his turn for some extra attention and was eagerly waiting at his kennel for me. We headed out to the lounge today. He immediately got to work exploring the new space, poking his nose in every crevice and checking out the couches. After sniffing and lounging around for a bit, Titan was more than happy to cuddle with me. I then picked up his leash again and he got all excited to head outside. We went for a nice stroll down the driveway and he had a great time wandering around. 

Syrus had a very relaxing day today, and loved soaking up the sun. During his walk with his buddies Hobart and Indi, he loved taking in all the new smells from the freshly cut grass and bouncing around in the field. Whenever he found something interesting he would stop dead in his tracks, only to run forward again when something else caught his attention. During playtime outside he hung back a bit today, preferring to stroll around the yard and sit in the shade. He got curious as to what everyone else was so excited about, so he came over and checked out the pool for a little while. He splashed around in the water for a bit with his front paws and then went back to sniffing around the yard with his St. Bernard friend, Annie.

Annie had a great today, and was absolutely lovely. She had a nice relaxed walk this morning with Mack, the Husky/Malmute, and loved checking out all the new smells in the freshly cut grass. During outdoor time she had so much fun! She came over for a long cuddle as soon as we got outside, and then went off to hang out with her Husky friend Syrus. She was very excited about the pool and trotted over as soon as it was all filled up! She was also very interested in the hose and took a big drink, lapping and biting at the water as it came out—she was having such a good time! After she’d had her fill of cooling off with the hose, she went over and took a seat in the shade where she could watch all the action happening in the yard.

Annie had lots of fun during her one-on-one time today! She joined me in the playroom and warmed up with some cuddles. It didn't take long before she had sniffed out the treats and sat down to show me that she definitely deserved one! I then got out the puzzle and put a few more goodies in it, before letting Annie try it out. She seemed to figure it out quickly, with some encouragement from me. Annie then picked a bone and settled down to chew on it. Occasionally she got up and wandered over to the puzzle, checking to make sure that she had gotten every treat!

Gracie had a great time today, and really enjoyed playing outside in the sun with everyone! She is always such a good girl and had so much fun out on her walk with her friends Lilo and Haley. During play time she trotted around the yard with a big smile on her face, saying hello to everyone and sniffing around every corner of the yard. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the pool, but hung around the edges and cooled off with some splashes of water from the other dogs. She then wandered over to me with her tail wagging and looking a bit of a cuddle and a scratch behind the ear. After checking out all the action, she went and hung out in the shade with the big St. Bernard, Annie. She is always so sweet and had so much fun today! 
Gracie was her usual happy self for her extra attention. She trotted up to the playroom right by my side and then set out to explore the space. Once she located the treat puzzle on the table, that was all she could focus on. It seemed to be a favourite among the dogs today! I put a few treats in it and let Gracie get to work. After that, she showed me some of her tricks in return for a couple more treats and some cuddles. Gracie had a good roll on the floor, then joined me in the reception where she curled up on a chair and took a nap while I wrote up her blog.

Pictures for July 22 - Click here!