I am not even going to acknowledge the weather anymore.  It has betrayed us for long enough!!

The morning group went to Southland.  Nina, Shea, Hollie, Everest, Jin, Riley, Rover, Ryder, Erkle and Whistler did enjoy the snow although I have had enough.  Erkle is staying with Ryder for a couple of weeks and he is not really a hearty little fella so after he emptied out he was ready to jump back in the truck.  Much to his distaste he had to walk the north end of the park.  I dragged that dog the entire way.  He  kept dawdling and making excuse why he could not keep up (he was waiting for Ryder to catch up, he was caught in the leash, etc.)  And then when we turned to head back he booked it!  He literally ran all the way back to gate.  I did not think he had it in him but he did.  Maybe he was running because Riley LOVES him and was chasing him?  

The afternoon group went to Edworthy as is usual for a Monday afternoon.  Bailey, Frank, Sam, Eli, Taylor, Wilbur, Vinnie blue-eyes, Everest and Bruin started the walk with a rousing game of fetch.  I started with three balls (two of which I may have stolen from the homes and back yards of unsuspecting people) and came home with no balls.  Just after we started playing Jen's showed up with her group.  So in total there were 12 retriever or retriever-crosses (13 if you count Wilbur the unpug as a retriever) playing fetch and they managed to lose three balls??!!   At least they lost them after we had played for about 30 minutes which gave them time to burn out the excess energy so they could focus on socializing and wrestling. 

Vinnie and Eli who have never met before got along really well.  Eli starts out as a shy guy but once wound up he is quite a feisty fella and Vinnie does not need any coaxing to be feisty himself.  They enjoyed wrestling big-boy style. Taylor and Wilbur were waiting to take on the winner. 

Several of the dog walkers and other people in the pet industry are participating in a "beta" test of the new trainer's program over the next several weeks.  So look forward to some new tips and techniques as I will share the best with you. 

Another weird and wonderful spring day in Calgary.  We experienced 13 degrees, snow, rain and something in between.  Oh yeah, and lots of wind.

The morning group went to Southland.  Jin was not feeling well today so he stayed home and Everest, Hollie, Nicky, Riley, Rover, Ryder, Guinness and Erkle went for a walk.  Erkle is staying with Ryder for a couple of weeks.  He is sweet little bijon-shitzu but he is not experienced in the dog park arts.  He is still a bit nervous around the other dogs so he has to stay on a leash for most of the walk.  I think he will get it by the time he has to go back home.  He seemed to bond with the new girl in Jennifer's group and Riley REALLY loves him (unnaturally of course.)  This group of dogs is always calm and happy so the walk this morning was calm and happy.  Hollie and Nicky, who are both rough collies, attract a lot of attention as people seem to love them and always have stories about growing up with one. 

The afternoon group went to Edworthy.  Gabby and Pina are on vacation so it was the usual suspects - Bailey, Frank, Nina, Sam, Shea, Taylor, Wilbur and Mitch.  Mitch usually does not come with us on Mondays but we got lucky today.  Wilbur was pleased to have his partner along today.  We started out playing fetch and all the dogs including Wilbur, Mitch and Taylor joined in.  Well almost all, Frank does not fetch as he thinks it is beneath him.  Shea is "greyhound" fast and put Bailey and Everest to the test with her speed.  They enjoyed that game until it became a game of keep the ball away from Ellen.  When that happens we put the chuck-it away and start walking.  They were all huffing and puffing from all the running so of course they bee-line to the biggest, murkiest, muddiest puddle of them all and either have a drink, run through it or lay down in it or all three (Everest).  Sorry about that.  That mud has to be hosed off and wiping just does not do it.    

Another fun day for dogs!

Another wildly busy day.  The morning group (Bailey, Riley, Everest, Guiness, Marty, Nicky, Bruin, Ziggy, Miles and Penny) went to Southland.  All the dogs were well behaved in cold, wind and snow.  Luckily that did not last too long and was gone by the afternoon.  Bailey played with the egg again this morning and was huffing and puffing in no time.  It is hard work batting and pushing that thing around the park.  If you want to tire your dog out without too much of your own effort get one of those eggs. 

Riley and Marty played well together but don't have the same connection as Riley and J.  At home time Marty decided he wanted to stay longer and did the bob-and-weave-catch-me-if-you-can thing but he is such a good boy he could not keep it up for very long.  Besides it was so too cold at that point and he wanted to get warm. 

At lunch time I went to see Viva.  (She is the coco lab that lives in McK Towne.)  She was howling hungry for her lunch and then just itching to get outside.  After her walk she went to say hi to the dogs in the truck.  She loves getting to see the dogs and they love to get a look and sniff at her too. 

The afternoon group was a big one again.  Lots of changes and additions this afternoon.  We went to Edworthy and the sun was trying to peek out when we got there.  It seems that Bella, one of our most recent additions to the pack, has a thing for Mitch.  Mitch is flattered but Bella is a much older woman and he is more interested in his homies - like Wilbur - at this time in his life.  Owen, Duchess and Sierra seemed to really enjoy each other's play.  They are all big dogs and a little shy to begin with but once fired up can go like anyone else. 

The trails at the park were very wet and mushy so we wound are way through the trees and bushes that still have snow under them.  The dogs enjoyed weaving in and out and the rubbing and rolling in what is left of the snow. 

Wilbur is not aware that he is a pug and not a retrieving beaver.  He always loves to pick up any stick he can find on the ground and run around with it and stop to chew a bit of it.  Today he actually stood on his hind legs and held a twig with is forelegs and then gnawed the twig off the tree.  I don't think I have ever seen a dog do that before no matter how big he was.

Sammy, Clover, Frank and Ryder as always prefer to stick close to me during our walks. 

I will say nothing about spring coming/going or anything else as this appears to jinx it.       

The park is almost dry but there are still several spots that are lake-like and others that have the thick gooey muck that sticks to everything and then dries like dust.  I wasted my time getting up early to clean my truck because it was just as dirty when I got home tonight.  Oh well.  The dogs had fun and that is the main thing. 

Both groups went to Southland today.  The morning group was a happy bunch especially J and Riley.  J pretended to not care about Riley even though Riley was hanging out the driver's window shaking with excitement while I was pick up J.  J growled and ignored Riley until we got to the park and then the fun began.  They kept taking off and doing their own thing in the middle of the park.  They would wrestle a little, hump a little and then wrestle some more.  They were having such a good time that another little guy joined in but his owner wasn't happy that he had to come back to get his dog.  When it came to load up I actually had to run to catch the little brats as they, in unison, began running when I came near them. 

Due to overcrowding Whistler had to stay home for a couple of days which did not please her highness so she too was ecstatic to get to the park and could be heard howling down Deerfoot from the back of the truck with the windows closed and the stereo on.  She is sleeping like a puppy now though. 

The day was a bit unusual as  Gabby and Pina came out with us in the morning.  They will be away for a couple of weeks and wanted one more run with the gang before they left. 

The afternoon group was a mixed bag of doggies but they were so well behaved we actually got compliments.  Yay Fun for Dogs dogs!!  I brought a giant hard plastic egg for them to play with as a couple of the dogs have to wear muzzles and I thought they would enjoy having something to play with that they did not have to pick up.  Right away they got it stuck in the thick gooey mud and needed a little help getting it to the grassy section.  People were standing around looking at these crazy dogs chasing and rolling this giant egg and having a blast.  They were VERY noisy and after several minutes I had to shut them down or risk a headache.  Rover, Nina, Shea, Wilbur, Bailey and Frank thoroughly enjoyed splashing in the water puddles.  None of these dogs (except Bailey) are water dogs but that did not stop them.  Hollie really wanted to get into the water too but with her thick coat she would end up being wet until the weekend so she had to stay with me on the sidelines. 

Dare I say that I think spring might actually be here.    

Busy Monday

What a beautiful day for dogs.  The morning was a bit iffy when the wind came up but all in all a very lovely day to be outside.  No jacket this afternoon (for me or the dogs).

The morning group went to Southland.  It was the usual sedate Monday morning gang: Riley (well not so sedate), Georgie (again not so sedate but never the less), Everest, Bruin, Jin, Rover, Ryder, Penny and Miles.  Everyone was happy to be out and about especially Riley and Georgie.  Riley just loves to be at the park and everyone in the park and he never wants to leave.  After I had all the others rounded up and in the truck I had to set out to find Riley.  He had decided that Jen's group looked like fun and went and joined up with them.  He was not happy to have a leash strapped on and then be dragged back to the truck.  Georgie is so happy all the time he will do anything for you at anytime.  It is good to have him back. 

Penny B. and Everest found a dead rabbit at the park and were thoroughly fascinated by this poor creature.  Neither of them picked it up but I could tell that Everest REALLY wanted to and was quite confused that I would put such a find in the garbage.  Penny ran around looking for before realizing that the group had moved on and she had better hustle to catch up.  Oh, the gross things I have to deal with.  It is not just fun and games - sometimes there are extremely gross things to be dealt with.  YUCKY!!

The afternoon group did not have to deal with dead things although I know that this bunch would have been just as fascinated if not even more fascinated by it.  We had all the Monday afternoon regulars except for Destiny (she is taking a sabbatical) and Clover joined us (she is usually a Tuesday girl.) The dogs took full advantage of the warm weather and slushy snow and rolled shoved their faces into it.  As the snow was so soft and moist it was easy to pick up and we played "pie in the face".  I would pick up handfuls of snow and toss it at the dogs.  They all gathered around and stood still while I tossed snow at them.  They loved it.  Clover and Wilbur were barking like crazy wanting more and the retrievers were dancing around and getting really jazzed by all the fun.  Jen's group also got in on it - waiting for their turn. 

We made it around the park in just under an hour so we had 15 minutes to play ball at the end of the walk.  Bailey, Pina, Gabby and Sam were especially pleased and Taylor, Clover, Shea and Nina got into fetching as well.  It was so cute to see little Wilbur trying so hard to keep up with the retrievers.  I just want to know how so many retrieving/hunting dogs and those who are so into fetching can loose so many balls.

All in all a long day but a good day! 

Dirty Dirty Dogs

Oh what a dirty day at the park!  The morning group excaped most of the yuckiness and most of the fun of the yuckiness. 

The morning group was diverse and consisted of Meeko, Everest, J, Rover, Destiny, Bruin, Hollie, Taylor and Everest.  Meeko was absolutely delighted to be out and about with his chums.  He is such a big friendly goof and has to introduce himself to everyone he sees and this includes leaning his 130 pounds on their legs.  The rest of the dogs just hung out and kept busy with all the smells coming out of the grass and getting into some of the puddles.

The afternoon group was much more excited because by the time we reached the park the temperature was up to about 10 and most of the snow had melted by then.  At Edworthy there were actual rivers flowing through the park.  Everest loved them.  He ran up the "river" with his nose in the water while dogs like Ryder plotted how to get across without getting his feet wet.  But in the end Ryder was the smarter of the dogs as he was the only one dry enough to ride shotgun in the cab of the truck.  The rest of the them had to pay for their fun by riding in the back like dogs.  And what gross dirty dogs they were.  They had such incredible fun running and splashing through the mud and puddles that I did not even try to keep them out.   Riley and Mitch became fast friends (this was the first time they got to play together) and the two of them along with Wilbur just had a little boy blast running after each other and splashing mud.  I lost Riley a couple of times because of the colour of his hair along with his stringy wet coat he blended into the grass and was camouflaged.  Gabby and Pina had to be hosed off when they got home - not the most fun for Goldens but very necessary.  I think that they all need to be shaved super short for spring and summer to cut down on dog cleaning time and the time I have to spend washing everything in my truck (just kidding).  Nina and Shea managed to come home with dirt only on their legs (I wonder how that happened.)  Sidney was very social again today and jumped out at every one's home and tried to get in to check things out. 

Remember - towels, towels, towels and in a couple of weeks turn on the outside hoses for easy spraying.  

A Sunny Day!

What a beautiful day for dogs.  Both groups went together this afternoon as I had an appointment this morning.  Penny's mom came to help keep an eye on the critters - all 15 of them.  Everyone got along and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine, mushy snow and the gigantic puddles.  I think Everest and Owen enjoyed the puddles the most as they were running in and out of them, putting their faces in and generally make a mess of themselves.  Rover enjoyed a quick dunk and then he was done and Duchess came out of her shell and splashed around a little bit as well.  The rest of them stayed clear for the most part especially the CPC Cheetos and Ryder (or Cool Ryder a name coined by Penny's mom Trudy because he was trailing behind and acting too cool for the rest of the pack.) 

Sometimes they make the weirdest connections.  Today Mitch (a schnoodle) and Bella (a pitt pull) were playing together and given the size and age difference I kept coming to Mitch's defense until Trudy pointed out that Mitch was seeking Bella out and instigating the play rough.  Later when Mitch was chasing Bella he had to enact emergency swimming measures when she hit a puddle and kept going and he quickly began to sink. 

Wilbur almost made a (near fatal in his mind) mistake when he tried to get across a puddle and realized that the water would not hold him up. 

Marty was just so happy to have two little guys to play with he didn't care where he went or what happened to him.  When he got home his mom and I had to pick bark, grass, burrs and other assorted park debris from his coat.  And like a typical little boy he did not want any part of the grooming stuff. 

Owen , I learned today, is smarter than the people that designed the park as he can get the gates open and eagerly led Whistler and Everest to follow him to the river but there were far too many little dogs for that so they had to be hauled back into the main part of the park.  Swimming season will start soon enough.     

Whistler, Bruin, Nicky and Guinness generally kept to themselves.  And most amazingly Nicky who is a rough collie with a beautiful thick coat was not even wet when I got him home.  Yay Nicky!! 

Getting all the dogs into the truck took the two of us four trips from the gate through the sloppy mud and everyone reluctantly took their seats for the ride home. 

I was so proud of your dogs' behaviour today.