The morning group was so calm and cool today. It was a big one but they were all so well behaved it made me very proud. Don't get me wrong they still showed their personalities - Bella and Ellie ganged up on Wilbur and Marty, Original Copper fell in love with a yellow lab from Acara's group and I had to backtrack and round him up several times. Luckily Acara knows Copper and does not get upset about Copper storming her pack looking for a mate. Ryder is still has his nose out of joint over being scared by a puppy earlier this week so he has been acting pouty and hanging way back from the group. Sarge, a Wheaten terrier, is walking with us today for a couple days. He just LOVES being at the park with the other dogs and wants to play with everyone.
The afternoon group was another story altogether. Holy cow! I am covering for one of Jen`s dogs while she is cruising in Hawaii so Kip, a senior Golden retriever came with us today. Along with Kip there was Oakley, Crazy Copper, Bo, Cheetos, Frank, Nina, Owen, Sam, Rover, Shea, Cash, Everest, Whistler and Wilbur. Naturally, Tim came to help. The dogs just adore Tim and he makes the walks with the big groups almost easier to manage that the small groups. The trip to the park could have broken ear drums and in fact I thought Crazy Copper was going to deafen me. Whistler was howling and as we got closer to the park the rest of the dogs started to sing. Unloading we must have looked like a couple of lunatics trying to get all the dogs in to the park as quickly as possible, get them in a group and focused enough to follow Tim to the very far corner. I followed with the non-ball chasers and picked up the droppings as I went.
The dogs were so boisterous that we kept them in a secluded corner of the park until Crazy Copper and Oakley decided they needed a drink and took off the for water. Tim was right on their tails as were the remainder of the pack. It was kind of cute when Nina and Kip came running back to check and see if it was OK to be so far away me. The rest of them were too focused on Tim and the ball to care where I was.
They had such a good time that I let them play for an extra 10 minutes before we started to load up. Needless to say the ride home was so peaceful.
Everyone should have a very tired dog tonight. Your welcome! LOL
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Nutty Dogs
All the dogs were out of their minds today. Hopefully, they will all be back to normal tomorrow.
By the time we got everyone rounded up and going in the same direction it was time to go back to the truck and go home. Someone, who shall remain nameless, went swimming. Luckily his slightly less smart and remarkably skinnier brother did not go in the water too. The swimmer was found with all his fur frosty at the tips and more than willing to get into the truck to thaw out.
Original Copper decided he did not like hanging with his gang and went to find a nice man and a pit bull pup to walk with.
Playing any kind of fetch was impossible because I could not keep them focused. It was like herding cats today.
The afternoon group was not much better and in fact were much worse. We had Lucy and Tucker tag along as their dad was going to be home late. So I had a whole bunch of goofy goldens - besides Lucy and Tucker, there was Gabby, Pina, and Sam. All wanting to play fetch but not one of them willing to bring the ball or the dummy back to me. Wilbur tried to bring the dummy back but his little mouth could not get all the way around it. Josie and R2 played with each other and at one point it actually looked like they were playing hide and seek as Josie ran behind some bushes and then stopped and when R2 started to run she sprung out the other side.
We ran into Wilson and his gramma. Well we saw Wilson a good five minutes before his gramma was able to catch up. Wilson looked so cute. He had a plaid scarf wrapped around his neck and it made him look like a hipster.
By the time we got everyone rounded up and going in the same direction it was time to go back to the truck and go home. Someone, who shall remain nameless, went swimming. Luckily his slightly less smart and remarkably skinnier brother did not go in the water too. The swimmer was found with all his fur frosty at the tips and more than willing to get into the truck to thaw out.
Original Copper decided he did not like hanging with his gang and went to find a nice man and a pit bull pup to walk with.
Playing any kind of fetch was impossible because I could not keep them focused. It was like herding cats today.
The afternoon group was not much better and in fact were much worse. We had Lucy and Tucker tag along as their dad was going to be home late. So I had a whole bunch of goofy goldens - besides Lucy and Tucker, there was Gabby, Pina, and Sam. All wanting to play fetch but not one of them willing to bring the ball or the dummy back to me. Wilbur tried to bring the dummy back but his little mouth could not get all the way around it. Josie and R2 played with each other and at one point it actually looked like they were playing hide and seek as Josie ran behind some bushes and then stopped and when R2 started to run she sprung out the other side.
We ran into Wilson and his gramma. Well we saw Wilson a good five minutes before his gramma was able to catch up. Wilson looked so cute. He had a plaid scarf wrapped around his neck and it made him look like a hipster.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Pschyo weather! But we will take it. The dogs loved the mild temps and the soft snow today.
This was a typical Tuesday in that the dogs were a noisy bunch with logs of things to say and lots of people and dogs to meet and greet (and not always politely).
Bruin, Wilbur, Crazy Copper, Oakley, Bella, Ryder, Ellie, Marty, Nicky and Guinness were all very excited to get to the park and were not happy having to get out of the truck in shifts.
Marty and Wilbur were very happy to see each other and played like little bandits for the entire walk. Well when they weren't harassing or being harassed by Ellie and Bella (my new set of evil twins).
There seemed to be a lot of little children at the park and all the dogs became fascinated by one little boy in a sled being pulled by his mom. Their little dogs wasn't happy with the Fun for Dogs invasion and the little boy was dubious but calm with all the attention. The dogs formed a circle around him and took turns licking his face. Mom was a good sport too and did not get upset about the slobber. It took running into Jen's group and a lot of coaxing on my part to leave the kid alone. I truly believe that every dog deserves a little boy.
The afternoon group: Gabby, Pina, Josie, R2, Frank, Bo, Cheetos, Nina, Shea, Rover and Remy were just as rowdy as always. Original Copper's dad Jordan left some dummies for the dogs to play with and although we have never used them before we tried to get a game of fetch going. Gabby and Pina WANTED so badly to play fetch but could not wrap their little minds around a dummy. The prefer tennis balls for fetching fun but still ran around the tired to get into the game. Remy and Owen loved the idea of fetching them but were not a fan of carrying them unless I took them away and then they LOVED the dummies and had to have them at all cost. The only one who got it was Shea and that was a good thing because holding it kept her busy and out of mischief. Rover was desperate to play and when he could he would launch himself on a dummy and roll on it. Poor thing needs to wear a muzzle at the park so he could not pick it up. Frank and Cheetos looked down their noses at the fetchers.
R2 is growing like a week and getting super fast on his three legs. He continues to get a lot of attention from the people at the park but the dogs just treat him like a pup. Gotta love the way animals are just in the moment.
This was a typical Tuesday in that the dogs were a noisy bunch with logs of things to say and lots of people and dogs to meet and greet (and not always politely).
Bruin, Wilbur, Crazy Copper, Oakley, Bella, Ryder, Ellie, Marty, Nicky and Guinness were all very excited to get to the park and were not happy having to get out of the truck in shifts.
Marty and Wilbur were very happy to see each other and played like little bandits for the entire walk. Well when they weren't harassing or being harassed by Ellie and Bella (my new set of evil twins).
There seemed to be a lot of little children at the park and all the dogs became fascinated by one little boy in a sled being pulled by his mom. Their little dogs wasn't happy with the Fun for Dogs invasion and the little boy was dubious but calm with all the attention. The dogs formed a circle around him and took turns licking his face. Mom was a good sport too and did not get upset about the slobber. It took running into Jen's group and a lot of coaxing on my part to leave the kid alone. I truly believe that every dog deserves a little boy.
The afternoon group: Gabby, Pina, Josie, R2, Frank, Bo, Cheetos, Nina, Shea, Rover and Remy were just as rowdy as always. Original Copper's dad Jordan left some dummies for the dogs to play with and although we have never used them before we tried to get a game of fetch going. Gabby and Pina WANTED so badly to play fetch but could not wrap their little minds around a dummy. The prefer tennis balls for fetching fun but still ran around the tired to get into the game. Remy and Owen loved the idea of fetching them but were not a fan of carrying them unless I took them away and then they LOVED the dummies and had to have them at all cost. The only one who got it was Shea and that was a good thing because holding it kept her busy and out of mischief. Rover was desperate to play and when he could he would launch himself on a dummy and roll on it. Poor thing needs to wear a muzzle at the park so he could not pick it up. Frank and Cheetos looked down their noses at the fetchers.
R2 is growing like a week and getting super fast on his three legs. He continues to get a lot of attention from the people at the park but the dogs just treat him like a pup. Gotta love the way animals are just in the moment.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Today was quiet and peaceful. The sun was shining at least for most of the day but the wind was howling which I don't like and the dogs do not care about.
The morning group was relatively small and consisted of mainly small dogs too. Wilbur, J, Urckle and Ryder (the four small boys although Wilbur refuses to accept that he is a small dog), Everest, Rover and Copper - the big boys and then one small girl, Rudder. Rudder was only with us for a week but in that week she became a member of the pack and a good friend to Wilbur.
Urckle was not happy to be taken out of a warm house to go for his walk but he did his best to chug along with the other dogs. Ryder and J seconded and thirded that sentiment!
We met up with Jen and her pack and walked with them for a while. As well we ran into Cisco and Gary but they did not stay long.
The afternoon group was spoiled and got to play at the park for almost two hours. The timing worked and I did not have to do much driving. Needless to say the ride home was very quiet.
Cheetos was classic again today. He usually goes out on Tuesday but graciously accepted a Wednesday walk this week to help me out. He does not like walking on grass or snow or dirt or big rocks or ..... really he only likes walking on clean indoor floors. So he was ticked to be at the park with the droolers and sat at on the sidelines and watched Everest, Wilbur, Gabby, Pina, Sidney and Wilson play ball. Luckily, a found a young guy who know how to treat a pug prince! Cheetos was sitting between this guys legs (to block the wind) and was regally receiving a deep tissue massage. As I walked up to claim my boy .. I mean dog...Cheetos looked down his nose at me as if to say ``see he knows how to treat a pug!``
Tomorrow is another day to enjoy my friends. Looking forward to it.
The morning group was relatively small and consisted of mainly small dogs too. Wilbur, J, Urckle and Ryder (the four small boys although Wilbur refuses to accept that he is a small dog), Everest, Rover and Copper - the big boys and then one small girl, Rudder. Rudder was only with us for a week but in that week she became a member of the pack and a good friend to Wilbur.
Urckle was not happy to be taken out of a warm house to go for his walk but he did his best to chug along with the other dogs. Ryder and J seconded and thirded that sentiment!
We met up with Jen and her pack and walked with them for a while. As well we ran into Cisco and Gary but they did not stay long.
The afternoon group was spoiled and got to play at the park for almost two hours. The timing worked and I did not have to do much driving. Needless to say the ride home was very quiet.
Cheetos was classic again today. He usually goes out on Tuesday but graciously accepted a Wednesday walk this week to help me out. He does not like walking on grass or snow or dirt or big rocks or ..... really he only likes walking on clean indoor floors. So he was ticked to be at the park with the droolers and sat at on the sidelines and watched Everest, Wilbur, Gabby, Pina, Sidney and Wilson play ball. Luckily, a found a young guy who know how to treat a pug prince! Cheetos was sitting between this guys legs (to block the wind) and was regally receiving a deep tissue massage. As I walked up to claim my boy .. I mean dog...Cheetos looked down his nose at me as if to say ``see he knows how to treat a pug!``
Tomorrow is another day to enjoy my friends. Looking forward to it.
Friday, January 4, 2013
It was a wierd and wonderful day for the dogs. The weather was beautiful again if not a bit windy but it was sunny so we will take it.
The morning group, Ryder, Bruin, Everest, Joey, Rover, Crazy Copper, Oakley, Rudder, Wilbur and Whistler were happy to get out and run.
We started with the usual attempt at ball throwing but when they refused to give the ball to me I gave up and put all the toys away and we set out to explore. The dogs seem to love being in the "remote" areas of the park as there is deeper snow and apparantly better smells. They immediately calmed down and became less like wild beasts. Rudder, who is only six months old, wanted to play with every dog that was not in our pack. This caused some troubles for me as she kept running off with her new best friends.
The afternoon group was a little harder to manage because the park was very crowded with people and dogs. Sidney, Remy, Josie, Artu, Frank, Gabby, Pina, Wilson, Lulu and Sam enjoyed playing fetch with a border collie named Carma. The dogs were playing very nicely for quite awhile and I thought I could tire them out before we walked. Carma's owner thought because I was throwing the ball he could walk back to his car and leave his dog with us. When it was time for the ball to go away some of the female dogs (I will forego mentioning any names) decided they did not want Carma in the pack anymore. And it was on! You remember "dog pile" from when you were a kid?All the dogs jumped into big pile and made a whole heck of a lot of noise. The only thing to be hurt was Carma's ego as I escorted her back to her owner.
Our new little friend Artu is becoming used to the pack. He is such a conversation piece, because he is so cute and has only three legs, that we have to stop and chat about him. It is okay as the dogs get to interact with other animals and I get some much needed human conversation.
Today we say good bye to Vinnie Link. Vinnie was with us for a long long time and since this past summer has been in retirement due to health problems caused by his old age. He went to the happy hunting ground on NYE. We will all miss his spirit, his stubbornness and his sweet happy face. Rest in peace old friend.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
What a gorgeous day at the park. The sun was shining and even though it was cold it was beautiful.
The morning group - Ryder, Bruin, Bella, Guinness, Nicky, Marty, Ellie, Wilbur, Oakley, Everest and Crazy Copper hit the park with a thud as they all practically fell out of the truck. Bruin needed a ramp to get down so he entered the park in a much classier fashion. Oakley and Crazy Copper had been away for a couple of weeks so they were extra excited to be out with the gang again. We started off playing ball and quickly they lost the two tennis balls I had for them. And in the usual manner they were like cats and could not get it together enough to begin a proper search for them. It ended up okay as it was about that time that Jen and her pack of loonies hit the park with a thud and joined us. We decided to take the group to a more secluded area of the park to let them all calm down. In no time they had settled into sniffing, digging and exploring the park and each other.
On the way home Guinness chose to ride home in the Rubbermaid bin. It is so funny to see him curled up in it.
Today was a sad day for Fun for Dogs. Today was Taylor's last day with us. She is moving to live with another family. Hopefully, they will want her to keep all her friends and she'll come back to us someday. For those that don't know Taylor is a tiny boxer that has been with us for a long time in dog years. Bye Taylor from all your friends at Fun for Dogs.
On a brighter note we welcome Artu to the group. He is Josie's little brother. He is about 4 to 5 months old and unfortunately he lost one of hind legs in an attack. He does OK with only three legs but is a bit skittish when the big dogs bark or approach too fast. We wanted him to feel welcome and secure in his pack so keeping the noise down for the next few walks was very important. This was not an easy task as this group is not know for being quiet. In fact I call them my Advil group because I usually have a headache from all the barking and whining they do. All the dogs were kind to the little fella and after a few minutes he was staying with the pack and playing with Josie and Taylor.
I love my furry friends.
The morning group - Ryder, Bruin, Bella, Guinness, Nicky, Marty, Ellie, Wilbur, Oakley, Everest and Crazy Copper hit the park with a thud as they all practically fell out of the truck. Bruin needed a ramp to get down so he entered the park in a much classier fashion. Oakley and Crazy Copper had been away for a couple of weeks so they were extra excited to be out with the gang again. We started off playing ball and quickly they lost the two tennis balls I had for them. And in the usual manner they were like cats and could not get it together enough to begin a proper search for them. It ended up okay as it was about that time that Jen and her pack of loonies hit the park with a thud and joined us. We decided to take the group to a more secluded area of the park to let them all calm down. In no time they had settled into sniffing, digging and exploring the park and each other.
On the way home Guinness chose to ride home in the Rubbermaid bin. It is so funny to see him curled up in it.
Today was a sad day for Fun for Dogs. Today was Taylor's last day with us. She is moving to live with another family. Hopefully, they will want her to keep all her friends and she'll come back to us someday. For those that don't know Taylor is a tiny boxer that has been with us for a long time in dog years. Bye Taylor from all your friends at Fun for Dogs.
On a brighter note we welcome Artu to the group. He is Josie's little brother. He is about 4 to 5 months old and unfortunately he lost one of hind legs in an attack. He does OK with only three legs but is a bit skittish when the big dogs bark or approach too fast. We wanted him to feel welcome and secure in his pack so keeping the noise down for the next few walks was very important. This was not an easy task as this group is not know for being quiet. In fact I call them my Advil group because I usually have a headache from all the barking and whining they do. All the dogs were kind to the little fella and after a few minutes he was staying with the pack and playing with Josie and Taylor.
I love my furry friends.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
December 11
Another cool but beautiful day at the park. The groups were large and Tim is away so I thought it would be challenging - but no the dogs were all exceptionally well behaved.
The morning group hit the park with a thud and was off exploring all the cool things left overnight. Bella, Copper, Everest, Guinness, Marty, Nicky, Ryder (well maybe not Ryder), Ellie, Rover and Frank (who was lucky enough to get both walks today) took full advantage of the freedom. It is amazing to me that 10 dogs can go in 20 different directions. \
Wilbur has some behaviour problems that gramma (me) is trying to correct so he was on a leash but that did not stop him from wrestling with Marty and trying to get in on the chasing. For a while I had Bella on the leash too so Wilbur and Bella were going at each other while tied to my waist and as I picked up poop. I wish my mom had put me in gymnastics.
Guinness is so funny. He has staked his claim to the Rubbermaid bin in the back seat of the truck. He hops in the truck and right into the bin and there he sits. It is actually pretty smart of him because he is higher up so he can see out the windows and full of jackets, towels and soft stuff to get comfy on.
The afternoon group as usual required me to take Advil afterwards (just kiddin). They are the noisiest bunch of dogs. There is something about the combination that sets off a chorus of barks, howls, squeals and bays that could pierce an eardrum. Most of the people at the dog park think that they are funny especially Crazy Copper.
Because they were really hyper when we landed at the park I took them to the far side if the park and let them sniff and explore and "take care of business" before we mainstreamed with the rest of the park goers. They actually love it in this area (west of the parking lot) because not a lot of dogs go there so the snow is undisturbed in places and the grass is still growing through. I have seen deer in there as well so the smells must be wonderful.
After the dogs had calmed a bit we headed out to the main area. Once we hit the main path I did a head count and realized that Cheetos was MIA. So we started to back track which is no easy feat as some of the dogs were on a scent and others were hanging out with new dogs. I was thinking poor Cheetos if he had gotten confused and started backtracking it would be hard to catch up with him and keep the other dogs in sight. By the time we had gotten the group turned around and heading back I saw a woman walking with a small beige dog in her arms. She was quite far away but I could tell it was Cheetos. Apparently he had gotten confused, went in a completely opposite direction and then sat down to wait for help. When the woman reached me Cheetos was shivering and looking so very forlorn. The sadness in his squishy face was palpable but I could also see him telling me that being carried IS the way he SHOULD travel at the dog park.
On the way back to the truck we ran into Sheffield. Sheffield is one of the cutest pugs in the park. He has a fawn body and a black face and he is in love with Cheets. So to add insult to injury to offense he was molested by Sheffield. This little dog just joined our pack and took ownership of Cheetos. Cheetos is used to be a guy magnate. Sheffield and his mom walked with us for the second half.
The morning group hit the park with a thud and was off exploring all the cool things left overnight. Bella, Copper, Everest, Guinness, Marty, Nicky, Ryder (well maybe not Ryder), Ellie, Rover and Frank (who was lucky enough to get both walks today) took full advantage of the freedom. It is amazing to me that 10 dogs can go in 20 different directions. \
Wilbur has some behaviour problems that gramma (me) is trying to correct so he was on a leash but that did not stop him from wrestling with Marty and trying to get in on the chasing. For a while I had Bella on the leash too so Wilbur and Bella were going at each other while tied to my waist and as I picked up poop. I wish my mom had put me in gymnastics.
Guinness is so funny. He has staked his claim to the Rubbermaid bin in the back seat of the truck. He hops in the truck and right into the bin and there he sits. It is actually pretty smart of him because he is higher up so he can see out the windows and full of jackets, towels and soft stuff to get comfy on.
The afternoon group as usual required me to take Advil afterwards (just kiddin). They are the noisiest bunch of dogs. There is something about the combination that sets off a chorus of barks, howls, squeals and bays that could pierce an eardrum. Most of the people at the dog park think that they are funny especially Crazy Copper.
Because they were really hyper when we landed at the park I took them to the far side if the park and let them sniff and explore and "take care of business" before we mainstreamed with the rest of the park goers. They actually love it in this area (west of the parking lot) because not a lot of dogs go there so the snow is undisturbed in places and the grass is still growing through. I have seen deer in there as well so the smells must be wonderful.
After the dogs had calmed a bit we headed out to the main area. Once we hit the main path I did a head count and realized that Cheetos was MIA. So we started to back track which is no easy feat as some of the dogs were on a scent and others were hanging out with new dogs. I was thinking poor Cheetos if he had gotten confused and started backtracking it would be hard to catch up with him and keep the other dogs in sight. By the time we had gotten the group turned around and heading back I saw a woman walking with a small beige dog in her arms. She was quite far away but I could tell it was Cheetos. Apparently he had gotten confused, went in a completely opposite direction and then sat down to wait for help. When the woman reached me Cheetos was shivering and looking so very forlorn. The sadness in his squishy face was palpable but I could also see him telling me that being carried IS the way he SHOULD travel at the dog park.
On the way back to the truck we ran into Sheffield. Sheffield is one of the cutest pugs in the park. He has a fawn body and a black face and he is in love with Cheets. So to add insult to injury to offense he was molested by Sheffield. This little dog just joined our pack and took ownership of Cheetos. Cheetos is used to be a guy magnate. Sheffield and his mom walked with us for the second half.
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