Another glorious day fall day in Calgary. 

The morning group got to take advantage of the river at Southland park.  Kip, Everest. Whistler, Riley,  Rover and Wilbur enjoyed splashing around for a few minutes.  Ryder does not partake in water sports so he patiently waited for the guys to have their drink and get a little wet so the dust would stick real good.  And real good it did stick.  After frolicking in the water for a while we decided to move on as the dogs were getting restless and it is best to keep them moving.  Much to my surprise they all obediently got out of the river and followed into the field where they began searching out the source of all those delicious smells in the tall grass.  There must have been a bunch of deer or coyotes that slept near by as they were fascinated by the flattened grass and interesting aromas.  Since it was Friday and the group was small the dogs had a little extra time to meet and greet the other dogs and people before it was time to go home.

The afternoon group went to Edworthy.  Auzzie, Bailey, Frank, Gabby, Pina, Sam, Sidney, Wilbur and Wilson were overly excited to get to the park.  It was hot enough in the afternoon to have gone swimming but when you travel with air conditioning it is hard to gauge the ambient temp.  Sorry guys!  They would have loved to swim.  We played ball for several minutes and then the dogs were letting me know that it was getting to warm so they chugged almost several litres of water and we were off exploring.  The dogs were pretty mellow given the heat so we stuck to the wooded areas where they could find shade. 

The ride home was much quieter!

The rain kinda scared me this morning but alas everything turned out OK. 

Both groups went to Southland today.  The morning group was very mellow.  Riley needs a chaperon when we first get to the park so Whistler was dragging him around while I cleaned up the poop.  Neither was happy with the situation and when I separated them Riley ran to J and they they were off playing together.  They are too cute when they wrestle and dance and generally go to their own little place of happiness.  By the end of the walk they were back to the real world and ready to get into the truck for a nap on the way home.  Frolicking takes a lot out of a guy.  Ryder tried to join the fun but could not keep up with frivolity so he went back to being too cool and hanging back. 

Copper, Kip, Whistler and Everest found a serious retriever fan and took full advantage of her generous petting skills.  It is amazing how they can pick out the ones that REALLY like labs and goldens and then work it.  I had to shoo them off after several minutes as they were starting to embarrass themselves. 

After shooing them off from the wonderful retriever lady we ran smack dab into a daycare picnic at the park.  Not only is that dangerous and stupid it is GROSS!  The dogs were cooperative about leaving the area but only after a very firm "come".

The afternoon group got to go swimming which I thought would settle them down.  Au contraire.  It only served to excited them more.  We had to leave the swimming area when it began to get crowded and poor little Auzzie had started to shiver.  He was cold and frustrated that he did not know how to swim and could not get the ball.  The dogs were still rowdy so I took them to the field (away from everyone else) so they could dry off and settle down.  Once they started to settle into exploring the grass and the wonders of mice and other creatures a male husky came bounding into the pack.  I watched the dogs reaction to the interloper and the young ones (Auzzie, Wilbur, Mitch, Nina and Shea) went straight over for investigation/introductions.  Then it actually seemed like Everest and Sid, as the biggest adult males of the pack, separated the husky from the pack and began a formal "once over".  Once that was done they "released" him to continue his play with the others. 

I find it fascinating to watch the pack behaviour.  I would love to find out if my assessments are anywhere near accurate.   

Another glorious but busy day for me and the dogs. 

The morning group went to Southland and they were bursting with energy by the time we got there.  Vinnie blue eyes was a late addition to the group this morning but was very welcome by the Pinkney boys (Nicky and Guinness.)  The three of them were tearing up the park together.  Usually Nicky and Guinny just play with each other but Vinnie used his charms to work his way into their little micro-pack.  Par for course Guinness came home as Guinny-pig and was dusty and covered with slobber.  At one point Copper joined in on the fun and he took off like a shot with his butt curled under and just zoomed like a maniac up and down the river bank.  I moved myself and the little dogs to the relative protection of the bench so that we would not be knocked down. 

Little Marty did not have a playful little guys to hang with so he proceeded to take a page from Vinnie's book and started teasing all the bigger dogs in order to get them to play.  This did not go over very well for poor little Marty. 

Clover is feeling much better these days and seems to have recovered nicely from her surgery earlier this summer.  She is still chatty and wants to be played with.

Erckle and Ryder just trotted along like good little boys. 

The afternoon group was big and rowdy (as usual!)  In a move I did not condone Auzzie and Wilbur decided that jumping all over Owen complete with barking and growling would be fun thing to do.  Luckily Owen is a gentle giant and just tried to out run them.  Later the little brats tried the same thing with Pina.  They both must be feeling the "little man" syndrome. 

When we got to the north end of the field the bigger dogs discoved a well-used dead mouse which they sniffed and then wisely decided to leave.  Wilbur, ever the piglet, saw it as an opportunity for an afternoon snack and jumped at the chance to pick it up and strut around with it.  Once he realized that no one else wanted it he was OK with dropping it so I could put it in a bag. 

Owen was sitting in the back seat of the truck on the way home.  I could hear that he was very busy back there but could not see what he was doing.  When I finally got him home I discovered that he had opened a rubbermaid container and extracted all the tennis balls and had skinned one.  He had also removed the towels and blankets that were protecting the seats. 

Cheetos, Dutch, Bella, and Wilson were the behaviour stars of the group!!  Thanks for being so good.

   

Manic Monday? Not Really

Another wonderful day for dogs in Calgary! 

The morning group went to Southland (as usual).  Marty was able to join us today (he usually is a Tues/Thurs guy), Kip from Jen's group, Everest, Copper, Riley, Rover, Ryder, Nina, Shea and Bruin.  So with the addition of the extra dogs the group was quite large.  They were a bit scattered and all over the place but still very good once I got everyone going in the same direction. 

The afternoon group went to Edworthy and consisted of Selky and Austin (from Jen's group), Mitch, Bailey, Auzzie, Frank, Gabby, Pina, Sam and Wilbur. I was not sure how the two dogs from Jen's group would react to being with a whole new pack.  I worried for no good reason as they both were very well behaved except for some very expressive barking and whining with excitement.  I can handle that.  Having my core group of girls  - Bailey, G & P and Sam - helped as I did not have to worry about their behaviour and could focus on the new guys and the little guys (Wilbur, Mitch and Auzzie.)  Those three are quite tight and sometimes get distracted when they are having so much fun. 

Tip from your dog walker:  All the dogs including my own could use a little tutorial from you on the concept of stay.  This should be an easy one as they don't really have to do anything.  Try using feeding times, going out the door and any other activity that the dog wants to do to teach this invaluable skill.  State the command one time only and then reward the dog when the command is obeyed (providing supper, opening the door for a walk, etc.).

Sorry no blog on Tuesday.  Everest and I went to see the old people at Father Lacombe nursing home.  PALS is always looking for more dogs to visit the old folk, disabled people, children's hospital and for reading PALS at the public libraries.  Let me know if you would like more information.

Today was another beautiful day for dogs.  The morning group went to Southland.  Whistler and Everest received a surprise visit from an old friend and were beside themselves with excitement and when Whistler (as the canine leader of the pack) is excited it amps the energy of the other dogs and they got excited about the surprise guest.  So everyone was was deliriously giddy and most of them were not sure why.  Meeko was super happy to out with his buddies at the park.  He always enjoys his time meeting and greeting everyone.  When it was time to go he kept evading me so he could visit just one more person eventually I had to take him by the collar and drag him out of the park.  No small feat considering he is a Great Dane.  My team of nervous nelly little boys were very well behaved and stayed close to the pack.  At one point Riley took advantage of the extra excitement and deeked under the gates and bee-lined to the river.  He was quickly retrieved and had to do the walk of shame back to the group. 

The afternoon was noisy and a bit overly warm for the first day of fall.  We went to Edworthy and due to a multitude of factors we ended up being later than usual.  The gang was so noisy - each trying to out bark the other all way to park.  We tried for a game of fetch to take the edge off but it was just too warm so everyone got a drink and we headed off to explore.  Everyone was their usual selves:  Auzzie, Mitch and Wilbur were almost too cute, Gabby and Pina made friends with all the men in the park (can those girls flirt!), Sid lapped us a couple times and the labs chugged along.

Getting everyone settled in the truck took time as no one wanted to go home. 

On a sad note our sweet old friend Hollie the collie died this week.  She was 13 years old and loved dearly by her best friend Duane.  She will be missed. 

It was a weird and wonderful day for dogs.  We started out in the pouring rain and by half way through the first walk the sun was shining and by the second walk it was quite warm.

The first group went to Southland.  Bruin, Everest, Copper, Riley, Rover, Ryder, Whistler, Wilbur and Erckle were happy to be out and about after a long weekend cooped up.  Well, Everest, Whistler, Erckle and Rover were cooped up all weekend.   Because of the rain there weren't that many people and dogs at the park so we almost had the place to ourselves.  Everyone was on their best behaviour which made me very proud.

The second group went to Edworthy and in true afternoon group fashion they were nutty and impatient and literally fell out of the truck when I opened the tailgate.  The group was a little large as we had some unexpected company - Casey (the tiny Schnauzer) and Sierra (the extra large Shepard cross) joined us and they were probably the best behaved of the bunch. 

Poor Frank had a sore leg so he was a little slow and would hide in the grass while the other dogs played fetch.  All the other dogs except for Copper and Casey got into playing fetch.  Gabby and Pina seem to always get to the ball first but everyone else tries really hard including Mitch and Auzzie (the two littlest guys on the walk today.)  Sam and Bailey love to play fetch but can't keep up with G & P so I faked G & P out and then throw the ball the other way for Sam and Bailey. They appreciated the gesture and were happy to bring the balls right back to me.   Once fetch was over we headed out to do some exploring.  Someone (who will remain nameless) found some fresh poop to roll in and then proceeded to befriend all the people at the park.  They got a rude awakening when I yelled at them "don't touch her!"  YUCKY!!  

What??  Another gorgeous day for a walk!  How lucky can we get?

The morning group was small and happy.  Copper, Everest, Riley, Rover, Ryder, Whistler and Wilbur enjoyed the fresh morning air and an extra long walk (1hr 45 min). 

When we first got to the park the big boys (Everest, Copper and Rover) got a little jazzed up as there seemed to be an overabundance of intact male pups at the park.  This made them want to chase and if the other dog was willing to oblige them by running away - all the better.  No one was hurt except me as the three monster-sized dogs hit my lower leg causing quite a bruise.  Needless to say we all took a time out to sit and/or lay down in the grass and calm down.  This helped tremendously and then we all took off to finish the walk and they all behaved like little lambs.  We met up with Sylvia and Ace and Jen and her pack for the last few minutes. 

Ryder, Wilbur and Riley were smart enough to stay away from the big clowns when they were acting up.  Thanks boys!

The afternoon group was small as well.  Auzzie, Bailey, Gabby, Pina, Sam, Wilbur and Everest went to Edworthy and it was beautiful as well.  All the dogs are ball dogs so we started off by playing fetch for about 20 minutes (or until all the tongues were hanging out the side of the mouths) then everyone had a drink and we set off to do some exploring around the park.  All the dogs made me proud with their behaviour.