From Our End of the Leash

September...Wow, where did the Summer go??!!

This was one of the best Dog Walking Summers I can remember. All the dogs and us spent much time enjoying the fresh air, hanging out by the stream down at Cedarvale Park, exploring the woods at Limehouse and Georgetown South, going for country walks and watching the children play at the splash pad ...secretly wishing it was built for them!! The ran, they played and they developed friendships with new 4 legged friends and 2 legged friends!..barkin' good times!

June to September brought new puppies into our lives at Petsathome. Our newest Members include Bosley, Biscuit, Sammy, Pepper, Tucker and Toby. They've all made the transition and have fit into our program just fine...all have made new friends and are learning about fair play, manners, and the world they live in. Our program is not 'just dog walking'. We incorporate 'life skills' into our programs for the dogs and pups...this way 'life' shouldn't throw them any real surprises as they grow into adults.

This past summer has also brought the passing for 2 of our Petsathome® Members. Bob, the big Black Lab that all the other dogs looked up to as the distinguished caring Grandfather of the group. He was a wonderful guy and we miss him dearly but carry good memories of him as the dog that accepted everything and everyone with a wagging tail. There was a 'gentle ease' about Bob that everyone loved.

Little Dixie the black and white Border Collie....a sweet and gentle nature that shines through in her puppies. I had my dogs out today with one of Dixies pups...little Tessa. As I watched them run around the park, I could see how Tessa was just like her Mom. She had that low squiggly body language that says 'I'm very friendly'...'lets play'! She also has that sweet, soulful 'Dixie' look in her eyes. We'll miss her at the ice-cream stand.

Now that September upon us, it also means back to school....so, Leaper and I enrolled in Rally Obedience! Over the years I have participated in and taught Flyball, Obedience and Agility Classes but I felt it was time to get involved in something new..Rally O it was! Week 1 down and 5 to go!! I felt as a team Leaper and I did a good job for our first night out. (it's been a couple of years since we've been in a structured class). The stations we worked on: heel-sit-down-sit, heel-down-heel, heel-sit-stay-return around to heel-release, heel-down-stay-return around to heel-release, pivot left, pivot right, heel-sit-stand-heel. It was a busy evening, I loved it and best of all Leaper did too! Keep you posted on week 2, with hopefully some pictures!

A quick reminder that Christmas is about 3 months away. If you need to book a boarding kennel or groom for you dog, do it soon to avoid disappointment.

Funny stories....last Friday Shannon and I were talking about the dogs and some of the goofy stuff they did during the week. ( complete with how they would sound if human). We were killing ourselves laughing and then realized that we find this stuff much funnier than other people. Is it that we have a warped sense of humour?....quite possible, but it's hard to understand just how funny the dogs are on a daily basis unless you know each dogs personality, facial characteristics, physical comedy and overall attitude...and then we thought....'ya, just like Seinfeld'..it just gets way funnier once you understand the characters!! One of these times we'll sit down and compile of list of 'If this dog was a famous entertainer, who would he or she resemble'

Enjoy your day, your family and your pet.