July 31: Introducing... Coco

Do you have a hot apartment? Is your dog burning up? Bring them to daycare... we have air con! Also, here are some tips from DogSafe to keep your dog cool this summer: http://www.dogsafecaninefirstaid.blogspot.com/

We have a new puppy here today called Coco (shih apso), pictured sitting in my camping chair. Isn't she adorable? A little ball of fur.

She just loves to play, and is fitting in really well with the littl'uns: Dawson (chi), Muggles (Maltese), Jones (Bischon), Zipper (Maltese) and Ozzy (Min Pin). These pups have been chasing each other around all morning. Heidi (shnoodle) has been in there too, mostly wrestling with her buddy Ozzy.

* Muggles has also been wrestling with Lola (cockapoo) and Zipper has been chasing Jones, Danger (Maltese) and LG around.

* Cookie and Donut (both Pomeranians) are here for their second day and are doing great, gaining confidence. They're a little tag-team and like playing with each other.

The morning walks are done, and Pat's feeding lunches right now.

* So what else is going on? Well, Buttons (cockapoo) enjoyed her walk today. Must be a sign it's not as hot as it was yesterday.

* Gus (American cocker spaniel - pictured left) has been playing tug-of-war with LG (Yorkie-cross) and little Dawson and Frankie (Boston Terrier). Spike (Yorkie) has also been chasing these guys around, and Frankie's been doing this little dance-play manoevre with Tofu.

* Tofu and Heidi (shnoodle) have been getting up on their hind legs to paw each other in the air at each other. Also in this play-pack is Bobo (maltipoo), who's been wrestling and chasing Gus lots, and Lola (cockapoo), who loves Tofu. Mico (shih tzu) really loves Lola and gave her lots of kisses. What a sweetie.

* Pictured above right: Danger biting his girlfriend Jones's tail.

* Pictured left: Zipper in her cute little dress, playing with the ball.

* Pictured above right: Dawson hanging out on her buddy, Ozzy.

* Spike (shih tzu) and Diamond (Papillon) are doing great, chilling out on the dog beds right now. Leroy (Cairns Terrier-cross) as been playing with Muggles this morning.

Did your dog eat?

* Spike and Diamond both ate breakfast.

* Leroy ate breakfast.

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Gus ate about half of his kibble for lunch.

* Dawson ate about 3/4 of her lunch.

* Frankie ate all his lunch.

* Coco ate lunch.

* Muggles and Zipper both ate their lunch.

* Ozzy ate almost half.

* Bobo ate most of his kibble.

* Heidi ate all.

* We will feed Cookie and Donut at dinner time. They're enjoying their treats.

* Danger wasn't hungry today.

* Tofu ate about 3/4 of her lunch.

* Lola wasn't hungry.

Thanks! Hope you have a great day!

July 30: Cooling off in the pool

It's just a dog bowl, but for little Dawson (chi), it's almost big enough to take a bath in! Here she is, dipping her paws.

Thank goodness we bought a 2nd air conditioning unit recently - we've got the two of them cranking. Yesterday was the hottest day in Vancouver's history, but it was pleasantly cool in here.

We've been starting the morning walks really early because of the heat, and the afternoon walks are more like quick potty breaks. It's just too hard on the littl'uns to be outside right now.

They've been chasing each other around all morning, and right now Pat is feeding lunches. Scroll down to see what your dog has been up to so far (note there are two Ozzy's, two Maximus's and two Spike's here).

* All the dogs would like to say a big THANK YOU to Buttons and her lovely family for bringing them some new (organic) squeaky toys to play with. Oh boy, they're a hit! Buttons didn't want to walk far this morning (too warm). She's been chilling out with Maximus (black terrier), Mico (shih tzu) and Snoopy.

* Right now, Dawson is playing with Ozzy (Min Pin), Henrik (chi), and Muggles and Zipper (Maltese). They're in the small room, hanging out with Emma (miniature dachshund). Emma really likes Henrik - they were doing a little play-chase game. Our two dogs, Mika and Lexy, are also in there.

* In the big room, Jones (Bischon), Danger (Maltese), Ozzy (Yorkie-poodle - pictured right) are going at it. Wrestle mania. Sasha (Papillon) just arrived and is chasing Ozzy around. Game on!

* Now we'd like to introduce four new faces to the pack. Pictured above from left to right are: Pozi (Maltese), Juno (chi), Donut (Pomeranian) and Cookie (Pom). They're all doing great and making lots of new friends. Pozi (pictured right) is 1 1/2 years old and this is his first day so he's doing brilliantly so far, playing with Leroy (Cairns Terrier-mix) and getting along great with everyone.

* Little Juno reminds us so much of our Lexy (chi-silky cross). She especially likes Henrik (chi). Henrik's also been chasing Maximus (Yorkie) around and loooooves Dawson and Danger.

* Cookie and Donut (pictured left) have been here for grooming before, and have mingled with some of the dogs before after getting their hair done in the Spaw. On their first day they were a little nervous, but they sure are doing better today!

* Scooby (American cocker spaniel) has been chasing after the ball and playing with Maximus (Yorkie - pictured right with Henrik). Spike (Yorkie) and LG (Yorkie-cross) have also been zipping after the ball, and also chasing Jones and Ozzy. LG entertained us again today by chasing his tail.

Did your dog eat?

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Snoopy ate all of his lunch.

* Dawson ate all.

* Ozzy ate about half.

* Muggles (pictured left) and Zipper ate their lunch.

* Danger ate. He's nearly out of food now though so please bring some more next time.

* Maximus (Yorkie) wasn't hungry for lunch.

* We'll feed Cookie & Donut at dinner time.

* We'll also feed Spike, Diamond & Leroy at dinner time.

And now, for the class photo of Thursday, July 30:

July 29: Waggin' Wednesday

First of all, happy belated birthday to Gus! The American cocker spaniel (pictured left with Pepe) turned one last week.

As you can see from today's class photo, we're having another busy Wednesday. The fur's-a-flyin' in the Spaw in the back room, too.

* Right now we have the dogs divided into two rooms, for maximum playtime potential. Hanging out with Emma (miniature dachshund) in the small room are Dawson (chi), Muggles and Zipper (both Maltese pups), Mika (Maltese), Mico (shih tzu) and Umber (chi). They've been chasing each other through the blue tunnel and wrestling on the dog beds. Emma has a delicate back so she's not running around, but enjoys the company.

* Earlier, we had most of the dogs in the one big room, and Daisy (shih tzu) was so cute, wrestling with Muggles and Zipper. She's in the Spaw right now, getting her summer hair cut.

* Pictured left: Ozzy wrestling Gus. Ozzy's also been playing with his girlfriends, Molly and Dawson.

* In the big room, there's Jasper, Casper, Spike, LG, Scooby, Leroy, Gus, Maggie, Tofu and Pepe all doing loop-de-loops around each other. They've had some good matches of tug-of-war with the rope toy, and been chasing after the ball and zooming around on the ramps (one of their favourite chase games).

* Tuka (American Eskimo) has left already, but he likes to take his perch on the bench to watch all the energetic dogs run around at his feet. His mom says he's a little devil at home, but we just don't see it?! LOL.

* Pictured left: LG hangs loose on the pink chair.

* Jones (Bischon) and Danger (Maltese), the two little white dogs, have been inseparable again today. Danger loooooves her. He looked a little sad when we pulled her away to get her hair cut in the Spaw. She sure looks and smells good. ;-) These two have also been hanging out with Bella (Maltese) and Bella (chi). Yes, two Bellas!

* Spike (shih tzu - not Yorkie Spike) and Diamond (Papillon) are chilling out on the dog beds. Buttons is relaxing, too, after her delicious lunch.

Did your dog eat?

* Scooby ate all his lunch.

* Spike ate breakfast but Diamond wasn't hungry.

* Leroy ate breakfast.

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Gus ate about half his kibble.

* Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch.

* Dawson ate most of her food.

* Muggles and Zipper both ate their lunches.

* Ozzy ate a little bit.

* Bella (chi) ate half her kibble. She's now really low on food, so please bring some more next time.

* Bella (Maltese) wasn't hungry.

* Heidi ate all her lunch.

* Tofu wasn't hungry.

* Danger ate.

* Daisy ate. She'll need more food here for next time (running low).

* Mika wasn't hungry.

* Tofu wasn't hungry.

July 28: Hot doggie day

Today's class photo, taken at around 11 a.m.:

Check out this photo above of Tonka (miniature dachshund) sunbathing at his mom's house in New West. It's awesome! What a view...

It's a scorcher out there today. We've got the air con on full blast in here and it's sooooo nice. Morning walks are done and Pat is feeding lunches right now.

* I love this photo to the left of Molly (Min Pin cross) & Ozzy (Min Pin) at playwar... just look at those jaws going at it! We have another cute pic of them playing with Dawson (chi). Dawson's also been playing with Winston (beagle-cross), and Ozzy's been chasing Casper (Coton de Tulear) around.

* Leroy's got a new buddy - Doogie the Jack Russell Terrier. Together with Winston and Rico (pug-cross), the furry foursome have been playing and chasing up a storm!

* And then we have the pack of little white dogs: Jasper (Coton de Tulear) has been playing with Tofu (Bichon Frise - pictured right) and Danger (Maltese) and Jones (Bichon), plus his brother, Casper.

* Danger and Jones are little wrestle-buddies, never far from each other's side. Bobo (maltipoo) has been in there too, but he's also been chasing the bigger kids - Winston and Doogie. Tofu's been really friendly with everyone and especially likes Ozzy and Muggles.

* Diamond (Papillon) and Spike (Shih tzu) are hanging with Buttons (cockapoo). They're lounge buddies. Pepe (Havanese) is having a pretty chilled day, too. He's just been hanging with the pack and doing a bit of running around. He tends to spring into break-dancing life in the afternoon.

* Then we have the tiny pack, coming in size XS to S. These guys are adorable. There's Muggles and his sister Zipper (both toy Maltese) and little Dawson (chi). The three of them are pictured left, sitting on a chair. They're also buddies with Max and Bently (both Yorkies).

* Bently loves wrestling with Muggles, and Max has also been playing with Jones. Also in their pack: little Theodore (another teacup Yorkie), who likes to play chase with both the little and "big" kids. Tonka has also been playing lots with Jones, doing his typical head-butting play game. He's also been chasing Winston and Doogie.

* Pictured left: Molly and Ozzy grapple for the orange rubber toy, while Dawson looks on.

* Pictured above right: Doogie sitting pretty. He was very happy to come through the doors and has been having a blast with Winston, Leroy, Muggles and Zipper.

* What else is going on? At the moment, Scooby (American cocker spaniel) is playing tug of war with LG (Yorkie-cross). LG and his brother Spike (Yorkie) have been in doggie heaven, wrestling Winston and chasing Jasper and Casper.

Did your dog eat?

* Scooby ate all.

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch.

* Dawson ate all.

* Muggles and Zipper ate. They're running low on their special food that has the kibble in it that keeps their eyes clear, so can you bring some more of that next time?

* Ozzy ate more than half of his kibble.

* Bobo ate most.

* Theodore wasn't hungry for lunch.

* Danger ate his lunch.

* Doogie ate all his lunch.

July 27: Dog days of summer

Oh, to be a dog. Hanging out your furry friends, going for walks, taking afternoon naps, getting all excited for treats and yummy dinners.

I should point out we have two Spikes (one Yorkie, one shih tzu), to avoid confusion. Right now (1 p.m.) the dogs are playing chase after gobbling down their lunches. The morning walks are done and we'll take them out again in the afternoon.

* Looks like Max (Yorkie pictured above) is having a good day. He received a celebrity greeting when he arrived from all his buddies, including kisses from Dawson (chi). I think Max has a girrrl-friend!

* Pictured left: Lexy, Umber, Danger & Dawson.

* Also playing in the little chihuahua/yorkie pack are: Umber (chi), Mika (chi) and Danger (Maltese). Can't really call it ruff-and-tumble because they're all wrestling around, playing so gently, but rolling around on the dog beds. Very cute.

* Pictured: Spike & LG hogging Pat's lap!

* The more high-energy pack have been chasing each other from room to room. You can probably guess who this includes. Bechler (Boston Terrier) and Heidi (shnoodle) are leading the pack, zooming from room to room, with Scooby (Am'n Cocker Spaniel), Casper, Jasper, Spike (Yorkie) and LG all in there too - zipping up the ramps and bolting around. LG, Scooby and Heidi have also been playing tug of war with Bechler.

* Leroy (pictured left) really likes Spike (shih tzu) and Diamond (Papillon). They've been chilling out together this morning. Also in the laidback crew: Buttons, who didn't want to walk very far this morning. She plopped herself down in the cool grass for a break.

* Pictured right: Happy pups Bechler & Heidi.

Did your dog eat?

* Leroy ate breakfast.

* Scooby ate all his breakfast.

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch.

* Dawson ate half her lunch.

* Danger ate lunch.

* Heidi ate all her lunch.

Today's group photo:

July 24: Puppy love

Today's top photo brought to you by the happy couple, Jones (left - Bischon) and Danger (Maltese).

I've been shooting video again today. Just a few highlights: Spike, LG, Gus, Lexy chasing after the ball, Snoopy hanging with the pack, Jones and Danger wrestling, Heidi and Casper wrestling, Bobo trying to avoid the camera, and Buttons getting super excited (hopping up and down) at lunch time. All that, and more...

Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlM-GEx6HMo

Also, scroll down to yesterday's blog entry to view another video, if you haven't seen it already.

Did your dog eat?

* Yuki ate.

* Buttons ate.

* Ozzy ate a little bit.

* Danger ate.

* Gus ate all.

* Heidi ate all.

* Bobo ate all.

* Jasper and Casper ate a little.

And here's a few photos from today:

July 23: Happy Birthday Rico

Happy Birthday, Rico! The lucky pup celebrated his first birthday here today with 21 of his friends, and we’ve got some great pix & video footage to show you… First of all, click on this link to watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOWHEct3pM0

The morning walks have been done, lunches fed, and we've been playing lots of games. Instead of blabbing on about what the dogs have been up to, I'll let the video and pictures do the talking. Scroll down to the end to see if your dog ate lunch.

So here are some photos from today:

Did your dog eat?

* Leroy ate a bit for breakfast.

* Yuki ate his kibble for lunch.

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Bella doesn't have any food.

* Casper ate lunch but Jasper wasn't hungry.

* Muggles and Zipper both ate lunch.

* Ozzy ate.

* Frankie gobbled up his lunch.

July 22: Power to the doggies

An interesting day today, to say the least... our block in North Burnaby had a massive power outage from 10:30 until 3 p.m. The phone lines, computer (email & blog), fans, lights, etc were out all day. So if you were trying to email, phone, or were wondering where your photos were, blame BC Hydro! LOL. Sorry, we won't have time now to update this blog properly, and we didn't have the chance to do a group photo. We're doing the second round of walks right now... Hope you had a good day! Your Wednesday staff: Nigel, Katya, Pat, Judy & Maori

A few photos taken this morning, before the power went out:

July 21: Jumping for joy

Check out this photo of Molly (Min Pin cross) getting some serious air time! And no, we didn't supply a spring board. This girl would be good at agility! All her friends look mesmerized, too... check out their curious faces. I'm running our three best pix big today so you can see the details better. Also, to avoid confusion, note there are 2 Mika's here. If you're here tomorrow, we're going to attempt a video or two of the dogs playing, so stay tuned for that... We've got a good pack in here today. They're all intermingling, chasing each other around. * Leroy (Cairns Terrier-cross) has been chasing Winston (beagle - pictured left, sitting pretty and watching his buddy Molly leap). Winston sings this happy play-song when he's wrestling Molly (hilarious!). They've also been chasing Yuki (Papillon), Lexy (chi-silky terrier) and leaping Molly. * Buttons (cockapoo) sat perfectly for the group photo today (see the pic below). For some reason, she just wasn't into it yesterday and kept leaping off, encouraging other dogs to follow her lead. But today she was a little angel. :-) Scroll down for more... * As you can see in the photo below, the tiny trio - Dawson (chi), Ozzy (Min Pin) and Molly - are best buds. They've been rolling around on the dog bed, playing. Ozzy's also been wrestling Yuki. And Dawson loves Mika (chi), Mika (maltese) and Bella (chi). Mika (maltese) surprised us by barking on her walk, but as soon as Pat corrected her, she stopped. Good girl. Scroll down for more... * Bella (chi) has been playing up a storm with little Maggie (toy poodle). We haven't seen Maggie for a while and she's grown (a little)! She's still tiny though, LOL. She had a good appetite at lunch time and gobbled up her food. Bella's also been playing with LG (Yorkie-cross). * LG and his brother Spike (Yorkie) have been chasing Winston, Jasper, Casper (Coton de Tulear), Molly and Bella around the room. Did your dog eat? * Yuki ate all his lunch. * Buttons ate all. * Dawson ate her lunch. * Mika (Maltese) wasn't hungry. * Bella ate lunch. * Ozzy ate. * Maggie was hungry! She gobbled up her lunch. * Jasper and Casper ate all their kibble.

July 20: Never a dull Monday

Some people dread going to work on Monday morning, but for us, it's all fun and games... A little bit of tug of war, some relaxing walks in the sun, chucking the ball, picking up the littl'uns for cuddles.

The morning walks are done and we'll definitely be getting out there again soon. Gotta make the most of this sunshine. For an Ozzy, I'd say Nigel's tan could use a little work. LOL.

Okay, enough rambling. Here's what the dogs have been up to this morning:

* Buttons (cockapoo) has pep in her step today, with lots of energy on her walk. Pat thinks it may be her new haircut - she's strutting her stuff. Go girl!

* Dawson (chihuahua - pictured right) is back, and happily catching up with all her buddies. She's been wrestling Umber (chi) and Bobo (maltipoo). That's Umber and Dawson pictured left. The two of them have also been playing lots with Yuki (Papillon).

* Peekay (Yorkie) just got picked up. He's been staying with us for the past week. He was a very good boy and got lots of walks and made lots of new friends. Leroy (Cairns Terrier/Shnauzer cross) has settled in nicely, too. He's been wrestling Yuki and LG (Yorkie-cross) today.

* LG (pictured right) and his brother, Spike (Yorkie) have been chasing tag-team Jasper and Casper (Coton de Tulear) and Heidi (shnoodle) from room to room, and all over the red ramps in the back. Bechler (Boston Terrier - pictured left)'s been joining in, too, so it's quite a fast-moving pack or fur buzzing around. At this moment, Bechler (pictured left) and Spike are taking five-minute power naps.

* Sheraz (miniature Shnauzer) is having a good time, mingling with the pack. She looooves her walks and likes hanging out with Mika (not our Mika - the Maltese Mika) and Lexy (silky terrier-chi). Yep, there are two Mika's here today. Definitely one of my favourite names, but I'm biased, considering one of them is our dog (chihuahua). Mika the Maltese is kinda shy like our Mika and very adorable and friendly.

* Enid (Jack Russell) sure was happy to see Heidi today, running up to her to say hello. She also loved her walk with Pat and Linus (miniature dachshund). Linus was feeling a little shy for the group photo - Nigel and Pat kept trying to get him to look at the camera. LOL. He sure loves Heidi - smothering her with kisses. Bobo was cuddling up to Linus after his walk. Bobo's also been playing with Leroy and the chihuahuas (mentioned above).

* Max (Yorkie) got lots of kisses when he arrived from Heidi and Casper. He's been running around with Sasha (Papillon) today. The two of them are little buddies. They both really like Mika (Maltese) too.

Did your dog eat?

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Max (Yorkie) has run out of food. Please bring some next time if you want us to feed him lunch.

* Peekay ate all his breakfast.

* Yuki didn't eat breakfast, but ate his kibble for lunch.

* Leroy ate his breakfast.

* We'll feed Sheraz at dinner time.

* Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch.

* Dawson ate lunch.

* Mika (Maltese) wasn't hungry.

* Bobo ate some.

* Heidi ate all her lunch.