Sept. 30: New stock, a new dog & new parties

Hurray - the sun's shining! What a brilliant change from yesterday's grey, gloomy weather...

NEW STOCK

It probably won't last long though, so now's the time to get your waterproof dog coats (just check out yesterday's blog entry). We've just placed an order from MySassyDog for some new rainproof coats with removable fleeces.

These are really good-quality jackets that will last forever and keep your dog warm and dry. If you have a short-haired dog that hates going potty in the rain, they are essential. Our chihuahua, Mika, refuses to step outside when it's wet.

The MySassyDog coats come in army green, yellow, red & black (only in a few sizes left in black). Let us know if there's a specific size or colour you'd like so we can make sure we stock it.

We've also placed an order from New York designer Hip Doggie, which designs clothing for celebrity's dogs. They've got some awesome, warm, fuzzy hoodies and cute rain parkas.

All of our new stock should be arriving within the next two weeks. More on that later!

NEW PARTIES COMING UP

Also coming up ... a few Halloween parties we'd like to promote. First of all, we'll be hosting a Howl'aween costume party here at the daycare for customer's dogs only on Friday, Oct. 30th, with lots of spooky photos...

If you're looking for a Saturday party to show off your dog's costumes, there are a couple of big events coming up, hosted by Three Dog Bakery.

The first is being held at their new location in Port Moody on Saturday, Oct. 24th, and the second is held at their Vancouver location on Sat, Oct. 31st. We'll have more info on all these Halloween parties in the weeks to come.

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And now for today's blog:

A NEW DOG

We'd like to welcome Taylor (Corgi, pictured above) to the pack! He's a super friendly, happy puppy, who's been running around all morning, making lots of new friends.

He especially likes wrestling with the Maltese puppies (Muggles, Sprokette, Zipper & Rupert), chasing Henna (Boston Terrier), and Jude (puggle), who's been following him around all morning. Jude also really likes Talula, who's pretty shy but seems to like the attention! :-)

We have 30 dogs here right now in daycare, so busy, busy! It's a really good pack - everyone's getting along fabulously. There are lots of little groups of dogs wrestling on the dog beds, playing chase, mingling nicely.

* Pictured right: Check out Bently's adorable bow-tie. He's been super playful today, chasing after Scruffles and Daisy, and wrestling with Katie (Sheltie).

As of 11 a.m., they're still full of energy and having a blast. We'll start lunches in about an hour, but there are lots of feedings today, so check back for an update after 2 p.m.

* Pictured above left: Daisy & Scruffles have been wrestling all morning! Also diving into the wrestle match are: Bently, Ozzy & Bella (chi-cross).

* Actually, Bella's been super playful today, rolling around with Daisy & Scruffles.

* Pictured left: Spike, LG, Tuka & Katie. Tuka and Katie are good buddies, always hanging out together, touching noses... awwww...

What else is going on? Well, there's too much to write about today, so I'll just mention a few of the games I've witnessed this morning:

* Scooby (Am'n cocker spaniel) playing tug-of-war with Rupert. Scooby's in the Spaw right now, getting a hair cut.

* Pictured right: Henna, Rupert & Taylor playing.

* The Maltese puppies playing a gentle ruff-'n-tumble game all over the dog beds. Muggles, Zipper & Sprokette have had their baths and are getting groomed in the Spaw... they look all fluffy and white right now.

* Umber (chi) and Theodore (Yorkie) have been inseparable, chasing after each other and wrestling, diving under chairs, up on the bench... hilarious.

* Pictured left: Theodore with his girlfriend Katie.

* Nikko (poodle) has been blasting around with Henna, Taylor & Heidi. He just loves to play and has lots of friends here.

* Cookie & Donut (pomeranians) are hanging out with Bailey (Yorkie-cross) & Charlie (Pom-cross) right now, who just arrived. Donut is pretty shy but Katie came up to her and gave her a warm welcome & sniff, making her feel more comfortable. Now they're friends. :-)

* Sebastian is being very cuddly and affectionate today with us humans, and Buttons just gobbled up her lunch with MUCH excitement.

Did your dog eat?

• Scooby: Ate all his lunch
• Rupert: Ate a bit
• Talula: Nothing today
• Buttons: Do i need to write it : )
• Muggles: Ate
• Zipper: Ate aswell
• Sprockette: Yeps
• Sebastian: Not today
• Theodore: Ate it up
• Henna: Very hungry
• Taylor: Not today
• Scruffles: Ate
• Bella: Everything
• Daisy: Everything aswell
• Ozzy: Ate 1/2
• Nikko: Ate it all
• Heidi: Ate everything

Sept. 29: Wet and wild

All the raincoats are coming out of the closet this morning... both for humans and dogs. As you can see above, Ozzy is looking very stylish in his yellow MySassyDog waterproof coat (they're really good quality jackets, with fleece linings).

He's posing next to our Small Paws rainy day mascot, Rover, also wearing a yellow raincoat.

Our two dogs HATE the wet and Mika won't even go out unless she has a hoodie or jacket on. I took them out with Emma (miniature dachshound) this morning, who also had a little rainproof coat.

The morning walks have been done and lunches are being fed. Scroll down to the end of the blog to see if your dog ate.

* Pictured right: Dawson (chi) pins down Molly (Min Pin-cross), play-growling... showing her tough side!

* Here's a cute photo below of Rico (pug-cross) next to Dawson and her big buddy, Gus (American cocker spaniel).

* Rico, Gus, Molly (Min Pin cross), Winston (beagle-cross), and Henna (Boston Terrier) have been a little tag-team this morning, chasing each other around both rooms.

* Jasper and Casper (Coton de Tulear) have been joining in the chase game too, and right now are racing around the back ramps with Rico.

* Pictured left: Dawson paws Gus's face. Pictured right: Molly wrestling Winston.

What else has been going on?

* Buttons (cockapoo) broke into a little prance today on her walk, which made Pat laugh. She did the same for me yesterday. Right when she gets close to the daycare, she springs into gear, galloping like a horse to the finish line.

* Rupert (Maltese puppy) has been very playful this morning, as always, chasing around anyone who'll wrestle with him (especially Dawson, Henna and Winston).

* That's Rupert pictured left, about to pounce on Henna. Rupert's sister Talula is a little more shy but really likes Dawson (chi) and Snuggles (shih tzu-cross, pictured right).

* Speaking of Snuggles, she's sure settling in here. She's feeling much more confident lately and has made some new friends - especially Rupert and Dawson. She follows Dawson everywhere... :-)

* Rupert's new buddy is Max (Yorkie). As soon as Max arrived, the Maltese pup started pouncing on him, trying to get him to play. Sure enough, the two have become friends.

* Ozzy has also been playing lots with Gus and Henna, and is curled up next to Dawson right now.

* Maggie (Cairns Terrier, pictured right) has been playing wrestle with Rico.

* Sebastian (miniature poodle, pictured below left) went straight up to Dawson when he arrived to start playing.

* I made a little bed for Sheraz (miniature shnauzer) in a cave to take a nap. She likes it. She's been doing lots of mingling and didn't seem to mind the rain too much on her walk.

Did your dog eat?

(Give you a hint... everyone was hungry today)

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Molly ate all her breakfast.

* Rupert ate lunch.

* Rico ate all his lunch.

* Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch.

* Gus ate all his lunch.

* Dawson ate all her lunch.

* Sebastian ate all.

* Ozzy ate half his kibble.

* Max ate lunch.

Sept 28: Small dogs have big hearts

Poodle power! Here we have (from left to right): Nikko (miniature poodle), Heidi (shnauzer/poodle), Buttons (cockapoo) and Sebastian (mini poodle). All four are very lovable, affectionate dogs. We've got lots of tiny puppies in here today too, which are getting lots of attention on the walks. Pat was stopped twice this morning by strangers to ask: a) "Are those dogs for sale?" (Muggles & Zipper), and b) "Is that dog neutered? I'd like to breed him." (Theodore). Nope, and nope. Sorry! All the best-looking dogs come to Small Paws, that's for sure... * So right now, the pack of extra-small dogs are rumbling around on the dog beds and playing chase. This includes the Maltese puppies (Rupert, Muggles, Zipper & Sprokette), Dawson (chihuahua), Theodore (Yorkie), Umber (chi), and Mika (chi) and Lexy (chi-cross). * Pictured above left: Sheraz (miniature shnauzer). * Buttons is chilling out with Sheraz, Enid (Jack Russell), Sebastian and Talula. Talula made a new friend today - Pepe (Havanese) is really curious in her and has been tagging alongside her. Scroll down to the bottom of this blog for a cute pic of Pepe. * Pictured left: Enid in foreground, with Mika & Lexy curled up in the blankets in the background. * And then we have the high-energy crew, chasing each other around on the back ramps and playing tug of war with the rope toy. The main leaders in this pack are Bechler (Boston Terrier), Heidi and Nikko, but there are lots of other dogs jumping in and racing around with them. * Spike (Yorkie) has been playing with Pepe this morning, and LG has been chasing Bechler around. Jasper was running on the ramps after Bechler, and Casper was wrestling Heidi & Nikko at the same time. * Great to see Scooby (black American cocker spaniel) back again! We were hoping Dempster would come today so they could meet (he's a black Am'n cocker spaniel puppy). But no... next time. Scooby has been playing with Muggles this morning ... he seems to like the littl'uns best. * Pictured right: Scooby, Sheraz & Bechler. * Pictured left: Bechler with the rope toy, and Zipper in her adorable blue dress. * Pictured below right: Teddy's got the toy! Did your dog eat lunch? * Buttons: Ate it all up * Jasper/Casper: Ate everything *Rupert: Ate his lunch all up *Talula: Not hungry today *Scooby: Ate most of his lunch *Dawson: All *Muggles: Some *Zipper: Some *Sprockette: Some *Theodore: Ate a little bit *Nikko: Gobbled it all up *Sebastian: Ate everything *Heidi: All *Bobo: Ate a little bit Pictured below: Pepe posing on the chair. Good boy. :-)

Sept. 25: Welcoming Jackson to the pack!

In case you missed the announcement yesterday, Small Paws has been voted the #2 dog daycare in Vancouver in The Georgia Straight's 2009 Best of Vancouver competition.

Thanks to everyone who voted for us! We're super excited about this recognition. Small Paws is a small, family-run dog daycare that specializes in small dogs. :-) ----------- Here's the class photo for today (Friday, Sept. 25, 2009): Remember, you can click on any of the photos to view them larger, or to download to your desktop. ... And we would like to introduce a new dog to the pack: Jackson! He's an 18-month-old border terrier-cross (pictured below) who's getting along fang-tabulously with all the other dogs today, running around with the pack straight away. He's also really friendly with the humans here, and loved his walk. What a cutie! So what's been going on today? Well, the morning walks are done and the dogs have been playing chase and ball all morning. The lunches have been fed (scoll down to the bottom of this page to see if your dog ate), and we'll start round two of walks at around 2:30/3. Here's a few highlights of the morning: * Rupert (Maltese pup) is our Mr. Socialite of the day, running around with everyone and trying to entice them to play. His best friends are Henna (Boston Terrier), Emmi (Italian Greyhound), Sofie (Yorkie, pictured left) and Dempster (American cocker spaniel). Oh - and of course Dawson (chi), pictured below. * Dempster's also been having a blast running around with Heidi (shnoodle) and Rico (pug-cross). These three are a little trio of wrestle-mania/chase games. * Spike and LG have been running around with Heidi as well, but the funniest thing I've seen this morning was these two wrestling Mika (chi) and Lexy (chi cross). Little Mika went into warrior mode, snarling and trying to bite at LG's ears. All in good fun, of course. * Hey, what's with the funny face, LG? (pictured left). * Rupert's sister Talula is still a little timid, but she seems to really like Dawson, the chihuahua puppy. Talula has also been hanging out with Rosita (shih tzu), who can also be on the shy side. Both girls are great with us humans. :-) * Buttons (cockapoo) showered Sofie (Yorkie) with kisses when she came in. You don't see that every day! She also had lots of energy on her walk this morning. * Enzo (miniature dachshound) sure has become a popular little guy at daycare this week. He's made lots of new friends and is very playful.

* We haven't seen sisters Peanut (Min Pin) and Emmi (Italian Greyhound) for a while... welcome back, girls! Looks like they've been making up for lost time: Emmi has been playing wrestle with Rupert, and even Peanut was playing today - doing a pounce/paw game with Rico. * Pictured left: Rico putting a protective arm around Dawson. Sebastian (miniature poodle) also loves Dawson. They're like the cool older brothers. * Cookie and Donut (pomeranians) were a little shy coming in, but are now running around with the pack and doing a bit of playing. * Sofie (Yorkie), Max (Yorkie) and Rupert have a little wrestle-chase game going on right now. They're all so little and have a similar playing style: chase, pivot, pounce! * Theodore (Yorkie) is playing tug of war with Rico and Henna right now. Game on! Did your dog eat? * Rupert ate a little lunch. * Buttons ate all. * Rico ate all. * Henna ate all. * Dempster wasn't too hungry for breakfast but ate quite a bit for lunch. * Cookie & Donut have been eating their treats. We will feed them dinner at 5 p.m. * Sofie wasn't hungry for lunch today. * Dawson ate all. * Heidi ate all. * Max ate a little lunch. * Theodore wasn't hungry. * Sebastian wasn't hungry. * Pictured below: Cookie & Donut to the left, and Jackson, Rico, Sofie & Dempster (back row) to the right.

Small Paws voted #2 dog daycare in Vancouver!

We have some exciting news… Small Paws Doggie Daycare has been voted #2 dog daycare in all of Vancouver by some 100,000 voters in The Georgia Straight’s Best of Vancouver competition, announced today! Thanks to everyone who voted for us. We’re a small, family-run operation and it’s a huge accomplishment for us to gain such recognition in just 1 ½ years. Thanks again for your support! From the Small Paws team: Nigel, Katya, Pat, Judy, Angie & Maori

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And now for today's blog:

* Here's a pic of Max (Yorkie) sticking out his tongue! "Na, na, na, na, na... come 'n get me!" He's been playing lots with Jones (Bishon) this morning. Too cute. Jones has also been chasing Nikko around. Nikko's been having a blast playing with all his furry friends this week.

* Snuggles (shih tzu-cross) has been following Dawson everywhere. She was hilarious on the walk today with Pat and jumped into the mail truck to say hello. Don't worry - we know the mail lady... her dog Tuka comes here.

* Pictured left: Winston & Rupert.

* Buttons (cockapoo) also was really excited to see Tuka's mom on the walk, too, and gave her lots of kisses.

* Jude (puggle) arrived at mid-day and got the pups all re-energized! He's been running around with Winston (beagle-cross), Henna (Boston Terrier), Enzo (miniature dachshound) and Jasper & Casper (Coton de Tulear). Enzo loves wrestling with his buddy Winston!

* Henna has also been playing with Nikko and chasing/tackling Rupert (Maltese puppy). Rupert looooves Henna (the two of them pictured left).

* Dawson (chi) has been in a play-pack with her usual suspects: Ozzy (Min Pin), Mika (chi), Lexy (chi-cross), Rupert and a new contender... Enzo! Dawson has also been playing with her "bigger" buddy, Sebastian (miniature poodle).

* Emma (miniature dachshound) is Enzo's female twin. She was greeted with lots of kisses from her buddies Mika (chi), Lexy and Enzo. She seems really happy today.

* Really like this photo of Winston to the left...

* Oh, forgot to mention there are two Mika's here today. Mika (Maltese) really likes her little Maltese friend, Rupert, and the other Mika (the chihuahua).

Here's today's class photo:

Did your dog eat?

* Buttons ate all her lunch.

* Jasper & Casper ate all their lunch.

* Dawson ate all.

* Henna ate all.

* Ozzy ate about half.

* Rupert wasn't hungry for lunch.

* Mika wasn't hungry.

* Nikko ate all.

* Max ate a little.

* Sebastian wasn't hungry.

Sept. 23: Sunny day, happy dogs

It's a gorgeous, sunny day - awesome weather for dog walking! The sun is spilling through the big front windows here at the daycare, creating a nice light for taking photos. As you know, Wednesdays tend to be our busiest days. We've got a great pack in here today (26 in daycare as of 11 a.m.), and the Spaw is busy in the back. So that means more pix and less blabbing on below... more time for dog walking and playing with the pups! First of all, we'd like to say welcome back to Tuka (American Eskimo), Bobo (maltipoo) and Maggie (Cairns Terrier), who've all been away for a couple of weeks. A big congrats to Bobo's parents, who just got married in Alaska. Incredible photos... :-) I love the photo of Tuka above, on his back. And check out the pic of Maggie below, yawning. Take a look at those sparkling white gnashers! Also, hello again to Mister (miniature dachshound-cross, pictured right), who's back for his second day at daycare - and having a blast! What a friendly little dog. * Pictured above left: Molly & Heidi playing on the ramps. Below: Lexy on the blankets, and Rico giving Heidi a sniff. * Love this photo to the above left of a very pensive-looking Casper! And to the above right: Paris & Bella (chi-cross). Here's a few more observations from this morning: * Rico has a new girlfriend - Paris! She looooves him. * Umber has been playing lots with Jones, and getting chased around by Paris. * Molly had lots of energy this morning and has been bombing around with Mika. * Sasha just arrived and has made a new friend: Paris. Sasha's also been playing with Umber, and was a very good girl getting her nails trimmed. * Pictured right: Close-up of Buttons. * Heidi, Spike, LG, Jasper, Casper, Jude and Molly are chasing each other around on the ramps right now. * Chili's a fairly new dog and has been gaining his confidence each time. He's made lots of new friends, and especially likes Sasha and Paris. * Pictured left: Henna taking a biiiiiig yawn! Tuka's in the background. * Pictured right: Sebastian giving Paris a kiss. Did your dog eat? * Jasper and Casper ate all their lunch. * Buttons ate all her lunch. * Rico ate all. * Molly ate all. * Sheraz ate her breakfast. * Henna ate all her lunch. * Bobo wasn't hungry for lunch. * Bella ate lunch. * Nikko ate all his lunch. * Paris ate her lunch. * Jude wasn't hungry. * Sebastian wasn't hungry. And here's today's class photo! Sept. 23, 2009: