Photos - 12/30

So, here we are again. We've had many dogs being picked up from boarding while their parent's were away so we've gotten feedback that people like the blog, the photos and my rambling prose. It has been fun so let's get to it and share yesterday's photos. (They are a bit later because I actually took yesterday afternoon off!)Jim S.! I took this photo to show folks how the pack likes to follow the human leaders. Jim had just completed a poop tour of the bottom play area and is walking over to chat with Mike. There is Mickey H. on the far right. Next is Sammy M who is a chocolate labradoodle, and my black lab, Darwin. They are just following along to make sure the leader is happy and relaxed as Jim definitely is! The dogs play follow the leader throughout the day!


I really like this photo of Kacey C. He has been part of the YLD pack since puppyhood. Now, firmly in adulthood, he stopped playing for a second and posed for the camera. What a hoot because usually Kacey is running and tumbling all the hours he's in playgroup. Kacey is a great golden retriever!

Thought I'd try to get the boys photos. Here is Mike rubbing Mollie D's head. Mollie is on the ledge of the fencing in the lower play yard while Mike hangs out with the top play group. Mollie LOVES Mike and the other boys and they like to spoil her with love. Mollie joined the YLD pack almost four years ago. Her older brother, Jack, joined much more recently. Mollie and Jack come Monday and Friday of every week. They are great dogs and their mom, Martha, has done a great job raising them.


My niece, Emma, took this photo and requested it be included in the blog. There you see the double doodles (BB - before bath) interacting with Bailey P. and and maybe Casey M. I'm not sure who the red dog is...too many of them sometimes...and if I can't see a face. Either way it looks like everyone is having fun!

This is Sasha A. but she is really called Sasha T for Sasha THE herding dog. I even heard her dad (when he dropped her off for boarding) calling her T. I just love when the staff nicknames become widespread. As many of the clients know the boys on staff have great humor in their makeup and like to share. I digress. This is Sasha T. She has been visitng YLD for almost four years now. We've witnessed (so to speak) the births of two human sister during her time with us. Sasha and her eldest human sister love rocks. They like to organize, catergorize and inventy all kinds of rocks, so Sasha is in heaven when she visits YLD and the pea gravel play yards! We love you Sasha T!



If you looked at 12/29 photos you'd see Baxter - a very large chocolate lab - and I said to check back for his brother. Well, the above is Slider. I'm afraid Slider has a sore ACL and is kind of gimpy and sore but his parents wanted him with Baxter while they were away. Slider hangs with the pack for about an hour in the morning and then two hours in the afternoon (separated by a rest break). Their mom and dad are pregnant so they wanted to get to see relatives before it got too late. Both Baxter and Slider have been having a great time. Baxter is a huge player and I think Slider would like to be in the future.


The wind has picked up and the weather outside is turning frightful. If you're going out tonight (New Year's Eve) dress very warmly because the arctic air is freezing!
Have a wonderful new year's eve,
Wendy

Photos - 12/29

It seems I have become a photo fiend. I did promise to get photos each day because of so many boarders. I know many of you would like webcams to "see the action" but those scenes are fleeting while these are firmly on film. So the explanations begin...

Abby Labby appears in a blog a few days ago so check there for the background information. Anyway, here Abby appears to be about to talk to someone. I know she is standing on the play equipment and there were several other dogs around but I kind of wonder what she might say. "Hey, how ya doing?" or "Let's go grab some water together." or maybe something serious like, "I miss my parents, how about you?" Actually, Abby has been very happy with her stay. Dogs don't count days like humans; they live in the moment. So her moments are at YLD right now and when Mom and Dad get back she'll be glad to have her moments with them. Works well for each of us!

Lexie doodle appeared in yesterday's photos. Why do I take photos of her you ask. Well, she has the most amazing capability to get dirty. I've never seen anything like her affinity for dirt. Plus Lexie is very photogenic and a great player. All good reasons to take pictures. To showcase her filth affinity see below! I love this photo because it looks like split personality. On the left is Bailey G. - very, very clean - while on the right is Lexie - very, very, very dirty! Luckily Lexie is scheduled for a full spa treatment before she heads home on Wednesday!
Group photo... moving from left to right. Bently (golden mix), Sammy M. (looks like an irish wolfhound but is actually a chocolate labradoodle), Hennah (blue heeler) in the far back, Charlie (a new cocker spaniel) smack in the middle and Piper and Kacey (two goldens) on the right. We had just gotten up from nap so everyone is looking for the perfect spot to potty. As you can see the dogs are being very respectful of each other's space and need for privacy. That's one of the qualities we look for when introducing new dogs into our base pack.



Group photo...Sawyer is looking at the action taking place in the top play area. As are Jackson H. and Lila A. Jackson is the black lab and Lila is the yellow lab. The latticed fencing on the right of the photo is at the end of the walk way on the top. The walk way leads from the inside areas to the bottom play area. The black ex-pen (shortened from exercise) is on the left of the photo. The ex-pen attaches to the lattice fencing to provide a longer barrier than just a gate. We do this because too many dogs in too small a space is a recipe for someone getting upset, or getting their toes stepped on, or bumping into someone. As you can see in the photo the ex-pen is not extended. That is because there was only one play group the day this photo was taken. I was supervising the bottom play area while Mike and Jim were up top.

Bella B. is a young beagle mix who comes to daycare weekly. She visited over the holiday and this is a photo of her last evening just moments before her parents came to pick her up. Doesn't she look pooped! As Mike our trainer likes to say, "A tired dog is a happy dog." I also like to say that tiring dogs out is what YLD does best! Most clients claim their dog takes a nap as soon as the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
Summer V. What can I say about Summer? She is a sweetheart of a yellow lab who likes to lick my calves (or any other exposed skin) during the summer months. Summer has been with YLD since almost the beginning of our business. She used to visit daily when Mom and Dad were at work but now Summer only comes once a week. The economy has not been kind to Summer's parents. If anyone is looking for a great employee with accounting experience I'd recommend Summer's Mom and Dad!

Doodles, doodles everywhere! Here are Phoebe and Bo (sister & brother) who vacationed with us while the family visited NYC. These two also have a love a dirt as seen in the photo. Lucky for them they had a spa treatment before going home today. Phoebe and Bo love to wrestle, run and chase each other and other dogs. I love this photo because it looks like the doodles are telling secrets to each other! They are a great pair of doodles. The staff affectionately call them the "double doodles!"
A new Baxter appears above. He has only been a pack member for about three months. His mom is pregnant and likes Baxter to get out and release some of his energy. He is a rough and tumble player and a very big boy. He has a brother, Slider, who is almost as large but who has a torn ACL. Slider will appear in tomorrow's blog because he was on bedrest while I conducted my photo session. At Slider's parent's request he gets extra rest to pamper that ACL!

Here's our little buddy Sanford. Last year Sanford spent a lot of time with us while his dad was studying for an advanced degree. Luckily for both of them, his dad met a great young lady and Sanford now has a mom! Mom and Dad left Sanford in our care so they could take a honeymoon and visit family over the holiday. He's a great little dog and we alway love his visits!



Boomer J. is a shepherd mix. He is very large and loving. Here he is peering at Emma. I kind of wonder if he thinks she may give him a treat if he smiles for the camera! He would make a great wolf in Little Red Riding Hood because of those big white teeth. Thank goodness he only uses them to eat breakfast and dinner!

Well enough about the dogs. May you all have a restful evening. I'm going to grab a bite of dinner and then head to my bedroom. Hope to see you soon.
Peace,
Wendy

Photos - 12/28

Max S. is a wonderful shih tzu/poodle mix whose been visiting YLD since the spring of 05. He likes to hang out and follow the humans who supervise his group. Max loves all the activity of boarding during the holidays.
In the background is Baxter, a large chocolate lab. In the foreground is Bailey P. with her paws on top of Casey M. They enjoyed playing together yesterday. On the right hand side of the photo is Cassie M.'s head. She is featured later in the photo display.
This is Brady also known as Brad Pitt 'cause he is so handsome! Brad is outgoing and excited during play sessions. He just loves running around with his buddies. In the photo Brad is VERY clean (I'd just given him a bath) but one of his favorite things to do is hunt something extremely stinky (like decaying debris) and roll for a long time on his back in the stinky stuff. That is what makes this little boy the happiest!
Lila A. is trounching Darwin while they play inside because of the rain. Lila is a very active young girl but Darwin is a big strong young man and he can keep up with her. Maybe it's kind of like a crush - instead of opposites attracting it's the same play style coming together. Just a thought!
Here's that photo of Cassie I mentioned earlier. Her mom and I were discussing (as I worked on this blog) that Cassie seems very happy at YLD. Her mom was very pleased because Cassie had a rough start to her visiting YLD. She was not very good at communicating in dog language so we had to teach her. Her mom also mentioned it was good to see Cassie happy because when you usually see dog photos (from SPCA or other rescues) they look sad.
Talk about happy dogs! Here are Lexi doodle (on the play equipment) and Sawyer having a blast yesterday afternoon. They both are high energy dogs so they thoroughly enjoy visiting when they are at YLD at the same time. Sawyer's mom went to Hawaii for the holidays while Lexie doodles family went up to DC to spend time with their extended family.
What can I say? This is a great photo of Bella B. playing with Lila A. Now both are young females and they practice being submissive to each other. Obviously it was Lila's turn to go belly up and submit to Bella. We missed the photo that showed Bella submitting to Lila. This is alway good play behavior to see young dogs exchange because they are practicing dog language. Way to go girls!
Last, but certainly not least, is Lucy L. Lucy is a shepherd mix who came to YLD when she moved from Seattle. Her mom recently had a baby so Lucy has been getting used to a new pack member. Her mom and dad were going to go back home to Washington State but the weather was, at that time, frightful. So they decided to go up to New Jersey to visit the other side of the family. Either way the holidays were a great time for Lucy because she could visit us. We love Lucy.

Well, you all have a wonderful start to your week. If you're traveling be safe. See you soon.
Peace,
Wendy

Photos - 12/27

Sorry I haven't posted photos is a couple of days. Some of the staff came down with flu/colds so we've been short staffed which means I work more hours with the pack and cleaning instead of on the fun stuff. Here are a few I was able to process.

Here's Abby Labby. She's an old hat at visiting YLD. Last summer she spent most of her time here while her parents decided whether to move to CA or NY city after they receive their degrees. They liked opposite coasts so they visited Chicago and decided to move there after school. This time Abby Labby is visiting 'cause they went to Africa! As you can see, Abby may not be seeing the wild animals but she enjoys viewing life from the arm chair! Aaron walking into the upper playgroup. There is Tyson, the boxer; Rex, the collie; Rae, the chocolate lab; and a variety of other dogs. This was taken right after nap so everyone rushes outside to drink from the extremely cold water even though they had water in their crates.
Roxy W. and Hefner pause in their play on the upper level play yard. Hefner is a handsome Airedale while Roxy is a sweet yellow lab mix. Both visit YLD regularly. Hefner is quite the ladies man!
Here's Rex (white collie) inviting Dakota to play while Callie, the boxer; Mo, the boston; and Dexter, the schnauzer; look on. You can see the play equipment in the background. We moved it from inside to outside so it would get more use.

Well, that's all from the wild place. I'll get some more photos this afternoon.
Peace,
Wendy

Memorial

For many of us Christmas is not always a time of joy and celebration but a time for sorrow and finding something important missing in our lives. I am very sad to share that a young member of our pack, Tegan, passed away on Christmas Eve from a congenital health issue. This issue just presented at the start of the week. Tegan was just 8 months old and a huge part of his mom and dad's life. He will be sorely missed.

It has been a difficult year for YLD in the sense we have witnessed too many canine deaths. Old Man Soffa who adopted Jim S. as his dad passed away a bit over a year ago. Then came Luther, Gracie, Bailey S. all in February and March. During the summer, Snowflake journeyed to the "Rainbow Bridge." Just recently we heard Old Lady Summer also went on and now Tegan. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. We'll post photos after the busy season.

I hope this makes us all appreciate our dogs a bit more tonight.
Peace,
Wendy

Photos - 12/26

Lauren walks across the lower play yard with a bunch of dogs. There is Maddie A in front with Winston P, Mickey H, Darwin and Cheyenne behind Lauren. Bentley's head is just inside the right of the photo. Mitzie is also along the left edge - she's a small black mix breed. Below is a photo of Mitzie about to bark. She looks like a puppy but she is actually full grown.

This photo was taken looking down from the top play area. There is Abby Labby, the large black lab, looking at me with Bailey G. looking up also. In the background there is Mitzie - barking again - and Lady and Sawyer are trotting over to see what's going on.
In the foreground is Ginger and Khumba. This was taken on the top. They both are a bit older and not as spry. They both tend to have large spurts of energy then rest for a bit before gearing up to play again. If you are wondering what the fencing is on the right...Jon was watching the pack but everyone kept try to climb and jump on him so he surrounded himself with an ex-pen (short of exercise pen). He just did it for a minute and I got a partial photo evidence......(Jon can be kooky sometimes!)
Here are a variety of dogs - Charlie the cocker, Milly the shepherd mix, Bentley, Bailey, and two others that I can't name because I can't see very well. The photo was taken early morning. Everyone is looking for a place to pee or poop and investing where everyone else did their deeds. The slanted shadows are from the trees on the other property.

Well, Merry Christmas eve. I think it will be an early evening for me 'cause I need to get up with the dawn. If any of you have Santa's ear could you please ask him to be quiet as he flys over YLD so as not to wake the dogs tonight? Thanks.

Peace,
Wendy

Photos - 12/25

The photo above shows Mickey H.'s head! (hee, hee) Then the main event is the threesome in the back. Maddie A is on the left with her paw raised. Facing away from the camera is Sawyer and the blond is Bentley. A moment after this photo was taken the three burst into a chase game and ended up on the other side of the play yard.

The sweet looking golden above is Jersey. We like to call her Jersey Girl. She is not as active as some of the goldens and prefers to hang out with the top, less active group. Her major preference is just to sit at an employee's feet and get an occasional pat and rub.

This handsome young man is Rex. He is a collie. He's been here for several days so instead of running around this morning, Rex decided to be quiet and rest while the pack played around him.

Here we see Bentley again (he's a very active player) with Milly, Lexie doodle and Boomer.

Here is Charlie and Lexie doodle. Charlie is a cocker spaniel who is fairly new to the pack. He's just a bit smaller than Lexie doodle.

Here's Daisy G. A sweet old sheltie who loves to wander around barking at the other dogs. She enjoys the activity and interactions between the dogs. I must admit we also tend to spoil her with pats and rubs.

I'll take some more photos later. I hope all your holiday happenings are going well.

Peace,

Wendy

Cold Weather

Good afternoon. The holiday is almost here and the weather feels like it. I hear it is colder today than it will be on Christmas Day. Go figure, huh? Anyway, I wanted to remind everyone that the photos will be updated each day during this holiday season. We have many boarders and I know when you all are away you want to see your babies! I'll do the best I can to get photos of everyone so please bear with me during the process.

Also, please remember this is a stressful season for you and your canine companion. If there is going to be company and you're busily cleaning, cooking and preparing, remember the dog may be more comfortable in his/her crate than in the chaos. Crates are blessings to dogs because it gives them a safe quiet place to relax. Do you have a safe quiet place to relax? I know I could use somewhere like that some days.

The other item I'd like to mention concerns poinsettias. Please remember to keep these very beautiful and decorative plants out of reach for your dog. The poinsettia and other household plants can be toxic in varying levels. Just a note of caution especially in light of the fact we may not be paying as much attention to our dogs while visitors are around as we normally would. An interesting website for further information is: http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/dogs/index.html.

Have a great evening.

Peace,
Wendy

Holiday Celebration - 12/20

Good morning! It is a very cold Monday morning. I have some photos from this weekend I thought you might enjoy. First off there are some from the staff holiday party. We had dinner, awards and a small gift exchange. Then there are photos from the play group. Some of the photos were taken indoors where the camera doesn't do as well.

Have a great day. Be safe in all you do.
Peace,
WendyMeg with her accounting award. She is the best sister and accountant that I know.


Kristy, the Queen of Clean, with her Most Tolerant award since the boyz tease her so very much and she handles the teasing with calm and dignity.


Aaron with his Easiest Assimilation award - meaning he became a YLD employee quickly and easily. He fits in very well with the human pack!


Here's Cody. This was taken late in the afternoon so he was ready to get some rest. Behind him is Lady laying down resting already.
There's Baxter (white dog) wanting his bed (because that is what he enjoys most of all. For those of you who are new, Baxter is my older male dog. He is at YLD 8 days a week (kidding) but gets tired of being in the pack.) Behind Baxter is Khumba (on the left) and Darwin (on the right). They really enjoy each other and play a lot when they are in the same group.

This photo showcases Lauren who is holding Mo in her lap. Mo is a sweet, older Boston Terrier. Beside Lauren are Rex and Sawyer. In the foreground is my friend and former client Anita. Some of you may remember Luther, the large german shepherd who passed away in February after battling cancer. Anita is his mother. She comes to YLD and hangs with me and the pack on some Sundays. Anyway, Anita is asking Darwin to sit while Callie D. the yellow lab looks on.
Finally, in the foreground we have Milly and Sawyer (both australian shepherd mixes) mixing it up and having a great time! In the background are Zoey and Dexter, two schnauzers have a blast together. And way in the back (very tiny in the photo) are Zeke and Ducky quietly bonding with each other.

Photos - 12/21

These images were taken this morning (12/20/08). Above is Jesee M. Her mom and dad are away before Christmas so she's been boarding since Monday. Jesee is a sweet female golden whose been visiting YLD for about 5 months.
This is a great action shot although it is kind of fuzzy. On the left is Mason the golden; in the middle is Summit the border collie; and on the right is Sawyer the Australian Shepherd. Mason and Summit are just visiting for the weekend. Sawyer is here for the holidays. I know his mom checks this blog so I wanted to get some photos of Sawyer in action!
Callie, the boxer, and Mo, the boston terriers, are sisters. Their parents were headed out to Texas for a couple days before the holiday. Callie and Mo have been faithful YLD visitors for several years. They are both great dogs and we enjoy their visits. Mo is (so far) the only frequent, long term boston terrier. She acts more like a cat than a dog at times.
Finally here is Cinco S looking a bit unsure of himself. Cinco used to be a weekly visitor but a baby joined the family so he doesn't get here as much. Behind him is my dogs Darwin (the large black lab mix) and Lady (the black beagle mix).

The weather people say the sun will come out (there is a song in there somewhere!) so I'll have more photos later tonight. May all your shopping be quick and your travels without issues.

Peace,
Wendy