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Maggie Mae and Sassy love to play together. They have the same exuberant play styles and they usually visit on the same days. They are really great friends!

This is Baxter looking at the camera with very soft eyes. Next to him (but much shorter) is Lexi F. She is a little bit of a yorkie. Behind them is Salem with her holiday sweater keeping her warm. What cuties!
This is Roxy H. We fondly call her Roxy B-soxy because she is a basenji mix. Roxy is a sweetheart and has been visiting YLD for approximately 2 years. She is a handful and is in the middle of "teenagerhood"!

Photos

This is Casey B after a morning and afternoon of play. She is a 12 year old lab mix who visits each week because she still has so much energy. Casey likes to stand in front of her mom and dad and bark to notify them it is time for a daycare visit. We love old lady Casey!



Zoey, the little grey schnauzer, is asking Sherman, the bichonpoo, if he'd like to play. We can also see the rear half of Zoey's brother - Dexter. This was taken in the late afternoon is everyone has lower energy levels by that time. They did chose to turn and run around after this photo was snapped. We thoroughly love these little guys!



Since we're talking about loving dogs here are some of our favorite antics with specific dogs.


Jon likes to hold Daisy S. a corgi and pretend she is a guitar. The Daisy Duo as we like to call them! They both have fun. Jon because he likes to ham it up for the camera and Daisy 'cause she's getting love and attention!







Jim S. holding Sanford our favorite dacshund and "playing" Sanford as a violin. Sanford goes stiff when you pick him up and will just lie against whomever is holding him. Sanford gives Jim kisses before being put back on the ground.





Finally we have Lauren holding Sanford. He visits YLD very often and he really enjoys being held. We care for him and all the other like they are our own.

Well, have a wonderful wet day.
Peace,
Wendy

Photos

Wrigley - also know as Wiggly because he is very wiggly - is a young male golden approximately 13/14 months old. He's been visiting YLD two to three times a weeks since he was 7 months. Wrigley came to his owner through the Neuse River Retriever Rescue - a great bunch of people and a great organization!







Here's Lexie doooooooodle! Yup, she's a small golden doodle approximately 12 months. Lexi has been with YLD daycare since she was 4 months or so. She is a sweetheart but (as her mom testifies and we concer) Lexie has a HUGE capacity to get very dirty very quickly. Today she somehow got poop on the top of her head! Lexie and I had a chat while I was washing her off about proper girl behavior. :)




This photo was taken at the request of a client. This is Violet, my sister's cavalier king charles spaniel. On her way to the door to go home Violet somehow got the hoodie of her "coat" over her head. At this point she stopped moving because she couldn't see where she was going. Poor Violet. Let's say she's not the brightest bulb in the pack but she sure is the sweetest!

Violet was not harmed and I immediately moved the hoodie off her head after the photo was taken.



Here's Mike hanging the with larger dog group. We also call it the "bottom" group. This has nothing to do with intellect but with location. The area is below the "top" group play area. Anyway, the dogs love Mike as this picture portrays. We have Moose (white boxer), Ladybug (golden), Lila (yellow lab) and Misty (tricolor mix). It's obvious that Mike is a valuable commodity! We love our pack members!



I often have more photos of the larger dogs because I tend to supervisor that play group. If you wonder why it's because my own three dogs tend to play in that group. Anyway, I did have some time to photograph the smaller dog group. Here is Lexi F. and Sherman. Sherman is a bichonpoo and Lexi is a yorkie. They both had a great time this visit in that there were about 20 little dogs. Lexi has been visiting every week for about 6 months while Sherman had taken a hiatus and is now back in the pack.



Well, enough for today. Have a great evening and I hope you all are almost prepared for the holiday.
Peace,
Wendy

Photos

I've been feeling really good about this new camera. It takes pretty good photos. Now I just have to find the time to sit down and send them out to deserving parents via email. Finding time is not any easier for me than it is for most of you. So, here are some more photos that I'll try to get out tonight. If not, enjoy them here on the blog for now.

Peace,

Wendy

Leo taking a moment from play to contemplate why Mike, Jim and Jon where so wrapped up in clothing...

This is Scout. Here at YLD she is known as Beagle Scout. Her names are both very appropriate. She's a great beagle and she's the best at scouting out hidden lizards, frogs and other creepy crawly things.

Chance McG. is a young, handsome golden. As a whole the golden retrievers are the goofiest players of our pack. They take from three to five years to mature fully!

Photos

As I said this AM - it was a cold, cold morning but that made most of the dogs very frisky. I was able to get some photos of the morning play session so here they are with captions!

Here's Toby trying to get Tsuki to play with him. Tsuki doesn't look too sure about that.

Moose, the large white boxer flapping his ears, wants to play with Toby and Chuck while Daisy (the corgi) watches.

Here's Sawyer trying to interest Maddie A in some play while Chuck takes a break.

Finally, some of the dogs take a break to drink icy cold water. There is Chuck, Maddie A, Bentley, Cammie and Bailey G. Fun was had by everyone!

Have a great evening.

Wendy

Cold Weather

Good morning all! It's VERY cold outside - the radio said a frigid 24 degrees. Is it too cold to walk the dog or watch them at the park? Then bring them to daycare! We have both inside and outside play areas, a knowledgeable staff, and the expertise to care for Rover. We'd love to see you today!

Peace,
Wendy

'Tis the Season

One look around or a trip to any store will let you know we are well into the Christmas/Holiday season. This brings shopping trips, decorations, house guests, large trees inside, noisy gifts and of course lots of excitement and joy. The tree and decorations alone are enough to stress some sensitive dogs out. Some dogs will be fine with everything, right up until the house guests start to arrive. Others will sleep the whole season away wondering why her silly humans are running mad! Before diving head first into the season take a step back and think about how all of this affects your beloved dog.

Think about your dog's limits.

If one or two guests make Rover spin out or act up, consider a long walk and some additional training before the event. Also use his crate. We are all crating our dogs to help him avoid stress, right? It's a safe place, it's his, and he has a Kong filled with food and peanut butter. Make sure the crate is in a quiet room.

Before bringing that scary tree into your living room, take your dog on leash and introduce her to it outside. Yep, I said introduce. Bring treats and let her go at her own pace. Give lots of praise and use a happy voice. Once she is ok, go ahead and move the tree in.

The latest gadget, one more gift, forgot Uncle Schmedlap was coming to stay for a week...all reasons for us to stress. Did you know our dogs know we're stressed before we do? Yep again. Way before we do. Our body's give off tell tale signs that are very obvious to our pups. Take a few minutes a day to chill out and remember...breathe, relax, calm. breathe, relax, calm.

Your dog will thank you in the long run, I promise! Don't forget...training for 3 to 5 minutes a few times a day does wonders. It strengthens our bond with our dog, it builds common vocabulary, shows the dog you are a good leader, it helps to build the dog's manners and confidence and lastly, it helps make them tired!

A tired dog is a happy dog,
Mike

p.s. Table scraps can and will overload your dogs tummy. They don't have the same bacteria or digestive track that we do. One too many treats from the kitchen could lead to you being outside all night, a ruined carpet or an expensive trip to the Vet. Remind your guests...Don't feed the dog!