Little Kids!!! November 18, 2008

Today was so exciting!!  It was wonderful to be with the little dogs, there were seven today.  We had a great routine since it was cold out…we were inside for 45 minutes, and outside for 10 (or longer if the kids hadn’t done their business).  There were fiesty puppies and an old beagle, even a shy chihuahua to top it off.  It was an awesome group and I absolutely loved it

Sleepy beagle…this is Pancake, and that was her spot. She needed alot of motivation to go outside :-P

George is a very handsome yorkie, he took such a great picture!

Luna in front, she’s so cute! Lily and Callie K playing behind her on the table.

Lily is a golden puppy full of energy. She tore up the yard and wore herself out!

Freya curled up in the corner during nap time.

She warmed up to me eventually and had her turn on my lap to look out the window.

This is a crew member’s new addition to her family, Fifi. She’s a five month (YUP, and believe how big she is…) Great Dane pup and has no idea how big she is. She had a blast playing with all the little kids.

Worst Day Ever October 28, 2008

I’ve been around dogs all my life. I’ve trained them for over 12 years. I’ve been with them when they’re getting shots, recovering from surgery, leaving mom for the first time, in huge groups, in small groups, at the groomer, and even when they have porcupine quills up their nose.  I’ve worked in the professional field with them for over 6 years.

This past Saturday was the worst day I’ve ever experienced in all that time.

K9 Kaos has daycare on Saturdays, which I love. It’s usually a small group of dogs, average of 12. I like working it because I get to decided when the dogs have rest time, where we are in the facility (with a small enough group we can go inside), and how long we are in or out or resting for. Also, it gets a great response from the customers because it gives them a chance to not have to organize around their work schedule, and if they want to take a day trip and not worry about their dog, there is a place he can go.

…If I ever have my own daycare, we will be open on Saturdays.

This particular Saturday however, was not so good. The dogs were very excitable and didn’t all get along very well. Two dogs from the same family came and would gang up on other dogs. They would not stop barking, and Bailey stole my homework. Twice. The weather was raw and cold, there weren’t any little ones to sit on my lap to keep me warm, and they required constant attention and correction. I lost my voice from trying to talk over them!

It may seem from all my posts about daycare that it’s incredibly easy and nothing ever goes wrong. Unfortunately, that’s not true. I’ve been lucky up to this point (and will hopefully continue to be after) that I’ve had great groups of dogs and wonderful weather. But the truth is that not everyone gets along, and the weather isn’t always so pretty. It’s important for days like this that the attendant in the yard knows dogs: the body language, the warning signs, and how to control them to prevent them from getting out of hand. Anyone can try to stop a fight once it starts, but it takes a well trained person with experience to stop the fight before it happens.

I was very grateful for all the experience I have behind me that day.

Finally pictures! October 22, 2008

Monday in daycare was wonderful as usual…I’ve been so lucky to get nice weather when I work!  Except now that I say that it will rain from now on, but oh well.  I suppose I deserve some wet dog smell by now.

Here are some pictures I’ve taken so far out in the yard, and also from this weekend with family at the Head of The Charles Regatta in Cambridge.  My parents, my aunt and I went down to see my sister (who lives in Boston) and to watch my cousin from California, who now lives in DC, row in the Regatta with her club team.  It was a beautiful day and we did lots of walking, and saw so many dogs!  Big and small, all walking along the river.  Some had coats, and a few were a bit more excited than others, but it was great to see them all out.

Sophura thinks she’s a lap dog. She weighs 120lbs. She likes to use me as a pillow, and I let her because she keeps me warm.

Angus trying to get Patton to play.

Dualy, this little Cairn terrier, gets to play with the big dogs because he has such a big personality.

Sullivan sits and begs for attention…it’s hard to ignore that face!

Me and my sis, Katie

The boat house…it was nerve racking to see them get out of the boat, it always looked like they would flip!

It was such a beautiful day!

Here come the boats!

Katie leaning on the bridge to see

Escape from Society October 18, 2008

I was so glad to be back in the yard with the dogs.  It’s such a great escape from everything that has been so busy and hectic in my life right now.  Before I went in I was cuddling on the couch with Artemis, one of our kitties, and I realized that I just don’t have the same connection with cats as I do with dogs, as much as I love them.

The weather was beautiful today, and the sun kept me warm while I played with all the kids that came to daycare.  Clean up went great and it was a wonderful afternoon.  I took some pictures while I was out in the yard, keep an eye out…they’ll be up soon!

A welcomed return October 12, 2008

This week was my first (almost) full week back at K9 Kaos in Dover, NH.  I was out in the dog yard Monday and Friday afternoon, and boy was it good to be back!  I love watching all the dogs play together, seeing how they communicate and interact, playing and sleeping and sniffing around.  You can recognize right away who gets along and who is new to the pack, watching their body language and hearing the tones of their barks.

Monday was a noisy crew, one of the biggest challenges of being a daycare attendant is keeping them calm when things get rowdy, and quieting things down as soon as possible!  There are rarely altercations, but another dog moving outside the fence, a particularly noisy car, or even an invite to play can cause quite the ruckus.  It was a good afternoon though.  Clean up took a bit longer, being four months out of the game I didn’t quite have the speed I did when I left for the summer, but I was sure to get everything upstairs in the crate rooms scrubbed down and squeaky clean.

Friday I was back in the yard, and I think Donna had tired ‘em out before I got there!  A beautiful afternoon, the sun was so bright and warm it was perfect for the last days of sun bathing (for the dogs of course!)  Two of the pitbulls in my yard, Lou and Sullivan were completely occupied playing with a rock, and the whole group was much quieter than Monday.  I cleaned up downstairs which was much easier!

Unfortunately…my gallbladder has stones in it, and I’m likely to have surgery to remove it before the week ends, meaning I won’t be returning to the dog yard for at least the rest of the week.  Another attendant graciously took my hours for me, and I’m not sure what will happen when I know more about what my limitations will be after the surgery.  Hopefully all will work out well, and I’ll be back in the yard in no time!  Perhaps with the little ones that can jump quite as high….

Play time! September 25, 2008

Bermuda…Bahamas…Cuba?? It looks like I’ll be back in the sand at K9 Kaos starting in October! I worked at the outdoor dog daycare in Dover earlier this year for the last two months of my spring semester. It was alot of fun to be back with the dogs after a few months of unemployment and little contact with my favorite four legged friends.

I’m looking forward to returning to the small scale, but ever growing daycare with my own group of twelve to fifteen dogs. I really love K9 Kaos for the way they split up the dogs into groups with similar personalities, and they know their staff and what person to put with each group. For dogs that come on a regular basis it provides stability and a sense of anticipation to seeing their friends!

Although I’m not looking forward to the cold, I can’t wait to be in the mix again. The yards are all outside and have a cushy bed of sand (which provoked their tropical names), and the dogs are brought in around noon for a nap and time to rest, not before devouring a cookie of course After an hour of calmness it’s back to the craziness of the yards until mom and dad come to bring them home. With only daycare and grooming it’s a bit different to leave the building and it be quiet. A bit different from American K9!

With this being job number two, I’m looking forward to keeping busy! Speaking of which, it’s time for class! Look for an update later about my first few weeks in the Thompson School Grooming Program….