Well, it's been a rather quiet lazy summer here at the resort so far with the latest guest Pepper (Black lab, cocker, ducktoller cross, 8 months old) staying for just 2 exciting days last week.  She spent most of her time sticking her head down every ground hog hole imaginable, eating then barfing up a dead field mouse, chasing squirrels and chipmunks every which way, and even diving into the beaver pond after some ducks.  But hey, I had her all cleaned up for her owners who probably thought she had just spent her vacation curled up on my bed watching TV.  :o) Before that there was Dark, yet another pup who stayed for 10 days of high drama, which saw me chasing after him for miles.  He never clued in that it was I who was supposed to be deciding on the path used for our escorted walks!  He was to make a return visit for a few days with his owner's cat Chaos, but had to reschedule at the last moment.  Also visiting for a few days were our regular charming guests from Albany NY Tessa (German Shepard), and her side kick Sunny (Cocker Spaniel).

Coming this week we have Thunder a laid back Chow Chow who will be staying for a week, and then next month we have Klink and Hogan 2 adventurous Beagles.  Also in the planning stages is a visit from 2 labs Mickey (Black lab), and Minnie (Yellow lab) who have yet to confirm a reservation.  Thunder the laid back Chow Chow took a day and a half to get settled in, check out the perimeter fencing, and scrupulously mark out his territory.  As he was doing this, Kendra the frisbee devotee and Sport the squirrel aficionado checked in.  Sport promptly put Thunder in his place, and then took off after a hapless chipmunk.  Meanwhile Kendra checked out the house, and did some warm-ups with her frisbee.

By the second day everyone was the best of friends, and the sleeping arrangements had been sorted out with Kendra and Sport sleeping beside my bed, and Thunder flopped out in the middle of the floor in the summer kitchen.

The hot weather has caused the escorted walks to take place earlier in the day, and much later in the evening.  This morning we started out just as the sun was peaking up over the horizon, the morning mists were rising up off the meadows, and...

Thunder because of his rather obstinate nature is kept on a leash, but this is something which he rather expects to be the correct way of going for a walk!  Kendra and Sport run free, never wander far, always responded when called, and so overall the walks have been without any problems thus far and very pleasant for all (This is a nice change from 2 recent guests (pups under a year old), who had me going off on wild unplanned excursions through the bush and swamps to the west of the resort).

The squirrels and chipmunks are all celebrating today after Sport checked out yesterday.  Sport certainly had a hard time deciding which was more important, greeting his owners or going after the squirrels.  Kendra was so excited she forgot where she had dropped her Frisbee, and her owner and I spent a while looking for it to no avail.  So, she left without it, and of course as soon as she had left Tessa found it back near the barn, and it now joins the ever growing collection of lost toys.  Kendra and Sport were both great guests, and got along perfectly with all the other guests and in particular Tessa (German Shepard) and Sunny (American Cocker Spaniel) who had arrived two days earlier.  There was one exciting event when they spotted a dear and took off in hot pursuit across the dew drenched meadows early one morning in a 2 hour chase that was lost before it even started.  I could see that the deer had bounded off at an amazing speed and was long gone, but down in the weeds they couldn't see anything.

Tessa and Sunny are both doing fine, aren't interested in squirrels, like to doze on the porch between walks, and just take it easy on these long hot dog day afternoons!  :)

It's been a very HOT week at the resort of late, and things are starting to look a bit frazzled as far as the scenery is concerned.  However there's lots of shade, and the house remains nice and cool, so guests haven't been complaining!  :-) The walks are now leisurely events that take place shortly after sunrise and just before sunset.  Tessa and Sunny checked out early this week after a pleasant visit, and Chester checked in yesterday for a short 5 day visit and has made himself right at home.  He certainly loves to chase his tennis ball, and is still rather amazed that he can go for long walks without a leash.  Olivia has had her reservation for the 30ieth confirmed, and the resort still has space available for all dates out from today.

The charming young duo of Klink and Hogan checked in yesterday afternoon, and there being no other guests here at that time, the usual getting acquainted scenarios were avoided.  These scenarios can often be rather exciting at times for all concerned, but never unpleasant, and once the leashes are removed everyone takes off in a frenzy of exploration and play, never giving their heart broken owners (First time away from home owners!) a backward glance.

Okay, okay, there are a few guests who may wonder for a few hours or so why their owners aren't so fortunate as to be here on vacation with them, but an uppity squirrel running across the porch is just to much of a distraction for these lingering concerns for the well being of their owners to last very long.  :o)

The first big event for all guests is the first escorted walk, with the question of who is escorting who a rather hot topic for debate in these often wild initial romps along the back trails, across the meadows and through the woods behind the resort.  As expected 2 beagles with their noses clued to the ground and their ears turned off resulted in a very challenging first walk, but my knowing all the shortcuts, I was able to keep them on course most of the time, even though Hogan was convinced he was in charge.

After the walk they had dinner which Hogan gulped down in record time, while Klink made it into a more leisurely event, but she eventually ate everything up, at which point Hogan jumped in to polish off the empty bowl to a high shine.

I had set-up their beds beside mine as is the usual practice, and when Klink and Hogan finally decided to call it a day and turn in for the night, they briefly checked out these arrangements, with Hogan snapping up the bedtime biscuits up off the beds.  They then both promptly jumped up on to my bed and had a tussle up and down and all over me and the bed for a few minutes.  Finally, they snuggled up together at the end of the bed and settled in for a very quiet nights sleep.

This morning's walk was uneventful until Hogan decided to go for a romp down the middle of a drainage ditch up to his armpits in water, of course Klink had to join him, and as usual I had forgotten to wear my boots.

We eventually made it back to the resort, and they're now both flopped out on the porch drying out in the sun, off exploring the enclosed area, or chasing each other around in circles, while I surf the web and get prepared for the next walk.  :)

The resort had some unexpected rain yesterday around noon, and Klink and Hogan took that opportunity to take an extended nap in anticipation of the afternoon walk.  Basically the morning walks follow trails across the open meadows and fields so as to take advantage of the warmth of the rising sun, and the afternoon walks follow trails through the woods so as to take advantage of the cool shade found there and thus avoid the hot afternoon sun.  Hogan found some streams to splash around in, but overall it was a far more relaxed walk than the one earlier that morning.  Today the morning walk took a new trail far away from any water filled ditches, and was a very slow walk there being countless groundhog holes to investigate in the fields crossed.  Hogan has also clued in that meals are served after the walks, something he wouldn't miss for anything in the universe!  Klink is also eating all her meals, but as her owners mentioned they're no big deal for her.  Between walks they entertain themselves endlessly, chasing each other around, have friendly tussles, and lengthy explorations of the far distant areas of the enclosed area of the resort as is the case at the moment.

The confidence I now have in the fencing around the enclosed area at the resort was reinforced shortly after the afternoon walk yesterday, when I heard raucous barking and found Klink and Hogan in a verbal altercation with a groundhog who was crouching down and hissing insults at them from just the other side of the fence.  On seeing me the groundhog seemingly made a rude gesture and scampered off into the long grass.  Needless to say Hogan went ballistic, and tried for at least 2 hours to get under or through the fence while Klink looked on with a bemused smirk, but offered not much in the way of help, probably knowing that his efforts were futile.  Later I took them for a lengthy evening walk so that Hogan could burn off his pent up frustration.  :) I got woken up with a face wash from the guests, and so far this day has been uneventful, the morning walk going off without any wild diversions from the trail.

It seems the indefatigable duo never get tired, it must be that dog food provided by their esteemed owners that keeps them supercharged?  Anyway, yesterday I thought I could tire them out by taking them out on the very long 'Sumac trail' usually reserved for the most reliable veteran guests of the resort, and rarely for first time away from home pups!  It was rough going, but they weren't fazed in the slightest, and when the trail ended at the big beaver pond, Hogan just kept right ongoing with a huge splash.  He surfaced after a few seconds, and then started swimming around like a beaver, but with the wrong kind of tail.  Meanwhile Klink looked out at Hogan, and then back up at me and sighed in utter disbelief.  She then sat down on her haunches to watch the show, and the frogs leaping off in all directions in search of deep cover.  We're just back from the morning walk, and Hogan is off checking for groundhogs, or trying to remember where he buried all those chew-eez treats he's had??  Klink doesn't like them out of the box, but after they're nice and slimy and covered in dirt she finds them most delectable.  :o)

The morning walk was uneventful this morning, but very wet what with the heavy rains we had yesterday afternoon that cut short that days afternoon walk, but none to soon.  Klink much to my surprise and not Hogan was the first to pick up a hot scent, and she went racing off in circles, her nose to the ground barking excitedly, and ended up in a heavily wooded gully oblivious to any loud suggestions from me that she should return to the trail.  Hogan of course joined in, and I found myself thrashing around in the gully, when suddenly there was a clap of thunder, and instantly I found Klink and Hogan at my heels.  I take it that they like most dogs aren't overly fond of thunder and lightning.  So, we all raced back to the house, and I sat out the storm with both guests on my lap!  :) After things quieted down they had dinner, and retired to my bed for a lengthy snooze while I did other stuff.

Yesterday was uneventful, but it's becoming more apparent that Klink now thinks she's in charge of the walks.  Again this morning she was the first to pick up a scent, and when she did she becomes totally oblivious to everything else, and has an uncanny ability to get through the most impenetrably overgrown areas imaginable.  As a result Hogan and I just have to wait on the perimeter of the area she is reconnoitring until she has exhausted all possibilities and returned to the trail, often well ahead from where we were.  She'd then look back down the trail at us, and then cock her head to one side as if to ask what was taking us lazybones so long?  Also when resting on the Porch, Hogan lies down on the deck, but that's not good enough for her royal highness, she prefers to lie down on the table so as to have a better view out over her realm!  Of course the guests are never wrong here at the resort, and all odd behaviour or requests are accommodated at all times.  :o)

Klink took Hogan and I for a nice walk this morning across the dew drenched meadows with only a few exploratory diversions in to the deep dark soggy depths of the nearby woods!  :) Unlike yesterday today is bright and sunny and hopefully things should have dried out in time for the afternoon walk.  Currently the guests are stretched out on the lawn chairs on the front porch enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun, and doing some personal grooming.

It's been very quiet since Klink and Hogan checked out, but they were here to greet Olivia a small dachshund puppy also away from home for the first time.  Initially she was slightly overwhelmed by all the attention she was getting from Klink and Hogan, who were chasing her around constantly, but by the end of the afternoon it was she who was chasing them about.  Olivia had a quiet night on my bed, and went on her first walk this morning, which was a very cautious and restrained event, certainly a big change from the previous Klink and Hogan episodes that had me run right off my feet on occasion.  Thunder is making a return visit on Saturday for the long holiday weekend, and hopefully Olivia won't give him an overly hard time.  :o)

Thunder checked in yesterday for an encore performance, and was warmly greeted by Olivia who thought she had another buddy to play with as had been the case with Klink and Hogan.  But despite dancing all around and jumping up at him, Thunder just looked down at her with his inscrutable stern look of complete indifference, and then set off to mark out his territory.  Later once Thunder had settled in, we all set out on the afternoon walk which was anything but cautious or restrained as far as Olivia was concerned!  She was clearly of the opinion that if the big stiff could do it, then so could she!  It was rather hilarious to watch Thunder racing off across the fields with little Olivia on turbo boost and in hot pursuit.  Back at the house Olivia having clearly decided she was the alpha dog pranced up on Thunder while he was eating, and then starting eating his food from right under his nose.  Thunder backed off in alarm, but being the most laid back unflappable dog in the known universe, he just shrugged his shoulders, contemplated her tiny food bowl with utter disdain, and then sauntered off to wait at the front door.  I promptly opened the door for him, but he still gave me a look of mild rebuke at not having done so instantly as he imperiously stepped out onto the porch for a quiet nap soon to be interrupted by that pesky little Olivia!  :-(

Olivia never did get Thunder to play with her, but he did allow her to sniff him all over, stick her nose in his ears, lick his nose, and eat all his food.  He checked out with as little fuss as he did when he arrived, which is none at all.  His greatest pleasure was the daily walks, and not being bothered by anyone especially pesky little puppies with bad manners, and it is in that regard that he was close to being the perfect guest as far as looking after is concerned!  In short he behaved more like a cat than a dog.  Olivia on the other hand is close to being the most delightful and entertaining of guests, always has her nose into something, playful and a joy to be with.  She's also getting bolder with every day.  The first night she slept at the end of the bed, the second in the middle, third at the top, and this morning I found under the covers with just her nose sticking out (Like one guest's guardian said, this is not a place to bring your pet to be trained or taught good manners, seeing that they have carte blanche to do what ever they want).  :o)

Yesterday was rather uneventful for Olivia, but this morning on the walk she came face to face with her first Groundhog having breakfast on the trail.  Hard to say who was more surprised, her or the Groundhog??  However, the Groundhog after a moment of reflection bolted up the ridge and down into his hole in a flash of greased lightning.  Olivia took longer to ponder the situation, but despite the fact that the Groundhog was twice her size, she raced off and stuck her head down his hole.  I couldn't talk her out of leaving the hole and continuing the walk, so I had to eventually carry squirmy wormy back to the resort. Needless to say the afternoon walk will be less a relaxed event than it has been up to now!  In other news, Buddha a Boston Terrier has had his reservation confirmed for the 24th.  :-)

Olivia checked out yesterday, and I must say it has been very quiet around here without her scampering about, and...  The last few days have been very hot as has been the entire summer here at the resort thus far, but there have been No problems!  There has been some minor confusion about making arrangements via the internet, but overall the switch over to doing everything 'online' has been a big success, especially having map/directions posted online, this update section, and the reservation form.  Obviously Dogs and Cats are taking over the internet, and are more often than not world savvy web surfers with well trained guardians!  :o)

We have 1 new guest 'Abby' staying for the long thanksgiving weekend.  She's yet another first time away from home guest, a 6 month old beagle who has totally settled in, is as usual absolutely delighted with all arrangements, and shares none of the separation anxiety often displayed by first time away from home guardians.

She loves the long walks, and while I'm enjoying the scenery all ablaze in it's autumn finery is busily chasing illusive scents that lead off in every direction.  I figure I walk about 2 miles, and she walks at least 10.

This morning's walk was misty and damp, but very refreshing, and Abby was very well behaved despite all the distraction.  The biggest distraction being the thousands of Canada geese flying low overhead as they prepared to land in the fields below the ridge down by the river.

During this afternoon's walk we checked out the neighbour's Red Agnes cows, and Abby was absolutely mesmerized, as were the cows who came over to the fence to see her.  Eventually I had to attach her leash to her collar and drag her away.  However later she did get to touch noses with another neighbour's Horse on the way back to the resort, which just made her day.  :-)

Abby found that the outdoor water bowl was covered with a layer of ice, which foretold of a frosty morning walk.  It was, but the hoar frost shrouded fields, the rising sun, and the brilliant autumn colors made for a very invigorating and scenic walk.  Abby though was totally oblivious to all this, and it was only the scents and smells that interested her.  She even took the opportunity to roll on her back in something smelly, so as to be perfumed to perfection when she will greet her anxious owners later today.  :o) This is certainly the off season for the resort, with no further guests scheduled until the Christmas Holidays.  There have been a few requests for info/references, or that I please phone.  I no longer use the phone, or provide info on other guest's guardians to be used as references.  That is the function of this forum, the guest book, and the web site.  Also all visitors are welcome to drop in at any time unannounced, to sniff out every corner of the resort, go for a walk, and thus reassure their anxious owners if this is a possible first time away from home vacation that they are contemplating.  :-)

Freddie arrived today for a short visit, and after I returned to the house after closing the gate on his departing guardian, I found him standing on the table apparently reading the signed reservation form.  Everything seemed to be in order with that, and he promptly jumped off the table and joined me in a long walk.  We started off in the woods with Freddie taking a great interest in a particular noisy squirrel.  After lunch, and having chased his tennis ball a wazillion times we went off on the afternoon walk, which stayed out in the open meadows so as not to be delayed by any pesky squirrel encounters.  Unlike the morning walk Freddie no longer had any concerns about being away from home, and instead of following me, was out in front the whole time.  He's now curled up on the upstairs bed as I surf the internet.  Later we'll to some more tennis ball stuff, and go for a short evening walk before calling it a day.  Tomorrow his buddy Shaney arrives for a short day visit, followed by a longer stay on the weekend.  2 regular guests Kendra and Sport will also be here for the weekend.  Unfortunately Chief and Hannah cancelled their visit at the last moment, as often happens with guests making reservations without having first visited the resort.  :(

Freddie did find an old sock which was great for tug of war battles, and which included low muffled growls on his part.  :) He then had a quiet night, being so tired he just collapsed at the end of my bed.  He woke me up this morning with a nice face wash, and we went off for a short walk, returning to the resort just in time to greet Shaney.  Shaney's first walk had to be restarted 4 times, seeing that she kept running back to the resort deeply concerned about her vanished guardian.  Finally though we made it into the woods, and any concerns she had about her guardian completely evaporated when she picked up some interesting scents.  It was a cold wet blustery day, but we timed all the walks nicely between the rain showers.  The nice thing about having Shaney here is that I only had to throw the tennis ball once or twice, and then Shaney and Freddie would spend the next half hour or so chasing each other around and around the house and...  The action stopped briefly for lunch with each of them eating the other's dog food.  Then the play wars continued all over indoors using one of Shaney's squeaky toys.  We are just back from the afternoon walk, and the play wars continue all around me as I try to surf the internet.  One of them even succeeded in unplugging my monitor, and...  Maybe it's time for yet another walk??  I just have to say "Go for a walk?" and Freddie barks excitedly!  :o)

Another exciting day at the resort, Abbey dropped in for a day visit, and Kendra and Sport sauntered in shortly after lunch for their extended weekend vacation.  Sport promptly established the fact that he was the Alpha dog, and attempted to put Abbey in her place with a friendly growl or 2, but Abbey was having none of it!  She just wanted to play, and they all spent the entire afternoon walk and the rest of the afternoon chasing each other around and around, until Sport got distracted by a squirrel, Kendra found a bone, and Abbey departed for home utterly exhausted.  Later in the early evening we went on what was one of the most pleasant walks of the year, the ground in the woods thickly covered with a brilliant carpet of red yellow and orange leaves, everything lit up spectacularly by the setting sun, the smell of wood smoke in the air, Canada geese overhead, and...  But of course Kendra and Sport noticed none of this, they being far to busy down in the ditches sniffing who knows what!

Shaney arrived mid morning to be greeted by the ever vociferous Sport, and the more demure Kendra who were probably saying to each other "Oh my Dog, not another puppy!".  :o) Shaney was non stop the entire day, running circles around both Kendra and Sport, and finding new ways to do the impossible.  However, after a long day of walks she was starting to slow down, much to everyone's relief, which then brought us to the sleeping arrangements.  Of course no guest at the resort would ever dream of sleeping in their own beds!  So having 3 dogs on my bed made things a little crowded, but once everyone had nested in, and found that perfect position, it was a very quiet night.  The morning though found Sport chewing his butt, Kendra doing her morning stretches, and Shaney washing my face, and then bouncing around the bed.  Needless to see we all went off on a very early Sunday morning walk.  However, with the mist still rising up off the fields, and the sun just rising, it proved to be a very pleasant walk.  Shortly after it clouded over and began to rain, and then Shaney departed for home shortly after lunch.  The day ended with yet another soggy walk in the late afternoon, which without Shaney was a much more relaxed event.

Freddie arrived on Wednesday for a return visit of 5 days, and we went for a short walk with his guardian so he would be settled in for his first extended vacation away from home.  Freddie and I had a quiet night, with Freddie getting right back into the routine of being on vacation and having his every wish fulfilled, which included playing tug of war, chasing his new Frisbee outdoors (He'd still much rather chase a tennis ball), going for long walks, and...  :-) Abby arrived on Thursday for a day visit, and chased Freddie right off his feet, not to mention getting herself so tired out, that when she had to return home, she was already asleep in the back of her guardians car before they had even departed the resort.  Today with Freddie having fully recovered from yesterdays play wars with Abby, we went for a very frosty windy morning walk, and just avoided getting caught in a rain shower on our return.

We are well into autumn here now, there being very little colour left in the walks, what with the trees now being mostly barren and grey.  However, Freddie finds lots to sniff, and likes nothing better than to charge out of the woods, and send huge flocks of geese that are feeding in the harvested corn fields to scatter in a loud whirring of wings, and...  Between walks he chases his Frisbee which is allot easier for me to throw than a tennis ball, because it involves just a flick of the wrist, and travels much further.  Freddie though has turned this into a 2 event event, seeing that when he brings the Frisbee back, you now have to play tug of war to get it out of his mouth. :o) I put the bird feeder up yesterday, and Freddie spends most of his time when in the house watching all the action from the official Cat Chair, positioned just in front of the floor to ceiling window.  He especially takes a great interest in the squirrels, who cautiously come done the pine tree, scamper across the lawn, and just as they get under the bird feeder, Freddie barks causing everyone to vanish (The birds are mostly blue jays).  When he is not on bird feeder watch, he brings me his squeaky fury toy banana, and we play with that until he decides he would rather do something else, or take a nab as he is doing now.

I thought I might be able to tire out Shaney and her buddy Freddie today, but they just never stop.  However, now that they are in the house, and it is getting dark, they have finally gone off turbo boost, and are into some leisurely play wars, which gives me some time to go online.  Before doing so I started a tug of war with Freddie, and then passed my end of the sock over to Shaney, and that was half an hour ago, and they are still at it!  :-)

Earlier we went for 4 long walks with Shaney taking numerous detours when in the woods to check out some significant scents.  Then once out in the open meadows they chased each other around and around in circles.  Back at the resort the big attraction was Freddie's Frisbee.  I just had to toss it once, then Shanney would instantly drop her Frisbee, and then spend the next 15 minutes trying to catch Freddie, often with little success.  However, once Shaney does get the Frisbee, not even I can catch her, and Freddie then brings me Shaney's Frisbee instead.  Needless to say shortly thereafter Shaney has both in her mouth, and...

I never thought my bed could be used as a wrestling arena, but fortunately Shaney and Freddie soon tired, and we had a very quiet night, with only one outdoor visit being required.  I awoke to find the ever audacious Freddie was not sleeping on the bed but in it, and I had to lift the covers to find him deep underneath as snug as a bug in a rug.  When he moved to greet me, Shaney who was sleeping at the end of the bed pounced, and the action resumed from where it had left off earlier the night before.  Freddie certainly now has no reluctance in letting me know when it is time to go for the morning walk, what with his barking and prancing about, while a still sleepy Shaney pushes her empty food bowl across the floor as if to complain about the lousy service being offered here at the resort (Unlike Freddie, food is something Shaney takes very very seriously).  After having informed her that all meals are served after the walks and not before, we went off on what was a mild and very damp morning walk.  The rest of the day was a repeat of yesterday, with the only difference being that we had to spend more time inside because of the passing rain showers.  Overall things have been allot more relaxed today, with both guests getting into the daily routine of the resort, even though the play wars continue all around me unabated.

Shaney ended her vacation at the resort with a major misstep, or should I say miss bite, when she bit her guardian's thumb while she was passing out some left over dog treats, while we were sorting out Shaney's and Freddie's possessions.  Shaney was trying to snap up all the dog treats so that Freddie would not get any.  This was totally unexpected, and the resort was caught without bandages or aspirin, and I had to fix the guardian's thumb with Kleenex and masking tape.  :-( Needless to Shaney is going to be in the dog house for the next few days.  I have had some big brouhahas between guests over bones, but never anything serious like this!  I had been feeding Freddie and Shaney their meals in separate rooms with the door closed, as is the normal routine for guests from different families.  I also usually only hand out dog treats when outside on walks, or when a guest brings back a ball or Frisbee.  So, maybe Shaney being still very much a puppy, just got all mixed up in the excitement of the moment, and...  My biggest concern has always been when new guests arrive, but so far these have been uneventful, other than a few snarls between guests during the often very elaborate getting acquainted scenarios.  Other than the above incident, both Shaney and Freddie had a great vacation together, and it was a delight for me to have them here.  It is certainly very quiet here now that they have both departed.  In other news, the number of places (5 in total) still open for the Christmas vacations (Dec 20 - Jan 6) has dropped to 1 or possibly 2 depending on the length and time of the vacation.  So, those who have visited and not yet confirmed should confirm soonest, if their dog is still interested (No problem for Cats).

Rummy from Rhode Island dropped in for the weekend, while her guardian visited friends in Ottawa.  Rummy being a 100+ pound Mastiff / Lab mix, was certainly the biggest guest I have ever had the honor of sharing my bed with!  Trying to nudge her over in the night, so that I would have more room, was like trying to nudge over the rock of Gibraltar.  However, I did get the pleasure of a nice big slurpy kiss in the morning.  :o) As is the case with most guests, Rummy was a real Squirrel freak, who would literally hurl her self halfway up the tree trunks, in a vain attempt at catching one of these resort hardened veterans, who would taunt her endlessly with insults from high up in the branches of the trees.  During the day we both went for long walks, and enjoyed the very mild spring like weather, which is rather unusual for mid December.  We were even able to eat lunch outdoors, soak up a few rays, and of course keep an eye open for those pesky squirrels.  Later this week the first of the Christmas vacation guests arrive for what if all guests show up is going to be a very interesting period.

I am glad you enjoyed your visit, and I must say I certainly admired your great prowess with the Frisbee!  :) Dana the first of the Christmas guests arrived last night, and she will be the 1 guest still here when you make your much anticipated arrival on the 5th.  Arriving at night is often rather awkward, seeing that we can not go for a long walk to burn off some of the anxiety brought on by a sudden separation.  After an hour or so of confusion and suspicion though, Dana soon settled in nicely, what with it being so quiet here, and there being no sudden noises to alarm her.  She did however look rather concerned when I started reading "Dana's Manual", and she gave me a look as if to stay I should not be reading that.  I awoke to find her sleeping on my bed, which is a sure sign that a guest has overcome their initial concerns that their guardian/s might not be able to survive without them, while they are here on vacation!  :o) It was snowing heavily when we went for the first walk, but that didn't faze Dana any who was all over the place checking out the scents, and when we came out of the woods I soon realized what was the big attraction.  We startled a group of deer out in the middle of a field, and Dana raised one paw, pointed, then took off like a rocket, but to no avail, and she soon gave up the chase much to my relief.  Back at the resort I tossed her ball on a rope which she enjoys as much as Macha loves his Frisbee.  She then had a late breakfast, and is now taking a nap while I surf the web.

Duke arrived to a few introductory low growls from Dana as they got acquainted, sniffed each other out, and determined who had what level of authority over the other.  However, it wasn't long before they were chasing each other around, and playing about in the snow.  Once Duke's guardians had departed we had to start off on the morning walk 3 times, what with Duke running back to the resort each time, to make sure that his guardians were really really going to leave him here on vacation?!  :o) Finally when Duke was utterly convinced that he was truly going to be here on vacation without them, we were able to have what was a very long and pleasant morning walk.  Dana and Duke spending the entire duration of the walk chasing each other about endlessly.  Back at the resort Duke had the audacity to run off with Dana's ball on a rope, meanwhile Dana had nothing but contempt for Duke's purple ball, and...  In the house Dana took a nap on Duke's bed, and Duke gave Dana's bed a cursory glance of disdain before opting for my bed.  The afternoon walk being even longer than the earlier walk did not seem to tire them out any, despite the fact that they had covered at least 10 times as much ground as I had!  Dinner was served after the walk as usual, but with Dana who takes food very very seriously being served in the kitchen, and Duke in the bathroom.  This way Duke could enjoy his more relaxed dinning experience, while Dana who had gulped down her meal in a flash sang mournfully on the other side of the door.  I just checked on the guests, and they are both asleep on my bed, so they must be allot more tired than I had first thought!  :-)

I woke up with a wet kiss from Duke who was sleeping at the top of the bed, and a yawn from Dana who was sleeping at the end of the bed.  When I had fallen asleep, it had been Dana at the top, and she had nestled in comfortably with her usual 3 rotations over the target area for her repose.  The morning walk was very cold, and a bit frosty for Dana's liking, what with the sun just coming up all ice golden over the horizon on what was to be a beautiful crisp sunny day.  Once Dana had had her breakfast though, any concerns for the cold soon vanished.  :) Duke on the other hand just loves the cold weather, keeping a close watch on the squirrels, and running off with Dana's ball on a rope at every opportunity.  Dana is not amused!  :( Patty arrived to a joyous welcome from Duke, and a cautious yet warm welcome from Dana, who had to clarify a few ground rules for Patty as to who was the top dog at the resort!  Once Patty's guardian had departed we set off on the delayed afternoon walk, which again had to be restarted several times while Patty raced back to the resort to verify that her guardian was nowhere to be found.  Once we made it into the woods though, the distractions became to many, and Patty remained with us for the rest of the walk, which had been extended by me in another futile attempt to get all the guests tired out.  We arrived back at the resort just as the sun was setting, with Dana knowing it was time for DINNER!  Again Dana was served in the kitchen, while Patty and Duke had a more leisurely repast in the bathroom, serenaded yet again by Dana on the other side of the door.  Unlike yesterday things haven't yet settled down, and I currently have Patty and Duke playing up and down the stairs and all over the house, with Dana being the vociferous referee.  As you may have noticed I always try to arrange things so that all guests arrive on separate days if possible.  It taking about a day for a guest to get fully settled in.  This way when going for a walk, I only have to keep an eye out on one guest, what with it always being the new guest who is going to bolt if so inclined back to the resort.

The guests must play musical beds during the night, I always wake up with a different guest sleeping beside me?  If the bed is fully occupied, then the remaining guest always sleeps on Duke's huge blue bag bed, which is placed beside my bed, and much admired by all.  The morning walk started off with another chiller sunrise, but it was not nearly as cold as it was yesterday.  Patty was also allot more relaxed, and took more time to check out all the different scents, and play with Duke.  Dana towards the end of the walk was as usual way out in front, as if getting back to the resort early, will mean she will get to eat her meal sooner!  However when I whistle, she always comes galloping back at full throttle, to be tackled by Patty.  By the afternoon it had become damp and blustery with freezing rain, so as a result we had several shorter walks.  Duke when having dinner is always the perfect gentleman, and will not eat his dinner until Patty has finished hers.  I then have to empty his food into her bowl before he will eat his dinner.  Meanwhile, while all this is going on, the wolf as per usual is sniffing and singing at the door!  :o) Handing out snacks is like the meals also a challenge.  I find though that if I toss Dana's treats into the bathtub and then close the door, I can then share Dana's treats with Patty and Duke without there being any major conflicts.  When playing in the house, Dana is absolutely fascinated with Duke's furry toy, which when stepped on or bit down own emits the sound of a squeaky chicken having it's head ripped off.  Thankfully for me the batteries are now almost dead.  :) Duke likes to hide under the upstairs bed with just his nose sticking out, while Patty and Duke try to get him out from under.  Things have now quieted down, with only minor skirmishing taking place around the computer area.

We had a quiet night at the resort, once the guests had finally found that perfect sleeping place and position.  The day started off with a beautiful sunrise, few clouds, and very mild as we started off on the morning walk.  The snow had all been covered with a thin layer of ice the night before, which resulted in allot of crunchy walking, and slip sliding around on the more compacted areas of the trails.  Later in the day Sunny and Tessa arrived for their 3rd Christmas vacation at the resort.  It was certainly a pleasure to see them, and they were very eager to go off on a walk and gets some exercise, after having spent 5 hours in a van on that long drive up here from Albany.  Once the initial getting acquainted formalities were dealt with, we all set out on what was a very boisterous walk, with Sunny being rather overwhelmed by all these much larger dogs.  Dana is a energetic yet charming soft brown colored Weimaraner with an all consuming interest in food and retrieving HER ball on a rope, Duke is a very playful light colored German Shepard/Golden Retriever mix with a special interest in squirrels and having fun with everyone, Patty is a wonderfully sophisticated black and dark brown colored German Shepard/Collie mix with a love for catching Frisbees and rough housing with Duke, Sunny is a charming unflappable seen it all kind of golden colored American Cocker Spaniel with a passion for taking it easy and curling up in the nearest comfortable chair or bed, his side kick Tessa is an absolutely adorable German Shepard who loves to be with people and has taken a great interest in weighty theorizing with Dana about how to corner the world market in dog biscuits, and finally Freddie another regular visitor arrives on Wednesday for a few days.  He is a Shetland Sheepdog with impeccable manners who loves to retrieve tennis balls/Frisbees and play tug of war with everyone (This means there will be 6 guests here for a total of 4 days, which is 1 more than normal, but this is not a problem, what with there being no cats here this Christmas).  Serving Dinner for 5 took some careful advance orchestration, but went off without a hitch.  Dana had her meal in the back room, Tessa in the kitchen, and Patty, Duke, and Sunny in the bathroom with me supervising.  The guests are currently all resting after a tiring day, with Sunny the smallest dog sleeping on Duke's huge blue bed, Tessa the biggest dog is sleeping on Dana's smaller bed, Dana is on my bed, Duke is on Patty's bed and Patty is sleeping on the upstairs bed from which she can keep an eye on me while I surf the web.

All the guests and myself would like to wish that all their guardians, cats who stayed at home, and all of their other family members, have all had a very happy Christmas Day.  We would also like to extend the same wish to previous guests and their guardians, with special thanks to all those that have sent Seasons Greetings!  :-) Last night it took about an hour for the guests to sort out their sleeping arrangements, which when I went to sleep was Sunny, Dana, and Duke on my bed, Patty on Duke's bed, and Tessa on Patty's bed.  Of course there then being several redeployments during the course of the night.  The morning walk had Dana doing the escorting, and deciding on which trails we were to follow.  The walk was divided up into 3 groups, with Dana and Tessa doing point out front, Patty and Duke in the middle rough housing as usual, and Sunny and I holding up the rear guard position.  I just had to whistle once though, and Dana would come racing back.  It is very impressive how Dana always instantly responds to all commands (except when in the house and food is involved), and knows which trails to take for which walks!  :) Only Sunny being a little bit on the tubby side of things, finds the walks to be a rather exasperating undertaking at the best of times, but knowing that dinner awaits him at the end of the trails keeps him going on and on with relentless determination.  The meals were served with out any mix-ups, but as usual Duke would not eat his until Patty and Sunny had finished theirs.  I then had to place his meal, half into Patty's bowl and half into Sunny's before he would gobble it all up.  Meanwhile Patty and Sunny looked on in astonished amazement, as Dana's sad melodies were to be heard from the back room, and Tessa sniffed impatiently at the bathroom door.  The smell of Christmas Dinner cooking kept the guests especially Sunny and Dana entranced!  I am sure that if anything had accidentally fallen on the floor, all hell would have broken out!  To be safe, the guests spent allot of time outdoors chasing Dana's ball on a rope.  Every time I would throw it, Dana would take off on after burners, and of course would overshoot it by yards and yards.  Patty would then often be the first to find it, and would then go prancing off triumphantly with everyone else in hot pursuit, except for poor Dana.  Dana being utterly flabbergasted at this great indignity, would then look up at me in confused disbelief, as if I was supposed to do something about it.  :( It is now very quiet, with the only sound being Sunny snoring contently as he probably dreams of endless bowls of wonderful people food accidentally placed on the floor for his rapturous enjoyment, and...  :o)

Things are finally settling down into a predictable routine, with all guests other than Sunny knowing when it is time to get out of bed, give the concierge a face wash, and...  The lovely mild weather we have been having of late is just perfect for going for invigorating and relaxing walks, with this morning's walk being a perfect example, that is until Tessa picked up a hot scent!  I never saw what it was they were chasing, but they all (Not Sunny) took off on our first wild chase through the bush, with loud barking from all, but not Dana who was leading the charge.  Fortunately for me, all the fallen branches from the big ice storm we had a few years back slowed them down considerably, and I was able to cut them off after just 20 minutes or so.  :) We found Sunny back at the resort, sitting on the porch, and much upset that breakfast had been delayed: "What kind of a resort is this??".  :-( We just had time for breakfast and a short nap, before Freddie's arrival, which was uneventful, Freddie having been here several times before.  After his guardian departed, we repeated the morning walk, which got Dana rather confused, she thinking that this was the afternoon walk.  Freddie was dancing around the whole time, while a dejected Sunny tagged along far behind.  Once back at the resort, I just had to toss Freddie's Frisbee, fling Dana's ball on a rope, kick Duke's purple ball, and throw a few tennis balls for all the guests to then keep themselves occupied for the next 15 minutes, while Sunny and I went into the house for a coffee break.  Later, when everyone came into the house, while I had lunch, absolute pandemonium ruled, what with everyone racing about playing with Freddie's toys.  Duke taking a great interest in the furry yellow squeaky banana, while Dana and Patty bounced the ball with the flashing light inside that made a siren/ringing sound when dropped down the stairs repeatedly, Tessa chewed the squeaky orange ball, and Sunny went off to hide under the covers on my bed.  :o) It was snowing big lazy snowflakes for the afternoon walk, which saw Freddie, Patty, and Duke frolicking about the whole time.  Dana and Tessa were out front as usual following up on the interesting scents, while Sunny powered along in auto pilot behind me.  I had found the note about Freddie's eye medication, which is no problem, what with Freddie being such a perfect guest.  I have just applied the ointment for the 2nd time today, and then gave him a treat much to Dana's envy!  Duke's eye problem has also improved somewhat, and I have been cleaning around the eye concerned with a damp cloth once or twice daily.  As I write everyone is sleeping after just having a well orchestrated dinner, with the only exception being Duke and Freddie who are still wrestling or playing tug of war in the upstairs bedroom, causing quite a commotion, and...

The night was quiet until Duke jumped onto my bed stepping inadvertently on Freddie who was under the covers, Freddie then came out barking cheerfully, while Duke flopped over yet another mound under the covers which was Dana who then made a muffled growl, meanwhile Patty who had been sleeping at the end of the bed with Sunny stretched yawned and then jumped on Duke, causing Dana to erupt from under the covers with yet another growl, Tessa then got off Duke's bed and gave me a face wash, and then.  Meanwhile Sunny just snored on contentedly, as if having a riot on one's bed was just an everyday occurrence!  The dawn patrol was shrouded in an icy fog, the sun being just a faint glow above the trees, as the intrepid guests entered the frosty woods in search of ever more hot scents.  It was only once we were out of the woods and in the open meadows, that I realized that Sunny was not with us.  He must have slipped back into the house when I was distracted by Freddie and Duke's barking at a squirrel they had chased up a tree.  Sure enough when we returned, he was there to greet us and then have his breakfast, before he went back to bed with a satisfied burp.  After breakfast I left the guests in the house by themselves for the first time, so that I could take the garbage out to the road for pickup/recycling.  I was gone all of 10 minutes, but with the joyous greetings I got from all guests on my return, you would think I had been off on a 2 week vacation to Mars!  :o) We spent the rest of the morning playing outside with Freddie chasing his Frisbee only to see Patty snatch it out of the air above him, Dana racing after her ball on a rope only to have Duke find it first and run off with it, Patty would then drop the Frisbee and jump Duke to get the ball on a rope, Freddie would then dance into the fray and grab the Frisbee and bring it back to me, Tessa would then try to retrieve the tennis ball only to have Duke drop the ball on a rope to get the tennis ball, allowing Dana to snatch up her ball on a rope and bring it back to me.  I would then re-throw the Frisbee, re-fling the ball on a rope, and...  Sunny would be watching all this from the sidelines with an all knowing grin on his face, quite content to be the obligatory spectator!  The weather had cleared in time for the afternoon walk, which was enjoyed by all, even Sunny.  Sunny even joined in on the excited barking, when the guests flushed out a large bird from the underbrush along the trail in the woods!  All the guests are now taking a well earned nap after the evening meal.

Freddie must have a little dynamo inside, because he is nonstop all day!  When outside he chases everything thrown, and when in the house he constantly rough houses with either Duke or Patty, even though Duke has chewed up most of his toys!  When Duke has had enough, he then plays tug of war with Patty who always wins, or in the evening when I am on the computer and the rest of the guests have crashed out for the day, he races up and down the stairs with one of Duke's huge furry toys which are almost as big as he is.  Freddie and Patty also love to chase a tennis ball, which I toss into the kitchen when watching TV at night, and which bounces off the walls and all over the place.  So far only Duke has messed about with the keyboard, and tried to surf the web without my knowing about it.  He often hits several keys all at the same time with his paws, and always gets allot of error messages, strange sounds which perk up his ears, and...  Of course he blames all this on Microsoft's useless non dog friendly software.  :) Another big attraction for all the guests, but especially Freddie and Dana is to do bird/squirrel watching from the big floor to ceiling window.  Whenever a squirrel gets too close to the window, Dana goes ballistic, and all the other guests go flying off their beds towards the door which I can never open fast enough, what with everyone falling over each other in a mad rush to get out.  Once outside Dana goes for the squirrel, who is as usual long gone.  Meanwhile all the other guests are standing about wondering what all the fuss was about??  Another event that causes a mad rush for the door, is when a door bell rings within a TV program that I am watching!  This event always being sparked by either Sunny and Tessa who obviously must have one of these noisy things at their house.  For the morning walk everything was covered with a hoar frost, which transformed everything into a magical white wonderland, but of course the guests where oblivious to all this, as they sniffed about in the snow after those ever elusive scents.  Sunny and Tessa departed after a joyous reunion with their guardians, who much to their relief had been able to survive without them while they had been enjoying their well earned vacation here at the resort!  :o) During the afternoon walk it started snowing big slow wet snow flakes, and by the time we made it back to the resort it had become a full scale snowstorm.  Dana having had Dinner served in the kitchen again now that Tessa has departed, is very much content with herself, and is taking a well deserved nap, as are Duke and Patty.  But Freddie is still chasing Duke's big furry toy, which I toss down the stairs every time he brings it back up to me.  I am doing about a sentence of this update for every throw of the toy.

Last night was much less crowded on my bed, with only Patty and Freddie sleeping on or in the bed, Duke sleeping on Patty's bed, and Dana on Duke's bed covered with her favorite blanket.  We only got a light dusting of snow last night, but it was enough to show up all the fresh animal tracks when we started off on the morning walk.  Finally for once we had a bright sunny day, and we all had a very nice walk, despite the many diversions taken to follow up on the more interesting scents, and for once I could see what scents they were pursuing by the tracks in the snow.  It was such a nice day, I was able to have lunch sitting out in the Tool Shed in the sun, with all the guests spaced out around me on the lawn furniture, enjoying a few rays.  It was all very tranquil, with the only sound being the drip drip drip of melting snow off the roof, that is until a dog barked off in the distance, and Dana then felt obligated to have a rather raucous long distance conversation with him or her.  The afternoon walk was started early so as to be at the resort for Lucy Lou's arrival which had been scheduled for sometime in the late afternoon, the time being uncertain, seeing that she was arriving from as far away as Kitchener.  The walk was the longest yet, there being 2 major diversions orchestrated by our ever relentless guide Dana, who just has to investigate absolutely everything!  Back at the resort we played outside until Dana became overly anxious about it being well past time for the afternoon meal!?  I tried explaining to her that the afternoon walk had started much earlier than usual, but she was having none of it, and would keep running off to stand by the front door, looking utterly perplexed at the lousy service now being offered at the resort!  :-( I finally relented, and all the guests had an early meal, and an extended nap, which much to my surprise even included the tireless Freddie.  He had barked happily earlier, when told he would becoming back to the resort for an encore performance in February!  :o)

Lucy Lou arrived after dark in the early evening, which caused much excitement.  Dana checked out Lucy's guardians with great interest and admiration after having discovered "Cookies" in their pockets, and then being told she was very "Sweet" and "Adorable"!  :-) Of course I had to be the big bad guy, and say she could not have any treats.  :( Meanwhile the other guests checked out Lucy, as Lucy tried to sniff out the resort, and needless to say it was absolute pandemonium in the house, what with Duke thinking he'd gone to dog heaven when Lucy's toys were all dumped out on the floor.  Duke instantly claimed the big chew bone as his, but what grabbed the most attention was Lucy's huge blue "Jolly Ball"!  Lucy being a very affectionate 70lb Rottweiler/German Shepard mix puppy who will be hear until New Years day.  After her guardians had departed, we went off on a long moonlit walk, there being nearly a full moon out.  It was rather spooky watching the guests racing through the shifting pools of moonlight while we were deep in the woods, with dark shadows everywhere, and the wind sighing in the trees high above.  Lucy following the initiative of her new buddy Duke, opted to sleep on the bed with Patty Freddie and myself, which made for rather awkward sleeping arrangements at first, but after a few redeployments during the night, I was awoken by Lucy licking my ears to find only Dana and Freddie on my bed, Patty now being on Lucy's bed, Lucy being on Duke's bed, and Duke being on Dana's bed.  The morning walk was uneventful other than having Duke and Lucy rough housing and dancing about for the entire duration of the walk, which caused Dana to come racing back from out in front on occasion to sort things out.  Shortly afterwards, Freddie's guardians arrived and were warmly welcomed by all, and once what remained of his toys were sorted and packed away into his overnight bag he departed, with fond farewell barks from all the remaining guests.  :) During the afternoon walk it started to snow yet again, and this being an all big dog walk, we were able to make it back to the resort in record time, much to Dana's satisfaction, but Duke and Lucy spoiled things for her when they decided to remain outside for a further half hour of play, which resulted in Dinner being served at the usual time.  Lucy like Duke eats her meals in a very relaxed manner, with many pauses to look about, listen to Dana singing in the bathroom, or to come over and lick my face as I played meal referee in the kitchen.  Dana being delighted to hear from her guardians, is for the first time and much to my surprise sleeping on her own bed, but I am sure once I get off the computer she will move to a real bed!  :o) Currently the only sound is the sound of Duke chewing what used to be Lucy's chew bone, while the ever delightful Patty is curled up at my feet, and Lucy is spaced out totally exhausted on the upstairs bed.

The guests had a quiet night, which had been preceded by yet another short night walk.  They all now seem to enjoy and expect these nocturnal jaunts through the woods?!  Could it just be the prospect of getting a bed time snack of a dog biscuit or two at the end of these ghostly walks that inspires them?!  There is certainly no doubt that Dana knows when it is "Dinner" time, or "Cookie" (Dog Biscuit) time!  The most popular cookies being Patty's peanut butter flavored dog biscuits.  Lucy started off the day by stepping all over Duke who was sleeping beside my bed on Patty's bed, so that she could give me a nice all over face wash.  This resulted in quite a commotion which saw Duke going off in a huff, and Dana and Patty seemingly rolling their eyes upwards as they probably wondered who had trained that puppy?  Patty then gave me a big yawn as Dana stretched out almost the full length of the bed, and so started yet another exciting day at the resort.  It was overcast snowy and blustery for the morning walk, and hard going in several areas because of the new and drifting snow of the night before.  However, by the afternoon the sun had come out again, if only intermittently and we all had a very pleasant walk through the drifting snows as the setting sun cast long shadows of the guests out across the open fields.  The only problem being Lucy, who having had so much fun outside, refused to come into the house for Dinner, much to the frustration of the other guests.  She stood just outside the door as I held it open for her, hoping that either I, Duke, Dana, or Patty would come out and play.  Eventually I had to lie down and play dead, then when she came over to lick my face, I shot out a hand, grabbed her collar, and then dragged her barking and kicking into the house, which considering her size was no small undertaking.  She of course thought that this was all just a big new game.  As I write the big stiff is flopped out on the upstairs bed, having just had her hair brushed.  I also brushed Patty and Dukes coats, and gave Dana an all over back massage seeing that she doesn't need to be brushed.  This way all the guests will be looking their best for the new year!  :-)

The first day of the new year dawned cold but clear and sunny, which made for a brisk and invigorating morning walk for all.  I saw some deer off in the frosty distance, but the guests with their noses in the snow thankfully noticed nothing.  After breakfast we had 2 Vizslas Boomer and Indy drop in to visit with their guardians.  They are both currently exploring the various options for a vacation during the first 2 weeks of April.  We all went for a short walk, and Dana was particularly interested in both, seeing that they both look very much like her, and are the same color as her friend Leyla who had visited with Dana when she had first sniffed out the resort.  Boomer and Indy were a delightful duo, and even though they were slightly overwhelmed by the other guests, had an enjoyable visit.  After lunch Lucy's guardians returned after having spent several days in Montreal, and they received a warm enthusiastic welcome from all the guests.  Once in the house we were able to find all her toys, even though some had been extensively diminished in size.  The only problem was that Lucy did not want to depart, and had to be carried out to her van by her support team.  :o) The afternoon walk had now been reduced to 3 guests, with Dana leading out front as usual, but with a biting icy cold wind howling across the fields, Duke and Patty did not bother to do any playing about, and instead stayed hot on Dana's heals for the entire duration of the walk, or should I say run!  We arrived back at the resort just as the sun was setting into the icy beyond, and after we had all taken a moment to thaw out, I served dinner.  Shortly thereafter Duke's guardians returned to end his illustrious visit, and receive an overwhelmingly joyous greeting from him, and a more reserved but warm greeting from both Dana and Patty.  When sorting out Duke's stuff we were unable to find Duke's purple ball, I had completely forgotten all about that one.  :-( I am sure though that I will find it first thing in the morning, and it will then join my ever growing collection of lost toys!  As I write Patty and Dana are sleeping if only fleetingly on the upstairs bed, what with both being rather jumpy as a result of all the visits we have been having today.  I just have to make a slightly unusual sound, and both go flying off the bed, down the stairs, and...  It also must be rather sad for them, as it is for me to see their friends depart.

Both guests slept on the bed last night, there now being plenty of room for all, and thus no need to play musical beds anymore.  :) With only 2 guests here, I decided to completely revise the morning walk by taking a much longer trail through the woods down to the big beaver pond.  A trail that I had avoided up until now, because I was not sure that the pond had completely frozen over, which it now has.  Being a trail rarely used the going was tough, but at least we were sheltered from the icy wind-chill of the strong winds we have been having recently!  Despite the icy wind it was a brilliant sunny day, and we all had an enjoyable walk with many interesting diversions.  Back at the resort I noticed while breakfast was being served that Patty had lost a tuft of hair on her left side, and on closer inspection discovered a small scratch or cut.  This seemed not to bother Patty in the slightest, but just to be safe I put some iodine on it.  She probably got this when she went under a fallen tree instead of over it as had Dana and I during the morning walk.  Dana is certainly a great jumper, she can go flying over a 8' ditch with the greatest of ease!  After breakfast I started the big after holidays house cleaning and laundry event, with Patty supervising my every move, so as to insure I missed nothing.  We even had to slide Dana around the floor on Patty's bed, so as to clean up underneath her.  Patty even gave the puzzled Dana a face wash, and then sniffed behind her ears!  :o) As a result of the extended clean up, the afternoon walk was delayed, but resulted in my being able to watch the sunset, and avoid the strong winds of earlier in the day.  Dana and Patty just never get tired, and this despite the fact that they must now cover at least 10 times the distance I do during each walk!  As I write it is dead quiet both guests sleeping, but if I were to clap my hands and say "Let's go for a walk", both Dana and Patty would instantly be at the door, prepared to effortlessly walk yet another wazillion miles...!  :-)

The morning walk saw us walking through a gray windless day, with temperatures just above freezing, which made for a very pleasant uneventful walk.  Patty did chase off a large flock of crows off a nearby corn field, but other than that both guests were constantly snuffling about in the snow checking up on scents.  Dana must be the eternal optimist!  When ever I am preparing food or making a meal, she is always sitting beside me on her haunches, watching my every move.  It is as if she thought that she could hypnotize me with those big soft eyes of hers, and get me to suddenly pick up all the food, place it on the floor, give her a big kiss, and then walk off into the sunset!?!  Patty knowing that the possibility of this ever happening is absolutely nonexistent, watches everything from the comfort of Dana's bed.  When all the food has either been prepared or consumed, Dana then sighs and moves over to sit in front of the floor to ceiling window.  She sits there totally mesmerized, obviously dreaming of stuffed Blue Jay served with a side order of delicious Squirrel entrails, and...  It is at this point in her daydreams that she suddenly realizes it is time for the afternoon walk!  By this time the clouds had cleared and we were having a beautiful spring like day, which made for a very slow walk, it being pleasant for me to just stand about, and let the guests take as much time as they wished to follow up on their many diversions.  The guests having just had dinner, are now taking their usual after meal nap in the upstairs bedroom, and doing some personal grooming.  Later there might even be some indoor tennis ball throwing for Patty, while I am watching TV.  Of course it would be beneath Dana to chase anything other than her ball on a rope, and as she knows that only happens outdoors.

Dana and Patty now know the daily routine by heart.  They get me up at exactly the same time every morning, know exactly when it is time to depart for a walk using which trails for which walks, and where and when meals and treats will be served.  This morning after a cold frosty dawn patrol, Dana went directly to the bathroom, where she waited patiently to be served her 1 cup of Techni-Cal Lamb and Rice Formula (2 cups Dinner), which vanished almost before it hit the floor.  Patty then being served in the kitchen her 1 1/2 cups of Techni-Cal Chicken Formula (2 cups Dinner), which was consumed with her usual relaxed demeanor.  It being such a bland non de script day, with not much to do, and the guests not much interested in playing retrieve the toy, I decided to toss them a curve ball after their morning nap instead, by repeating the morning walk backwards!  This had Dana utterly confused, but only momentarily.  Patty however was not in the least bit surprised, and took over the lead for the first part, while Dana was still pondering the relevance of this new situation: "Could this mean breakfast would be replayed at the end of the walk?!?"  With this possibility looming large in her mind, she quickly took back her usual lead position with alacrity.  :o) In other news, Freddie has confirmed his reservation for February, the awesome duo of Klink and Hogan who visited earlier this summer have informed me of a possible vacation in early March, and of course we are all looking forward with much anticipation to Macha's arrival tomorrow!  :) The afternoon walk was uneventful, despite a rather large detour through the woods, and on our return to the resort, Patty discovered Duke's lost purple ball buried deep in the snow near the rear gate.

We awoke early this morning, so as to get the morning walk finished and breakfast served before Macha arrived.  It was a gray overcast day, very mild, and the walk went off without any of the usual diversions, and we were back at the resort in record time.  Once Macha arrived, we and her guardians went off on a short walk, with Dana escorting us on what would be her last walk at the resort.  Macha was very lively, took a few pauses to establish her position in the order of the pack with a few friendly growls directed towards Patty, there being no doubt in any one's mind that Dana was the leader of the pack.  :o) Back at the resort we brought in Macha's bed, food, treats, and not 1 but 3 Frisbees much to Patty's satisfaction (Real dogs chase Frisbees as far as she is concerned!).  Dana of course being utterly spellbound by Macha's wide variety of treats.  Then came the hard part, when Macha's guardians departed.  We all waited in the house for the usual 15 minutes, and I then opened the door.  Macha went out like a rocket, went straight for the front gate, she then raced around the perimeter fence looking for an exit, and did so repeatedly.  Lucky for me there were no weak points in the fencing, or she would have been half way to Ottawa by now!  Eventually though she calmed down, just as Dana's Guardians arrived.  Dana welcomed her guardians back from the great beyond with absolute rapturous delight!  :-) Once Macha realized that these were not her guardians returning to rescue her, she entered the house with everyone else, so that we could sort out Dana's possessions.  As usual I forgot something, and Dana's guardians had to return moments after they had departed to retrieve Dana's vaccination papers.  Ooops, I also just noticed that Duke might have forgotten his leash here?  Finally though the dust settled, Macha took an hour of relaxation in the house, while Patty and I reflected fondly on the great companionship that we had shared with Dana over the last 2 weeks.  :-) Starting a new friendship with Macha took sometime, as she was still very much confused and suspicious of me, and to a lesser extent even the ever charming Patty.  So, to break the ice we took Macha on an extended walk, with her being on a leash to start.  Eventually though she became so engrossed in the various scents, that her separation anxieties began to wane, and I was able to let her off the leash.  This was shortly before we returned to the resort, and much to my relief she remained with us.  :) Macha then had some treats, and then took up Dana's old position at the floor to ceiling window, watching the birds and the squirrels with the later getting much excited interest.  We then went off on the afternoon walk without a leash, and despite a few false starts Macha stayed with us the entire time.  Then once back at the resort she ate up a large evening meal that had been flavored with some canned dog food!  Patty even got her dinner served with some canned dog food, much to her wondrous amazement.  Both guests are now taking a well deserved nap, while I surf the web much relieved that Macha has settled in without any problems!  :-)

Macha still being rather cautious around me whom she still considers as the big bad wolf, opted to sleep on her own bed, which I had placed beside mine.  Patty as usual going for the deluxe sleeping arrangements on my bed, but not under the covers as had Dana and Freddie, which was great for me, seeing that I could now change positions during the night without getting growled at.  :o) We awoke to a very mild day, with the morning walk going off without any problems, what with Macha clearly having decided that this part of the daily routine was okay!  Catching Frisbees though was a different matter.  If I tossed a Frisbee directly at her she would catch it, but instantly drop it in apparent disbelief that I would be so bold as to assume that she would stoop so low as to play Frisbee with someone who had just made her guardians vanish into thin air!  She would then go off and stand by the front door, and watch me toss her Frisbees for Patty, who she obviously thought was nowhere near as skilled she was in the art of catching a Frisbee.  :o( After another canned dog flavored meal which was polished off by both Patty and Macha with gusto, they took their morning nap or bird/squirrel watching positions, while I then went online to check my e-mail.  Patty will be pleased to hear that her guardian will be dropping in for a visit one afternoon this week (Unable to reply to the e-mail, sent a Y!Message)!  :) By the time the afternoon walk had arrived, the outside world had turned into a wet soggy mess, it even having drizzled rain for a short time.  The sound of great slabs of snow sliding off the roof had even sent both guests to battle stations on several occasions.  Nearing the end of the walk we were all dampish, and slip sloshing about in the wet snow, and looking forward to being back in the dry warmth of the house.  As I write Patty is resting as usual in the upstairs bedroom so as to keep an eye on me, and Macha is curled up in HER bed, obviously now having become slightly more attuned with her present situation, which is as far as she is concerned still a long way from being considered a vacation.

Macha actually came over to greet me this morning, after we had been woken up by the ever punctual Patty, who had decided that sleeping in is not something that happens at a well run resort of distinction like this!  This was Macha's first day of sunshine at the resort, it being clear but very cold, which certainly got everyone woken up in very short order.  The wet snow from the day before had all frozen, which made for some slip sliding about in places for me who had to stick to the beaten path, but not the guests who found that they could walk on top of the ice over the snow without breaking through, and as a result could go out on wild diversions all over the place.  This had me rather concerned on several occasions, but both guests always returned when their names were called.  The Frisbee situation is no further advanced, Macha will catch the Frisbee, but then instantly drop it in disgust, and then wander off pretending to be otherwise preoccupied with worldly matters which obviously I would never understand...  I like to think that it is the quality of these new Frisbees that do not meet her high standards in Frisbee construction, and not me that is causing the problem?  :o) The icy winds had diminished somewhat for the afternoon walk, and Patty having now taken up Dana's vacated lead position for the first time, took us on a few rather unusual scent diversions which Macha eagerly joined in on as I tried to keep up without loosing my balance on the slippery parts down in the ditches.  We finally arrived back at the resort as the sun was setting, with both guests eagerly anticipating another fine dinning experience at the resort.  :-)

Macha almost got on my bed last night, but had second thoughts or realized her dire mistake when I rolled over, and Patty then came over to lick her face!  She quickly slunk back over to her bed, which she had made real cozy by adding her guardians sweaters and a pair of gloves to the bedding.  Patty now knows that that bed is off limits to everyone, as I have also discovered after having received several low growls when bending over to pick things up off the floor nearby.  Not wishing to start world war 3, I now make sure Macha is outside before I move her bed from the bedroom to the kitchen or vice versa.  Macha also gets very excited when I ask Patty and her if they would like to go for a walk.  She starts off with a few barks, and then even throws in a baying Aaaroooo or two as she dances about excitedly near the front door.  But then Abby a beagle puppy dropped in for one of her usual unexpected day visits, and it was if a little cyclone had passed through the resort!  :o) The walks were barely controlled mayhem run amuck, with Macha wisely staying well behind me, as Patty and Abby did play combat from start to finish.  In the house Macha made the big mistake of growling at Abby when she jumped in her bed!  Abby just saw this as an invitation to play, and promptly flipped over the bed, and sent the bedding flying all over the place.  Poor Macha was speechless, as she looked up at me for support that I just could not provide(The guests are never wrong!).  Meanwhile I tried to keep a straight face while having lunch, as things went crashing all about me, and the guests either started barking excitedly or baying mournfully in the pure excitement or confusion of the moment.  Finally though Abby the "little darling" drove off into the sunset, and I was able to restore some order to the resort.  One positive benefit of Abby's visit is that I no longer have to worry about Frisbees!  :) She had destroyed all three, with two of them being in several pieces.  I do not think Macha was too upset at this turn of events, seeing that she never considered these Frisbees as being hers, and would anyway much rather go for walks then play Frisbee with a resort's concierge, whom she now clearly knows to be nuts.  :o( However, I would like to thank Macha's guardians for their friendly advice, which I will now use during the morning and afternoon walks, which Macha now enjoys so much as long as there is of course no puppies hanging about!  :-) As I write both Patty and Macha are completely spaced out, and taking a very well deserved nap after what has been a very wild and tiring day for all here at the resort.

Macha must have had a transformation during the night!  When she saw I was awake this morning, she came over to the bed, yawned, stretched, and then placing one paw on my chest gave my face a friendly lick or two.  I was then even allowed to give her a scratch under the chin and a rub behind the ears, as Patty then came over from her side of the bed, and...  After all this sunshine and harmony it was obviously time to go off on the morning walk!  :-) As usual the words "Time for a walk?" got both guests excited, with Macha barking and baying her now standard reply of approval, as Patty positioned herself nearest the door so as to be the first one out.  With both guests enjoying the walks so much, the Frisbees having been trashed, and neither guest being much interested in playing with any of the other toys, both the morning and afternoon play periods were replaced with walks.  The weather had gone from cold to very mild yet again, with it even raining later in the day as the afternoon walk was ending.  Needless to say with 4 walks I was almost walked off my feet, but not Macha and Patty who were tireless in their endless scent diversions.  If they got to far from the trail, I'd just have to call out one of their names, and they would both return at the run.  This was nice for me, seeing that I did not have to chase anyone through the bush, which happens rather often with let us say the more younger and boisterous guests, who do have a tendency to turn off their ears when chasing a particularly alluring scent.  I couldn't believe it, when we arrived back from the afternoon walk, it was getting dark, starting to rain, and Macha brings me half a chewed up Frisbee and wants to play!  It didn't fly very well or far, but she did make a few spectacular catches, with Patty providing interference before we had to call it quits, and all go in for dinner!  :-) When it comes to meals, Macha is a rather particular diner, being very careful to only eat the canned dog food parts first, while dropping the dry stuff all over the floor, to be consumed later in the meal if still hungry.  Patty always eats everything up, but is particularly delighted recently when her meals have been flavored with a morsel of meat and gravy from Macha's personal supply of canned dog food.  Both guests are now sleeping on beds upstairs while I surf the web, with Macha having only recently discovered the pleasures of sleeping on a real bed, not to mention the resort's many other outstanding amenities.  Should I dare to think that Macha might now actually be enjoying her vacation at the resort?  :o)

We had a quiet night after an evening of indoor tennis ball throwing, with Macha chasing the orange tennis ball, and Patty the yellow.  For a bedtime treat Macha found a bacon flavored Pup-Peroni, a MarroBone biscuit, and a Peanut Butter flavored biscuit on her bed.  Patty found the same on her bed, with the only difference being that she had a beef flavored Pup-Peroni.  I bet Macha's guardians do not find such delectable treats on the pillows on their beds on that big Cruise Ship that they are now on, when they turn in for the night!  :o) I awoke to find both Patty and Macha on my bed.  When they saw I was awake, they both came over to greet me in their usual charming way, and then had a friendly tussle all over the bed, with Macha barking excitedly when I finally dragged myself out of the bed, and suggested that it was time for the morning walk.  Maybe we should have all stayed in bed, it was raining, was mournfully overcast, and a strong wind was blowing out of the southeast.  This made the walk a rater miserable slushy event for us all, with the guests making only a few half hearted diversions off into the bush.  :-( Back at the resort I toweled off the guests, with Macha being rather suspicious of this whole drying off operation.  She attempted to wiggle free from under the towels, while letting off a few muffled growls, as I gave her an all over rubdown.  As a result we spent most of the day in the house, playing indoor tennis, or watching the birds/squirrels from the comfort of the big reclining chair that is located in front of the floor to ceiling window.  It had stopped raining by the time we started off on the afternoon walk, which though rather slushy was a much more enjoyable walk for all.  After the walk we even had time for a broken Frisbee throwing event, with Macha winning the tournament what with her having gotten a slightly higher point total for style and finesse than had Patty.  :-) Patty just gave me a big yawn, as if to say "Dream on, I had!  She is watching me as usual from the bed in the upstairs bedroom, while the champ is crashed out below on my bed.

We had yet another mild wet day, as global warming washed away yet another winter day here at the resort!  :-( Okay, Patty and Macha are oblivious to such worldly concerns, and despite the slush and the puddles we all had a great morning walk, which was longer than most, what with them both going off on a rather longish diversion in pursuit of some fresh deer tracks in the wet snow.  Macha is certainly a very talkative guest, when ever I ask her something her ears pop up and she tilts her head to one side as if giving the question some serious thought before barking a response, and dancing about with eager anticipation.  When getting on my bed she slinks up to it, looks to me for permission, then places her front end on the bed, and then drags her rear end up on to the bed in one graceful slithering motion.  Patty just jumps effortlessly onto the bed, listens to me attentively when ever I talk to her, but never barks, and has become my second shadow.  By the time of the afternoon walk, the long lost sun was peaking out from behind the clouds if only infrequently, the wind had picked up from the southwest, and it was still as mild as ever as far as the temperature was concerned.  I figure that there most be only an inch or 2 of snow still covering the fields!  What has changed the most, is that the ditches are now full of water, and rather treacherous to get across.  Lucky for me Macha and Patty unlike some previous guests are not ditch dogs who love to splash about and spay mud everywhere!  I usually only have to worry about such events in the spring!  In other news, Boomer and Indy who visited on New Years day, have both confirmed their reservations for late March and early April.  :-) Patty and Macha having just finished Dinner, are now taking their late afternoon nap as yet another exciting day at the resort comes to an end.

The weather for the morning walk was just below freezing, dead still there being no wind, and as usual overcast and gray as a faint glow showed the sun to have risen just above the trees.  The big attraction this morning other than being able to walk on the frozen snow, was the huge moose tracks that crisscrossed the trail from almost start to finish, and which seemed to have been made fairly recently.  Needless to say both Patty and Macha were entranced, and had to spend the entire walk sniffing them out extensively.  Between walks the guests either chased the squirrels or played some bring back the ball or catch the Frisbee games.  It was Patty chasing the purple ball most of the time, while Macha opted instead to concentrate mainly on catching the half destroyed purple Frisbee with her usual consummate skill.  To add some interest to a very drab and gloomy day we took the long overgrown trail down to the big beaver pond for the afternoon walk, being careful to go around any fallen trees so that Patty would not get stuck under one as she had last week.  By the time we arrived back at the resort it was raining tiny frozen ice pellets.  With Macha's guardians coming back from the high seas tomorrow to pick her up, and Patty being a long term guest, this will be the last daily update for the Christmas period.  All future updates being either when requested, there is news to report, or a new guest has arrived to start his or her vacation.