This morning was grey and wet but that didn't deter the four day-visitors from joining us as well as Ginger, who is back for another few days of vacation. The schedule has five of our overnight guests departing today and we hope the fog will thin out so we can actually see the beach. Stephanie and her assistant, Ellie, are going to keep us busy although Belle  and Tonique    don't need any encouragement. They chase one another all around the house and outside and have become the best of friends. 

   

Mary has a long list of errands that she has to tackle today, so she heads into town before lunch to try and get a few of them off her list. After all their morning games, Belle and Tonique don't need to be coaxed to have a rest. 

  

The rest of us wait patiently for some sign that a beach walk is imminent and as soon as Mary returns with her carload  of stuff, Stephanie and Ellie gather us together and off we go. Mary stays behind with the non-beachgoing critters    and the rest of us enjoy our time at the shore surrounded by fog. 

   

   

   

Jasper decided he wanted a new look so he went for a 'black mulch with peat moss'  kind of treatment, convinced that he will blend well into the background if he's ever being tracked by dog-nappers because he's a social media sensation.  Mary tried to convince him that a set of dark glasses and a baseball cap might be a better idea and he could avoid having to take a bath.    

    

Tonight, everyone is super tired including Mary and we all fall asleep in front of the TV which is why this Monday DogBlog is not reaching it's audience until Tuesday. Oh well, better late than never. 

That might sound like an excuse for an abbreviated DogBlog, and perhaps it is to some degree. It's Sunday night and we're all tired and no one has any funny anecdotes or riveting tales of adventure to pass along. 

We could tell you about the weather but even that is a blur. I think it was mostly sunny and warm and on Saturday, Kelsea brought LaVie and Ocean with her to play with us. We had a nice beach walk and Maya   really enjoyed her swims in the ocean. Kelsea took a few other photos of Lucy   , Rusty  ,  Karter   and Benny   while the rest of us were chasing one another and splashing in the surf. 

Back at the house, Mary was keeping a close eye on little Belle, making sure she didn't get into any trouble,  because she's quite an adventurous little gal, always wanting to go through any open door or gate. Jasper was sitting in the sun and every now and again he would break into his mournful song about being a lost dog in the big bad city. 

After the beach walk, Kelsea and Mary, installed a new roost for the McGuinea family in their coop and we hung around outside until they were done. Kelsea tackled some more house cleaning jobs while we kept Mary busy until it was time for our dinner. 

Sunday was another sunny and warm day and we enjoyed a well-prepared breakfast by Chef Stephanie followed by some play time while we waited for little Tonique to arrive for his week's vacation. He and Belle hit it off right away and they spent most of the afternoon playing with one another while the rest of us enjoyed the shady veranda. Benny and Rusty were picked up by their humans and Stephanie returned to prepare our dinner while Mary kept trying to keep ahead of the emails and phone calls. Things sure have got busy in the last couple of weeks and it hasn't been easy getting used to the increased activity and numbers after the slow pace for more than a year. Bookings are being made for the upcoming months as people want to get moving again so it looks like the late summer and fall months will be hopping.

So, that's it for another weekend report as we look ahead to another week where we will get to spend time with more of our old friends. as they arrive for a vacation stay.  

Today  we had a bunch of daycare friends arrive and we also had a bunch of vacationers trickling in throughout the day. When you added in the overnight guests that were already here, it made for a large group of excited and noisy critters, including the three Brittany tag team of Hunter, Daisy and Parker . Baxter and Nala would usually be day-visiting but today they arrived with a big pile of food, treats and toys and they will be staying for a few days. We were split up into three groups with Kelsea taking charge of the more boisterous ones and inviting them on a poop patrol in the front and back yards. Stephanie and Ellie took another group, including Luna H  who was here for her first sleepover, to the cabana so that Stephanie could get Tallen’s paddock and stall cleaned at the barn. Ellie has been around these dogs ever since she was a baby so she's dog savvy and already something of a dog whisperer. Stephanie knew this bunch would probably have more fun with Ellie, but she was close by in case there were any issues. Mary had her group of older, lazy or not-so-social critters at the house with her.

Kelsea’s group consisted mostly of the beach crazy dogs, and they just wouldn’t settle down until they got their fix, so off they went, running down the hill. When they got there they were a bit unsure if they should stay since there was an abandoned  surfboard left on shore and no sign of the surfer. Kelsea suspected it belonged to someone staying at the beachside cabin, so she directed the dogs attention elsewhere until they passed the board. She didn’t want the dogs to run over it and scratch it or something. Knowing Jasper M, he probably would have tried to pick it up and carry it down the beach.

The other thing that cut their trip short was the strong waves and the high tide.  Kelsea didn’t want the dogs in the water too far from shore so no balls were thrown today. This resulted in some boredom and they had to return to the house before they started going off and exploring in the woods. The trip seemed to take the edge off a bit, so Kelsea did some house cleaning and Mary kept an eye on everyone while we waited at the cabana for Roxy A  , who hadn't been here in some time, to arrive. When she got here, she was so happy to see all her friends and meet many new ones. She's one of those dogs who is so sweet and happy all the time, with a permanent smile on her face.

 After lunch, Kelsea took her bunch over to the cabana, so that Stephanie and Ellie could slip down to the beach with their bunch without the others getting too excited. Mind you Nala Jr. wasn't fooled and she stuck close to Ellie so she could get herself a second second beach fix. This was Luna’s first beach adventure with our pack and she was happy to have her friend Jasmine   along but she mostly followed Ellie   around unless it was in the deep water, since Luna hasn't yet taken to swimming. 

Leroy   insisted on making the journey today and he did just fine and Nala Jr. and Ellie     had a great time swimming together.

   

     

While that bunch were at the beach, back at the house, the rest of us said so long to Mya and then welcomed the sweet-natured Maya   and her adorable little cousin, Belle  . Maya, being a Golden Retriever was disappointed to hear she missed the beach today, but Mary promised her that Kelsea would take her tomorrow. Another arrival was Marley  who starts off being shy but soon joins in the activities. Once the second beach group returned and were introduced to Marley, Maya and little Belle, it was time for them to settle down for a nap. Benny called dibs on the very small space between Stephanie and the back of the computer-desk chair while she edited her photos and the rest of us found a spot on the front veranda or on a comfy dog bed.

Around this time, some dark clouds appeared and we had some showers and heard thunder in the distance. Once that passed, it was sunny again, but Nala Sr. still managed to get a little on edge from the thunder. Stephanie knew it must be close to four o’clock because Chloe and Jasper WD started pacing around, looking for their dinner. She just had to send most of the daycare pals and Lucy E on their way before she started dinner preparations. With the increased number of overnight guests , she was happy to have Kelsea’s help to speed things up a bit and so were we.  After dinner, we said so long to the remaining daycare friends, along with Kelsea, Stephanie and Ellie. The rest of us were ready for some serious napping after such a busy day! When we went out for our late evening walk, we were greeted by the Full Buck moon  . Here's a closer shot. 

 

The day was just getting underway, Stephanie and Ellie arrived and started getting our breakfast and then it got very dark outside. Mary thought it was the smoke from the Western wild fires up high in the atmosphere that was making things look like dusk but then the skies opened up and there were some very loud cracks of thunder followed by lightning. The rain was intense for the next half hour or so and the gutters on the house couldn't keep up with the volume. There were geysers coming out the downspouts and, what couldn't get through, spilled over in a sheet of water. None of the critters wanted to stay outside in that deluge so, they stood in the sunroom, and watched Mother Nature at her most powerful. Both Joey and Lucy R were dropped off in the hopes that the storm would soon pass and they could get outside to play.  

About mid-morning, the storm seemed to be over so Stephanie and Ellie gathered us together for our trip down to the beach. Stephanie wanted Leroy to stay home and take it easy today but he wasn't having any of that and insisted in going along. 

After the rain, it was like a jungle adventure going down the trail to the beach with tall bushes loaded with rain, the humidity making everything steamy and the turf under our paws making squishy sounds.

    Watch me, Lucy! 

I'll show you how to do a duck dive. 

      

   

   

We stayed on the beach until Ellie was tired of swimming and then we trudged back up the jungle path, being chased by big deer flies who wanted to sample a variety of fresh dog meat. We were all thirsty and tired so a long, cool drink and a nap seemed like a good idea.  Later there was a message from our old friend, Rigo, including some recent photos. His poses were varied as you can see and he labeled them as follows. 

                                           Coy                                                                        Macho                                                      

Catalogue 

Sometimes Rigo can be a little chichi but we enjoy his swanky stories and his dry sense of humour.  We are looking forward to his visit next week. 

Good news on the baby Barn Swallow front. The two that Mary took, from the nest in the barn, to Hope for Wildlife last week, with little hope of their survival, have rebounded quite quickly with HFW's wonderful care and medical attention. They are in the nursery, with some other baby Swallows and will stay there until they can fend for themselves. The medical team at Hope for Wildlife believe they were dehydrated, likely because of the long period of hot and humid weather. The amazing thing about this story is that if the Swallow parents hadn't made such a fuss, swooping at Mary, Stephanie, Ellie and Kelsea every time they were outside, it is unlikely that anyone would have checked the nest in the barn rafters and found the two babies so sickly and a third one already dead. Without the special care they received, they likely would not have survived.  Those parents knew how to get their message across and having a place like HFW so close by, is a blessing for all wildlife, big and small. 

Here is a link to their Website in case you are wondering about this facility located right here in Seaforth. 

Hope for Wildlife

Hello, this is Leroy , bringing you a report mid-week on our activities. Wednesday seems to be the most popular day of the week for day-visits and today was no exception with twelve being brought to the gate. In addition, there were four overnight guests to welcome and get settled which is a big job for me and the rest of the critters. Kelsea was on duty today and she, Stephanie and Ellie began planning our big beach hike where we would all go in one group with three leaders. First, we had to make sure that everyone was introduced to Mya since she can go a little over-the-top in her greetings and she managed to wear Merle out within minutes.  

      

Yesterday, the heat and humidity deterred me from going down the hill but today, I am determined to join in the fun. Once all the beach goers were on site, the gate was opened and off we all went for some big adventures racing in the surf and fetching some balls. I say we, in the collective sense, because my days of racing on the beach and fetching balls have long since passed. Some of us who don't swim, enjoyed sniffing out some treasures hidden in the seaweed or we just watched Ellie as she did her sea monster imitation. 

   

   

Cuffs with her favorite beach accessory.            This is Rolo, Snicker's sweet little brother.         Here's Mya being stalked by Ellie, the sea monster. 

    

Rusty, the seven-legged dog enjoys the beach. 

After all that, when we were all tuckered out, the plan was to return to the house but I have to admit the heat and humidity sapped all my strength. I laid down and didn't have the energy to get up so Kelsea headed back up the hill with some of the pack while Stephanie and Ellie and the remaining critters stayed with me. Kelsea was prepared to take the wheelbarrow down but, thank heavens, I didn't have to suffer the indignity of being loaded into it and wheeled back up the hill like some old relic.  After a short rest, my strength returned and we made our way back with many reststops along the way. 

When we got back, our little Seaforth buddies, Obi  and Chico    had arrived for a short afternoon visit and as usual they were strutting around like they owned the place.  Most of the pack relaxed for the afternoon but I fell into my bed and had a very long sleep, waking just in time for dinner. 

Today was a real mixed bag of activities starting with the switching places of the two Ellies.  This Ellie  arrived early to spend the day with us and this Ellie  left to spend the day playing with a human friend. A short while after the rest of the arrivals got here, so did the farrier who came to re-shoe the horse, Tallen. Tallen was asleep in his stall and really didn't want to get up, particularly for the farrier.  Standing on three legs for the rest of the morning wasn't at all appealing to that lazy horse but he couldn't resist the lovely MacIntosh apple that Mary dangled in front of him. 

While that little drama was played out in the barn, we hung out with Stephanie and posed for more photos. 

    

Later, a truck drove through the gate with a lawn tractor on the back and Reece, a friend of Mary and Stephanie's had come to cut the grass since the regular Lawn Mower Guy had some equipment problems and the grass, which hadn't been mowed for fourteen days, was in desperate need of a big trim. 

While the mowing was underway, we stayed inside and enjoyed some quiet time and waited for our beach hike.  Mary was out in the barn cleaning the Guinea House and that was one stinky job made all the worse by this hot, humid weather. We also got to meet a sweet little Bulldog puppy called Rosie   who has come to live with a neighbour family.  She was full of puppy enthusiasm and wanted to play with all of us. As soon as the tractor mowing was finished,  off we raced to the beach with Stephanie to enjoy a dip in the cool waves. 

    

   

When we returned to the house, we realized that the easy-going pace of our day was about to disappear. Mya  , the Black Lab pup, had arrived and all of us had to take turns keeping her amused because she wasn't about to mingle in moderation. Even the most energetic of us were overwhelmed by Mya's gusto as she jumped, ran, rolled, drooled and didn't stop even when dinner time rolled around. She wanted everyone to be her best friend, humans and dogs alike, young or old, big or small. Daisy had the most stamina but she was soon looking for a break, then Leroy became the focus of her attention for a while, followed by Luke, who's skill in jumping the gates allowed him some respite. 

We all ate our dinner but Mya wasn't the least bit interested in stopping to eat so Mary tried keeping her on a leash next to her and hoping she would let us have a rest.  We were all placing bets on whether she would sleep once we were all in bed later tonight. 

More heavy fog today that keeps everything wet and the humidity was through the roof but that doesn't stop the critters from arriving. Our regular Monday visitors were dropped off and we got to spend the day with Stanley  , the Doodle puppy. Stanley has inherited the home where our dear friend Clover was living and he is quite a sweet little guy so we know that Clover would be pleased as she watches over us.  Also arriving today was Ginger  , and she was unanimously voted Miss Congeniality. She's a sweetie, a great swimmer and fun to play with as well. 

It took little Stanley a little while to get used to all the new fur friends so Stephanie decided that just to be safe, Stanley wouldn't go to the beach with us today in case he got spooked by something. So off we raced down to the beach with Stephanie and Ellie where we enjoyed lots of fetching and swimming although Ellie outdid most of us in terms of the time spent swimming. 

         

   

   

It was a great beach walk ,in spite of the fog, and we were all tired when the time came to return to the house.  Stanley had missed us while we were gone so Daisy was happy to stay outside and play with him while we had a rest. 

   

All in all, it was good first day for Stanley so his humans were pleased to get a glowing report when they came to pick him up. 

 

 

We have a list of feeble excuses for not getting the DogBlog up-to-date and we won't bore you with the details. Saturday was busy, busy in spite of having four guests depart. That could have been because there were four arrivals to take their place and one of those was our old buddy

Leroy .

Leroy, his sister, Lola and his brother, Cletus, used to all stay here in the past but Leroy's the only one left of that trio. He's now twelve years old and he's slowed down a lot but he's still keen to hang with his buds. Kelsea did manage to get the gang down to the beach in the morning  but in the afternoon, the heat and humidity took  the life out of all of us.

   

    

After lunch, Mary sat on the front veranda watching us sleep while Kelsea was busy with other work. We did go for a stroll with her while she got some garden photos of the Honeysuckle Vine, the Spirea and the Potentilla. 

  

 

   

Sunday followed a night of rain showers and the fog was blanketing Seaforth in the morning. There were a large number of departures scheduled for the day and only one arrival. That was our friend Remy , the Keeshond, and he switched into the Seaforth groove almost as soon as the gate closed behind him. There were some of us who had met Remy before and the rest had to be properly introduced to this mask-wearing ball of fur. 

The heat and humidity stayed with us all day and we avoided doing anything very strenuous. Mary rigged up the hose on the veranda with a wide spray so we could run through it and get a little cooled-off. Many of us didn't really want to go through it but it was the only way to get off the veranda. Of course, Dory, being a Black Lab,  thought that was just brilliant and wished it could be on all the time. 

Well, we're caught up now even though the effort was kind of  lame,  but we'll try and give you a better run-down on our Monday report. 

 

 

 

 

We won't go into the usual daily run-down with our repot as there are a lot of photos to get loaded and we're playing catch-up again. 

Kelsea took the first bunch of critters to the beach in spite of some heavy fog that was blanketing the shore. 

   

    

Later Stephanie took another bunch consisting mostly of the smaller guests and those that were too tired to join the first group. An extra hour of snoozing was just what they wanted while waiting for group one to return. . 

     

     

 

Hali found lots of energy and she showed off some of her skills with a ball, running circles around her fellow beach goers. 

        

   

Stephanie reported that she found one of the baby Barn Swallows on the floor just below the nest, deceased. The parents had been swooping around the Stephanie, Ellie, Kelsea and Mary all day, every time they went out,  trying desperately to tell them something was wrong. Sure enough, when Kelsea went up the ladder to check the nest, the other two babies were not in very good shape. There were no signs of injuries, just two very weak little birds who couldn't hold their heads up. This was a radical change from the previous thirty or so years  when the parents would raise two and sometimes three families of four to five  babies all of whom would thrive and leave with the parents later in the summer.  

Mary took the two sick babies down to Hope For Wildlife to see if they could do anything to help and the worried parents waited by the nest  hoping that humans could bring the babies back. Mary doesn't expect the babies will come round but she'll check in with the Wildlife Rehabilitation staff in a few days. It's a real mystery and we hope that another clutch of eggs will soon appear.  

In the afternoon we congregated on the veranda when we weren't playing Tag or Chase Me and it seemed like a thunderstorm might  break at any moment. 

   

    

   

Jasper watched us from his vantage point   ,no doubt wondering how any  of us would survive if we got lost and had to try to make our way home on the mean city streets. We're still waiting for him to tell us about his adventures back in June but he says he'll tell us in his own good time and not before.

Yes, the place was abuzz with the news that Jasper  ,  our senior buddy,  who got lost on Rainbow Haven beach last month, is coming to stay with us in Seaforth today. He's bound to have lots of interesting stories about his two days on the run so get ready to read about it here first. 

 It was going to be a sunny day and the temperature would climb to the high twenties so we were all looking forward to getting to the beach early. Stephanie knew that's what we wanted so she , Ellie and Mariah, gathered us together and off we went. 

Some of us were happy to pose for our portraits looking very intelligent in spite of being wet ...

                              Dory                                                                     Shamsky                                                                        Mylea 

   

while M'Gosh   couldn't help but show his best smile for the camera.  

       

   

    

When we returned from the beach, our old pal Jasper had arrived so we all rushed to congratulate him on becoming a media darling. Typical Jasper, he just shrugged it off and said he wanted to relax and enjoy himself and not be hounded by the paparazzi. He did promise to do a pawed-cast and talk about the dark side of being a lost dog in the big city, so we'll have to give him some space until he's ready to unpack all that baggage.  

Later, Mary made a trip into the city to see the neighbour who had to have an operation yesterday and was now in the hospital so we hung out enjoying the company of our pals while Stephanie did some photo editing and other computer work. Soon it was time to say goodbye to eleven pals, have dinner and enjoy a long evening nap. When it came time for our late walk, we were not keen on the idea of stepping off the veranda because there was a torrential downpour so we waited until it let up a bit before following Mary over to the north field. 

The parent swallows were very agitated when Mary went into the barn, flying around and making a lot of noise. Mary thought they must be concerned about the three babies in the nest so she tried not to disturb them too much and avoided turning on the lights or making too much noise.