Simba Ranch

Tracy did a great job of setting the peaceful tone for the morning and it continued through the afternoon and evening. This made my duties simple and flawless. I started my day at Simba with the weekly deep clean of the Ranch. All the campers were fine to be outside in the sun watching and listening as the beautiful day grew around them. Because everyone was so calm, cleaning was a snap and we were on our afternoon walks before we knew it.

Zipper was picked up this afternoon and ready to rest after playing stick and chase with Buster all afternoon. Norman joined our pack around 5:00. He and Auggie had a grand time romping in the snow in the back 40. Norman, Susu, Roxy and I went on an evening walk and enjoyed the birds singing to one another.

Dahlia and Roxy have been spending a lot of time watching the woodland creatures. Today I peeked out and saw both of them sitting under a tree and staring up…20 minuets later they were still there. Adorable!

Ranger spent the afternoon in different sun spots. The one in front then the one in back then back to the front and on again. This is a dog who knows how to RELAX.

good night,

Hallie

Did I mention that I love my job? You know it is going to be a good day when smiling Smokey, our canine host, meets you happily at the gate. Everyone was calm waking up this morning so we had some meditation minutes in the early morning sun. The pack has been really well balanced the rest of the day.

The lovely Great Dane Auggie arrived today and has made quick friends with our other Great Dane Dahlia both love to share the doggie couch! They make an adorable pair…pictures soon! Everyone else is basking in the sun and enjoying the spring heat.

Have a great day!

Tracy

What a great day to be back at Simba Ranch!! After three months off for knee surgery, all the reasons I missed being here came rushing back today. The sun was shining, the snow is melting and everyone was flawless on our walks.

Ranger spent the afternoon basking in the sun and Riley tried to nudge him awake, I think he was curious about Rangers largeness! They had a romp around and it was great. There was a little challenge with Kota, Kidu and Elsa. They played really well for a while and then there play escalated a little too high.

The day has really warmed up since this morning and the wind has died down considerably, which means I am able to play one of my favorite “games” here at the ranch: Tenderfoot Training’s “Out” drill. The picture above is unfortunately a bit darker than I would like due to the fact that I have more experience with dogs than with cameras, but I think you can see what’s happening. Basically, I have just had the door to the office wide open for the last hour or so but made sure that all of the dogs stayed out. I am claiming this space as my own, and thus the dogs must make a choice to attempt to invade my territory or be respectful of my boundary. Above we see Smokey and Sam choosing the latter. It really is a simple drill in that I can write this blog while I’m doing it, but it is incredibly effective tool to help maintain the proper leader-follower relationship between myself and the rest of the pack. Thanks Doug and Elizabeth!

-Patrick

This mornings rise and shine came quite quickly while the pack was full of energy first thing. It started out windy and 26 degrees on this lovely spring morning. I think everyone was influenced by the briskness of the air. But now as the sun is out and the temperature is rising everyone is quite peaceful.

Dahlia, Roxy, Zipper, Smokey and Buster are on a hot pursuit of some small animal that has earned their attention. While Cooper, Sam, Aspen, and Ranger are all on the edge of their seat to see what my next move will be. Our walks were all great today, and we were sad to see the beautiful huskies, Kota and Kidu, leave for their home pack today.

Love and Light

Tracy

Hi all. The Ranch is buzzing with life, on this Winter-comeback day. It has been chilly! Barely even 30 today with on and off snow, but our pack is active and happy.The illustrious list of canine stars for the day is as follows: Kidu, Kota, Dahlia, Ranger, Roxy, Pitty-Pat, Zipper, Cooper, Smila, Sam, Aspen, Susu, and Sage. I am impressed with how well some of our high energy, and new visitor dogs are doing here at the Ranch. Even though the pack is large, we can all play, eat, and rest together…all as one. It takes patience, focus, and presence to be the sole pack leader, but the rewards are clear for me when I achieve this state. Simply put, I get to see the best in each and every pack member come out. I get to know the dogs in their comfortable, submissive, “vacation” mode. It is very much the way us humans can be when we feel that everyone we meet is family, that we can be comfortable in the world, and when we truly relax. When we no longer need to be on guard or in control, our true selves emerge and our uniqueness and beauty shines. Shine on. -Erik

The sun was shining through the window this afternoon, but outside it has been cold and windy pretty much all day. We even got some snow flurries! The pack of nine that have been here all day had a big morning with Erik and spent most of the afternoon inside napping, but things have picked back up since Sam and Aspen got dropped off around 5.

More new photos! - Patrick

Another Colorado day in the mountains.  We started the afternoon with lovely spring weather and wonderful walks.  Then we roamed around the property a bit and hung out with Michele and her two boys.  By dinner time the snow had started to blow in and everyone was ready to snuggle in the Ranch before they were fed.  Both our new campers came later in the evening so, we spent the rest of the time doing introductions and helping the new dogs play off their energy.  Zipper, Smila, Pattie and Copper had a great evening Romp together.  Now it is time for me to sweep the Ranch out wipe off all the dogs and call it a night.

 Peace and love,

Hallie

Boy, it is quite a bit of work to keep the office/sleeping area and the dogs clean during Springtime! I swept for the 3rd or fourth time today, once first thing this morning while Patrick was on walks, and then I just mopped the floor and made the beds again for tonight. I also wiped down everything.

We had a large group today. Interestingly, we had four huskies that all  romped together in their own pack - Kota, Kidu, Elsa and Smila. They are very beautiful animals and the pack played really well together in the front quarter. Since their are so many dogs, it is nice to have 2 packs, and plenty of space for all.

Buster, Zipper, Heidi, Patty, Dahlia and Roxy played together in the other pack. Many were new dogs who arrived either yesterday or today so the energy was fairly high but all got along well and, at 7:45pm, they are pooped and ready for dinner, a treat and bedtime.

Ranger is our big, older dog. He roamed this morning and has been sleeping for much of the rest of the day.

It is a large pack but a great group of dogs and I feel very blessed to spend time with them all.

It’s bedtime so until tomorrow, I bid you all a starry night.

Michele

It’s a beautiful spring morning here at the ranch, and we’ve got a pretty big pack sharing it with us today. The new arrivals, Smila, Zipper, and Buster are all young, energetic pups who keep us on our toes, and after taking everyone on walks, we have essentially just split the group into two smaller packs of dogs that we know will get along best together. The Huskies, Kidu, Kota, Smila, and Elsa have been playing really well together all morning in the front quarter, while Buster, Roxy, Dahlia, Zipper, Heidi, Bella and Patty have been hanging out in the central area around the office. Ranger has insisted on napping most of the morning after exploring the entire property several times over yesterday.

We are still having some minor problems with the camera, but I was finally able to take a couple of pictures during nap time for your enjoyment. Click on the thumbnails for a larger version.

- Patrick