Happy Howl-oween!

Well today was the big day, and while we didn't have too big of a turnout (Saturdays are usually pretty slow days), we did have a blast here at the Fort. Everybody got to try on a costume, but some were less thrilled than others.
Chase wore the Frankenstein hat, and made a cute monster, though his brother Chance was not too interested in being dressed up.



Sarah was very patient and sat still, just like a pumpkin! Buddy also had a very good pumpkin-impression to show us.



Cleo was more interested in tasting a pumpkin than in being one!


Speaking of tasting pumpkin, I hear Lila had a bit of an adventure with one last night! She was definitely none the worse for the wear, and took some time to give us a wag.


The dogs finally got their chance to get a piece of that meowing Halloween Cat we've been showing them all month. Buddy gave him the stare down, but Chance and Chase took a more direct approach. Here's a look at Chance and Chase giving that cat a piece of their mind!


On another note-- a night of constant doorbell ringing may bring up thoughts of training. Check out the "Training" section of our homepage for the latest information on upcoming classes and seminars being held at Fort Fido and featuring trainer Garrett Stevens.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!
Captain Hope (slightly more fun than Captain Hook)

P.S.-- Don't forget to "Fall Back" tonight for Daylight Saving Time! (click here for some interesting history and facts)At least it is in the fun direction, this time. I know I'll be cursing the idea of saving daylight come Spring. Getting an extra hour of sleep is far superior to losing one!

~ Cool Costumes ~

Just a few Halloween Costume pics today. They are so great, so hilarious! Hopefully we'll have a few more to showoff. I'll leave you with a clip of our newest Black Lab Sarah being a wild thing. She'll take on anyone for play!

Have a fun & safe weekend,

-Grant

Happy All Hallows’ eve from Dakota

Dakota is a delightful 65 pound, four year old, mixed breed. She is one of the pack leaders in the Medium Roll and has been hanging out at Fort Fido right from the start. Both of her owners are firefighters, way to go! They sent us in some cool/ spooky Halloween pumpkin pics this morning, take a gander.

-Grant

Hey Bub!

A fun loving chocolate lab named Bubba took his first trip to Fort Fido this morning. Bubba is three years old, about 70 pounds and has a wonderful temperament. It is clear that Bubba has been well socialized, its great to see that in the new recruits because it makes everyone's job much easier. He went to playing almost instantly, blending in with the pack, having a marvelous time.

We came across another Halloween Night dog safety article, click here to check it out!

Cheers,

-Grant

Rudy & New Toys!

Brittany spaniels have mucho energía! They can duck, dive, spin and sprint like no other. The fort has had a couple of Brittanys pass through it's doors over the years. This morning we introduced one to the pack named Rudy. Rudy was no exception to the Brittany's upbeat and highly active temperament. Although he was only six months old and around 25 pounds, Rudy was started in the "Big Roll". He got it figured out quick and had a wonderful time!

In other happenings... We just received some entertaining new toys(scroll down to see)! Who knows how long these will hold up but they look cute, should be worth a few moments of fun for your canine companion.

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. I Almost forgot to let you in on my cool online finds. This picture is hillarious, this article is too much and this one is ol' skool hahaha.

Fall Fun Photos

There was a great turnout for Fall Fun Day. Everyone looked like they were having a good time, especially the kids, they were having a blast! Fido meeted and greeted, danced a few jigs and passed out as much candy as possible. Good times! Take a look at the photos. Take care,

-Grant

Little man with a big attitude!

Bruiser is an aptly named Schipperke. He is full of energy and can give even the most rambunctious of the bigger dogs a run for their money. He is about a year old, and has been coming to the Fort since he was only 9-and-a-half weeks old. He plays hard and uses every minute here for all it's worth! He's not picky about playmates- Bruiser will play with anybody willing to keep pace. Here he is playing with Cooper, who was enjoying his first full day:


Schipperkes are a less common breed of dog, originating from Belgium. Their name means "Little Shepherd," which is perhaps a description of their similarity to the Belgian Shepherd Dog, which has a similar appearance along with a much greater size. They bear a resemblance to many other "Spitz" breeds, including the American Eskimo, the Keeshond, and the Pomeranian, all of which descended from the same ancient line. They are typically very hardy dogs, and can live to be 17 or 18 years of age. Bruiser has plenty of troublemaking left in him!

-Hope

Also-- if you are interested in taking a pet first aid class, there are several Washington branches of the Red Cross which offer courses.

Fall Fun Day Tomorrow!

Fall Fun Day is tomorrow at the University Place Fire Department. Bring the kiddies and have some fun... Be on the lookout because you might even spot Fido there!

Fall Fun Day
October 24 from 10am-1pm

Join your neighbors and friends, rain or shine, and get a Halloween safety bracelet and bag for your son or daughter! Pumpkins will be available to the first 300 children, one bracelet/bag per child, and a free digital picture for kids in costume. Children must be present for giveaways. Please donate a non-perishable food item at the event to help U.P. families. And don't miss the pony rides and petting zoo! All this takes place at the U.P. Fire Station, 3631 Drexler Drive West.

-Grant

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom & Dad!

I am almost certain that they didn't want this as Fort Fido's daily blog post... But I said screw it, I gotta throw this out there hahaha. Happy 25th anniversary mom and dad! What a fine job you've done with life, I love both of you very much (even if the three of us are together wayyy too often lol) and I am thankful for everything you've blessed me with. Keep on keepin on lol! Congrats, cheers, hooray,

-Grant
P.S. In doggie news I found this to be a grand idea in the right situation.

Doggie CPR!

All of the Fort Fido staff and I are thrilled to say that we would perform CPR on any dog (only if they needed it lol) at the fort. This article I found got us thinking about the situation, I hope it will never arise. In any event, it is good to know how to administer Canine CPR. Here is a link to a page describing the techniques used, read all about it!

Cheers,

-Grant

Beau Beau and Griffen play hard!

Here is a clip of how hard Beau and Griffen play.



Beau is a two year old, 50 pound, black Standard Poodle that has been at the fort for about two years. He is a scrapper with high energy, very loving but you gotta keep an eye on him.

Griffen is almost two years old. He is a 68 pound, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (not a breed I would recommend for beginners) who has been coming to us for a couple months. Talk about energy... Griffen is a hyper explosion! With his muscular physique and fancy beard he can go all day with the best of 'em.

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. I wonder if this will be a hit or a flop?

Wet paint & A welcome to Cooper

A few of us hung around the fort this weekend for a bit more fall cleaning. We also did some more painting upstairs in the little dog area. The colors we used were tan, chocolate, black and a light green... It's looking good, very calming lol. A folding chair rack (the chairs are used for training classes) was hung on a wall downstairs as well as a bike rack (I bike to work). It felt nice to spruce things up.

This morning we welcomed Cooper. He is a six month old, 40 pound, lab mix. Cooper fit in well, had a good time while he stayed and made a cute face for his badge photo (already lying down after a couple of hours, that's great!).

Happy Monday Y'all,

-Grant

Halloween is right around the bend!

So of course there are all sorts of interesting articles to be found. This one from the LA Times showcases some adorable pugs in spectacular costumes. This pet/owner combo costume was my favorite.

If your dog is going to be dressing up this year, The ASPCA has some good safety tips.
"

-A costume should not constrict an animal's movement or hearing.

-It should not impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow.

-Try costumes on a pet before the big event. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behaviour, consider letting him go in his or her birthday suit or switching to a festive bandanna.

-Inspect your pet's costume and make sure it doesn't have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he or she could choke on.

-Poor-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.

-To teach an animal to enjoy wearing a costume, get them used to it a little at a time, associating the fitting of the costume with the animal's favourite things, like a delicious treat. By going slowly, you can make sure your animal is happy at each stage before moving on to the next one.

-Pets should always be supervised while wearing a costume. Remove it if he or she won't have your full attention.

-A pet should always wear an identification tag. Halloween is no exception. Your pet could dash out the door when you least expect it and his tag could be his ticket home. Make sure the address and phone number on the tag are up-to-date."

Have a good weekend!

Hope

Rainier!

Rainier has been enjoying himself at Fort Fido almost everyday for over a year. He is a a 50 pound, Catahoula Lepord Dog (a breed for only the most dedicated dog owners) mix that is coming up on his second birthday. Rainier is an extremely smart dog and his antics never cease. His owners work nonstop with him in training, tricks and even some agility! They are doing a wonderful job. Rainier is the Alpha leader of the medium roll and one of his many nick names is "Freckle Nose".

Here is a funny video of Rainier that his owners took. If my memory serves me, he was flustered because he wasn't allowed to be in the dinning room with them at the time. What a joker!

Have a good weekend!

-Grant

Zeuss, new review, kumpi plug :)

What a hearty roll we had today. Lots of big dogs, lots of big fun! Zeuss started up this morning, he is a three year old, 60 pound, Border Collie mix. He did alright for his first day, we hope to see him branch out a bit more. Zeuss has a great name and the funniest little tail.

Fort Fido has gained another great review which can be read here (scroll down a bit). Thank you Ginny, Darrel and Happy dog, you are too kind.



To anyone who hasn't looked into Kumpi pet food yet please do! I have to get a little plug in every now and then because it is great stuff. Call the president of the company Evy, she'll answer the phone and answer any questions you have with expertise. Made in the USA, no byproducts, real food for dogs, 100% money back guarantee. Cheers,

-Grant

Sarah Nugget

The fort has had quite a few new recruits this week. Nugget started Monday morning. He is a two year old, 15 pound Maltipoo. Nugget is settling into Fido's flow well and we just love his name! Sarah took the plunge this morning. She is a fiery, 10 month old, healthy black Labrador pup. So far so good!

Fall is a growth period for us, the wet weather starts, the kids are back in school and many dogs are left at home bored without enough exercise. That is where Fort Fido comes in. Bring them on in, "we'll get the "P & V" out of 'em" that's what mom likes to say lol.
I'll leave you with some feelgood news here and here. Take it easy,

-Grant

Hey there Wrigley!

This morning we welcomed Wrigley to Fort Fido. He just so happens to be Guinea's cousin (not by blood of course hahaha)! He is a three year old, 65 pound, red and white English Bulldog. Wrigley was a crackup, a likable fella with the biggest tongue we've ever seen! He tore it up good and we assume he'll be very tired this afternoon.



-Grant
P.S. A little early Halloween in this snippet, I've heard about it numerous times regarding cats, apparently dogs fall into the same category.

Fall Fixin

Everyone down at the fort was hard at work this last weekend. Our normal Saturday deep cleaning was done along with some other tasks. We resurfaced our liquid rubber flooring in the small dog upstairs play area and the staircase (lots of Cindarella style scrubbing, mopping, drying and painting lol), hung new leash pockets and did touch up painting on the beds. Things are looking and smelling great! We are pooped hahaha! I'll leave you with some pictures, cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Check out this sweet review we just received! Thank you Bif!