Easter Tips and some great dog stories

Egg hunts and baskets of goodies can be a lot of fun for the whole family-- but, as with any holiday, it's important to make sure that your pets are kept safe from possible dangers. Chocolate is one of the run-of-the-mill dangers that we all know to look out for, but Easter can pose a few other risks for your pooch as well. Plastic eggs full of goodies are exciting to dogs and children alike, so make certain that dogs are kept well away from the "egg hunt" areas, and be sure to collect all the eggs after the hunt is through. Another hidden danger is the Easter Lily. This beautiful flower is toxic to many animals, so much so that even drinking the water they sat in can be dangerous. Keep an eye out, and keep the holiday fun for everyone!

 



After a heart attack left her incapacitated, a two-year old rescue pup saved her owner's life. Puggle Joleen alerted others in the house that something was wrong, and then tended to her foster mom Mary-Louise, licking her to keep her alert. After this scare, Mary-Louise couldn't help but adopt this special little lady. What an amazing beginning to their relationship! Sometimes we save a dog, but most of the time, the dog saves us.

Here's a funny one-- a police officer imitated a dog to convince suspects to give up running from the law. He must do one hell of an impression!

-Hope

Dear Doodle Lucy

Joining ranks with other doodle-dogs today was sweet Lucy. This one-year-old Australian Labradoodle was in great curly company with the medium pack. From purebred Poodles Jaz and Peaches and Barkley, to Labradoodles Lucy and Gracie, to Goldendoodle Sophie-Alice, the medium roll was full to the brim with curly friends.

Lucy wasn't too sure what to do with the other pups, but she spoke good "dog" and greeted all the other pack members cordially. We think that in time, the other dogs will show her the ropes, and this curly girl will get the hang of Fort Fido-- she'll learn that this is a place to make new friends, socialize, and expel excess energy.

We are all looking forward to watching this sweet girl learn and grow with us and the pack here at the Fort!

-Hope

Lovely Little Lady Lila

 

This has really been a fantastic couple of weeks for new furry friends at the Fort! Today, we added another pup to our pack-- twelve-week-old Boston Terrier Lila enjoyed her first day upstairs with the other little guys. She was a little timid, but she wouldn't let that get the best of her--her curiosity is what shone through the most. The other pups all did their best to show her a good time and let her know what the Fort is all about-- especially Beija, an older Boston whom we have known for many years.

 

As Lila learns and grows, she will certainly become even more of a fun-loving pack member. We have quite a group of fiesty Bostons and Boston-mixes, and they tend to be great daycare dogs--spunky and fun, with attitudes a lot bigger than their size! We're glad to have this lovely lady here with us,

 

-Hope

Anybody want or need...

This free "Dog Stuff" that I have? It's nothing too fancy.

One unused, Kelly Green, ipuppyone harness. It's a Small Dog XL Size, haha wow, that's a bit of a contradiction eh? Like those hilarious Starburst commercials! It fits Gibson and he is a very tiny Shetland Sheepdog.

Also up for grabs, is a DOG MATE Small Dog/Cat Door. Originally, I thought I was going to install two of these doors in my house, however one was enough for my kitty Hobbs. It's a nice little animal door, works well, and installs easy... Once you cut the hole that is lol.

Anywho, let me know if you could use these items. Again, they are free to whoever and are first come, first serve. Shoot me an email, grant@fortfido.com , if you are interested.

Be well,

-Grant

Helpful Hannah

Today's assessment was the lovely Hannah. She is a mature, nine year old, one hundred & ten pound, East DDR German Shepherd. Hannah put in good work today, while hanging out in Fort Fido's Big Roll. She enjoyed keeping a watchful eye on a few of the younger, more exuberant, members of the pack. Hannah even gave out a few meaningful and well placed corrections, when necessary, to keep a few of the canine youths in line. All in all, Hannah had a great day at The Fort, and she was pleasant to have here. Way to go Hannah, we hope to see you again soon!

Have a wonderful day,

-Grant
P.S. I also wanted to mention that Hannah's owners own and operate Lind Pest Control... And let me tell you, if you are ever in need of pest control services, they are the folks to go with. Randy, Beth, and their team do an outstandingly good job!

Basking in the sun

Spring is finally here at Fort Fido. The sun is out and all the dogs have enjoyed basking in it all morning. Bella, Osbourne, Truman and Zeus have definitely enjoyed it the most.

Bella

Truman

Zeus

Osbourne

 

Have a great week,
-Matt

Dashing Dexter!

We met this fine, dapper gentleman today, and he fit right in with our pack! Calm and confident Dexter, a ten-year-old Pekingese-Tibetan Spaniel mix, had a lot of butt-sniffing and tail-wagging action. He was confident even in the mixed-bag that we have on Saturdays-- a group of both small and medium dogs all together in a pack.

Although he didn't bust out all the moves, he always kept a relaxed posture. The calming presence of older pack members is always welcome for us. We have found that having some of these guys mixed in with the puppies and young adults can have a really good balancing effect on the overall energy levels. In short-- this kind of peace is contagious! I really look forward to having Dexter with us again in the future!

-Hope

Xena--Warrior Pup!

Yet another sweet new pup joined us at the Fort this morning- an adorable Shiba Inu-German Shepherd mix named Xena. This sweet gal is the sister of longtime Fort Fido friend Buzz, an Airedale terrier. She has had a long journey in life--she was rescued by her current family from a shelter in California, and now lives up here.

This little lady has some cool tricks up her sleeve-- like fence climbing! Good thing that we always keep a close eye on all of our industrious little friends. She did well with the other medium pups, and we welcome her back any time.

I hope that we keep making such great friends and expanding out pack!

-Hope

Two New Friends

The Small dog pack and the Medium dog pack both got one dog bigger today!

Upstairs, we met the little sister of Fort Fido friend Gus. Her name is Izzie and she's a year-old terrier mix-- a darn cute one at that! Although she was a bit shy of people, she did really seem to enjoy the pack. This lucky little lady is a rescue, who seems to be settling well into her new home.

Our medium buddy was this dapper gentleman with a sly and mischievous streak. Louis is a Boston Terrier-Pug mix, otherwise known as a Bugg. He did really well with the other medium guys, and made friends with Bogie. The two were caught on film romping in the morning!

We are fortunate to have such great dogs coming in to join up with us, and we look forward to seeing more of them. Thanks for helping to make Fort Fido such a great place for everyone!

-Hope

Bukowski's Dog Poems

Charles Bukowski was an amazing, eccentric, honest, yet dark, Poet. He also wrote many successful novels and short stories. I have recently finished reading one of his large books of poetry and thoroughly enjoyed it. It certainly isn't for everyone and is often not "family friendly", however, the truth and emotion many of his poems bring out, is powerful. On his lighter side, I found these two neat dog-related poems that I wanted to share. Enjoy! R.I.P. Bukowski.

DogCharles Bukowski

a single dog
walking alone on a hot sidewalk of
summer
appears to have the power
of ten thousand gods.

why is this?

 

White Dog
Charles Bukowski
I went for a walk on Hollywood Boulevard.
I looked down and there was a large white dog
walking beside me.
his pace was exactly the same as mine,
we stopped at traffic signals together.
a woman smiled at us.
he must have walked 8 blocks with me.
then I went into a grocery store and
when I came out he was gone.
or she was gone.
the wonderful white dog
with a trace of yellow in its fur.
the large blue eyes were gone.
the grinning mouth was gone.
the lolling tongue was gone.
things are so easily lost.
things just can’t be kept forever.
I got the blues.
I got the blues.
that dog loved and
trusted me and
I let it walk away.

Take it easy,

-Grant
P.S. Ah haha! Get a load of this title lol...

Wise Dakota

We were delighted to receive these four beautiful pictures. They are of Fort Fido long-timer, Dakota. Dakota's owner, Michelle, is quite the photographer... Well done and thank you!

Click to enlarge

Be well,

-Grant

Today We Have a Few Clips



Here is a great clip of ladies man Walter tearing it up with Hersey over in the medium roll.

 

 

In this clip Aryan shows Jack and Baer that there is enough of her energy to go around. 

 

 

Have a great week,

Gary

 



Sweet Sarah, the Golden Girl

We've had a couple of great new additions this week! Today's fun pup was Sarah, a five year old Golden Retriever who is equally at home with the big dogs and the tiny pups. She could have been sisters with Rosey, our longtime boarding buddy, and the two made a cute pair. Sarah hasn't busted out all the stops quite yet, but I'm confident that when she is more comfortable with the environment, we'll get to see more and more of her "wild and crazy" side (I think all dogs have one!). For now, we saw a sweet, observant, and calm side of Sarah that made her a really great addition to the pack. Her calm energy was welcome. Hope to be seeing her again soon!

Have a great St. Patrick's Day, for those inclined to celebrate ;-) I think Marty is ahead of all of us!

See you again soon!

-Hope

P.S.-- Check out this funny Harlem Shake-- even canines can't resist the allure of viral videos!

Alexander Graham Pug (say it three times fast!)

 

Not enough room for his full name, haha

 

Early this morning, we met little Alexander Graham Pug (or just Alex, for short). This adorable and good-natured little man enjoyed his time with the medium roll. He seemed to know exactly what he was here for, and got busy right away chasing balls and meeting all the other little guys. He played with Cortez for a spell, but generally preferred a slower approach--observing and taking it all in. Quite the charming gentleman, his smile is contagious, and I'm sure that he'll continue meeting new friends here. Just look at that face!

Welcome to the Pack!

-Hope

Three playrooms, three clips!

We got a great peek at all three play areas today-- Large, Medium, and Small!

In the Big area, we caught some Zzzz's, on film! Hound-dog Zipper and his Dobie buddy Zeus were tearing it up together this morning. These two are always great buds, and do a great job of playing fairly together.

Medium pup Thorn had a blast playing with his buddies Bess and Jasmine-- Jackson was also doing his damnedest to get in on the action!

Upstairs, ball time is as popular as ever. Seamus, Pearl, and Marlee are all about the ball, while Dixie tries to distract Pearl into a romp. Those two are quite the cute little couple!

Last but not least, a short clip of our boarding buddy Rosey, playing with other medium rollers, Cooper and Jack. Too bad they got distracted by the big guys across the hall! That was the start of a great clip.

Have a great night guys!

-Hope

New Toys!

Get 'em while they're hot lol! Lots of brightly colored fun ones.

All for now... Gotta fly!

-Grant
P.S. For no good reason, here's a funny dog GIF for you. Reminds me of playing with dogs in the woods, ya know, when they try to fetch a stick that's wayyy too much for them hahaha!

Meet Wolfdog

I was definitely in need of some comic relief today...

Luckily I came across the Old Spice Wolfdog videos, under YouTube's "most viewed" this morning.

Hahahaha, is all I could do after watching! Hopefully you find them as hilarious as I did...

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Please note, this wasn't an intentional Old Spice plug. I do not use their products, however, I appreciate the humor they inject into their commercials. Nothing beats this for deodorant lol! ;)

Two great clips

Today we got two great clips from the Medium Roll. Cody, (The Australian Labradoodle) Jackson (The Goldendoodle) and Lucy (The Labradoodle) are a great match, all with very similar energy levels. Here are some clips that show how great they get along together.

 

 

 

Have a great week,

-Matt

Couple of Clips and a Funny Pic

This is Gordon's idea of comfy!

My pup Gordon never ceases to crack me up-- his new favorite place to nap is right in front of the fireplace. Whoever said that brick can't be comfy?

Diego (you definitely want to click that link! This pup needs his own Instagram :-P ) and Phoebe were caught on candid camera having a little romp here. These two both know how to have a good time, even if you can hear Bess being a little jealous in the background (who can blame her? It looks like fun).

Little Puggle Sammy has been staying a few days with us, and his time had definitely been well spent! Here is a peek of him playing with his buddy Gracie, a feisty little labradoodle. The medium roll sure was rockin' this week!


-Hope

Lovely Little Lilly

Lilly is a sweet little Golden that we had the pleasure of meeting today, and are all glad to welcome to the Fort Fido pack! Her gentle spirit reminds us a lot of her sister--Fort Fido pack member Magy. From Lilly we saw a lot of tail-wagging (especially for the people, but also for the pups), but not a lot of play. Seeing how comfortable she was in the pack, we suspect that she will warm up to it soon.

Both sisters will be back again tomorrow for more playtime with us!

-Hope

that dog news

Hot off the press! Some of these articles are very interesting and informative. I'll let you be the judge on which ones lol.

In Search of a Longer-Lived Dog

How one man changed the shape of dogs to come

Groomer saves dog by performing CPR

Dog & Beer lovers together

Loyal dog prevents suicide attempt

Old dog bones teach scientists news trick

Lost dog reunited with family after two years

St. Paddy's fun dog show

Cheers,

-Grant

Dog Sled Adventure for David and Nancy

If you got to see the clips in the lobby, you already know that David and Nancy had a great time going dog-sledding out at Leavenworth. Leavenworth Dog Sled Adventures provides different adventures for those who want to experience the thrill of dog sledding for themselves. This was on Nancy's bucket list, so it was a no-brainer that they had to go and experience this! They got some fantastic video out in he snow (good thing that enough of it came down for a great adventure!). Be sure to click the little gear wheel and turn the clips up to HD quality!

 

 



These dogs are amazing athletes, mixes of husky, hound, lab, and all sorts of other breeds (there is a big misconception that Huskies are "sled dogs," where in fact most 'real' sled dogs are mixed breeds). Some of these guys are Iditarod veterans, and have run races in the past-- they are the real deal!

 

These guys are ready to go! X-back harnesses are typical for pulling in a team, where heftier freight harnesses are used when one or two dogs is going to be pulling a lot of weight.

These guys are nice and comfy out in the snow-- their natural element!

These pups all run at about 40 pounds, all lean and trim with nothing extra!

David and Nancy with a musher, all bundled up and ready to go!

This definitely looks like a fun time! I only need about five more huskies to make it happen, haha! There are more clips of the trip on our YouTube channel, just click on the playlist "Mushing Trip."

 

 

We'll see you back tomorrow!

 

-Hope

))) The Canter Wolves (((

 

My long time, good friend, Robbie Canter, is one awesome individual. He is the type of person that puts 100% of himself (heart, soul, body, mind, etc...), into everything he does. With that being said, his values make him an exciting friend to have. Most definitely an exciting friend to watch live life. At times, you can't help but live vicariously through him lol. ;)

Robbie and I have know each other since elementary school. We meet up once a month or so and always have a good time. He is the owner and operator of RcMedia and lives in Gig Harbor, WA with his animals. My most recent visit, a couple of weeks ago, had an agenda... Rather than just catching up on what was new and laughing at old times, I had to meet The Wolves! I knew the pictures alone would make a very happenin' blog post. So here ya go... As always, click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Working with the WCC, and closely with Songdog Rescue, Robbie has built and amazing wolf den/ animal enclosure and opened his home to not one, but two, high-content Wolf Hybrids! I'm talking, more or less straight up wolves lol. 95%+ Gray Wolf or Timber Wolf, with the left out tiny percentage being a domestic Northern breed like the Husky/Malamute/etc...

Upon arrival, I must admit I was slightly hesitant on meeting them. However, being a dog professional, I knew that wasn't the correct energy to have. Once I got my bearings and entered the enclosure, I was completely at peace. The wolves were cautious at first, then curious and kind, like many of the dogs we deal with at Fort Fido. Almost shocked by this, I began to interact with Koda and Blitz more and more as the night went on. Later, we all went inside the house, where the wolves sleep in their own individual beds at night, and hung out.

It was rather exhilarating and funny to watch the young pup, Blitz, play with the more wolf-like Koda and Robbie's old man-Pit bull, Alpha Pack Leader, Indy (who Robbie rescued off the streets years ago). Blitz was loving, spunky, and slightly annoying, to Koda and Indy. He was exactly like your average canine puppy dog. The two older pack members had to constantly play with and wrangle him, it was precious, mostly hilarious!

Koda, with the more intimidating appearance, kept coming to check me out while I sat at a table. Maybe it was because I was new to him and smelt like a thousand "wolves"? I think so haha. I got close enough with him to pet him and have some understanding of trust. It was truly amazing. The trust, was even to the point of Koda allowing me touch his beautiful, 2" canine teeth (no exaggeration). Ay caramba! But alas, looking past his immense stature, huge teeth, and yellow eyes... He was just another dog to me. Even if he dwarfed the infamous, Marco Polo, and even Brutus, in many ways.

Wolf Puppy Blitz and I didn't really get to know one another as much. We certainly weren't fearful of each other, but he wasn't sure what to make of me, and I egged him on a wee bit. It was pure comedy. When his "pops" Robbie was around, he would let me near, and or act like I was part of the pack... Yet as soon as Robbie left the room for something, Blitz would look at me funny, kinda bark, kinda play-bow, then run. Just like any young puppy that hasn't quite gotten your vibe. He wasn't sure of me, so I didn't push myself on him too much. Even though it was hard not to, due to his cute baby-dog ways lol.

All in all, the meet and greet was quite a pleasurable experience. Awesome job, Robbie my friend, on rescuing, raising and loving these fantastic animals. I can't wait to meet up with you all again, although I gotta tell ya, I'm sticking to Shelties man! Hahaha!

 

Be well everyone,

-Grant
P.S. Now don't worry, Koda, Blitz and Indy won't be attending Doggy Daycare anytime soon... ;)

Joyful Jack

Bright and early this morning we had the pleasure of welcoming newcomer, Jack to the Fort. Jack is a 1 year old, lovable, Shih Tzu. Jack bears a very strong resemblance to Fort Fido regular, Sammy who has been coming for nearly 6 years! Jack did a great job on his assessment this morning and we hope to see him back soon.

Have a good one,
-Matt

Cool Weight Calculator, and the Iditarod Begins!

Do you ever wonder what it really means when your vet says that your ten pound dog needs to lose a pound and a half? It can be really hard to generalize our experiences with weight to deal meaningfully with the weight issues of our pets. In order to help people gain a clearer concept of what being over- or underweight means for a dog, petobesityprevention.com created a weight calculator. Simply plug in your height, along with your dog's current and target weight, and it will translate the weight to your body size. Continuing with our example of a 10 pound dog, whose target weight is 8.5 pounds, a 5-foot-6-inch tall person would have to weigh 182 pounds (compared to a healthy 154) to have the same relative extra weight. It can help to give you some really clear insight into just what your vet means when they give you that dreaded weight advice. It's harder to take criticism about our pets than about ourselves! I know that my Gordon is a little soft around the edges, and could do without a few of the pounds he's packing, but it's harder to deny them than ourselves.

The Iditarod began today (at least the ceremonial start did)-- it never ceases to be a controversial part of dog culture, but nobody can deny the energy, enthusiasm, and raw power that is so evident in the sled dog teams. Here's wishing them all good luck for this race! If races are your thing, keep up to date with this one on the Iditarod official website. Get live streaming coverage and updates from the trail! Another interesting note about this year's race is the different countries that are represented in this race-- there are of course US mushers and Canadians, as well as representatives from Norway, Russia, and even such faraway places as New Zealand, Brazil, and Jamaica.

We'll see you back on monday!

-Hope

Great Danes Galore

Athena spent some time today showing her fellow Dane Theodore that, although she's not a puppy anymore, she isn't some old timer either! These two big goofs had a great time romping together this morning--it's crazy seeing such big dogs acting so spryly.

Danes are really cool pups-- you can find some great gems on YouTube of them romping! This was one of my favorites:

This one is also HILARIOUS-- this Dane has no clue what to do with a banana. Fearsome stuff!

This dog has the opposite problem-- and knows exactly what to do!

These dogs truly are Gentle Giants, and we love having them with us in the Daycare!

-Hope