Lady Liberty

We made another new friend this morning at the Fort-- seven-month-old Boxer Liberty. She was the perfect social butterfly, and was fast friends with many of our buddies. Louis captured her heart immediately, and the two took to each other very well. Not long afterward, Odin and Samwise joined the pack and she was just as excited to meet these two new gentlemen!

She definitely fits right in with our rambunctious pack, and we're excited to know that we'll be hanging out again soon.

-Hope

Baby Blue!

This little stunner is Blue, a nine week old, Old English Bulldog (like our longtime buddy Louis!). Tipping the scales at a scant eight pounds, the sweet and spunky gal started out upstairs with the other little guys, but it became pretty apparent that the personality of this wild child would be better suited to the medium roll. She's all about playtime, and did her best to keep up the pace!

We caught this great clip of her and Cortez in the early morning, having a blast!

We'll be seeing her back again soon,

Hope

4 clips

We have four really good clips for y'all today.

First up, from the Medium Roll, we have Jackson, showing young pups, Yuki and Pancake, how to play nice. My how you have matured Mr. Jackson lol, way to go! You sure have been helpful in keeping some of these wild youngbucks in line.

 

In the Big Roll... It was a bit of a "cuddle fest" haha. Brutus, Marco Polo, and Grady settled down into "neck fighting" (a type of play) after ripping around crazy for awhile. It's just like these three, tired, and still going for it!

Upstairs, in the Little Roll, Henry was the dog-man of the day. He, among others, was playing hard and having a blast. In this clip, you can also spot Tula, Marlee, Jaeger, Dolly, and Dwayne. Good times!

Take care,

-Grant

News Day

 

Some dog-news headlines, most from today.

Soldier trades cigarettes for maimed, hungry dog
(Thanks for the link Michelle!)

Dog orphaned in L.A. fire gets new home in Santa Barbara

Dog buries dead puppy in astounding act of morning (Video)

Dogs bond with owners similar to babies with parents
(Gulp! LOL!)

Crash leaves man and dog covered in paint
(I'm sorry you guys, but a part of that story is hilarious!)

Worlds Ugliest Dog 2013: Beagle-Boxer-Basset named Walle
(O come on, Walle isn't that ugly! Right? He's got nothing on previous years Sam!)

Cheers,

-Grant

- Vintage Family Photos -

About a year ago, I was lucky enough to inherit some outstanding vintage family photos from my uncle (David's brother). Upon viewing them, I noticed several photos with dogs in them! Delighted, I thought they would make for a neat blog post. The following pictures are from my Grandmother's and Grandfather's (David's parents) sides of the family. Unfortunately the pics aren't dated, and we don't know a whole lot about them either, however, we believe they are from the late 40's and early 50's. Thanks for having a look, they sure are neat pieces of family history to have.

Two St. Bernard pups possibly?

A classic English Springer Spaniel for bird hunting!

Gotta have a classroom dog right lol? Possibly an Airedale Terrier?

I spot Jack Russell butt, they don't, hehe.

"A Boy and his Dog"

That Springer again, those two sure did well that day. Looks like Pheasant is for dinner. Yum!

Could this be a puppy version of the dog from photo five?

That's all folks!

Be well,

-Grant

Upstairs Clips

Here are two clips we got of Charlie, Louis, Oliver and Rusty this morning. These four little guys were a great match and had a great time playing fetch upstairs together.









Have a good one,
-Matt

Awesome Animals!

I always love it when summer comes around-- not only is the weather fantastic, there are also some cool county fairs and contests, including the World's Ugliest Dog competition! This lighthearted contest encourages us to laugh with the less classically beautiful among us. This year's winner is a Boxer/Beagle/Basset mix named Walle. Judges were quoted as saying "he looked like an experiment gone wrong!" Walle and his owner won a $1500 prize, as well as a professional photo shoot and catered dinner for the both of them!

This isn't exactly dog-related, but I came across it today and just had to share. Check out this sweet guinea pig armor (yes, you read that right, haha ).

 

I'm gonna keep spreading the blog love to other parts of the animal kingdom-- I spotted this story today about a gal with a pet Capybara (kind of like a 112-pound guinea pig). The world's largest rodent isn't exactly a pet many would choose, but for Melanie Typaldos it was the only choice. Her cool companion Gary is very smart and affectionate, and knows quite a few tricks!

 

This pup has a cool summer pastime-- kayaking with his owner! Check out the full story here.

 

 

Man's best friend comes to the rescue again-- this time in Tennessee. A man was trapped in a dry creek bed and unable to cry for help. Luckily his loyal pup Jinxie raised a ruckus for him and notified rescuers that were searching for the missing man.

 

Keep cool everybody!

 

-Hope



 

Little Lily

Coming in on the heels of all our other assessments this week was Little Lily. A pretty little Golden Retriever pup, Lily spent her morning getting to know the medium dogs. This sweet eight-month-old was very excitable in the lobby, although she wasn't too sure of herself around the other pups. Since she is in that good window for puppy socialization, with consistency both here and at home, we hope to see this pretty little flower blossom!

It looks like the sun may be coming out for the weekend, make sure you take some time to enjoy it!

-Hope

Bow Wow Boomer!

Today at The Fort, we welcome Boomer! A gregarious 3 year old Yellow Lab, who wasted no time jumping into the fun with the other Big Rollers.  In this clip we have Boomer and Gage getting their early morning romp out of the way. Boomer and Theodore shortly became great friends frolicking around and throwing worries to the wind! I know that he will be a great addition to the pack, and that Boomer will learn, grow, and really enjoy his time with us.
Glad to have you around Boomer!!

 We have been getting a lot of new dogs lately and it has been awesome to build the relationships with you guys and your beloved dogs, and to watch as The Fort itself evolves and grows into something even more spectacular (not that it wasn't before!). I am honestly very happy to be a part of the Fort Fido team, and family. Thanks for having me!!


-Ryan W.

  

 

 

: Rad Rusty :

Fort Fido good-old-boy, Dempsey, has been the cornerstone of the Big Roll since his first days in 2008. He is one awesome dog, that has shown great prowess and leadership in the pack. His owners are also some of the best, and most loyal, customers. Thank you for your support over the years!

Anywho... Dempsey and the "Devlin Clan" have sworn in another member lol. Meet the radical little dude that is, Rusty! Rusty is a one year old, Chihuahua/Dachshund (maybe Corgi) Mix. Let me be the first to tell you... Rusty is one lucky dog! He couldn't have found a better situation, or better Forever Home. Recently rescued by the Devlins, Rusty was a bit under the weather at first. He was a stray dog for many moons. Then, after a couple of weeks with his new family; consisting of proper nutrition, love, and care, Rusty was feeling great, and was more than ready to take on the fun of The Fort. He met up with the Little Roll crew this morning and fit in with them seamlessly. Rusty thoroughly enjoyed socializing, and, was all about play. He wrestled it up with several different canines, taking quite a liking to Cortez. Rusty reminds us of Cortez a lot, he has a very similar sweet disposition. "Rad Rusty" passed his assessment with flying colors, and please note, the decision to pass him was not based on Dempsey's Legacy. This little fella is more than welcome, due solely to his actions, and on his own accord. Hahaha!

;)

Be well,

-Grant

Rockin' Rosy!

The Fort assessed a lovely little pup named Rosy today! She is fun-loving, four month old, seven pound, Cocker Spaniel. Miss Rosy is the brand new little sister of Fort Fido friend Mindy. Like Mindy, Rosy hung out upstairs with us, and the pack, in the Little Roll. She did a fantastic job, like most happy-go-lucky young canines do.

Rosy was all about playing, and she took a special liking to Dolly... Who taught her how to "play fair". Nice job Dolly! All in all, we had a great morning and wonderful new pack member. We're pleased to have met ya Rosy, we shall see you soon for Overnight Boarding.

Enjoy that weather,

-Grant

Clips

This first clip is from upstairs where daycare veteran Oliver introduced newcomer Cooper to the game of fetch. Cooper assessed with us last week and had his first full day of daycare today where he had a great time meeting and playing with new friends.






This next video features Thorn, the Miniature Australian Shepherd and Pancake, an energetic Border Collie over in our medium roll.






Have a great week,
-Matt

 

Louis tearing it up with his buds!

We got a couple of good clips of our buddy Louis-- first up is him in action with the herding ball during his boarding stay. I didn't know until just now that these are the same sort of balls that lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) play with at the zoo.

I meant to get this clip up yesterday, of all our Saturday dogs tearing it up! Featured prominently in the clip are Louis and Samwise, and they are joined by Louis and Baer as well.

As you can see, we've been having a fun-filled time as usual! I hope that you took advantage of the sunshine this weekend and did the same :-)

-Hope

- Majestic Mimi -

Fort Fido was graced with the presence of another wonderful little dog today... Meet Mimi! She is a mature, six year old, seventeen pound, Shih Tzu/Yorkshire Terrier Mix. Mimi ventured upstairs to the Little Roll for her assessment. She was calm, confident, and very well balanced. Although Mimi didn't play a whole heck of a lot, she was very content, constantly wagging her tail and looking pleased. This happy little dog, will be a first-rate addition to the Little Roll's Pack, and, we plan on seeing her again next week. Way to go Mimi, we sure hope you'll bust out some feisty play soon!

:)

Have a great - and hopefully sunny- weekend,

-Grant
P.S. Here's an early Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I love ya David, and good luck/congrats to our soon-to-be-a-daddy-man, Ryan. Woo hoo!

= Copacetic Cooper =

Get a load of Cooper, what a cutie, talk about striking a pose! He is a four month old, eleven pound, Pomeranian/ Miniature Australian Shepherd Mix, that had his assessment this morning.

Cooper hung out with us and The Pack in our Little Roll, where he did an absolutely outstanding job. He wasted no time getting in on the action. Cooper went straight to meeting and greeting, then went right into play with any canine that was game. He even got in on Nancy's Skinneeez Fox Huntin game lol! This little puppy boy was a lot of fun to have at The Fort today. We are thrilled that he had such a blast here. Cooper, you are welcome back anytime my man. Well done!

Cheers,

-Grant

The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal strikes again with doggy-hilariousness!

I loved it, hopefully some of you will too. Click the big green letters lol...

How I see my Dog

VS

How I see my FriendBeast

Hahaha!!!

Take care,

-Grant
P.S. O by the way, just in case you didn't see it... Checkout the last super-funny The Oatmeal comic that I posted last time = My Dog: The Paradox  :)

What a dog!

One of our awesome past customers, sent me some entertaining information on Military K9s (one in particular) awhile ago... I have been meaning to post it on our blog, today, I've finally gotten around to it lol. Enjoy! Click on the photos to enlarge them.

          

The Dog That Cornered Osama Bin Laden... Not your standard K9. When the President went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for a highly publicized, but very private meeting with the commando team that killed Osama bin Laden, only one of the 81 members of the super-secret SEAL DevGru unit was identified by name: Cairo, the war dog. Cairo, like most canine members of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs, is a Belgian Malinois. The Malinois breed is similar to German shepherds but smaller and more compact, with an adult male weighing in the 30-kilo range.

German shepherds are still used as war dogs by the American military
but the lighter, stubbier Malinois is considered better for the tandem
parachute jumping and rappelling operations often undertaken by
SEAL teams.  Labrador retrievers are also favoured by various military
organizations around the world.

Like their human counterparts, the dog SEALs are highly trained, highly
skilled, highly motivated special ops experts, able to perform
extraordinary military missions by Sea, Air and Land (thus the acronym SEAL).
The dogs carry out a wide range of specialized duties for the military
teams to which they are attached: With a sense of smell 40 times greater
than a human's, the dogs are trained to detect and identify both explosive
material and hostile or hiding humans.
The dogs are twice as fast as a fit human, so anyone trying to escape is
not likely to outrun Cairo or his buddies.

The dogs, equipped with video cameras, also enter certain danger zones
first, allowing their handlers to see what's ahead before humans follow.
As I mentioned before, SEAL dogs are even trained parachutists,
jumping either in tandem with their handlers or solo, if the jump is into
water.  Last year canine parachute instructor Mike Forsythe and his dog
Cara set the world record for highest man-dog parachute deployment,
jumping from more than 30,100 feet up - the altitude transoceanic
passenger jets fly at.  Both Forsythe and Cara were wearing oxygen
masks and skin protectors for the jump.
Here's a photo from that jump, taken by Andy Anderson for K9 Storm Inc.
(more about those folks shortly).

As well, the dogs are faithful, fearless and ferocious “incredibly
frightening" and efficient attackers.
When the SEAL DevGru team (usually known by its old designation,
Team 6) hit bin Laden's Pakistan compound on May 2, Cairo 's feet would
have been four of the first on the ground.
And like the human SEALs, Cairo was wearing super-strong, flexible body
Armour and outfitted with high-tech equipment that included "doggles" -
specially designed and fitted dog goggles with night-vision and infrared
capability that would even allow Cairo to see human heat forms through
concrete walls.

Now where on earth would anyone get that kind of incredibly niche hi-tech doggie gear? From Winnipeg, of all places. Jim and Gloria Slater's Manitoba hi-tech mom-and-pop business, K9 Storm Inc., has a deserved worldwide reputation for designing and manufacturing probably the best body Armour available for police and military dogs.  Working dogs in 15 countries around the world are currently protected by their K9 Storm body Armour.

Simply amazing, what phenomenal canines!

Be well,

-Grant

Photos

Here are a couple of great photos that we've taken here at FortFido over the last few days.

 

 Sierra & Dakota

Polo & Grady

Zipper

Diego

Jackson

 

 

Have a great week,

-Matt

Wonderful and Amazing Dogs!

In Thailand, a dog has been honored with a medal from the Red Cross for his heroic actions in saving a newborn baby girl from a dump site. The dog pulled a plastic bag out from the dump and brought it home, where he barked until somebody came out of the house to check on him--inside of the plastic bag was a newborn baby! Thankfully, the family rushed the baby to the hospital, where she is being well-cared-for. There are even already a number of families that have come forward to adopt the little one!

The pup Kabang, whom we have read about in the past, is finally going back home (Warning: pictures may be considered "graphic") with her family in the Philippines after coming to the US for surgery. This brave soul jumped in front of a motorcycle hurtling towards two children, and lost her entire upper snout in the process. Thanks to donations from all over the world, Kabang was able to come to the US for proper medical treatment. It was slow-going for her; she was discovered to be pregnant, and had to have the puppies before any major surgery could occur. Next she battled heartworm and a tumor. Finally able to have the surgery, prosthesis would not be effective, and it was the best the vets could do to close the wounds on her face to lessen the chances of infection. But after all of her trials, Kabang keeps on wagging. Her hometown has a parade planned for her triumphant return tomorrow.

On a lighter note...

In Paris, some dog owners are dissatisfied with the number of public spaces available to their furred-friends. Some 200 dog owners (and dogs!) marched in a demonstration near the Louvre to demand more dog-friendly parks, and access to public transportation for their best friends. Now that's a cause I think most anybody can get behind :-D

Check out this funny dog trying to get the family cat off of his bed! Too cute, and too polite ;-)

This motherly pup adopted 10 baby chicks that showed up in her yard unannounced.

 

This adorable duo are an unlikely set-- Milo the Dachshund and his best friend Bonedigger, a male Lion! Bonedigger is partially disabled from a metabolic bone disease and has been a close friend of the Dachshund since they were both little cubs four years ago.

 



Hope you enjoyed this look at canines from all over the world (and Web!),

 

-Hope



Tron: the legacy continues!

 

 

Today we got to meet Tron the Greyhound. He was born and bred to race. Luckily enough he was rescued into a great home and he now lives the leisurely life as a lovable pet, and at 3 and 1/2 yrs old, he is a seasoned doggie daycare attendee. Not too quick to jump into play, he nosed around the large roll speaking good dog and really took a shining to Gage the boxer.

Generally Greyhounds are very quiet. However if they are unhappy, they will announce it by howling. Multi-Greyhound homes are sometimes serenaded by a group chorus, or 'rooing' just for the sheer joy of it.

 

Fun Fact about Greyhounds! They tend to sleep with their eyes wide open!!

 

 

 

-Ryan

 

Summer came early!

Although Summer doesn't officially start until the 21st of June, The Fort got treated to it early yesterday lol...

Meet young puppy Summer! She is a super-sweet, three month old, thirty-three pound, German Shepherd/Mastiff Mixed Breed. This loving and playful "little" gal did wonderful for us in the Medium Roll. Summer already speaks great "DOG" for a youngin, which made her transition to our play area flawless. Her gentle disposition serves her well, allowing her to make friends and playmates easily. It was a pleasure to have summer at Fort Fido, we look forward to having her here again. Well done!

Here is a little clip of Summer frolicking with Macey and the pack. Fun!

Stay cool folks,

-Grant

Marco Polo

Marco Polo's teeth have never looked better thanks to the anesthesia free cleaning he got at The Soggy Doggy last week. David & Nancy were not sure how he was going to behave but to their surprise he was well mannered for the doggy hygienist, it helped that she was armed with doggy treats to coax him through. The entire process only took about 45 minutes. After they finished cleaning his teeth he had a bath and he was on his way. Good job Polo!

 

 

Have a good one,

-Matt

From today's highlight reel

I was quite thrilled with the clips captured this morning and afternoon... A ton of good old-fashioned Dog Fun, with the majority of it happening in the Medium Roll. Check it out! Good times.

Here is one shot from the Big Roll, featuring Jack and Stella "neck-fighting" (which is a type of play).

Now here's four more clips, all from the Medium Roll. Lots of fantastic play, showcasing Lucy, Cody, Mac, Beau, Jackson, Avi, Sierra, and a few others that flash by lol.

 

Cheers,

-Grant

News & Photos

Here are today's Dog News Headlines:

Dog that lost snout saving girls, going home

It's not a wedding without a dog or two

How an old dog taught me new tricks

Barking dog warns about fire

Service dogs help Veteran's lives get back to normal

Workshop offers help adjusting dogs to a new baby's presence

The other day, Dakota and Sierra's owner sent us in some first rate links, to more of her outstanding photos. They feature not only Dakota, but also, the beautiful new Kelpie Puppy Dog that is Sierra. Enjoy!

Puppy Beach Play

More Puppy Beach Play in Black & White

Take it easy, have fun in that sun!

-Grant

Funny Animals Around the Web

Today I've got some funny pictures of dogs (and a couple clever cats) that we discovered floating around cyberspace.

 

There was a fly! I swear!

Thank god you're home-- that fly was HUGE!

This cat made a really clever escape-- he should give this next dog a couple pointers

I'll never make it out!

Doorknobs are so old-fashioned

Guess we know who is the Alpha at this house!



Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and keep laughing!

-Hope