Pennie

Pennie became a member of Fort Fido today. Pennie is an 8 month-old, 37 lbs., Lab & Border Collie Mix. She quickly discovered our lobby and shortly after made her way into our Medium Dog Program. Once she began to meet other canine friends Pennie opened up and was quite the active pup. She made some awesome friends today and we hope to see Pennie again soon. 🙂

Have a wonderful day,
- Sophia

Nala

Nala entered Fort Fido comfortably this morning. Nala is a cute 10 month-old Lab/Border collie mix that entered Fort Fido confidently and strolled right into our medium dog program. She has a sister that already attends Fort Fido named Dixie. Within our medium dog program, Nala began to meet the others as they came in throughout the day. She showed good dog speak and began to play with the others after becoming comfortable with her surroundings. Unlike the Naga from Warcraft III, Nala likes to mingle & play with dogs rather than water beings like the Naga. Nala fits in well with the rest of the pups and we, as well as the other dogs, are looking forward to seeing Nala again.

Have a great day,
- Sophia

We found Nemo!

 

Meet Nemo, he is a one year old, twenty-three pound, Australian Cattle Dog and Border Collie Mix, that had his assessment at Fort Fido today. Nemo seemed fascinated upon entering The Fort's lobby. He obviously knew that some type of doggy-interaction was in store. We led him to the Medium Roll, where he could explore a bit, before getting introduced to the pack. Nemo began to meet with the other canines in a kindly fashion, excited and curious, yet cautious. After about an hour or so, Nemo really began to bust out! It was a pleasurable sight to see, he play-bowed, ran, jumped, and wagged, with several different pack members. Nemo took quite a liking to Walter, Lucky, and Lucy, among others. We were pleased that Nemo had such a good first day here. Like many of our canines guests, Nemo, is here to sharpen his communication skills, and most importantly, play... Which will hopefully get some of his energy out lol. Nice job Nemo, we'll see ya soon!

Take the time to checkout this outstanding clip, which shows Nemo, getting to know Walter for the first time. It's a classic instance of  "meet & greet", turning into play, almost instantly. That's what it's all about!

Cheers,

-Grant

Abbie At the ready

This morning the Fort Fido crew met up with Abbie for her Assessment. She is a super cute and spunky, five month old, twenty-four pound, Border Collie Mixed Breed. We escorted Abbie to the Medium Roll, knowing it would be the perfect fit for her. Although she is small, she has Border Collie in her, making her energy filled and quite tough. Once she entered the Play Area, Abbie was interested in exploring it, and seemingly eager to be introduced to some canines. We had her meet with Edna and Louis right away... As expected, due to her disposition and age, Abbie was very submissive, yet met with the other canines in a decent manner. Play is the name of this young dogs game! After some quick sniffs, Abbie, had Edna and Louis whipped up into a frenzy of play and "chase me" games, too fun! Abbie is most welcome here at The Fort. We believe that she can get a lot out of Dog Daycare, and will continue to thrive here. Nicely done Abbie, let's continue to hone those social skills!

Here are two cool clips of Abbie in action:

 

Be well,

-Grant

Out-of-sight Otto!

Please welcome Otto to The Fort! He is a rascally looking, two year old, thirty-one pound, tan/ multi-colored, Bichon Frise/Rat Terrier/ Border Collie Mixed Breed. Otto strolled into the lobby this morning with his nose to the ground, curious about our place, and ready for his assessment day. After entering the Medium Roll Play Area, Otto got straight to introductions, meeting with the pack healthily. He's a fun-loving canine that has pretty darn good dog-communication skills. Most awesomely, Otto began to play within minutes of his arrival, he "got down" with the likes of Lucky and Cayenne, among several others. Otto shall prove to be a great addition to Fort Fido, because he is a kindly dog that enjoys being with the pack. We most definitely look forward to his return.

Have a great weekend,

-Grant

Keoki!

Today Fort Fido assessed Keoki. She is a striking, two year old, forty-five pound, Border Collie Mix. Headed to the Medium Roll, Keoki, wasn't sure what our place was all about at first. After getting back there and settling in, Keoki met with a few different canines. While meeting the others, she was relaxed, showing off good canine-communication skills. Keoki seemed to enjoy being here at The Fort and hanging with it's pack. Although we didn't see her get into much "play", she's definitely social and comfortable with her newfound experience. We believe she will "bust out" into some play, in a future visit. We plan to see Keoki again, she is welcome to attend anytime.

Enjoy your weekend,

-Grant

Just a few clips

I hope y'all had a wonderful Holiday yesterday.

Around here at The Fort, it's been business as usual, which means, a whole lot of canine fun and socialization.

Take today's Medium Roll for example. We scored some funny clips of "brothers from other mothers" Mac and Max. These two dog-boys play hard, usually up until the point where Mac (The French Bulldog) is just plain "done" with Max and his wily antics lol.

 

Upstairs in the Little Roll, it was your typical fun & fierce action. Especially during, Ball Time, almost every little dogs favorite activity.

All for now, be well,

-Grant

World Record Dogs

Milly, a Puerto Rican Chihuahua has been announced by Guinness World Records as the Worlds smallest dog. When measured by height Milly stands a mere 3.8 inches tall and weighs in just under a pound! That's shorter than a soup can and lighter than one of your shoes!

 

 

While researching this article, I found some other hilarious record holding pups!

This is Puggy. He's a Pekingese with a 4.5 inch long tongue! It's so long in fact that his mom, Becky has to cut his food into small pieces so he can actually eat it.

 

 

This pup's claim to fame is for being able to hold not just one or two, but FIVE tennis balls in her mouth at once. Augie, an 8-year-old golden retriever is suited perfectly for this record.

 

 

Another catch and hold record, but this time Frisbees!

Rose, a 6-year-old Labrador retriever/border collie mix, can catch and hold up to seven Frisbees (thrown separately) in his mouth at one time. what an amazing talent!

 

 

"Tillman, an English bulldog, traveled a 100-meter stretch of parking lot in just 19.68 seconds during the 2009 X Games in Los Angeles, winning him a world record and making him the Tony Hawk of the canine world." How radical is that?? Tillman can skate better than me!!

 

 

All of these and many more can be found on This page, and includes dogs and cats with unique talents, and World Records set with those talents.

 

 

Thanks for checking in, have a pleasant weekend, and make sure to tune back in on Monday for updates of happenings here at The Fort

 

 

Happy Friday!

 

-Ryan W. 

 

 

Aero & Angle

Checkout Aero & Angel!

Aero is a fun-loving, one year old, 37 pound, Border Collie & Corgi Mix.

Aero's sis, Angel, is a gorgeous, one year old, 40 pound, Australian Cattle Dog Mix.

Both Aero and Angel had their assessments this morning in the Medium Roll. Like we anticipated, Aero, went head first into the action. He wasted no time getting to know the other pack members, playing with several of them whole-heartedly. Angel on the other hand, spoke great "Dog" like her bro, but took her time getting to know the others. She has a very sweet demeanor, and acts quite "lady-like"... Leaving the rough housing play to brother Aero.

These two canines were a pleasure to have at Fort Fido today, and they are welcome back anytime. Well done you two! Here's to seeing you again soon!

Cheers,

-Grant

Heroic and News Worthy Pups!

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/08/08/2721532/bloodhound-rocky-has-heros-nose.html

 

First on our list of awesome dogs today, we have Rocky the "Dopey and loveable" Bloodhound. Rocky has been working with Normandy Park Police for 7 years, (people years that is) And recently helped his handlers find a 7 year old girl who had been missing for several hours. What a great job for a pooch!

 

 

 

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/weather/dog-unlikely-hero-after-storm

 

Another story of a chilling rescue after a severe storm and tornado hit in New London. Paula, relaxing in her vacation trailer, was scooped and flipped upside down by the tornado. When her pooch George, a sheltie and corgi mix came to her rescue. George not only found the hole to come and comfort his Mama, but then led her out of the wreckage to safety.

 

 

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/labrador-retriever-saves-dog-from-potential-drowning

 

 

Our last heroic Pup for today is one who rescued a fellow Senior Border Collie named Bagels, from a hazardous situation where Bagels couldn't turn around to swim back to shore after having grabbed a stick that was far too long for proper water travel. :) Such an amazing story of the compassion that dogs can show, not only to their companions on the human side, but to their animal brethren as well.

 

 

 

 

http://www.inquisitr.com/891646/volunteers-in-madrid-returning-uncollected-dog-poo-to-owners/

In other news, a new volunteer service in Madrid is cleaning up their area by mailing back uncollected dog waste, that uncouth owners have left behind. A "poo patrol" if you will.  A very positive reminder that even though your dog has left it, doesn't make it okay for us to leave it too.

 

 

 

 

http://pets.webmd.com/news/20130807/yawn-and-your-dog-yawns-with-you

 

In an interesting study performed by the Department of cognitive and behavioral science at the University of Tokyo. Says, that confirms Yawning is contagious. Not only contagious between us humans, but to our furry friends as well. Also, the study confirms that your pup is more likely to "catch" your yawn, as opposed to your neighbor's or any stranger.

 

Thanks again for reading and be sure to check back on Monday to stay updated with the happenings here at The Fort.

 

See ya next week!!

 

-Ryan

Say there Sammy

 

Meet Sammy! He is a very handsome, two year old, forty pound, black/white & brown colored, Border Collie Mix. Sammy is a rescue dog that has fit in well with his forever-family. He tried out The Fort today, to get ready for some future Overnight Boarding. Sammy stayed with us in The Medium Roll and wasn't exactly sure what to make of it at first. As the pack grew, Sammy relaxed into his new social scene well. We think Sammy did a good job here today. In time, hopefully he will become even more comfortable here, let his "hair down", and get some more play time in. Fine work this morning Sammy, we look forward to your return.

 

Be well,

 

-Grant

P.S. One cool fact about Sammy, his owner is a University Place Firefighter, who recently helped us on our latest Fire Inspection.

Mischevious Max!

We rounded out our week with one last awesome "newbie." Little Max is a Border Collie-mix, and stole our hearts right away with his smashing good looks. Curious and smart, he had a good time checking out the other dogs in the medium roll. He was a little trepidatious of the bigger guys, but did well with the pups closer to his own size-- the ever-playful Rudy kept him company, as did our boarding buddy Frances.

Max is joining the Fort at a great time for socialization. The puppy months are especially important for exposing your dog to new people, places, pups, and experiences. Having such a wide range of experience under his belt should help this little guy to grow up balanced and confident. We look forward to watching him grow and learn!

-Hope

Ginger & Macey

 

 

Meet Ginger & Macey, two swell dogs, from the same family, that assessed this morning.

Ginger, is a four month old, eleven pound, red & black colored, Shiba Inu. She did rather well upstairs in the Little Roll. Ginger is a very sweet spirited canine. She played with Dixie, Pearl and just about any dog that was game.

Macey, is a one year old, about twenty pound, black & white colored, Border Collie. Now at first, Macey was not sure why she was here lol... But, once she began to figure things out in the Medium Roll, she started having lots of fun. This dog wasted no time getting in on the action, once she was situated. Macey enjoyed herself, playing with Marley and Sammy, among others.

Both Ginger and Macey were a pleasure to take care of today. We highly anticipate their return!

Take care,

-Grant

The essence of Emmett

In this morning for his assessment was Emmett. He is a six month old, forty-two pound, black with a white chin and chest, Newfoundland/Border Collie? Mix. We have several assessments scheduled this week. If the others are anything like Emmett, we will most definitely be in luck! Emmett, a dog daycare regular, hung out in our Medium Roll today. At first, he wasn't too keen on being the only pooch in the play-area. As dogs began to arrive, Emmett quickly relaxed and began to engage. Almost instantly, it seemed as though Emmett befriended the whole pack with his communication skills. He was a pleasure to have here today and we hope he'll return to The Fort soon. Checkout the clips that follow to see a bit of the Emmett Action.





Happy Monday! ;)

-Grant
P.S. Just stumbled onto this link from King 5 = Social media helping homeless dogs and cats find new owners. Way to go!

Red Dingo Plug and 2 Links

Red Dingo is a really neat company and I thought I would plug them again. We have carried their line of pet tags for about four years now. If you haven't checked them out, please do! They have added dozens of new designs over the years (especially the last year) and their products are the epitome of quality.

In the past, I would get my pet tags (for my two cats at that time lol) made in this machine, that reminded me of a boardwalk penny-crusher, at a big-box-pet-store that will go unnamed ha... The tags were always kind of flimsy and the engraving was faint, hardly legible. The Red Dingo pet tags, however, are of a very high quality. They are good-looking, last forever and are readable without a magnify glass. They're most definitely Fort Fido's pick for pet identification tags. You can browse the Red Dingo catalog in our lobby. If you find a tag you like, we'll whip ya up a quick order form. Your tag will arrive in your mailbox within a matter of days. I've often been pleasantly surprised with the speediness of Dingo's system. Don't worry, my chicken-scratch hand writing will not be the font of the tag. ;)

In other news... I was emailed two good articles from HomeAgain Pet. Here is one with some down and dirty Dog Training Tips, the other is a short story about Spyder the Border Collie.

Take care,

-Grant

Busy Boy Brodie

Many new pups have become members of Fort Fido's pack this week, good times! Here is another new recruit. Brodie is a eight month old, sixty pound, Mixed Breed (Border Collie/Lab?). He entered our Big Roll and blended in pleasantly, listened to the Alphas and had fun playing. Brodie is an energetic young buck that can really benefit from Dog Daycare... With life's busy schedule, Dog Daycare becomes a great outlet for our canine companions. Socialization and exercise, it can't be beat! I don't know what I'd do if Gibson wasn't allowed to attend daily, he is a high energy herding/working breed, just like Brodie here. First rate job today Brodie, you are welcome anytime.

In this clip, Brodie has a blast with new friend of The Fort Zodiac.



Take care,

-Grant
P.S. Rainier's dad Colin sends me awesome dog related clips/funnies from time to time. I love it and enjoy sharing them with you guys. His latest find takes the cake, checkout "A Dog named DOG". It's fantastic and won't disappoint! :)

- Lively Louie -

Today we assessed Louie early in the AM. He is a fifty-eight pound, tan and white, Border Collie Mix. Louie hung out in the Medium Roll today and truly thrived. He communicates with other dogs well, it looked like he enjoyed himself. Louie is most definitely welcome back to The Fort. We think he'll be back in to mingle with the pack soon!

Here's a clip Of Louie and Marco Polo meeting up... Best buddies right off the bat! :)



Cheers,

-Grant

Hey there

Hey there everybody...

Our friend Barbara Rivers sent us a great email "Easy ways to help the animals" from the Coalition Humane. I thought I'd pass it along, click here to check it out.

Two weekends ago I caught some neat "dog stuff" with my wife and parents. Yup, we are even dog-nutty on some weekends lol.

We rented the movie A Dog Year (2009) with Jeff Bridges. We really enjoyed it... It is a true story about an author who is going through a midlife crisis and his new rescue dog. The movie was simple and that's what I liked about it. It was a bit vague at times but it's definitely worth renting if you enjoy dog movies. It's like Marley and Me but on a more serious note haha.

That weekend I also caught this Subaru Commercial that had me rolling, what a funny idea, great advertisement!

Take it easy,

-Grant

Welcome Cherio and Buddy!

This week has already started off full speed despite the fact that it is Presidents Day.

This morning we welcomed two assessments Cherio and Buddy.

Cherio was up first. He is a six year old, forty-five pound, black and white, Border Collie that jogged to his assessment with his owner. Cherio is a happy and hardy little guy that we had in the Medium Roll. He was a very good dog but was a bit camera shy. Cherio went straight to play and was quite exuberent.

Second this morning was Buddy. He is a nine month old, seventy-five pound, Golden Retriever. Buddy's "Uncle" Hunter has been attending The Fort for years, he's a great Medium Roller. Buddy is a big boy that headed to the Big Roll. He was excited to be here and romped a bit with the pack.

Both these dogs did well this morning. They should start to "Bust Out" even more once they get into a routine. A good morning was had by all.

Happy President's Day,

-Grant

Bella Romeo Bash !

Bella and Romeo had an awesome time today in the Medium Roll, check it out!



Have a good day!

-Grant