Bear & Lulu

Bear came in for his assessment Tuesday morning and I must say, he had a blast! Bear is an eight year old chocolate lab/mix that weighs sixty five pounds and has the energy of an energetic puppy. He came in here a little shy, but once we introduced him to our  Medium Dog Program he met Frankie, a red Labradoodle that's about a year old. They instantly bonded with each other; those two played and played like they've been friends for years. It was cool to see Bear keep up and play with a dog that's so much younger than him. Check out the clips below to see those two in action!
 

This gorgeous girl joined us bright and early this morning with her tail all curly like a cinnamon bun, and her nose to the ground; she was very curious and eager to explore her new daycare. When I first saw Lulu she melted my heart. She's as soft as velvet and reminds me of a little mini Husky. She's actually a Shiba Inu that weighs sixteen pounds and is one year old. Lulu showed wonderful dog speak as she entered our Small Dog Program. She scoped out the area, and became familiar with her new pack as she mingled around, sniffing everything and wagging her tail. 

I think Bear and Lulu will get a lot out of coming here for daycare. They're both happy, energetic dogs and I'm looking forward to seeing them again. 

Have a good night,
~Shaunte

Cooper

This morning Fort Fido's Team had Cooper in for his Assessment Day. He is a handsome, five year old, sixty-five pound, Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Even though he is a Dog Daycare veteran, Cooper, wasn't quite sure what we had in store for him here at The Fort. He was a bit nervous after being ushered to the Big Roll, and took a while to get settled in. Once he met some of our other canine guests, he started "feelin it" more. As time passed and the Large Dog Play Area's pack grew, Cooper seemed to really start enjoying himself, he even played a little bit. Mostly, he just went around meeting the various pack members, strolling through the roll calmly, with his "sniffer" on high lol. He was fond of Jackson, and even liked a few of the other "Chocolates" that we had in today. Cooper is most welcome to Fort Fido anytime. Good on ya boy!

In the clip that follows, you can get a glimpse of Cooper during his first meeting with Jackson.

Take care,

-Grant

Chester chasin em down

Meet Chester! This cool, Chocolate Labrador Retriever dude, is about two years old and weighs eighty pounds. A high-energy "live-wire", Chester, leaped into The Fort's lobby, absolutely ready to get his play on. We shot him towards the Big Roll, where he entered blissfully. After letting him gather himself for a moment, we began to introduce him to the pack. Chester thoroughly enjoyed meeting and greeting with the other canines. His happy-go-lucky personality, makes him quite good at finding playmates... Even though he can be a wee-bit "intense" for some, due to his full-throttle play style. It was neat to see Chester feel so at home here so quickly, and the way he very-enthusiastically met with every dog that entered the roll, was a sight to see. I don't think Chester's tail ever stopped wagging during his visit! Chester played hard, played fast, played for a long time, and then played some more lol... With a multitude of our pack members. He is welcome to come here, and we must commend his owners for doing right by him. Chester, ya did a fine job today my boy, we'll see ya back at Fort Fido soon.

Here's Chester wrestling hard!

Enjoy your weekend,

-Grant

The Great Gatsby

Early this morn we assessed Gatsby. He is a six month old, forty-five pound, energy-filled, Chocolate Labrador Retriever/Chesapeake Bay Retriever Mix. When Gatsby entered Fort Fido's lobby, we wasted no time getting him to the Big Roll Play Area. Once inside, he was a bit confused as to why he was here... After his owner left, Gatsby settled down into his new surroundings. He took the time to meet with Jackson, then quickly met Zipper, and others, as the pack grew. In total, it took probably five minutes for Gatsby to go from "unsure", to playing and having a blast. It was a sight to see and made us all happy. It's always a compliment to us,when a new-to-The Fort canine, is comfortable enough to play here within minutes of their arrival. It's just all around good, because that is what they are here to do, socialize, play, and enjoy themselves. We believe that Gatsby will continue to thrive here, and we look forward to having him in again. I sure hope he sleeps good tonight, or is at least "down a notch" cause he sure played whole-heartedly.

Enjoy these clips of Gatsby engaged in play with Jackson, Zipper and Reilly:

 

 

Be well,

-Grant

One shot of "Espresso" please!

Feast your eyes on Espresso, otherwise known as "Espy" for short. She is a one year old, seventy-five pound, Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Espy came into Fort Fido this morning all fired up, very excited for her Assessment Day. We marched her straight to the Big Roll, where she got down to business right away. A Dog Daycare regular, Espy was enthralled by meeting and greeting the pack...Within minutes, she was playing fast and furiously with none other than Oliver and Theodore, two staples of our large dog play area. The three dogs hit it off beautifully, and Espy, continued to thrive here throughout the day. This veteran canine-socializer should prove to be a nice addition to our pack. Way to go girl, you are welcome at The Fort anytime. We'll see ya soon!

Here is wonderful clip of Miss Espresso in action:

Take it easy,

-Grant

Loyal Lewie

 

Meet Lewie! She, is a five year old, sixty-five pound, friendly, Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Lewie was in for her assessment early this morning. We had her tryout in the Big Roll where she did rather well for a first day. Lewie even busted out into a bit of play, which is always wonderful. This Chocolate Lab Gal, is good buddies with longtime Fort Fido Fans Gem & Monty... Heck, if she's cool with those two, then she's pretty much a shoe-in here. LOL! All joking aside, Lewie had a nice time at The Fort today and she is certainly welcome... Regardless of her connections. ;)

 

Be well,

 

-Grant

 

 

The Big Dudes

Hey everybody, I hope all is well. Things are just first rate here at The Fort. However, it sure would be nice if SUMMER would start eh? Hahaha! At least I haven't had to water the garden, a definite plus.

Anywho, today I have three clips from the Big Roll. Technically, Monday, 7/2/12's Big Roll. We had a nice mix of Chocolate Labs and Airedale Terriers, amongst other fine breeds like Boxers, German Shepherds and hounds. It was a very nice play group full of stunning lookers.








I stumbled upon a key news article as well, fitting for the coming holiday.

What to do if your pet gets lost on the 4th of July.

Truly some great tips in that one.

My tip, for if a panicked-pup won't come to you... Lie down onto the ground, face and belly down. Cover your face with your hands and make high-pitched "sad" or "whimpering" sounds. Don't chase after the dog unless it truly bolts. This sounds crazy, going against most of our initial reactions, but I have seen it work! Many times, a frantic canine will wonder what the heck you are doing and come to investigate. At that moment, you can roll over and snatch them up, hopefully lol! If that doesn't work, your better have legs like Usain and or pray that they're micro chipped.

;)

Enjoy your week, stay dry,

-Grant
P.S. I chased down and caught a dog once a few years ago... From Fort Fido down to Starbucks. No, the dog didn't get loose from our place *knocks on wood*. It was a rescue dog that jumped from this gals vehicle when she stopped by to check us out. Either way, I was extremely lucky to have caught up with it, scored me some kudos for sure! :)

The Rolls, The Clips

From the Big Roll, Mother Maggie was on patrol as usual... There is always some "correcting" to be done when Chocolate Lab gal Kodiak is in the thick of it! Osbourne seems to be watching in amazement lol, "How does she do it?".





In the Medium Roll it was business as usual. You know, Tikvah in every shot doing something super fun, Zeus too, haha. ;)



Samantha had us chuckling with her "after-romp lounge position". A dog has to be mighty comfortable to be on it's back like that, especially with the pack. :)



Upstairs, known as the "Little Roll", was its fast and furious self. We captured a bit of Wrastlin' in between ball time. The usual suspects were hitting it hard; Buddy, Chloe, Pearl and Frizzy just to name a few.





Take care,

-Grant

Jack & Santa

Checkout these two awesomely hilarious photos of Jack, Santa and Jack's nephew lol. Click them to enlarge.

Talk about priceless, they really show off Jacks personality. Jack is a fun-loving, large/strong, Chocolate Lab that has been coming to Fort Fido for years. Definitely a regular of the Big Roll, nobody messes with Jack. ;)



Thanks for sending those pics in, we love sharing them with everyone. Don't forget to send in photos of your pet outside of The Fort ( Grant@fortfido.com ). Holiday themed photos of your pet are even better. I'll post them all up here on the Blog.

Have a great day,

-Grant

Fido & Clips

(Apparently, this is a Photo of a Hubley Cast Iron Piggy-Bank from the early 1900's, cool!)

Why did "Fido" become the generic family dog name?

I didn't know either lol, maybe you did... I just learned that Fido comes from the Latin fidus, meaning faithful / I trust, a very fitting term for "Man's best friend". Neat, ya learn something new everyday. ;)


Now here are some outstanding clips from today's rolls.

First up, Abby, Grady, Stella and Ziva have been romping hard all day together in the Big Roll.



It has also been a Chocolate Lab fest in the Large Roll today, here, Osbourne, Kodiak and Grady have a triple threat match. They must know their the same breed lol.



Things were fast and furious in the Medium Roll today as always. Miss Phoebe loves stirring up a pot of chase games... Buddha, Diego and Zeus pursue.



Check Pearl out in the Little Roll, she found a big orange ball that she really digs... A clip was taken later in the day and she was still after that ball, too funny.



Last but certainly not least, new pup Mooshu and Pearl had a late afternoon wrestling match that we were able to capture. What a blast!



Take care,

-Grant

))) Gleeful Grady (((

Grady was a highly loveable pooch that had his assessment this morning. He is a one year old, sixty pound, Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Grady was the quintessential happy and healthy young lab assessment. We stuck him in our Medium Roll and it worked like a charm, he absolutely enjoyed himself. Grady played and communicated well with the pack. He is a happy-go-lucky dog that the Fort Fido crew looks forward to seeing more of. Way to go today Grady, ya did a first rate job!

Just a side note: Over the years, some of our wildest and most hard to handle canines have been young chocolate labs. We aren't exactly sure why but we have some ideas and don't think that it is a coincidence... Lucky for us, Grady didn't fall into the "hard to handle" category. ;)

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. My o my, that new computer is still not here... I can get a browser going long enough to post a blog but it hasn't been easy. Making a badge picture barely happened and the big pain for us is that our QuickBooks is down. Come on next-day shipping! Shouldn't you be here by now lol? Ahhh!

Bella battle

I like this little clip I captured this morning, it's what Doggie Daycare is all about (the dogs playing hard and having fun). It's Bella the little white Boxer (She takes on all comers!) fending off Osbourne the Chocolate Lab and Benny the Golden Retriever, all in good fun of course.

Enjoy,

-Grant
P.S. Also found many dog articles of interest this morning (click the numbers)... 1, 2, 3, 4.