Cano & Charlie

Yesterday we Assessed the kindly Cano here at The Fort. He is a one year old, thirty-five pound, cream colored, Labradoodle. Cano came in Chipper and happy to be here. We escorted him to the Medium Roll, where he entered without a care. After sniffing around a bit, we had him begin to meet the pack. Cano first met up with Jupiter, and within seconds, the two dogs became playmates! It is quite clear that Cano is no stranger to canine communication and socialization. He is already a Dog Daycare Veteran, as he attended another Daycare in the past as a pup. Cano was an absolute pleasure to have in here, we hope he becomes one of our regulars!

Checkout Cano in action with Jupiter.

This morning the Fort Fido Team had, Charlie, in for his Assessment Day. Charlie is a three year old, thirteen pound, Miniature Poodle Mix. This cute little fella jaunted with us upstairs to the Little Roll. Inside, he explored his new found surroundings with his nose to the ground. Once he got settled, it was time for Charlie to meet the other canines... Which he did pleasantly. Charlie had no problems fitting in with the play group and having a good time. When "Ball Time" started, Charlie loved it. He chased after the thrown toys, and really enjoyed pursuing the pack as they chased after toys. We are pleased that Charlie had a nice time here today. He is most welcome anytime.

First-rate jobs Cano and Charlie, way to be!

Enjoy your weekend, and have fun at The Open if you attend.

-Grant

Chili Willy

This morning we assessed the handsome Chili. He is a three year old, eleven pound, apricot/white colored, Toy Poodle. Chili wasn't quite sure what to think of The Fort at first... He followed us up to the Little Roll play area and entered without a hitch. After exploring his new surroundings for a bit, Chili met a few of the Small dog pack members. He sniffed and greeted them properly, seemingly comfortable with the situation. Over the course of the morning, more little dogs showed up, and Chili became a part of the twelve-dog-pack. Although we didn't see much play out of Chili today, we wouldn't be surprised if that changes after a few visits... Especially given some time and consistency. All in all, Chili is one nice and good looking canine, he is most definitely welcome to hangout here at Fort Fido anytime. Nice first day Chili-man, ya did just fine!

Take it easy,

-Grant
P.S. Anyone remember the cartoon character "Chilly Willy" lol? I sure do, he used to crack me up back in the day!

- Riley -

This morning The Fort welcomed the clever, Riley, in for his assessment. He is a two year old, about 10 pound, white colored, Miniature Poodle and Terrier Mixed Breed. This sharp looking and wiry little fella, headed upstairs with us, to try the Little Roll Play Area on for size. Once therein, Riley met up with the polite Buzzette, followed by introductions to the "Papillion Twins". As the morning progressed and the Little Roll's pack grew in size, Riley continued his care-free contentment. Having pretty good canine communication skills, Riley met with the other dogs easily and readily socialized with them. He is particularly fond of "chase games", which are a perfect activity for him here. First rate job today Riley! You are welcome at Fort Fido.

Be well,

-Grant

Top-notch Tazley

Meet Tazley! She is a super-sweet, seven year old, fifteen pound, Miniature Poodle Mix. Tazley showed up to The Fort this morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. She was calm and confident as we headed upstairs to the Little Roll. After a few minutes alone in the play area, Tazley was introduced to a couple of our finest canine buddies. She spoke good "Dog" with them, meeting and greeting in a healthy manner. Tazley seemed to become more comfortable and pleased as the pack grew. She would happily wag her tail towards each dog that entered, and acted as if she'd been a part of the group forever. When it came to play, unfortunately we didn't see much of it out of Tazley, however, we won't be surprised if that changes in future visits. Nice job today Tazley, welcome to Fort Fido, we hope to see you again.

Cheers,

-Grant

- Tenacious Teddy -

 

Today was Teddy's assessment day. He is a friendly, two year old, seven pound, white, grey, and brown colored, Shih Tzu/Miniature Poodle Mix. Teddy entered Fort Fido with wonder and courage. He marched upstairs to the Little Roll, where he met with Gibson and Seamus right away. Teddy speaks quite good "DOG". That skill, gave him the ability to fit into our pack quickly and easily, which he certainly did. Teddy mostly just hung out with the play group and enjoyed himself. Teddy's gleeful-tail wagged often, as he mingled with the other canines. He chased a few toys around, and generally had a fun time. We are thrilled to know that Teddy will be back into The Fort soon... It looks as though he'll be giving our Overnight Boarding a go.

Although we weren't able to catch Teddy in any major "one on one play", you can spot him towards the end of this little "cross-section" clip.

Take it easy & enjoy that sun,

-Grant

Jack & Jill

Went, not "up the hill", but upstairs to the Little Roll lol. That is where they had their assessments early this morning.


Jack is a eight year old, twenty-two pound, black colored, Miniature Poodle. His littermate-sister, Jill, is an eight year old, eighteen pound, black and white colored, Miniature Poodle. Both Jack and Jill did a good job here today at Fort Fido. They weren't quite sure what to think of the place at first, but after a while, they settled in nicely. These very comely canines socialized decently, and have been around other dogs many times before. There wasn't too much play out of the "mature" Jack and Jill, however they seemed to enjoy their visit with the pack. We will most certainly allow Jack and Jill to come to The Fort anytime.

Happy Monday,

-Grant

Pretty Lexi

 

This morn we had Lexi in for her assessment. She is a five year old, eighteen pound, chocolate colored, Miniature Poodle. Lexi is a very good looking dog, and it is almost as if she could be related to Medium Roll Regular, Barkley. She hung out upstairs in The Fort's Little Roll. Lexi didn't do half bad here today, she frolicked a bit, and met with a few different canines. Lexi wasn't really into playing, however, she was very comfortable with the Dog Daycare environment. We may not see Lexi a whole heck of a lot, but we shall be seeing her for a Overnight Boarding stay sometime down the road.

Lexi and Barkley are only a few months apart in age, darn close, and almost close enough for me to say "separated at birth", but not quite lol. Keep in mind, this is Barkley's baby-badge-picture, he's only three months old in this shot.

Have a nice weekend,

-Grant

Long live The King!

 

Feast your eyes on this handsome devil!

King, is a three month old, eight pound, Shiba Inu and Poodle Mix. Like royalty, this little prince marched into The Fort happy, curious and full of life! King had an all-out blast upstairs in our Little Roll. He played hard, loving every minute of his time here. King really liked our toy selection and pack members. From the clips that follow, you can see that King is learning how to play fair with the others... There's a bit of a learning curve hahaha. Luckily we have some very patient canine teachers upstairs lol! This bundle of cute did great today. He'll stay in the Little Roll for now but he may "graduate" in the future, we'll see how it goes. The Medium Roll may be right up his alley.





First rate job today King, hope you were tired. We look forward to meeting you again.

Cheers,

-Grant

Sassy Sammy

Meet Sammy! He is a three month old, twenty-one pound, black and white colored, Puggle (Beagle/Pug Mix) that had his assessment this morning. We put Sammy in the Medium Play Area. He really wasn't sure what to think of things at first, we weren't even sure that he would "bust out" in play... Lucky for us and his owners, he did! After about an hour in the Medium Roll, Sammy not doing too much, Gus arrived. He began to pull out all the stops (Playbows, spins, face-licking etc...) to get the new recruit to play and wouldn't ya know it, Sammy went for it. From that point on it was "game over" for the sitting-around stuff. Sammy began to play like there was no tomorrow, with several different pack members. He truly enjoyed himself. Swell job this morning Sammy, you are welcome to The Fort anytime. A special thanks to Gus for helping us out, he really got this Puggle-guy moving in the right direction. I'll end this post with three fine clips of the Sam Man warming up to the gang.







Enjoy your weekend,

-Grant
P.S. Another Puggle that is a friend of Fort Fido is Buddha. When that fella comes, look out! He's always tearing it up. :)

The Norwegian Elkhounds

What a neat breed!


Meet Ranger & Scandi. Ranger is a five year old, seventy-eight pound, good looking Norwegian Elkhound that stayed in our Big Roll. Scandi, Ranger's brother, is a three year old, ninety-five pound, handsome Norwegian Elkhound who ventured into our Medium Roll.


Both Ranger and Scandi did very well today at The Fort, definitely passing their assessments. Each dog communicated rather adeptly with the other pack members and enjoyed their stay. Brother Scandi was a bit more interested in play than Ranger. Even though rowdy-play wasn't on his agenda, Ranger blended in with the pack seamlessly.


Ranger and Scandi are best buddies with Fort Fido regular Barkley, they play outside of here often. The Elkhounds have taught Barkley much of his "Dog Speak" and have honed his "Pack Skills". This has been quite beneficial for Barkley's development as a "Dog's Dog", he can run with the best of them and isn't your typical Miniature Poodle lol.


First rate job today boys, we'll see ya next week!


Cheers!


-Grant

A Boston Bash

Our Boston Terriers met today and it went magnificently. New Boston gal Lucy tried out the Medium Roll with Bogie and Sofee. Lucy did awesome with the medium pack and had one heck of a hoopla. This is probably where she'll stay for now. Lucy gets much more out of Dog Daycare this way. Here are two clips showing just a bit of the Terrier action. Please excuse Mini Poodle Oliver, he had a quick mounting session before I could say anything hahaha.





Have a great day, enjoy that sun.

-Grant

Terrific Tucker

Meet Tucker, what a stud-muffin lol! He is an eleven month old, sixteen pound, Poodle-Yorkie-Shih Tzu Mix that assessed this morning. Tucker thought he was headed to the gym this morning to see his brother Dwayne, who recently started attending. However, when the car turned into the Fort Fido parking lot, tucker knew something new was up. He ventured into our Little Roll and keenly observed his new surroundings. Tucker was an absolute delight, although not as outgoing with the pack as his brother Dwayne. His owner is hoping to expand his horizons by bringing him to The Fort. We believe that in time, Tucker will begin to bust out and truly benefit from Dog Daycare. It will be awesome when Tucker meets his brother Dwayne upstairs this coming Thursday! That outta definitely get him even more interested in play.

Have a great weekend,

-Grant
P.S. Theses brothers, Tucker & Dwayne... Don't they have a cool look? Akin to Tom Selleck no? Hahaha! Thanks to Dwayne's mom for pointing that out to me.

``` Daring Dwayne ```

Please welcome little Dwayne to The Fort. He is a ten month old, thirteen pound, Miniature Poodle-Shih Tzu-Yorkie Mix that assessed this morning. Dwayne was named after "The Rock" AKA Dwayne Johnson, striking resemblance hehe? I remember watching that Rock fella back in my WWF (now WWE) days as a middle-schooler lol... Fake wrestling, how funny, it's entertaining as a lad. A soap opera for men if you will haha. Anywho, back to our new pal. He did just fantastic upstairs in the Little Roll! Dwayne has the longest eyelashes we have ever seen, he is quite dapper. When the dogs started to pour in, he was quick to greet them with positive energy and exaggerated play-bows. Dwayne spoke awesome "Dog" for a pup and truly seemed to thrive here. We plan on seeing him again. Way to go Dwayne, you are welcome back anytime and ya definitely smell what The Rock is cookin, I couldn't resits posting that, it was The Rock's famous line. ;)

Take a gander at this clip of Dwayne. Unfortunately it doesn't do him justice. He was really going at it with Fendi but every time the camera came out he stopped. That's how it goes a lot of times. :(



Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Ahhh, also wanted to post this nice clip of Doberman youngin Hank and tall black lab guy Jake.

Teeny Tiny Teacup Phoebe Marie!

This morning four-pound teacup Poodle Phoebe Marie came to join us at the Fort. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the Daycare experience, but she did sniff around with the other dogs and play just a tad. With time and consistency, she will come out of her shell a little more, and be more relaxed with the other pups.

Oftentimes for a dog with any degree of separation anxiety, the second day is better than the first. That is why we keep the assessments at that short 4 hour length. This allows us to see how they interact with others, and doesn't put too much stress on the pup who is trying to figure out just what is going on in here! When they get to go home again so soon it creates a good association--they understand that "hey, I get to come here and hang out, and then head home again later." Since we can't exactly explain what's going on to them, teaching through experience is the next best thing. Throughout the years we have seen a lot of dogs go from wallflower to social butterfly, with adequate time and a consistent schedule. Building confidence helps your dog to be more independent and self-assured, which usually translates into better behavior overall.

Daycare isn't just about tiring out pooches, it provides mental and social stimulation that promotes well-adjusted pets.

Thanks for reading!

Hope

Ruff and Tumble

Woo man... This morning's assessment was Ruff!

:)

Ruff is a four year old, seventeen pound, exceptionally cute, Bichon Frise / Miniature Poodle Mix. What a nice guy Ruff is, he spent time upstairs in the Little Roll and did good. He sniffed around a bit and even played some. It was actually quite a "smooth sailing" ;) assessment. We think that Ruff enjoyed his stay, he is welcome back anytime, hopefully he returns soon.

Happy Monday, welcome back sun!

-Grant

Snow Black

One of our favorite little poodles, Gracie Anne, sent us in her wonderful Halloween photos. As you can see, she was the perfect Snow White! Too bad she didn't have the seven dwarfs accompanying her. If her owner would like, we could put her in touch with a good breeder ;) hahaha.

Enjoy that sun!

-Grant
P.S. Found two interesting dog articles today: Author of 'You Had Me at Woof,' talks about dogs and Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, Blocked From Entering Canada.

Medium Roll Chums

Barkley, a Miniature Poodle, and Walter really hit it off this afternoon in the Medium Roll. They displayed some wonderfully fair and balanced play. A good day was had by all.



Take care,

-Grant
P.S. I am back and married now :)

What it is all about!

I'm in a Video Clip posting mood... Besides, I know that's what everyone wants to see anyway, forget my ramblings lol, here it is.



I've said it before but this clip is Daycare in a nutshell, or at least what we love about it, the dogs having a total blast! Gus (a Bichon Frise / Yorkshire Terrier Mix) is engaging in an epic Tug of war with Barkley the chocolate-colored Mini Poodle.

Take it easy,

-Grant

Cooking with Dog!

My fiance JM and I really enjoy cooking. Well, I mostly do eating but anywho lol... One of the things we truly enjoy is going on www.youtube.com and learning new recipes. We like food from all over the world but at the top of our list is Janpanese cuisine! In our search for new dishes, we stumbled upon the "Cooking with Dog Channel". The gal that makes the food is first rate and her dishes are out of this world! Francis, the host (a grey Miniature Poodle), is funny, super-cute and well trained. Check out the show here, and try making something.

Cheers,

-Grant

Welcome Benson and more xmas photos!

We welcomed Benson to Fort Fido this morning. He is a three moth old, couple of pound, Shorkie! He had a terrific time playing upstairs in the Little Roll and boy was he cute. His owners are taking the right steps to keep him on track and make a therapy dog out of him someday. Way to go!

Two more lovely Christmas photos came in this week. One of them is Gracie Anne, a black Miniature Poodle, lounging with Father Christmas. The other photo is of the o-so-popular Rainier sitting with Santy in University Place. Thank you for the pictures.

Have a nice weekend,

-Grant