And the pack grows...

Yesterday Team Fido met up with Henry for his Assessment. He is a very good looking, ten month old, twelve pound, dapple, Chiweenie (Chihuahua and Miniature Dachshund Mix). Henry stayed with us in our Little Dog Play Area. There, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the place at first... As other canines wondered in throughout the morning, Henry became more and more comfortable with his new surroundings. He spoke good "Dog", and really seemed to enjoy the company of the others. Henry even played a good amount, he chased a few balls around, and even got into a game of "fox hunt" with the pack... That game, consists of one person "fishing" for the little dogs, with a Skinneeez toy as "bait" lol, it's pretty fun and many of our little dogs really enjoy it, some too much so. Nancy came up with this game a while back, and it has a few different names.

Here you can catch a glimpse of Henry getting into the mix:

This morning, Romeo rolled into The Fort for his Assessment Day. He is a one year old, six pound, white and beige colored, Chihuahua. Romeo is a recently rescued dog, that is new to many things. His owner is working with him diligently, to help him become a calm and balanced canine. Today's visit to Fort Fido, is just another tool, in the work of acclimating Romeo to life-anew. Inside of our Little Roll, Romeo sniffed around, curious, yet very cautious. After letting him get his bearings, it was time for Romeo to begin meeting out pack, which he did comfortably. At home, Romeo is part of a seven-dog pack, that is enabling him to balance out socially, and is getting him to be even more of a healthy "Dog's Dog". Although there wasn't too much activity out of Romeo today, he did do a very good job hanging out here and socializing. Also, as you can see, he is quite a "looker" lol! Romeo was about as photogenic as a dog can get for his badge picture.

We would like to see both Henry and Romeo visit us often, they are most welcome here anytime. Swell job lads!

Have a relaxing weekend,

-Grant

Naptime at The Fort

Naptime, or quiet time, here at The Fort, is an essential part of the day. After socializing and playing in the morning, it is important for dogs to relax and unwind. In the afternoon, once the energy level rises, the socializing and play continues. It is unhealthy for dogs to go all day without rest. Tired, overly stimulated dogs can become cranky and uncoordinated. This can cause them to become more susceptible to disagreements or injury. Healthy canines play hard and rest well.

Below, you will find some great pics of a few dogs "resting well" here at Fort Fido.

Bella, Lucy, Blue, Scandi, Hank and Jack.

B.F.Fs Blue and Scandi

Louis and Nancy

Nancy and new comer Lucy

Thanks,

David

Who likes cleaning anyway?

Hahaha, not Pearl and Gherie, that's for darn sure!

These two cute, little, stinkers went for Nancy's micro fiber mop the other day. They proceeded to treat it like a "varmit flushed from a hay bale", too funny!



This certainly gave us a chuckle, we had to share. Apparently it's playtime ONLY for that Little Roll lol!

Enjoy that big, warm, beautiful orb in the sky today.

;)

-Grant

Spittin' bout da Spitz

Haha, what a tittle, sounds like some type of rap album. Bone thugs, "Dawg" related lol, definitely not canine related but the next image is:

What exactly is this group of Spitz-types doing? Run you little hedgehogish fella! Gary has one of those haha...

Mollie, one of The Fort's many Spitz pups.

My mom, Nancy, was researching Spitz Breeds (some of her favorites) over the weekend and I learned many things from her about them. I had no idea there were so many breeds that fell into this category. We have a number of Spitz-types at Fort Fido including; Huskies, Malamutes, American Eskimos, Akitas, Samoyeds, Pomeranians and Basenjis, just to name a few. The defining characteristics of the canines in this group are, a very fox or wolf-like appearance, with pointy ears and tails that curl up onto the back.

Now, to the best part of Nancy's research. After thumbing through our dog books and visiting numerous websites, she stumbled upon this day-making gem.

Performing Japanese Spitz



Wow! This had me cracking up... If only I could find a half-dozen more American Eskimos... Got a good start with Buddy and Mollie hahaha!

Take it easy,

-Grant

Mellow Mood Milo

Meet Milo! He is a nine month old, seventy-three pound, Gray & Black, Labradoodle that was assessed this morning. Milo is one of the sweetest dogs we have come across, a gentle giant if you will. Mom (Nancy), fell head-over-heels for him lol. He is a very calm dog that carries a happy yet mellow mood which becomes infectious. Apparently, Milo spent a lot of time on "The Farm" and didn't interact too much with anything other than horses! Although he didn't play today, he was quite comfortable around the other dogs. Towards the very end of his morning here, he almost played with Rottweiler Guy Gideon. Almost, meaning that there was butt to butt sniffing, tail wagging and spins/play-bows from Gideon. Milo is welcome back to The Fort anytime and we look forward to his return. He is a massively striking doodle that would have made one heck of a stud dog for a Labradoodle breeder... That actually was the plan for Milo but unfortunately he was struck with the dreaded Cryptorchidism, yikes!

Cheers,

-Grant

Some Recent Photos

One from Dakota during snowmageddon, one from Diego (He's jump starting his modeling career with this pic haha.), one I took of Miura and one dad (David) took of Mom (Nancy) showing off new Fort Fido puppy Zoe. Thanks you two for sending in these pictures and thanks to you others for posing lol.





Enjoy your week!

-Grant

Getting ready for class

Howdy, I hope your weekend went well. Sure glad that this weather is approaching "normal" lol, what a headache it has been. We had a great group of dogs today even if they were a bit wound-up, you know, cabin fever and all. ;)

My folks and I (David & Nancy) spent part of Sunday getting ready for our group training class starting January 31st. There are three more spots available in the class, it is not too late to sign up. Just give us a call (253-460-0299)! Mom spent her time doing a lot of touch-up painting while dad and I hung up our old outdoor banner/sign near the Big Roll. It turned out pretty cool. Dad also did some fence repair. On Saturday, Manager Hope sealed the seams of our rubber flooring. That is a difficult job, lucky for us she's good at it.


This morning I caught a great action clip of the Medium Roll, have a look.



Take care,

-Grant

Nancy's Chicken Chase Game

The Little Roll was treated to some hilarious fun this afternoon. Nancy's brainchild, The Chicken Chase Game, was a comical hit. Beija, Frizzy, Gherie and Samarah seemed the most interested out of the group but many tried it out. Nancy thought that dogs with a bit of "prey-drive" would really be into this game... The game being a very popular Skinneeez Stuffing-Less Toy (they come in many different animals including chickens, foxes, rabbits, skunks, etc...) attached to a slip lead and stick. Kinda like an old-timey fishing pole or carnival game. You can whip this thing around and many dogs in the little pack seem to really enjoy it. Pretty funny stuff, here are a few clips of the Chicken Chase Game in action hahaha.







Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Of course, we carry the Skinneeez line of dog toys. They are quite popular, an awesome toy that tends to last, check 'em out! ;)

*Public Service Announcement*

We do not promote/recommend exacerbating any animals Prey Drive instincts (Notwithstanding, certain styles of training or activities; working dogs, hunting dogs, guard dogs, etc...) However, given the circumstances, this game ended up being just fine for the Little Pack. We would never try this in the Big or Medium Rolls, it simply would not fly (no pun intended there) and would potentially cause a fight. The Little Group is just a different beast. We know each of our Fort Fido dogs well and would never put them in harms way. Today's group was able to handle the chickeny-funness without drama. :)

Wesley & Petey

We had two very cute and wily little guys in for their assessments this morning. Meet Wesley and Petey, best buddies in the same family.

Wesley is a two year old (?), fifteen pound, Shih Tzu. He was recently rescued by his current owner. Apparently, Wesley was an absolute mess, found on the streets malnourished and severely matted. Lucky for him, his life is now awesome and includes a loving permanent home. In the Little Roll, Wesley was a free spirit that romped around and had a good time. He became even more excited when he met fellow Shih Tzu, the ever popular, Cooper. The two became quick playmates. Wesley is more than welcome to attend The Fort anytime.

Next up was Petey. He is a five year old, twenty-four pound, American Cocker Spaniel, also recently rescued. Petey was a Veterinarian "practice dog" for three whole years. Let's just say, it didn't sound like a fun experience and he didn't get out much. His life is vastly improved nowadays. Petey joined his roommate Wesley in the Little play area. Unfortunately he was a bit more reserved then Wesley. Petey is an amazingly sweet dog, I'm pretty sure that Mom (Nancy) fell in love with him lol. He did just fine with the others in the pack but didn't interact as much as Wesley did. Petey too is welcome anytime.

Swell job today lads, hope to see you two again soon.

Take it easy this week, we're gonna see sunshine for two days. ;)

-Grant

Two Logan Pics & Clips

Logan's ma Becky was kind enough to send in some funny photos of the big guy. Here he is posing with his favorite beverage hahaha. Wow, I've heard of a little beer now and again for a dogs coat but I can't vouch for the Irish Whiskey.




Here is a clip from very early in the morning. Beautiful Irish Setter Miura is usually the first one in the Medium Roll. When she is the first dog in, her and Nancy love having one on one ball time together.



It's official! Chloe and Pearl have "Busted Out" (AKA began to act like pack members, really interacting and playing.) there is no stopping these two pups now, everyday will be fun filled for them in the Little Roll.



Medium Roll pooch Madi has also been branching out and doing well. Here she takes on Boxer Boy Zeus for some excitement.




Have a nice weekend,

-Grant
P.S. No, Logan doesn't really drink whiskey... Don't worry! Fort Fido, LLC does not condone giving your dog alcohol. Heck, our pets don't even get table scraps! ;)

Mom & Mr. C

I took this picture yesterday and really liked it, thought I'd show it off. It is of Nancy (my mother, one of the three owners of Fort Fido) and Cooper AKA "Mr.C" AKA "Coops" AKA "Coopy"... Haha, I could go on and on, Cooper has many nicknames.

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Tomorrow 12/31/09 (New Year's Eve) we will be open with normal operating hours.

Wet paint & A welcome to Cooper

A few of us hung around the fort this weekend for a bit more fall cleaning. We also did some more painting upstairs in the little dog area. The colors we used were tan, chocolate, black and a light green... It's looking good, very calming lol. A folding chair rack (the chairs are used for training classes) was hung on a wall downstairs as well as a bike rack (I bike to work). It felt nice to spruce things up.

This morning we welcomed Cooper. He is a six month old, 40 pound, lab mix. Cooper fit in well, had a good time while he stayed and made a cute face for his badge photo (already lying down after a couple of hours, that's great!).

Happy Monday Y'all,

-Grant