Boarding Fun!

Have you ever wondered what your pups were up to all night when they stayed here for boarding? Well, wonder no more because today's blog is going to be all about our overnight program. 

Once all our daycare dogs have left, we lay out the beds and blankets and make a giant plushy, super comfortable sleeping area for them. They love it! 

It ends up looking something like this :) 

  Here at The Fort, our boarding is somewhat non-traditional. Instead of having your dog in a run by themselves, we stay with them all night and let them have free range. Because we are here monitoring their behavior it allows us to let them play with their dog friends as much as they want. If you would like your dog to do more sleeping than playing, just let us know! We can set them up a comfortable bed in one of our kennels with a blanket or bed that you provide, and even their favorite toy.

We often take the time to play with them one on one as well. Check out these silly clips below!

 One of our goals is to make your dogs stay as enjoyable as possible; we want them to feel like this is their second home. So, whenever you want to get away, or have a huge family vacation planned, don't stress about where to take your pup, we are here for you! 

Have a wonderful night,
~Shaunte

Russell

Today we met with Russell for his Assessment. He is a happy little, one year old, eighteen pound, Pug and Chihuahua Mix. Russell headed up to The Fort's Little Roll with ease. Once inside it, he sniffed about merrily, contemplating the point of his visit lol. Shortly after getting situated in the play area, we had Russell begin to meet the pack... Which he did in proper canine fashion. Russell's "meeting and greeting" was spot on and easy going. In a short time, he seemed as though he'd been a part of our pack for a long time. When it comes to playing, Russell absolutely loves it! He chased toys with a fervor, and even got into a little bit of dyadic (one on one) canine play. Russell will be a great addition to Fort Fido's Little Dog Pack and he can get a ton out of Dog Daycare here. Way to be Rus, we'll see ya around!

Checkout these great little clips of Russell enjoying his visit:

Have a nice Memorial Day Weekend,

-Grant
P.S. We still have spots available for Overnight Boarding this weekend, give us a call and reserve your dog's spot now!

Harrison

Yesterday we Assessed Harrison. He is a sprightly, ten year old, forty-nine pound, Apricot/Cream Colored, Labradoodle. Harrison did a fantastic job fitting in to Fort Fido's Medium Pack. This "mature" fella, is one spry canine... You would never think he was ten years old. He's still got it lol, sprinting, jumping, wrestling, Harrison did it all. Almost all of the pack members he played around with, were only a quarter of his age, yet he kept up with all of them easily! It's obvious that "Harry", is a Dog Daycare Veteran. He hung out here, and acted as though he'd visited 100 times before, it was really great. Harrison plans to give our Overnight Boarding a go soon, and we thoroughly look forward to his return, Firs-rate job my man, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself at The Fort.

Take a look at Harrison, meeting up with Winnie for the first time... Those Labradoodles like to stick together ya know. ;)

Enjoy your weekend,

-Grant

Our latest members!

Here's a glimpse of our latest Fort Fido Members.

Tommy had his assessment yesterday, he is a regal Jack Russell Terrier, that fits nicely into our Medium Roll. We hope to see some more "play" out of him, but he is doing good.

Today we met Yabisi, or "Yabby". She is a sweet and curious Doberman Pinscher Mix, that is chock-full of energy.

Both Tommy and Yabisi our taking advantage of The Fort's awesome Overnight Boarding soon. If you haven't already, you and your canine companion should give it a go the next time you are out of town. It's really nice, because the dogs get to stay in their play groups throughout the night, and, are monitored by a real-live-human around the clock, 24/7, 365.

Also, remember that our hours never change. No matter the holiday, we are here for you with the same hours, 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Daily. That is our "13 Hour Daycare Day" and your window for boarding pickups and drop-offs... Talk about convenient!

Have a wonderful weekend,

-Grant
P.S. If you are looking for some spring fun this weekend, don't forget that tomorrow is the 82nd Annual Daffodil Festival Parade. Drop Fido off here and go check it out! :)

- Elsa -

Today Fort Fido's team met up with, Elsa, bright and early for her assessment. She is a spunky, seven month old, sixty pound, Rottweiler. This high-energy young canine, is coming to The Fort to hone her social skills and drain off some of her extra energy. Elsa had surgery about a month back, and has been a bit cooped-up and sedated ever since... However, you'd never know it by the looks of her! She was ready and raring to go this morning, especially after being introduced to the Big Roll Play Area. Inside, Elsa wiggled and wagged her whole body, happily greeting each and every pack member that arrived. For a young dog that hasn't been too socialized, she did a darn good job at "meeting and greeting". Elsa even made friends, and played, with Chedder, and several others, within minutes of her arrival.

 Here, Elsa and Chedder get into Beast Mode together.

We believe that Elsa can grow up into a very social, calm and well balanced adult dog. Rottweilers, are what we here at The Fort call, "a lot of dog". In the wrong hands, and with the wrong set of "rules", they can quickly become unpleasant and hard to manage. The reason, is because they are an extremely smart, strong, and athletic "Power Breed"... One with brute-strength, and a headstrong attitude, particularly, when in the presence of weak leadership. Given time, consistency, a strict routine, and very strong leadership, today's Elsa can thrive. Fort Fido is happy to have her join our ranks because she had a really good time here. We hope that she can be kept on the right track and can continue to blossom. You go girl!

Enjoy your weekend, and the Superbowl, if that's your thing.

GO HAWKS!

-Grant
P.S. We have plenty of room here at Fort Fido on Superbowl Sunday. Several of our customers are in Arizona for the game, and many more will be dropping their canines off for Daycare and or Overnight Boarding around Sunday... You know... To keep them out of the queso dip lol! Feel free to have your canine pal join us.

P.P.S. That reminds me, if you are having or attending a party for the Big Game, please keep Fido out of the snacks! Make sure your friends and family do the same. Monday after the Superbowl tends to be a Dog-Daycare-Diarrhea-Fest, and nobody wants that. Here, dogs with diarrhea get crated, and don't get to play as much, nobody wants that either. ;)

 

(Russel Wilson with one of his Great Danes!)

Lola

Lola came to the The Fort for her Assessment today. She is a six year old, ten pound, fawn colored, Chihuahua Mix. Lola is really cute and sweet, and kind of reminds us of a female Cortez lol! Upstairs in the Little Roll, Lola sniffed around a lot, finding out everything she could about her new-found play area. As other canines began to arrive, Lola seemed excited to greet them. She met with them properly, and had no problems socializing. Towards the end of her stay, she even began to bust out into a little bit of play. We plan on seeing her for some future Overnight Boarding visits, and believe that she'll really have a blast on her next go around. Swell job today Lola, the Fort Fido crew is happy to have ya, and we look forward to seeing you again.

Have a nice weekend,

-Grant

- Clara -

Two cap off another busy, and new-dog-filled week here, we met up with Clara. She is a wiggly, nine month old, about twenty pound, black and white colored, Cocker Spaniel. She hung out in the Little Roll and didn't do half bad. She was a bit nervous at first, but after some time, began to calm down and become more comfortable with her new surroundings.

When it comes to meeting up with other canines, Clara does well. She is a energy-filled, young, and happy dog, ready and willing to socialize. Clara played a good amount during the second half of her visit. She enjoyed chasing the other canines around during Ball Time. Clara is welcome to attend The Fort whenever she'd like. Given some time and consistency, we believe Clara can get even more out of future visits to Fort Fido. Super job today girl, we will see you again very soon!

In the following clip, you can spot Miss Clara running around a bit, and enjoying herself.

Rest up this weekend,

-Grant
P.S. Don't forget, the Thanksgiving Holiday is next week, our Overnight Boarding is filling up fast... We still have some room, so hurry up and get a reservation if you need it! :)

Luck of the draw...

Meet Mr. Lucky! He is a charming, eight year old, thirty-one pound, white and light-brown colored, Cavachon... Which is a lovely mixture of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise. This Dog Daycare and Overnight Boarding Veteran, stayed with us in our Medium Roll. There, Lucky, wagged his tail and sniffed about while leisurely getting to know the Play Area. As we introduced him to members of our pack, he seemed delighted to "meet and greet" with them. For the majority of his stay, Lucky carried with him, an easy-going and comfortable attitude. Although he didn't get into much play, his actions implied that he was pretty comfortable here at The Fort. We enjoyed Lucky, and we hope that he will enjoy staying with us. We would like to see him get involved into some more physical play, and believe that there is a good chance he will... Especially, after he spends some more time here at Fort Fido. Lucky, you had a tremendous first day, good on ya bud!

Cheers,

-Grant

Payment Stuffs

As school begins and fall approaches, The Fort becomes busier and busier. With that said, I'd like to take a moment to note a few things about our payment system. Please be aware that being paid for in advance allows you to get the best rate, and makes for much more timely transitions, while dropping off or picking up your dog.

We do are best to accommodate you when you arrive, however, as you all know, sometimes we just "get slammed", with a lobby full of canines and customers lol. We apologize in advance, for if we are ever unable to help you at a given moment. The safety of our Fort Fido pack, is at all times, our number one priority. Thank you for understanding and bearing with us!

-Payment is due at the time of service.

-Keep in mind our very easy and fair cancelation policy.

-Pick up your pet on time, don't bother getting caught up in the "One Dollar Per Minute" late fee. If you know you are going to be late, just call us before 7:30 PM and have your pet do a last minute overnight stay. It is cheaper and much better for all of us involved.

-Yes, cancelation is easy, call us at 253-460-0299 or email us at info@fortfido.com to do so.

-To get the best rate, pay for and schedule your daycare days on a weekly basis, being sure to pay for "your next week", on the evening of your last paid day.

-Many folks have a very set schedule and pay for the month. Paying for the month doesn't save them any money, however, it makes things convenient for all and is easy to do. If your schedule allows it, we highly recommend paying for the month. Also, you are never charged a drop-in-rate on the first of the month.

-Always pay for more days than you need, we do not prorate days... You can always cancel days and switch them around. It is on each individual to avoid "the dreaded drop-in-rate". ;)

-To get the very best rate, take advantage of our half day. Which is five hours of daycare anytime and any day for just $20. When you arrive, check your time and confirm it with us, noting that, if you are over the five hour mark, you will be charged a drop-in-rate. Being on time for the five hour mark is your responsibly.

-Got a hectic schedule? Sick and tired of constantly switching days around at The Fort, and making separate payments all of the time? Don't like getting charged for drop-in-rates? If you answered, yes, to any or all of these questions, then "The Package Deal" is for you. It allows you the freedom and flexibility to drop off your canine companion for daycare, at anytime, on any day, without being charged a drop-in-rate, and without the need to schedule or cancel days. When we see the "whites of your eyes" we take one of your days out. It is as easy as that and it works out beautifully.

-Do not worry about us being full... We are not at this time. In the event that a play area, or our whole facility looks as though it will be full, we will let you all know ahead of time. Before you show up and are denied. We will especially let our "Package Deal People" know right away, but again, this is not the case at this time. We currently have availability for all dogs for Daycare and Overnight Boarding.

-At this time, we accept all forms of payment, minus American Express.

-Feel good about brining your dog to Fort Fido, remembering that they are safe, and getting the most out of their stay with the pack.

:)

Thanks for reading, cheers,

-Grant

Some words about Overnight Boarding

Our Overnight Boarding here at Fort Fido has proven to be a great success. We've been going strong with it for a little over two years now, my how time flys! Today, I wanted to throw out some Overnight Boarding Tips. Basically, what you should and shouldn't (or don't need to) bring with your dog to The Fort, for their overnight stay. What we have been running into is, some folks are bringing in wayyy too much, while others aren't bringing in enough... So here is our recommendations on the "perfect amount of NEEDED gear".

*Please note, if your canine has special needs (i.e., they need their bandages changed, insulin injections, hair styled, salve applied, diaper changed, booties kept on, etc...) please speak with a Fort Fido staff member prior to making boarding reservations. We may not be able to meet certain needs, and extra fees may apply.


For a fantastic Fort Fido Overnight Stay, along with your pooch, assuming they don't have any medications or special needs, please bring in the following:

- A towel, old human shirt, blanket, and or bed.

Either one is fine, your dog may not need any of that stuff, or you may want them to have all of that stuff... But please keep in mind the seasons, the fact that we keep our building comfortable at all times, and, that we have clean rubber flooring in all of our play areas. (My dog Gibson is hilarious, he prefers to sleep on the hardwood floor at my home, or rubber floor here, careless of the fact that I've purchased him a fancy dog bed. Come on dude, it's organic cotton lol!)

- Collar and Leash

As you already know, all dogs coming into The Fort must be on a quick-release collar and leash only. For a boarding stay, go ahead and bring them in on this exact same setup.

- Food and a Measure

If you canine already eats our wonderful "house food", Fromm Gold, then you have it easy, don't bring in any food... However, if your pooch does not eat Fromms. Please bring the food they eat daily from home. We do not want to deal with any Digestive Issues lol. You can bring your dog's food in the packaging it comes in, or a tub, or Tupperware, even a grocery bag or any bag works. Just be sure to bring enough food for the duration of their visit, and be sure to supply us with a measuring device for your dogs individual portion. Measuring cups, scoops, pint glasses, and to-go cups all work well.

That is it, easy as pie!

Any more gear than that pretty much just becomes a burden, and or can't be used. Some things, like treats and toys, don't get used because they can't be, for safety's sake, or because they will just get ruined by other canine guests. Here, we provide water and water bowls, food bowls, toys (little roll only), crates (if needed), etc... We even have extra bedding and towels.

We appreciate you going with the "less is more" approach when bringing in gear for your pet's stay. Thanks for making it easy on us lol!


Although accidents and mistakes can, and do occur, here and in life... While staying at For Fido, to the best of our abilities, dogs are monitored, and kept in optimal physical and psychological health.

People care for and communicate with dogs in many different ways, what may be a great way for one, isn't for someone else. Being Canine-care Professionals, we understand this in depth, and attempt to tread lightly on the subject. We have customers from all walks of life, whom each handle their canine differently. The one common thread though, and the thing we most appreciate, is that they all trust us to care for their dogs in our way. For this we thank them, we are truly obliged by their support and understanding. Believe us when we say, everything we do at our facility, is for the total health and wellness of the animals that come here. Safety for the dogs comes first, which is then followed by customer service.

As Canine-care Professionals, we have a keen understanding of the canine brain and a dogs individual actions/needs and how to address them. We ensure that they are safe, comfortable, and clean at all times... While simultaneously allowing them to "be dogs", the fantastic rabble-rousers, players, and socializers they are, truly part of a pack once in our care. We like to call ourselves, Dog Wranglers, jokingly defining that term as "Janitors and Referees", albeit it's true.

So with all of that, please, go about your day, night, vacations and trips, without a care, rest assured that your doggy companion is in good hands here. Trust us and let us work, we are the experts. If we are experiencing a problem, or an emergency arises concerning your pet, after addressing it, we'll be the first to contact you... We have a cheeky saying around here, but it holds true, "no news, is good news."

;)

To all of our customers, thank you so very much for your business. Don't forget to get your reservation in now for boarding!

-Grant, David, Nancy, & the rest of the Fort Fido Staff

Bear & Kaya

Today we assessed two very striking dogs from the same family. Meet Bear and Kaya.

Bear is a fuzzy, seven year old, twenty-seven pound, red and white colored, Shiba Inu. This "grizzly" dude is quite photogenic. He hung out with his "sister" Kaya in our Medium Roll. Bear truly lived up to his Spitz ancestry, with his exotic-good-looks and spirited demeanor. Bear played a tiny bit with Fort regular Jack.

Kaya is a spunky, two year old, twenty pound, red and white colored, Basenji. Now, like the Shiba Inus, these Basenjis are also really fascinating, and exotic looking dogs. Otherwise know as the "African Barkless Dog", they have several monikers. Kaya, was no exception to the great breed, with her alertness and curiosity, she strutted into the play area confidently. Although she didn't "play" much, she was quite active in meeting and greeting with the other pack members.

Both Bear and Kaya are welcome to stay at Fort Fido. We look forward to caring for them during a future Overnight Boarding visit.

Here, you can spot Bear and Kaya getting to know Jack.

Cheers,

-Grant

The Copper & Zoey Duo!

Yesterday morning, we had two choice dog-gals in for their assessments... Copper and Zoey! Copper is a thirteen year old, sixty-eight pound, black and brown colored, Doberman Pinscher Mix. Zoey, is a two year old, sixty pound, black, English Labrador Retriever. We had these two "sisters" stay with us in our Big Roll.

Copper did a swell job amongst the group. Being the eldest of The Roll, she didn't play a whole lot, which was more or less expected of her. Copper did however, meet and greet with a few different dogs, in a polite and mature manner. Copper pretty much just hung out, yet seemed very content with the situation.

Now Zoey on the other hand, was all about having fun and getting a wee-bit rowdy. She spoke good "DOG", socializing her way into vigorous play. Zoey had a splendid time at The Fort. She played hard with several different dogs, including Fort Fido regular, Zipper.

Both Copper and Zoey are welcome back here anytime, they are quite suitable for our pack. We plan on seeing them soon for an Overnight Boarding stay.

Here is a excellent little clip of Zoey and Zipper getting to know one another.

Be well,

-Grant

* Stellar New Board & Clips *

Checkout the new chalkboard we got up in our lobby. It displays all of our current rates and services... It's been a long time coming, we should have had this baby up years ago to avoid any "confusion" haha.

Thank you to my wonderful girlfriend for the help on this project. She built most of it, and, kindly and lovingly scribed the info. onto the board, with magnificent penmanship I might add. Absolutely beautiful! We used these new-to-us "chalk markers" for the project and they are really cool. I highly recommend them for all of your chalk-board-writing needs lol. The fine folks over at Narrows Brewing CO. recommend them to us. ;)


In other happenings around The Fort, and in video, we have three hits from "The Captain", a funny one of Kingsley and Theodore, and, a cute clip of Rusty and Tucker playing.

 

Cheers,

-Grant

Happy Friday

Happy Friday y'all! If you haven't already, checkout our YouTube Channel, it's got plenty of clips, and it has had a bit of a facelift as of late.

You may also want to take a look at the Rates page of our website, there has been a few minor changes.

In other news, my girlfriend spotted an extremely cute photo set of a puppy and a baby. Gulp lol. She sent me the link so I could post it on the blog. Surprisingly, I had seen it just a few hours before, and I must admit, it's pretty frickin cute. I attempt to stay current with as much online "dog stuff" as possible, but the internet is extremely vast and people love posting "dog stuff" all over, so it can be tricky to keep track of it all. If you run across something fun and or noteworthy, please email it to me.

Checkout the "Dog & Baby" here... And here!

That's all for now, just for good measure, here is a fun little clip of Georgie and Keegan, enjoying each other's company early this morning.

Have a great weekend, fingers crossed, GO HAWKS!

-Grant
P.S. Feel free to drop into The Fort this weekend for Daycare or Overnight Boarding, we have the room. Let your canine companion get into "Beast Mode" here, rather than at your Super Bowl gathering lol!

Bouncing...

 

This morning we assessed Bounce! He is a lovely, one year old, 125 pound, Bernese Mountain Dog & Black Labrador Retriever Mix. Bounce is a well mannered and handsome fellow who took to the place quickly. He really did a swell job inside of The Fort's Big Roll, meeting, greeting, and having a good time with all. This benevolent canine was right at home here with the pack. We plan on seeing him again very soon for some Overnight Boarding... We have a feeling that Bounce will think of his stay as a real treat. Way to go pal, see ya soon!

Take care,

-Grant

The Shadow Knows

 

Meet Shadow! Now fortunately for us, he isn't anything like the once popular comic character, he is much more easy going, happy, and fun lol. Shadow is a two year old, thirty-five pound, black colored, Labradoodle. He had his assessment today in the Medium Roll, and is staying with us for Overnight Boarding. Shadow is a very nice dog that has been socialized well. He is the younger "dog brother" of Fort Fido Friend Chance... The two make an extremely amusing and striking duo, due to their cheerful personalities and contrasting colors. Shadow is doing well with the pack, and has been enjoying his stay since early this morning, playing quite a bit with Gracie and Yuki, among others. Keep up the first-rate work there Shadow, you are doing great.... O, and Chance, keep an eye on him would ya? Thanks! Haha.

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. A special congratulations goes out to Teresa & Dennis on their new marriage! Hooray!

Happy Independence Day

Have a wonderful holiday today everybody. Happy 4th of July to you and yours, have a blast and be safe!

Today marks our record setting Overnight Boarding day (the last one was Thanksgiving Day). However, it isn't too late to drop off your pooch to spend the night with us. We are by no means full. Just a reminder, drop-offs end at 7:30PM.

Let that freedom ring, but keep all of yours fingers lol!

;)

-Grant
P.S. Ah, you may find this 4th of July Pet Safety article useful today.

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

Cookies & Night Clips

 

Many of us bake Holiday Cookies around this time of year. It can be fun to decorate them with family and friends, eating them is always good too! Unfortunately, many of our favorite Holiday Treats aren't too healthy, or are even quite bad for dogs. So where does this leave Fido, amongst the cookie-eating festivities of this season? Well, you are just going to have to bake him or her their own batch of Doggy Holiday Treats. Don't worry, I've found you plenty of first rate recipes you can try at home lol!

Cookies For Canines Of all the links I found, I liked this one the best.

How to make Christmas Cookies for dogs Not bad, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Best Dog Treat Recipes Neat site, worth a visit!

Well, if you get that "wild hair", let me know how they turned out. Heck, I might even try one, a few of those recipes sounded more than good enough for me to eat haha.


Here are two fun clips from The Fort last night. They are mainly of Kelsey's Dobie pup, Finley, and Toby having a blast during the wee-hours. You may also spot Lillie, Maggie, Sheldon and others. So fa, Overnight Boarding here has been working out well. Outstanding really! It's sometimes wild to think that we are open 24/7 365, yet our crew here is handling business quite well. Besides, we are finding out there is quite a need for this... We are here for you and your pets to meet that need.

Cheers,

-Grant

Two swell newcomers to The Fort!

First up for their morning assessment was Theodore. Lovin' that name! He is a five month old, sixty pound, blue colored, Great Dane. Theodore is a very sweet dog. He hung out in our Medium Roll, where he will stay until he grows some more. He is in that lanky, teenager-dane stage lol. Theodore played well with the other pack members and truly had a blast. We look forward to having him attend.

Our second assessment of the day was Jake. He is a high-energy, five month old, forty pound, Yellow Labrador Retriever. Jake also stayed in our Medium Roll, he may or may not move to the Big Roll in the future. He is the type of dog that absolutely loves to play and exercise. Jake interacted enthusiastically with several different dogs in his play group. This "dog's dog" is a wonderful addition to the Fort Fido pack and we hope to see him again too.

O, by the way, I suppose I didn't mention that these two also became best buds today. They are the exact same age so it makes a lot of sense. It will be neat to see these two grow-up. Hopefully their daycare days will overlap. As far as clips are concerned, the one that follows, pretty much sums these two rascals up!



Be well,

-Grant
P.S. The Fourth of July is upon us. Do have a happy and safe one! Bring your canine companion into The Fort. We will get them burnout like a falling bottle rocket... Well, you know what I meant haha. The pack will help them burn off that extra holiday energy. Also, although it will be our record night thus far, there is still plenty of room to board your pooch overnight, feel free to!