Meet Omar!

This is Omar. He started attending Fort Fido way back in 2006, and- though you may not believe it- he is probably ten or more years old! His exact age isn't known, since his current owner rescued him after he was abandoned in a house. Despite his rough start in life, Omar is still going strong. Though he is more likely to spend time just enjoying the company of the pack than tearing it up, sometimes he gets in the mood and can rip around with the best of them. Most of the time Omar has a sweet little gait--when he walks around the play area, he reminds me of a trotting horse.

He looks like he would be at home in a fire department, and is also incredibly soft! Many people (like me!) assume that most short-haired fur is of about the same texture, but some breeds tend to be much softer. Dalmatians and Greyhounds are two that I know of (and have had the pleasure of petting).

If you're interested in crafts-- check this out.

Hope

King Louie & some articles

Louis the English Bulldog has been coming to Fort Fido since February of '08 . He was about four months old when he started and tomorrow is his second birthday. Louis is a great dog, he can go from 0-60 in no time at all! Sometimes he is laid back, chilling out or neck fighting (a type of play where both dogs are lying down). Other times he's hitting the throttle, bounding around at full speed (he can really catch some air for a bulldog). Louie is very attractive and obedient. His owner's have done a fine job with him, they really put in the work as far as training is concerned. He was acquired from a breeder in Napavine and word on the street is that his lineage can be traced back to a bulldog that Arnold Schwarzenegger had, cool! Rock on Louis, happy birthday!

Enjoy the weekend everybody,

-Grant
P.S. Louis was also kind enough to bring in doggy treats to share with his Fort Fido pals today.
Thank you! In other news, this article is gloomy, this one is much better.

They're Massive!

Stumbled upon this article today... It will be neat to see if he gets the
new record. Boomer has to beat this guy Gibson (above) for the title of worlds tallest dog. Holly cow, we thought Astro and Athena were big!

Here is a clip of Athena mixing it up with her boyfriend, a striking yellow lab named Finn. I guess opposites do attract lol. Athena is a sweetheart, even if she happens to be the most rambunctious Great Dane we have ever come across.



Cheers,

-Grant

P.S. It was Finn's second Birthday yesterday. Happy birthday Finny, stay outta these now!

A welcome to Ruby & a couple links

The fort had a new recruit today! Early this morning we assessed "Ruby". She is a five month old, 35 pound, lab mix pup. Ruby fit in well with the pack and had a superb first day. She is super cute and looks like she could be a sibling of Ruger & Dakota! Way to go Ruby!

I found this news noteworthy and this article to be first-rate, take a look.

Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. I heard through the grapevine that last night's class went well. I hope everyone had a good time, now get to practicing! :)~

Class tonight & the pits in despair

Fort Fido is excited to start its new group training class tonight! We are featuring basic obedience & leadership with Garrett Stevens. Our plan is to offer a variety of group training classes and workshops designed to strengthen the communication between owner and pet. A few rascals from the fort will be in attendance tonight. :)


In other dog news, unfortunately not good or exciting, I ask myself "What are these fools thinking?".

Have fun in class tonight pups, give 'em hell! Hehehe! Take care everybody,

-Grant

Guinea of the morning

Guinness the Old English Sheepdog joined Fort Fido in September of 2006. He is 4 ½ years old and close to 100 pounds. "Guinea" as we like to call him, is a lot of dog. He runs fast, poops big, barks loud and has a blast here at the fort. His favorite game is herding (naturally) and his zest for life is immeasurable. Although Guinea can be a lot of work at times, not falling in love with him is impossible. Guinness is a beautiful specimen!

Another interesting fact is that Guinea's owner acquired him from Merrimac Farm in Redmond. The well known breeding program is ran by Merrilee Rush. If the name sounds familiar this might ring a bell...



Cool Stuff! Cheers,

-Grant
P.S. Basic obedience and leadership class with Garrett Stevens starts tomorrow night at the fort. It's going to be extremely informative and it's not to late to sign up!

Science on a slow Saturday

I would bet that you didn't know that your toddler might understand your dog better than you do!

An article from Science Daily in July (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163559.htm) shared the results of a study involving "bark-matching." Infants and children were expected to match the sound of an angry bark or friendly yap with a picture of an aggressive or friendly dog. Surprisingly, children as young as six months showed a grasp of the correlation between posture and behavior. Even children without much exposure to dogs were able to pick up on the emotive cues.

Pretty neat, huh?

Have a great weekend all,
Hope