Fido’s Farm

I found Fido’s over 10 years ago with our first dog Sergeant. We were going to another herding place that took a very different view on discipline. That place used yelling and scare tactics to get obedience. When I started going to Fido’s, it felt so much better. Their idea on discipline was a reward system, which seemed to make Sergeant much more willing to behave. We herded, and they taught me how to be effective in herding. We also used their daycare and boarding services. Sergeant was always happy and well cared for. The staff loved him and he went with them willingly.
About 10 weeks ago, we became the adoptive parents of a beautiful but willful 2 ½ year old Lab/​Whippet mix. He goes to daycare 3 or 4 times a week and is having the Foundations training as well. All of the staff are very patient and are very helpful with his training. They are very supportive and give us updated daily on how he did. He loves all the staff. I highly recommend Fido’s to everyone I speak to about them.

We have taken our cattle dog here for many years. She started out doing the basic obedience and did well. Even though she typically doesn’t care for other dogs, we started bringing her for the day so she could get more play time and she actually started to like it. So then we started boarding her here while we were away. We know that she will be taken care of. The staff know how to handle dogs.
This is a farm — a working farm — you might get dirty and your dog WILL get dirty, so be prepared for that. Your dog will probably run around in mud. Maybe splash in the water, maybe get slobbered on, or even have a lot of fun. I think Fido’s is better for big dogs and working dogs in particular. Not recommended for little dogs with bows in their hair!

We took our dog, Teddy, to Fido’s Farm for board and train for two weeks because we wanted him to work on more consistency with his basic commands and manners, and loose leash walking. All seemed to be okay for awhile. Jeremy and Shannon were nothing but nice to us so I do appreciate that. We chose Fido’s because of the great reviews and on the recommendation of friends.
When we picked him up after two weeks on September 12^th, they did not say anything about him being sick or acting strangely. He went about his training fine (they have you do a 1 hour training session with them at pick up), but it was nothing more than we had already taught him besides two other commands, Wait and Off. He still seemed pretty happy and normal though at pick up. However, the same night we brought him home he seemed to be very tired. The only time he went outside was to pee and he was on a leash, so I know he did not ingest anything he shouldn’t have. I assumed this was from being at board and train for two weeks and playing with other dogs. He would not eat that night, but again I figured it was just from coming home that day. The next morning he threw up several times. He continued to throw up during the day, would not eat, would not poop, and would not play or run about as his normal self and he was just shy of one year old. I called Fido’s Farm regarding this and had to leave a message. Jeremy called me back and I explained how Teddy was feeling. He said he was very concerned and that he saw Teddy drinking quite a bit from the pool water! No one mentioned this to me. I asked to speak to a supervisor/​the owner. Neither were available at the time so I was told one would call me back in a couple of days. I went to the vet and found out he had a very bad bacteria overgrowth which the vet said could very likely be due to him drinking pool water, though the exact cause was unknown. We had to spend $ 200+ on medication and the vet visit and Teddy did not poop or eat normally again for a week. Jeremy asked me to call back after I went to the vet and found out what was wrong, especially if it had to do with bacteria because he was concerned about the other dogs having the same problem. So I called back the next day after the vet only to get voice mail again. I have called back several times since then asking to speak to the owner or supervisor and no one has called me back. It is now more than three weeks later and I left them a message because I see that they cashed my check for board and train. My dog has not been listening to any of the commands he was supposed to learn at board and train because he has been so lethargic, tired, and unable to eat normally. The whole point of him going to board and train was to learn some basic commands and because he was so sick, even when we were consistent with trying to teach him, he was unable to learn any of them. He is now also extremely aggressive. I am checking in with my vet now, but the vet tech said this could also be from being at Fido’s Farm and defending himself against other dogs. He was supposed to be socialized with all these other dogs… and now he is aggressive and afraid of other dogs when I walk him. He is normally an extremely sweet and cuddly puppy.
I am upset that they cashed my check without calling me back at all to discuss my sick dog for THREE weeks. Finally, the owner calls me back and after a long conservation explaining all this, she says «So what do you want me to do about it?» I asked why it took so long to call back — she said she had been on vacation. Well I’m glad that your vacation was more important than you or your manager being able to call me back to discuss your customer’s sick dog. I explain that I’d firstly like an apology, then that she’ll be sure to check the other dogs are okay since we still do not know the cause, and that I’d like a refund because my dog did not learn any training from them and is still not feeling 100% normal. She said she needed to check with my vet. I said fine because I didn’t lie about a thing. She called back the next day and said there was no way Teddy got sick from the farm and that it was our fault he got sick; that he got into a poison maybe or ate a mushroom or had previous stomach issues, which none of those are true. No apology. No nothing. I went forward with a BBB complaint. I am so disappointed because I missed my dog for two weeks and was so looking forward to seeing him, only to have to take care of a very sick puppy. I understand some things will happen, but I am upset that no one told me about him drinking from the pool until I told them how sick he was and they seem indifferent about calling me back to discuss my sick puppy, but yet they can still remember to cash my check. Almost $ 800 later, my dog is aggressive, not anymore trained than he was before, and still not feeling 100% normal. :(I hope the other dogs are okay, as money is not the important issue here, but the health of the dogs is.

Pros: They fed my dog and gave her a dry place to sleep at night.
Cons: She came back to us with a gash on her left eyelid, which we had to point out to the assistant manager and to the worker who took her out of the kennel or fenced area, leashed her and then brought her to us without saying a word. The wound was caked with blood and dirt, how can you miss that?
I’m not (that) mad about her being hurt, it’s the fact that nobody knew she was injured and if they knew they did or said nothing. If they had said to us that they saw what happened or noticed and took care of the wound themselves, it would at least show they’re paying attention to these animals. I’m also mad at myself for taking her there and for not getting mad until we were already on the way back home and I took a longer look at my dog, who a few days ago had been all wagging tail and tongue sticking out with excitement, now moping in the back seat with a bloody eye and a bruised spirit.
They are strict with their requests for vaccines, flea treatments, behavior, etc but when it comes to doing their part, they’re lacking on care and attention to detail perhaps?
Other reviewers on here seem happy with this place, maybe it’s the type of person or dog, maybe they were understaffed this weekend. Either way, we’re not going back.

I took my Australian Cattle Dog, Jack, here since he was three or four months old and they have just been incredible. The staff is very knowledgeable and congenial. Every time I go to pick Jack up I can count on the staff to tell me how he is doing and give tips on how to do the right thing by him at home. We regularly use the daycare service three or four days a week. He gets valuable socialization time with the other dogs and has become a perfect gentleman. I also did the beginning foundations class with Shannon and Jeremy. They are amazing to work with, very patient, and willing to go the extra mile to get your dog on the right track. Additionally, we boarded Jack overnight twice and had no issues; and had him evaluated for herding by Corrine.
Even though they are located on Yelm Highway, it is worth it for either my wife or I to drive the extra distance (We live in Lacey, I work on Ft. Lewis, she goes to school at Evergreen) to take Jack here. If you are worried about the location, it is totally worth it.
I truly can’t say enough good things about Fido’s Farm. Their staff is incredible, the services they provide are top notch and reasonably priced. I recommend Fido’s to everyone I know with dogs.

My dog loves Fido’s. The staff is knowledgeable and caring. Don’t let looks deceive you, this is a wonderful place to board your dog.

We’ve probably boarded our dogs here 10 times or so over the past few years. I like that the staff is friendly and they’re very flexible with drop offs and pickups (after hours). I like that my dogs don’t seem to mind going. I also like that the dogs get to play all day in the fields. They’ve explained before that they group dogs by temperament and size, they don’t give them toys because dogs tend to fight over toys, and if the dogs don’t get along, they rearrange the groups. Sounds reasonable to me. What I don’t like, though, is that my dogs sometimes come back with goopy eyes. I’m not sure about the cleanliness, but it’s a good backup.

I have taken my dog Rollie to Fido’s Farm for boarding several times now and feel confident in giving them a strong review. The staff at Fido’s are good people that take good care of my dog, and that is the bottom line for me. Rollie never got into an altercation with another dog here that resulted in any scrapes or other injuries, but if that happened I would trust that the staff was involved, aware, and looking out for all the involved animals after an incident.
While, like at other dog boarding places, you have to pay extra for them to play with him, unlike other boarding places in Olympia the dogs are outside for a large portion of their day. I have compared the services here with other boarders in the Olympia area and have concluded that this is the best option for Rollie.
Rollie, a sensitive dog, never came home indicating that he’d been given the wrong food, or been left without water or human and dog interactions.
Rollie and I have also taken herding lessons from the owner of Fido’s. She can come off as quite curt, but while she doesn’t immediatly seem a warm individual, she was efficient and encouraging every step of the way in our lessons. Once your dog is deemed ready to herd with you without supervision, you can come anytime you want for ten dollars a day and spend as long as you want working with their flocks of well cared for sheep.

I would give this business less than one star, if possible. It is a dilapidated dump. Nothing like the pictures on their website. Its filthy, dirty, run down, in need of major repairs. I would advise not to ever board your beloved pet at this horrible place.

I’m rating two different services from Fido’s Farm – agility and boarding:
1) Agility: 5 Stars!!! My husband and I have been going to Fido’s Farm with our rescued Border Collie since October 2011, and it’s the best thing we ever decided to do! It helped us grow leaps and bounds in our relationship with our dog. Not only does it give him a needed brain and physical challenge, but it has also greatly improved the way we communicate with our dog. They really help you focus on rewarding and praising, rather than telling them when they mess up or do something bad – a really powerful tool for getting your dog to do what you want. It’s cool to see our dog understand (seemingly) almost every word we say to him as well – all part of the strong bond they help you build with your dog. Corinne is such a knowledgeable and positive instructor! Fido’s Farm is blessed to have her.
Boarding: 2 stars. I took my dog once for an overnight, and there were no issues. Yes, he was dirty, but that’s to be expected when they’re playing outside most of the day. In the summer of 2012, I left my dog there for an extended stay – 5 days I think. I dropped my dog off really early before they open in the drop off kennel – super convenient! You fill out a sheet and put it on the dog’s kennel, detailing feeding, how long the stay will be, & extra services. They’ll even take your dog to an agility class if they aren’t too busy. I also marked for them to give him a bath before I got him so that I wouldn’t have to deal with a smelly dog right after my trip. I thought everything went quite well, until I got him home and realized that he had scratches all over his body. Maybe those happened when he was playing, and maybe he loved staying there – I’m not sure. All I know is that at the dog park, my dog never comes home with scratches from other dogs. The other thing is that the boarding staff is a pretty «rough» looking crowd. not people I’d hand pick to watch my beloved dog. I don’t think I’ll leave my dog there again for boarding unless it’s an emergency and I can’t leave him anywhere else.

I have a year and half old Boston Terrier that I adopted from a rescue about 8 months ago. She had no manners, was poorly socialized and is incredibly smart and stubborn. I had no idea what I was doing. My vet recommended Fido’s Farm for agility classes — my dog has now had her 8^th class and she is a completely different dog! Corinne, Maggie and Mai (sp?) are AMAZING! They know their stuff when it comes to dog training. My dog is now obeying basic commands, anywhere!, and is learning that other dogs aren’t scary (she had/​has bad fear aggression). The trainers not only teach agility, but they help with behavioral issues and are more than willing to teach you their tricks. I would highly recommend taking their classes to anyone.

The first (and last) time we boarded our dog here, she came home with a large gash on her ear after being attacked by another dog. We were told conflicting stories about what happened but the bottom line is that our dog was traumatized and we ended up with some expensive vet bills.
The dogs are all put together in a large area and left to play for 7 or 8 hours at a time. I don’t think there is any screening of compatibility, other than by size, and I suspect there isn’t much supervision.
We won’t be risking our dog’s health and safety by bringing her here again.

Boarded both our dogs there for a weekend camping trip. Both dogs came back lethargic and filthy with cuts and scrapes. One needed to be taken to the vet. Turns out he picked up a staph infection as well. Just the simple fact that they don’t let you see where they keep them should have been a red flag, but we had to leave and we were stuck.

I recently adopted a small dog, Ruby Dee, and she’s tiny. 5 pounds tiny. I decided to enroll her in obedience classes as I have no desire to own a stereotypical yappy, annoying little dog. After 6 weeks at Fido’s farm our dog knows basic commands and is a far less nervous animal. The instructors at the farm (and it really is a farm) are some of the most patient people I’ve ever met, and not just with the dog but with a bumbling owner like me as well.
The classes are reasonably priced ($ 130 for six weeks) and the student to teacher ratio is about 3 to 1, so there is tons of specific instruction for each dog/​owner.
I just finally took the puppy in to be boarded for a day. She played outside in the sun, there is also a huge barn for them to run around in if it’s raining. All of the have their behavior evaluated by the trainers before they are let out with other pooches, so I imagine that fights are rare. Trainers are happy to continue obedience work with the dogs, so the amount of exercise they get is insane. Ruby was so exhausted when I picked her up that she went to sleep in my lap as soon as we got into the car.
I adore this place and can’t say enough about it, take your dog — it’s worth the drive.