How many people do you know with a motorhome customized to transport their six ninety pound dogs in style? Let us introduce you to the Fort family. Susan and Mike Fort have traveled from the great state of Iowa to see the doctors of Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals for over fifteen years. This family is not limited to dogs alone. The Forts are active Arabian and Half-Arabian horse breeder too! Our hospitals do not see many breeders – but the Forts are not simply breeders. Both Susan and Mike are obsessive about the care of their animals and promoting both genetics and responsible breeding and ownership. A visit from the Fort family to the hospital will surely include a discussion of current research happening with their favorite breed – the Bouvier des Flandres!
Conley - 4th Major - Gray Summit Missouri
Tell us about your family – humans and pets!
We are the Fort family, Susan and Mike. We have lived in Neola Iowa with six dogs and twenty-four horses for just over fifteen years now and before that in Omaha Nebraska. We are the real Dog and Pony Show, so to speak!
What do the people in the family do for a living and for fun?
Mike is a retired Union Pacific Railroad director, and I am retired from twenty-eight years of retail. We always joke that being retired, we are now busier than ever and wonder how we ever had time to work! We have several people whose horses we have taken care of for years. One of these mares is twenty eight years old this year. We show our horses with these friends and also show our dogs in confirmation competition as well as herding and carting.
Reuben and Mike Herding Through the Gate, September 2012
What do the kids in the family do for fun?
Our daughter is grown, and we have a granddaughter who is into shopping and all things teenager!
Tell us more about the pets you have now and the pets you have had in the past.
Gidget - NAAWBA Carting, 2009
We have five Bouvier des Flandres dogs and a Landseer Newfoundland.
I am sure that sounds like gibberish to some, but a Bouvier des Flandres is a large (75-100 pound plus) herding breed dog from Flanders, Belgium. They are hairy with a double coat, so they need lots of grooming time and exercise. Think big, dark gray Cookie Monster and you'll have an idea of their appearance! The Newf (Tyner) is black and white, called a Landseer, around 130 pounds and what Mike calls a "Slobberawfulous," but Tyner is certain he is also a Bouvier.
Tyner
Almost all of our dogs are either finished AKC Champions or are in competition now. The love affair with the Bouvier breed started in the early 1980's with my first Bouvier, Oz and then a female, Tessa. Her vet was Dr. Bob Bashara. Then came our true heart dog, an Australian cattle dog mix named Dirty Dingus McGee. His vet was Dr. Krapfl.
We now have twenty-four horses and raise and show Arabians as well as colored (pintos & buckskin) part Arabians and a Baroche breed called the Knapstrupper. The Knab was the precursor to the Lippizan breed of horse, but they sport wildly spotted coat patterns, much like an Appaloosa. They are used for dressage, hunter/jumpers and carriage horses.
ECA Mood Ring, August 2006
Tell us about when you first met the Gentle Doctor team or a story about the team others may not know.
That would be in the early 1980's. Dr. Bob Bashara was the one who took care of my female Bouvier des Flandres, Tessa, and later on he also took care of another female Bouvier named Gidget. Her litter was the last one, bred by a friend of ours, that Dr. Bashara cropped ears on before he retired. Gidget was a typical Bouvier, choosing whom she liked on her own. She used to growl very low at Dr. Bob Bashara every time we visited, never mean, just a warning. It seems that her growl and her healthcare were passed on to Dr. Pete after he took over the clinic, as she growled at him at their every meeting as well! They both took it all in stride and with great understanding of the protectiveness and character of the breed. I have known and worked with groomer Pam Savoye at an Omaha pet store for quite awhile in the mid to late 1980's. We also showed dogs together, my Bouvier and her boxers . So we have known the Gentle Doctor team for years!
What have you learned about pets that you did not know as a kid or before you had your own pets?
Mike and I grew up owning dogs and horses. Through the years we have learned that while you will acquire knowledge in many areas of pet care, you will never know it all! Good diet and exercise of both body and brain for pets is first and foremost. Listen to your pets, they have a lot to teach you.
Do you have wisdom about any medical conditions that you could share with someone who is perhaps just starting to walk their pet through a similar situation?
Make sure you use monthly meds for heartworm and for fleas and ticks. There are diseases you can prevent easily by making these meds a part of your pet care routine. Like I said before, listen to your pet. The closeness that you have with them will alert you to any subtle changes in appetite, appearance and energy level, maybe in a very small way, but even those small issues are worth checking out with your vet. We have gone through several cancers with our dogs, some very fast moving (a stomach lining cancer and a mast cell cancer). We were able to give loving care and comfort as long as possible with the help of Dr. Pete Bashara and his crew of devoted techs.
Do you have a favorite breed or type of pet?
Guess that would be dogs! We have loved the Bouvier for years, but also like cattle dogs. We would love to add one to our "herd" someday. I have recently fallen in amour with a hairless breed of dog called a Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced show-low-eats-queen-tlee), but am not quite sure how they would do in Iowa/Nebraska winters! In the dog show ring, as well as at horse shows we get to see many breeds of dogs and learn about their origins and character.
Is their a shelter or rescue group that is dear to you that you would like us to help spread the word about?
The ABRL - American Bouvier Rescue League - http://www.abrl.org/. They are gold for unwanted dogs! A Bouvier is not a dog for everyone. Besides being very large and hairy, they have a tendency to want to be in charge, are incredibly intelligent and can be pushy and overbearing (to put it nicely!).
Is there a non-pet related cause you would like us to help spread the word about?
Probably not a "cause" but, your "family" encompasses many more folks than those related to you. It includes all you touch and all who touch you, good or bad. And learn and read all through your life. Asking questions is a good thing!
Is there anything else we should include in your story?
Enjoy your pets!!!