Mia Fidler got her dog Captain, (a mixed breed Pit Pointer she believes) through her aunt who is a veterinarian. "When I was sixteen, someone brought him in and he was suffering with Parvo Virus and he said, 'I don't have any money but this dog's been exposed to Parvo,' so my aunt had him sign the dog over to her and she took him home and took care of him."

But the best part of her story came next. "On Christmas morning, she opened her basement door and Captain just ran up the stairs and ran straight to me. He was only 15 lbs." That was nine years ago.

Captain is precocious, according to Fidler, because he went to obedience school, "but he already knew everything." she said. "He spent time with my aunt's dog and he just learned everything."

"He was totally trained when I got him. He knew his name and he knew to come and lay down and sit and shake hands. I taught him to roll over in ten minutes. He does some good tricks."

For fun Captain loves to chase flashlights and squirrels but his real fun is with his "Jolly Ball" which "were originally intended for horses, and my aunt has horses, so she gave him one and he's really into that."

There are two dogs he will play with (but generally he doesn't care much for other dogs).

Captain's diet is somewhat specialized. It's brand called Taste of the wild, which Fidler calls, "heavy woo-woo food." She said it is carried by Pet Elements in West Seattle but if he had his real choice, it would be vegan food.

"His favorite treat is anything vegan. He really likes Tempeh," (a soy product often eaten in patty form). My roommate's vegan and he never ate handouts or table scraps until we started living together. You could leave a steak on the floor and as long as he knew it wasn't for him he would leave it alone. All of a sudden one day though I walked in and he had this giant piece of flatbread that he had stolen off of my roommate's plate that she had on the coffee table."
Captain also likes the snack Veggie Booty.

Phil Rose, Fidler's friend joked, "One time I caught him making a hummus plate."

Captain loves Lincoln Park, and likes other parks around the region especially a dog park in Edmonds, where he loves to swim, as long as there's a stick involved that he can go get.

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Animal Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.