About Run Fito owner Jason Fox

I had dogs in Pennsylvania since i was 3 but didn't start training and get my own until 16. A beautiful Rottweiler/golden retriever mix named Zoe. I loved integrating her into the world from the shelter, but decided to move to Hawai'i after she was 4 and my mom enjoyed her for the rest of her years. I had no idea at 25 what i was in for with dogs.  

I signed a 30 year lease on big island and started a company that my friend still runs, vetiver farms Hawai'i. Our goal is cliff stabilization and bio remediation to protect coral reefs.

We hosted many dogs on the 20 acre farm. Each one with different reactions to our chickens, sheep and ducks. Also to the wild invasive mongoose and pigs.

A friend dropped off two puppies one day, that were at risk of death during a storm. A boy and a girl, we named Omis and Prema. In Hawai'i a dog breed for hunting is called a poi dog. Slang for the mix and mash making of the root taro (Kalo).

At about 4 months, to my surprise they would wonder, off into the jungle and i'd hear pigs screaming. Crash course on hunting began.  I had never hunted, but from a thankful neighbor; i learned how to clean an animal for food. It took years to stomach the reality of the lion king/ewok life i was living. Hunting is not for the faint of heart. 

I never wanted to chain them up, so this happened a lot. sometimes they would be gone for a month. Hunting the 900 acres above me and living like wolfs. To come back to a cozy mattress on the floor and all the amenities. Little did i know how dirty pigs are and mixing house dogs with hunting/farm dogs. I got really sick a few times before understanding bacteria's better. 

Omis (the boy) eventually had to be chained up for killing our sheep. It was to engraved in him to do otherwise. He got off one day from a house sitter and as they say "live by the sword die by the sword". He probably killed 100 pigs at 5 years old when he left us. 

Some of my best memories are with them together hunting. I would be in the middle and we ran thru the jungle as one. Sometimes returning with more than one pig, from us and a knife.

Prema never wanted to hunt again when omis died. I started training her as a service dog to fly around the islands. She was very easy to train and lived a beautiful 17 years. 

A few years before her passing, i knew i had to get another dog for her to show the ways of the farm. 2020 Was a hard time to get a dog on craiglist. I found one from Waipio valley. The birth place of King Kamehameha. He was the only puppy born to the liter and the kids named him grumps. 

As you can imagine I had plenty of time to implement methods I'd learned from the dog whisper series. I had never had a male Catahoula breed at the farm. Almost as stubborn as a healer but thankfully food motivated.

Prema was a great mom and after 4 years of training Grumps we decided to switch things up and move to the continental USA. She passed quickly and will forever be the love of that farm.

Grumps is the smartest dog I've had, knowing more English words than I can count. If you ever meet him you'll be as happy as he is all the time. Spoiled dog now days. But knows his place in the pack.

The most inspiring book I've read about dogs is called "Your dog is your mirror" the author takes you really deep, past the great Caesar Milan.

I'll always be learning about dogs and enjoy the silent communication that threads a cohesive relationship for the owner and wolf/best friend/dog.