tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70774226358936578432024-03-14T10:01:41.182-07:00Shiba ShindigJesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-28925536871391591942013-09-27T16:20:00.000-07:002013-09-27T16:20:10.321-07:00Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BrIpRVyqSOR_QLYlLyRiU3SUzibrg4XZpm0sJHpJPYrn-tbuj8oZRMxlZRe90vd_EGrkFMaxaulBNCSE61zjszEg0npCE6SZc6kqF_u1Y-1CapBIqY-uBXahyu2-bFOqSp14E6aiyjA/s1600/mwsr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BrIpRVyqSOR_QLYlLyRiU3SUzibrg4XZpm0sJHpJPYrn-tbuj8oZRMxlZRe90vd_EGrkFMaxaulBNCSE61zjszEg0npCE6SZc6kqF_u1Y-1CapBIqY-uBXahyu2-bFOqSp14E6aiyjA/s1600/mwsr.jpg" /></a></div>
Do you live in or around the Midwest? Have you always wanted one of those adorable hard to find foxy looking doggies but didn't want to pay the high breeder fees or even know where to begin to find one. Or perhaps you already have experienced the Shiba inu and simply are seeking to add one more to the family. If this sounds anything like you, I have the answer.<br />
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Midwest Shiba inu rescue is a non-profit group of wonderful pleasant people that genuinely loves the breed and goes far beyond the call of duty to find the best families for surrendered Shiba's. They helped me find my Asa and I bet they could help you find your fur baby too.<br />
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<table border="0" class="mceItemTable" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 691px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 100%px;"><tbody style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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MSIR is based in Chicago and has foster dogs available in various states in the Midwest.</div>
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MSIR does its best to match the right dog with the right family by finding out as much as possible about the potential adoptive family before placing a dog. Please visit our <a href="http://shibarescue.org/content/index.php" mce_href="/content/index.php" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #34647f; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_self">Main </a>page to view dogs that are available for adoption in the Midwest! To see dogs available in other states, please go to <a href="http://national.shibarescue.org/" mce_href="http://national.shibarescue.org/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #34647f; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://national.shibarescue.org.</a></div>
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All dogs placed by MSIR are spayed or neutered, up-to-date on shots, heartworm negative and microchipped.</div>
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MSIR's adotpion <a class="mceItemAnchor" href="" name="fee" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #34647f; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">fee</a> covers the aggregate costs of caring for foster dogs. As you consider a dog, remember that <strong>the average life span of a Shiba Inu is 12-17 years</strong>.</div>
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<tr align="center" height="22" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="50">Age Range</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="150">Adoption Fee</td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">0 to 12 months.</td><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$350</td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13 months - 3 yrs.</td><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$300</td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4 - 5 yrs.</td><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$250</td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6 - 8 yrs.</td><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$200</td></tr>
<tr style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">9+ yrs.</td><td align="center" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">$150</td></tr>
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Adoption fees cover a portion of medical care as well as general care for the dogs while they are being fostered. Note that total foster care costs always exceed the adoption fee.</div>
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New owners who adopt through MSIR must sign a <a href="http://shibarescue.org/samplecontract.pdf" mce_href="/content/../samplecontract.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #34647f; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">contract</a>. One clause in the contract guarantees an obedience refund--that's right! <strong>If you successfully complete an obedience course with your rescue Shiba, you will be refunded $25! </strong>Obedience training is important to guide your Shiba in becoming the kind of dog you will want beside you forever. Obedience training also helps a new owner bond with a new dog. We can recommend obedience facilities--
<a href="mailto:alumni@shibarescue.org?subject=MSIR:%20obedience%20training?" mce_href="mailto:alumni@shibarescue.org?subject=MSIR: obedience training?" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #34647f; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">just ask us</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p2>
If you would like additional information please feel free to contact them at <a href="http://shibarescue.org/content/">Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue.</a>
Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-1980846961354677092013-09-24T18:21:00.000-07:002013-09-24T18:22:46.611-07:00Lessons Learned<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">My
husband said I could only keep one of the puppies. But he also said
right afterwords "<i>I want you to do what ever makes you the
happiest.</i>" Now isn't that just the sweetest thing a man can
say to a woman? Of course I knew that loosely translated into "<i>
I don't want any more dogs! But if it will make you happy, I will be
okay with one more or both if you must.</i>" Yes, I love my
husband dearly, more and more I start to realize he loves me too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">Once
we knew Asa was pregnant I said I wanted a white <i>or</i> black
puppy. It didn't matter which one. I never really thought she'd have
one or even both. But now I was faced with having to choose between
my fur-babies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">I
didn't have to worry about the female. Sakura had a wonderful family
I knew that in my heart. I was not concerned for her in the least
bit. But the boys... I couldn't disrespect my husbands wishes
willfully by keeping both. So I needed to decide which one I wanted
to keep and which one I needed a family for.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">There
it is again. The REAL question of which one? The black one nick named
Ah Choo that we almost lost. Or the adorable white one that seemed to
be the alpha of the group. My husband is more likely to be more
accepting of the white one. But he also said <i>“You should take
your time choosing one and give yourself a chance to get to know both
of there personalities before deciding.” </i>Great advice, but
there I fell into getting attached to both puppies opposed to one.
Why must I always wear my heart on my sleeve, as my mother would say?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In
the process of trying to decide which pup we would keep. My husband
had helped me pick more suitable names for the two males. The white
one became known as “Kiba” which means <i>White fang</i>. The
black one... well he grew out of being back and became sesame with a
black tip tail.. it actually looked like he dipped his tail in black
paint. I named him Koda after the baby bear in the Disney's Brother
Bear. Because he looked like a bear cub. </span></span>
</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My
husband had come to accept that we were keeping both Kiba and Koda.
But the thing was the more I came to expect to keep both puppies the
more I understood that I couldn't keep either puppies. </span></span>
</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All
the while I was seeking new families for Kiba and Koda, Disa a German
Shepard foster I had adopted out three years ago was returned to me.
She was in a terrible state.. It had appeared that she was neglected
and possibly used as a bait dog. Now not only did I have four shiba
inu's, a Great Pyrenees, an American Bull Dog but a German Shepard as
well. My husband hated Disa, he hated her from the first week she was
in our house and not only nearly killed our cat but also destroyed
our brand new home costing us hundreds of dollars in repairs. But now
she was back and I cringed knowing of his displeasure. He had been so
understanding and patient with me, this was pushing my limits too
far.. But I couldn't turn her away when she needed me most. If I
didn't take her in she would end up in a kill shelter and they would
euthanize her with just the suspicion that she was “viscous”. </span></span>
</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">Thankfully
my husband loves me and trust my judgments he accepted Disa into the
family,I think he may have even warmed up to her. I was able to
rehabilitate her fairly easily. I trained her in basic obedience and
began service dog training when I got a surprising call from an
elderly couple seeking a guard dog / companion dog for the misses.
After talking with the Mr. and Misses for several days we agreed for
them to come (across states) and meet with Disa. It was a perfect fit
and thankfully Disa (who is now called “Visa” has a wonderful
happy home.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">The
whole experience has made me understand that Disa or the puppies
won't be the last dogs that I will come across that need my help. I
have come to understand that I am not here as a <i>keeper</i>. I was
not ever intended on raising specific breeds or having just one
family dog. I have come to believe that what ever Divine power is out
there, I was put here to be a <i>helper</i>. As far as Kiba and
Koda... They too have found wonderful families.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the beginning I struggled with knowing which puppy to keep. Knowing how my husband felt about us having too many dogs already and yet still taking on one more that he despised. I was awaken to the reality of the matter and come to understand that not only am I one lucky woman to have such a loving understand husband, but that my idea's of raising a specific breed and limiting myself to self-imposed expectations were unrealistic. I am a helper not a keeper. I will never turn away the needy and because of that I can not tax myself or my family with idealism. </span></span></span><br />
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<br />Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-13068307284695302172013-02-20T22:34:00.001-08:002013-02-20T23:17:10.448-08:00Here we go again ..After the loss of Aizen and Tousen I admit I lost interest in trying to have Shiba puppies. I guess I just felt like it wasn't ever meant to be. Asa was all set and ready to be spayed but then we had run into some financial and medical problems and were unable to get it done. <br />
As a family we came together and decided we'd just be extra careful keeping to shiba's apart. Each dog had his or her own secure area both inside and outside. Or so I had thought, until I was out shopping when my cell phone rang and it was my husband going off about how Tien' kou infiltrated Asa's kennel.<br />
<br />
Two months later.. We have PUPPIES !!<br />
<br />
One red female named Sakura. <br />
I decided to think ahead this time and started taking request for adoptions as soon as I got home. Thankfully one of my best friends had been wanting a Shiba inu for some time and had requested a red female if Asa had one. I was so happy when Sakura was born first. Tears swelled up in my eyes the moment I saw she was a female. I just knew she would have a wonderful home and family.<br />
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For awhile I thought Sakura would be the only puppy this time. A good hour had passed and no sign of any more puppies. To be honest I was a little disappointed. I had been telling Asa the whole time she was pregnant that she had better give me a black or white little boy. I didn't really care what color the pups were. It was just fun to poke fun at her from time to time. My Asa is such a preppy little girl. It's true when they say people don't have Shiba inu's. Shiba inu's have people. Caring for all of my shiba's, especially Asa, I have learned that its quite easy to fall victim to Shiba arrogance. <br />
<br />
I never really noticed, until I adopted an American bull dog "Ember" last summer. Ember is the sweetest, my loyal, affectionate, sensitive, and most of all obedient dog I have ever met. And yet basting in all of the glory that is Ember. I came to understand my shiba's all the more! It was so simple and right in front of me the whole time and I completely missed out on the Shiba inu.<br />
<br />
Suddenly just as I was least expecting it, came a white little boy. I was so pleased and satisfied. I got my white boy and my best friend got his red female. Asa began to return to her normal. Asa had left the whelping box to get some water and I had settled in to get ready for a good nights sleep. When I turned around and saw a black pile of what I thought was afterbirth or poo in the far side of the whelping box. Asa laid with her two pups looking at it intently. So I bent down to see what it was and realized it was a black puppy and he was not breathing or even out of the birthing sack. I scooped him up and sank my claws into the sack clearing around his head first and immediately started rubbing his chest to try and get him going. After a couple of seconds he started to breathe but it was very labored and he could not breathe from his nose. So I kept clearing out his nose the best I could all the while I kept rubbing him.<br />
After an hour there was nothing more for me to do. The pup was on his own, it would be his will alone that would determine rather he would survive the night or not.<br />
I lay the black pup down next to Asa and said prayer for him. Kissed Asa on the head and stepped into my bedroom. There my husband stood sniffling. At first I thought he was tearing up over the pup. But I knew better. My husband is not the sensitive type. So I asked if he was alright. To which he replied "yea I've just been stuffed up all day! Now I feel like I can't" and he sneezed real hard and finished saying " breathe..Now that's better!" Now I know this sounds odd but with that I tilted my head and looked at him. I just spent the last hour trying to clear out a puppies nose and you suddenly can't breathe.? Maybe the puppy can breathe now. So I went back out to the puppy and found him laying there firm and still no longer breathing. I stroked his tiny body as I witnessed him sigh what could have been his last breath. I scooped him up seeing he hadn't left yet and gently but firmly rubbed his chest. He sneezed and sighed once more and he has been wonderful and healthy ever since. <br />
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Of course my husband insist that we name him "ah choo". Lol<br />
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<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghoLRQ9_TYZh1UD0ctsai9slSkw0avopMAiOmfa85aDlMELdqtzJljJVtJ3VB81uR3ARNEXQwdc9KTjyC4wZtQFsc79o-rAIGBh7_skIU1iH134ejKdMKvW4YbV0WiWdpNBJ0p_S2XnI/s640/blogger-image-1502650530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghoLRQ9_TYZh1UD0ctsai9slSkw0avopMAiOmfa85aDlMELdqtzJljJVtJ3VB81uR3ARNEXQwdc9KTjyC4wZtQFsc79o-rAIGBh7_skIU1iH134ejKdMKvW4YbV0WiWdpNBJ0p_S2XnI/s640/blogger-image-1502650530.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbH9c8HWLwnV0s-mY2KJkgktTtMEMhiarclmKHeXwZgbwmO5_6A57zJx7SOOsJk6dveRGuspmOFps-2QL0iWffu4Uycs9UmDu0UtyfsZToYexYTxRxe5oP5OnCqrGcJ7HSYMsCwS2sa68/s640/blogger-image--1051507562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbH9c8HWLwnV0s-mY2KJkgktTtMEMhiarclmKHeXwZgbwmO5_6A57zJx7SOOsJk6dveRGuspmOFps-2QL0iWffu4Uycs9UmDu0UtyfsZToYexYTxRxe5oP5OnCqrGcJ7HSYMsCwS2sa68/s640/blogger-image--1051507562.jpg" /></a></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-19657112220710345762012-05-18T06:57:00.002-07:002012-05-18T06:57:22.763-07:00How it all began.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Years ago I was in search of a small dog with a </span><b style="text-align: left;">BIG</b><span style="text-align: left;"> attitude. I have never really been a fan of the small dog breads. They are alright, but to me, dogs are supposed to fill a large role within a family. One role being a guardian and a protector. While small dogs generally make nice house alarms they don't generally make very good protectors against what ever evils your loved ones may face. But in that point in my life, I had no choice but to find a dog that was small in size, very cat like, quiet, and yet filled that gap that I had in my heart reserved only for a big dog.</span><br />
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Like a lot of people I had always been in love with the wolf. Everything about the wolf I felt a familiarity with.</div>
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But wolves were not small, nor were they suitable to have as a house pet around small children.</div>
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<a href="http://www.trueknowledge.com/images/thumbs/180/250/Canis_lupus_signatus_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.trueknowledge.com/images/thumbs/180/250/Canis_lupus_signatus_crop.jpg" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" /></a>I have cared for many dogs in my life both big and small because I often find myself as a foster parent or a final care taker for a retired K-9. But out of all of them my favorite and the one I came to call my "guardian angels" was the Shiba Inu.</div>
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These little dogs are the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog. But don't let their small size fool you. The Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting small wild game, boar and even bear. They are fearless, strong, brave agile and most of all lightning fast. Though they are also one of the most intelligent dogs accepted in the AKC and CKC rings. They tend to only respect those who respect them and show strong leadership.</div>
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Most people think the Shiba Inu resembles a fox, though they are actually descendants of the Miniature Japanese Gray Wolves called the Shamainu and the Honshu wolf. The Shamainu was the worlds smallest wolf, it measured 2 feet 9 inches in length and it had a dog like tail that measured 12 inches and stood only 14 inches tall at the shoulder. While most wolves are tall with long legs the Shamainu was short with very short legs appearing more like a dog than a wolf.<br />
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An extension of this semantic affinity of the wolf with the dog is the image (in myth and legend) as a protector of mankind -- a sort of banken (watchdog) in the mountains. This watchdog role appears in the benign okuri-okami (sending wolf) stories. "When someone is walking along mountain roads at night sometimes a wolf follows without doing anything. On nearing the house the wolf disappears." Sometimes the ubiquitous okuri-okami tales also mention the danger of looking back or falling over while being followed by the wolf, acts that may invite the wolf to attack....Nonetheless, what is usually stressed is that the wolf's purpose is not to prey but to protect, to see the lonely human being safely home through the dangerous night-time mountains....Even today many villagers claim to have had such experiences in their youth.</div>
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Though the Shamainu was small more of a guardian of the people he was also greatly feared by the aboriginal Japanese people. They called him the "Howling God" because he often howled for hours from the hilltops and mountains. Japanese often displayed charms on their doors and windows to ward off this mysterious Mountain Dog.</div>
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Sadly for the Shamainu, this obsessional fear would be detrimental to their survival and led to their downfall. Shamainu's were hunted and trapped persistently for their skins; they were also offered for sale to gluttonous Europeans. Eventually in 1905 the last Shamainu was killed near Washikaguchi in Honshu and it's skin was presented to a European traveller named Malcolm P. Anderson. That was the last the world saw of the "Howling God"</div>
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Later though skeletal remains of a small dog with a curled tail were discovered by an archaeologist. Many Japanese scholars have expressed the opinion that pure-bred specimen of the breed previously called the Shamainu is now known as the Shiba Inu.</div>
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Despite its official status the Shiba Inu found the wolf at its back door again in this century. During the last desperate days of World War II food was so scarce in Japan that those animals which managed to avoid starving to death were eaten. By the end of the war dogs were virtually nonexistent in urban areas. Fortunately the few shiba’s remaining in the outlying districts was relatively “purebred.” These dogs were used to populate the breeding program set up to resurrect the breed. That effort - along with most of Japan’s canine population - was decimated by raging distemper epidemic in 1959, and Japanese dog fanciers were forced to begin another period of reconstruction.</div>
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The first Shiba inus brought to the United States may have been imported by servicemen returning from tours of duty in Japan. Absent any records of previous importations, however, the first officially recorded Shiba arrived in this country in 1954 with an armed forces family. Although the shiba’s stuffed-toy appeal was undeniable, any notion of registering the breed with the American Kennel Club (AKC) came a cropper because the AKC did not honor registrations issued by the JKC. Thus Americans did not import Shiba inus with any serious thought of breeding them until the late 1970s. Finally in April 1992 the AKC added JKC to its primary list of foreign dog-registry organizations, and interest in the breed skyrocketed. In 1993, on the eve of the year of the dog in Japan, the Shiba Inu became eligible to compete in regular classes at AKC shows.</div>
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The Japanese have three words to describe the Shiba temperament. The first is "kan-i" which is bravery and boldness combined with composure and mental strength. The opposite side of "kan-i" is "ryosei" which means good nature with a gentle disposition. One cannot exist without the other. The charming side of the Shiba is "sobuku" which is artlessness with a refined and open spirit. They combine to make a personality that Shiba owners can only describe as "irresistible."</div>
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If a Shiba could only utter one word, it would probably be "mine."</div>
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It is "mine" food</div>
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"mine" water</div>
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"mine" toys</div>
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"mine" sofa</div>
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"mine" crate</div>
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"mine" car</div>
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"mine" owner</div>
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and "mine" world.</div>
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Sharing is a concept he feels others should practice.</div>
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"Macho stud muffin" has been used to describe the male Shiba. The body may look "muffin," but the mind is all "macho stud." The Shiba takes the "spirited boldness part of his temperament quite seriously. Most Shiba owners learn to deal with the difficult aspects of the dog's temperament to enjoy the delightful ones. With "sobuku" the Shiba sets his hook into the heart. This is "artlessness" with squinty eyes, airplaned ears, and a vibrating tail. It is "charm" standing in your lap, washing your ears, and "dignity" plus "refinement" born of the knowledge of superiority. Shiba’s “love to live and live to love”</div>
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Though it wasn't the Shiba Inus wolfish bloodline, godlike attitude, or cat-like mannerisms alone that won my heart. Those were just some of the qualities I took into consideration when I adopted my first Shiba Inu; Prince Tsunami Darkfire.</div>
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Tsunami was a black and white Shiba Inu who was already two years old when I had adopted him from his first family because they feared the worst would happen when they simply could not convenience him that he was no match for their six year old Great Dane. He loved camping, hiking, (though he hated water) and simply being with his family. I had done extensive research for over a year before deciding on the Shiba Inu for my family it was just a matter of finding the "right" one. I had put letters out to all of the adoption centers and posted many wanted adds and it didn't take but maybe two months before his mother contacted me desperate to find a loving home for her little boy. She was heartbroken that she had to give him up but knew it was in his best interest. I drove three states away to meet Tsunami and his family and fell in love with him the second I laid eyes on him. Though he wasn't so sure about me he knew something was wrong and seemed very depressed.</div>
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Like the wolf the Shiba is very loyal to his family and takes it hard when being moved around. I knew this from extensive research so his mother and I went ahead with the adoption hoping that with time, love, patience and stability he would warm up to me. The drive home and following few months were heart breaking. He would hardly eat and would never play, or even show any interest in going outside. I had hand fed him every day because he simply had no spirit or care to go to his food. Eventually one day when I was sitting on the floor beside him feeding him his dog food piece by piece he laid his head in my lap and looked up at me with his Japanese eyes filled with sadness. I held him and cried and made him the promise I'd never leave his side. He sniffed my face and slowly licked my tears away and from that day he too never left my side.</div>
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Two years later though after he and I both were secure in our bond and I had suffered though my horrible divorce he and I had taken on fostering other dogs so that they would have a second chance at life as he did. Together we had cared for and found homes for more than a dozen dogs and were happy doing so. But than one day we received a called from one of the shelters who asked us if we could take in an Akita Chow mix we were ecstatic.</div>
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Shiba Inu's are also know to be miniature Akita's. On the drive there we talked about the possibility of adopting this Akita for whom had spent his entire life passed around from shelter to shelter and foster home to foster home. I simply could not understand when I saw him why anyone would not fall in love with this handsome creature. I entered his pin and sat with him for awhile before deciding to take him out where he and Tsunami played for hours. We took him home that night and found he was simply too big to keep in the house so I moved him to my fenced in back yard. Months had passed and all was well though by adopting the Akita for whom we came to call "Cub" because he looked like a black bear cub we had decided we simply could not foster any more dogs.</div>
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We were a happy family that loved to romp in the back yard and cuddle on the couch watching movies together until one dreadful day I had went to the back yard to feed Cub. Normally I poured his food in the house and took it out to him but on this day I was in a hurry for a business meeting and left my mind elsewhere. I grabbed the bag of dog food and went to his bowl and began to pour his food where he forced his massive black head in the way. I always fed my dogs separate so that there was never any chance of fighting over food as some dogs do. So I had always made Tsunami stay in the house while I fed Cub. Fearless and trusting of my dog I had bent over and pushed Cub back away from his food bowl and he attacked knocking me to the ground. Tsunami watched the entire event from the kitchen window and had leapt through the glass, screen and the screen of the outside porch and lunged at Cubs throat knocking him away from me. I laid there unable to move with several gashing wounds and broken bones as my two boys fought for death. I awoke later Tsunami had won the fight and had dragged his broken body to my side and laid his head upon my breast. At that moment I knew it was Tsunami that had given me the second chance at life.</div>
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Years have passed and Tsunami has passed on and though it took me many years to find it in my heart to love another, three years ago my dearest Raven decided the best mothers day gift he could give me was another little guardian angel. We named him Tien'kou which means Celestial/Heavenly Dog. He is red and white and comes from three generation of show dogs. But our little Tien'kou is much more than a show dog to us. He is our third son.</div>
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In addition to our Tien'kou on Friday November 7th 2008 the same day we buried our beloved cat Chimera our long time prayers were answered and we adopted "Roxy". A Red AKC Shiba Inu that is just two months younger than Tien'kou. We have always wanted a female Shiba to adopt and become playmate not only for the kids but for Tien'kou as well. The fact that she came to us the same day our cat passed away made it seem more like she was an angel sent from heaven to help sooth our pain. Though the name "Roxy" didn't seem to fit her nor or family and we come to call her Asa A.K.A. "Asha" which is "Morning", "Dawn" or "New beginning" in Japanese.</div>
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Asha to my surprise has become "mommies little shadow". Both of my mates say she is the K-9 version of myself. I guess they always have said that dogs resemble their owners, who would ever expect that would go for personality as well? She is very stubborn yet loving and dominate. The vet has suggested we get her spayed. But before that happens we plan on allowing Asa to become a mommy just once and we will keep at least one pup.</div>
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Shiba Inu's usually only have three pups to a litter any less than that we will keep any more than that I shall endeavor to find suitable parents. Adoption fees usually range between $500 - $2500 for a Shiba Inu depending on male or female, color and show quality. However, I care nothing for the money. Only that they are loved and cared for. If you or someone you know may be interested in a shiba inu puppy please contact me and we can discuss an adoption.</div>
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</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-45410677216112954642012-05-18T06:55:00.004-07:002012-05-18T06:55:36.585-07:00Mistaken Identity: Shiba Inu released into the wild.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">July 27th of 2010 Copper an 11 year old AKC Shiba Inu was mistakenly released into the wild due to her </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">resemblance</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> to a coyote.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Copper lived in Kentucky and was owned by Lori Goodlett and somehow escaped from her fenced in backyard. When her disappearance was discovered, Goodlett called the Frankfort Humane Society and was dismissively told that no stray "dogs"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> were turned in that day.</span> <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The next day Copper’s owner posted “Lost dog</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">” signs, featuring a photo of Copper around the area. A Frankfort Police officer called and told her he had picked up the dog and brought her to the Humane Society the day before. He later received a call from the shelter stating that the Shiba Inu was not a dog but a</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> coyote</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> and could not be kept at the shelter. Shortly after the phone call a humane officer picked up the senior dog and released her in the woods behind a Home Depot. The police officer was told by a wildlife service that coyotes are “nuisance animals” and could only be released or shot. But that they could only be relesed in a </span><br />
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<span style="color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cooper has been missing ever since. Reports read that Copper did not resist handling while in the shelter or when following the police officer. Copper was very gentle and had a polite demeanor. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I know that not everyone is as obsessive over dogs as some of us are and have a hard time telling the difference from a German Sheppard and a Yorkie but ca'mon a coyote?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Since when do coyote's have "curl q" tails? Sad... I feel so bad for Lori in her loss.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-83776533500874462832012-04-16T06:05:00.000-07:002012-04-16T06:05:24.203-07:00The horrors of the backyard.On Saturday April 14th my beloved Aizen joined his brother Tosen in heaven. He was a strong boy and fought to stay alive up until the end. I can't even begin to express my pain or the emptiness I feel without my Little Aizen and Tosen nipping at my heels. Everywhere I turn I see something that reminds me of them and their happy Shiba smile. Every now and again I still hear their little howls and yips to get my attention and find myself looking around for them.<br />
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After Tosen passed I began some detective work and discovered that our new wonderful house with it's lush wooded back yard isn't quite the heaven I wanted it to be. In it I've found at least 4 poisonous plants all very deadly.<br />
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The Vet had said that Renji and Buddha had been poisoned by something like rat poison, and being as our neighbor had said that prior to us moving in the property had been treated. But now the same symptoms appear and it's been a year, the poison should all have been washed away.<br />
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Alex came to me asking if the pups were poisoned had I considered by plants, because everyone had seen them eating them several times. So I began researching the plants and weeds in my back yard thoroughly. I suspect that this is indeed what has killed my pups.<br />
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Because of my ignorance I have lost a total of 4 shiba babies. I had no idea what any of those plants were before or what they did. I had grown up around them all my life and never thought one thing about them.<br />
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I ask all of my readers if you have pets that go outside or even children, please research the weeds and plants around your homes. Even something as simple as a buttercup can be and is deadly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmw0Ud-bR31P6qF2R5nKphakNwY_yOq2wFMHSOehMIfvwE-WnBioeljPUyhP3iLzJQxzeOlyuYIumVUtLFlp2tWgjkPxAZ4YONPddV87c0AJsQX3XU5IyLwsT2PXjGG__9_WpukFNLJ0/s1600/100_5018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmw0Ud-bR31P6qF2R5nKphakNwY_yOq2wFMHSOehMIfvwE-WnBioeljPUyhP3iLzJQxzeOlyuYIumVUtLFlp2tWgjkPxAZ4YONPddV87c0AJsQX3XU5IyLwsT2PXjGG__9_WpukFNLJ0/s320/100_5018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aizen & Tosen</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rest in peace my little Angels, we may not be able to hold and cuddle you</div><div style="text-align: center;">but you will always be with us in our hearts.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 01.01.12 - 04.14.12</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-71849348667206275542012-04-12T02:19:00.000-07:002012-04-12T02:19:42.405-07:00Tragedy Strikes again...I mournfully announce that Tousen passed away this morning... Symptoms began to appear a couple days ago. He just didn't seem like himself. But I was not too concerned with it, until yesterday when I noticed that his feces was mostly blood. Then I got worried. We wouldn't have had the money to take him to the vet until this afternoon but that was not sufficient.<br />
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Now Aizen has had me up all night with him vomiting. I think it may have something to do with the de-wormer medication I gave him. But I fear he may have the same thing Tousen did. I'll see how he's doing when the sun comes up and I can call the vet.<br />
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The guys and I have been going over what could possibly be wrong with them. The symptoms are similar to that of what Renji and Buddha suffered from. Which makes me think that there is something poisonous in my back yard. A plant or something.Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-79740639424880503732012-04-09T06:23:00.001-07:002012-04-09T06:25:17.124-07:00Easter Shiba<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-UhEc6o5FjFkkSaYhYmpt2lIOWCYabjmtPSYYuMgKdgXMymlJb1I164OrT0kSjJ1A3uXHlVSjHrAFu_sPUB1jJ64eSTgDUTb-fif7YsTsG2Wkae55WUYxNlW1xsU7MLcupSCiBNJQCo/s1600/100_5195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-UhEc6o5FjFkkSaYhYmpt2lIOWCYabjmtPSYYuMgKdgXMymlJb1I164OrT0kSjJ1A3uXHlVSjHrAFu_sPUB1jJ64eSTgDUTb-fif7YsTsG2Wkae55WUYxNlW1xsU7MLcupSCiBNJQCo/s320/100_5195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The shiba's had a wonderful Easter this year. I wanted to make them each their own Easter baskets and get them their own Easter bunnies but I ran out of time trying to plan the whole event. But there is always next year.<br />
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The shiba's loved their first Easter bone hunt anyway. I bought a box of milk bones the ones that have all the different flavors and colors and hid them around the house. All of the shiba's ran wild trying to race each other to the next bone. Is was so adorable.<br />
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Tien'kou found the most bones, but that was mostly because Aizen and Tousen thought that they were supposed to bring the bones back to me. It was so sweet, they would find a bone, run over drop it at my feet and then race to get the next bone. But then, Tien would run up, grab the bone they had dropped at my feet and go and hide it under the table. So the pup's didn't get very many of the hidden bones. But because they were all so sweet and asked so nicely I gave in and let me have all the milkbones they wanted. They even got to eat a few easter egg (hard boiled of course.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDslYrZiPe7QDb1f-9Ezz5fjdMtplRYzMRkJNx0cjZMYPvuy6vnohbvjrwmJGvrgJpLcaUagQMnYkZ5gtBdYykomm1en-PBCFl1WVlWUryVZUrynPAC4NO3mo9qYmevYtgCi_Jhb0w2qc/s1600/100_5210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDslYrZiPe7QDb1f-9Ezz5fjdMtplRYzMRkJNx0cjZMYPvuy6vnohbvjrwmJGvrgJpLcaUagQMnYkZ5gtBdYykomm1en-PBCFl1WVlWUryVZUrynPAC4NO3mo9qYmevYtgCi_Jhb0w2qc/s320/100_5210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-59679497945278873412012-03-14T06:12:00.001-07:002012-03-14T06:12:42.769-07:00Shiba Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFhIyGjp_wr8PyaP2mKaNvsfYQbnGAjaHAtDeYevAHC8xBmGp_mKxi8CST2D5FHxtffCqrhQKngmoAlS20uJzTck9fnssIInXlxk9Z-lYf1rpAR-bgStVzO9dxhOmc39OmGqijOG-f_0/s1600/100_5114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFhIyGjp_wr8PyaP2mKaNvsfYQbnGAjaHAtDeYevAHC8xBmGp_mKxi8CST2D5FHxtffCqrhQKngmoAlS20uJzTck9fnssIInXlxk9Z-lYf1rpAR-bgStVzO9dxhOmc39OmGqijOG-f_0/s320/100_5114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So back in February when we were going though mourning we also went though my son's 8th birthday and he wanted a football party. Well, I wanted to share with you that to my surprise even Aizen and Tousen had a blast at the party playing their own game of football. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9s3hyphenhyphenX50bgGk2Jx0GhcpT6FQnno8CX3YBE4cTmbG2qpAA2gXBVMQi17PXYBavSihpmataDfpXHbxqd4kMx3CbVTSHaY7o3SIm8g6dkkyBFzyNtmMSKDrzQ4rGgCblhUGDD-9Vwv6bNtM/s1600/100_5086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9s3hyphenhyphenX50bgGk2Jx0GhcpT6FQnno8CX3YBE4cTmbG2qpAA2gXBVMQi17PXYBavSihpmataDfpXHbxqd4kMx3CbVTSHaY7o3SIm8g6dkkyBFzyNtmMSKDrzQ4rGgCblhUGDD-9Vwv6bNtM/s200/100_5086.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
I had given each of the kids these mini foot balls in their treat cups. One of the kids must have either given the pups their ball or dropped it and never picked it up. But I turned around hearing the pups tussling behind me and watched as Aizen charged Tousen who had the ball first. Aizen scooped the ball up and made a run for it. Tousen chased behind him then tackled him nabbing the ball. They tussled and finally one would break free with the ball and make a run for it and they other would chase after him and they would do it all over again. This went on for a good 45 minuets.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXOOBhpimxGtTSsaocaLor3_SKHfCAL6r-atiHf8zLHbjqiPREtcEOWSXXRkqFX5Qt4-IGVvKV2lXzwAzLcXmsrk4tqgPrPB45HfsoT9xEeew_sJEDIh1cGKYoEtJNx5CqvZLHdKeqsY/s1600/100_5087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXOOBhpimxGtTSsaocaLor3_SKHfCAL6r-atiHf8zLHbjqiPREtcEOWSXXRkqFX5Qt4-IGVvKV2lXzwAzLcXmsrk4tqgPrPB45HfsoT9xEeew_sJEDIh1cGKYoEtJNx5CqvZLHdKeqsY/s200/100_5087.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>In the end Aizen ended up with the ball and I didn't really think that was very fair so I gave Tousen his very own football and after that they both seemed to be very pleased. Still from time to time they like to play what I've come to call "Shiba Ball" because it's not really foot ball when the goal changes to what ever safe place the Shiba's think they've found. But to me it's much more interesting than football any way.Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-56541876668323612632012-03-04T15:08:00.000-08:002012-03-04T15:08:32.056-08:00M.I.A. Puppies Post.First let me say I am sorry I abruptly stopped writing about the puppies. Our family has suffered through many deaths in the last couple of months and I just have not been myself.<br />
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The puppies are getting big and are showing a lot of spunk. Although they are now 9 weeks old neither of them are ready to stop nursing. I try to keep them away from their mother as much as possible but there are still those odd occurrences where I let my guard down, and when I turn around, there Asa is nursing the puppies again. It looks ridiculous too. Aizen is half the size as Asa and here he is still nursing. Though I can't say I blame her. I see that familiar look in her eyes as she stands in the middle of the room after having tried with all she has to get their attention and they zoom past her as if she were invisible. So of course from a mother's stand point she's going to want to keep them as long as she possibly can.<br />
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In my moment of insanity from all of the stress (my husband going back to work, all the deaths in the family, my son being conically ill.), I put the dogs...all of them up for adoption on craigslist. I had every intentions of re-homing them or at least as many of them as I possibly could. After all, there was no way I could take care of 5 dogs, 4 cats, 5 turtles, a water dragon, snake, tarantula, and two kids and do all of my house hold chores, shopping and errands all by myself. I cried as I hit the "submit" button. And of course I had dozen's of replies from people wanting to take my precious shiba's off my hands.<br />
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But no promise or dollar amount made me feel at ease so much that I could even consider letting any of them go... These are my babies after all. I may not have been the one they were brought into the family for but in the end I have been the one who has raised and loved and cared for each and every one of them.<br />
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I even received a nice email from a lady that works with the Shiba Rescue center offering to help me spay/neuter and rehome my shiba's with adoption applications. But once she started asking questions...<br />
Specifics... Like which shiba's did I want to rehome? I looked down into their sparkling eyes and found myself unable to choose. Each one of them had their flaws that made them imperfect. But each one of them also had their hearts leashes firmly clasped to my heart.<br />
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Tien'Kou, how I could I even begin to consider to rehome him. He was a token of love shown to me from my husband in times that were so dark I couldn't even see my feet on the ground. He is the only one of my shiba's that never messes my carpet. He never makes a fuss or gets in the way... He's so sweet, gentle, kind, and loving. And he asks for so little.. There is no way I could let my Tien'kou go.<br />
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Asa, my little girl... the one that I describe often as being so very much like myself. Asa the one that lays at my side every single time I get sick. She comforts and protects when she knows I am weak.<br />
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Aizen, sure he's new to the family... but my husband adores him. After the loss the Buddha I didn't think he would warm up to another dog ever again... but Aizen, something about him... it's like him and Buddha are reincarnates of one another.<br />
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Tousen, he's such a sweet boy, he snuggles, and loves, and looked into my eyes as a baby would look into his mothers eyes for guidance.<br />
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Sure I could rehome the puppies.. But why? Aizen and Tousen are meant to stay together. And so much grief would come out of their absents. I would miss them, Alex would miss them, Dale would miss them... Asa would miss them... There has to be another way.<br />
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That is when it hit me... My problem is not with the dogs. I have wonderful dogs. Even my Great Pyrenees who I had also listed. Is a wonderful dog. He is everything I need him to be. My dogs are not perfect but neither am I, but my dogs are my family. I would never rehome my husband, Alex or the kids, so why am I trying to rehome my dogs?<br />
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The problem is there simply is not enough of me to go around. So how do I make more of me go around...?<br />
I stop taking all of the responsibility on my shoulders and put my foot down and do what needs to be done that's how!Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-56005763455522665042012-02-04T20:11:00.000-08:002012-02-06T05:26:29.292-08:00Week 5: Puppies Fifth Week.One more week to go and then the puppies will be able to find their new families... The guys want to keep both puppies and I do too... but the practical side of me says that I really need to let them go. Especially now that I just found out from Alex that we are not going to be able to put the fence up like we had been planning ever since we bought the house. It's so not fair to any of the dogs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvBq9U6EJBIHsvE_Pc09GUOlQEsbjYVWGxIxiPV-8rI0YrjSHgChywD8W72Lg_L6NDGaxkOdU4wFoQ8YSS6QzyvUjZsLxoN7u8asYMWhPnWE1lkONQjgdYxLaC7FzqJQj9zkJeKi9nh0/s1600/100_5021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvBq9U6EJBIHsvE_Pc09GUOlQEsbjYVWGxIxiPV-8rI0YrjSHgChywD8W72Lg_L6NDGaxkOdU4wFoQ8YSS6QzyvUjZsLxoN7u8asYMWhPnWE1lkONQjgdYxLaC7FzqJQj9zkJeKi9nh0/s200/100_5021.JPG" width="200" /></a>Yet this time I promised myself that I was going to say screw what everyone else wanted and screw what was the practical and reasonable thing to do. I was going to do what my heart really wanted to do for once. I have to be honest, I love these two little guys. They are the sweetest little pups that I have ever known. They are very smart too.<br />
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Aizen is an escape artist he will jump, climb and dig his way through just about anything to get where ever he thinks he needs to be. Which has been both nerve racking and amusing all at the same time. Especially when he is supposed to be in the puppy pin while I'm running around doing chores and he decides that it is an absolute must that he follow me around. All the while leaving little piles of puppy surprise for me to clean up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI62Sx1ppPJnkYYQd4VaWzeQU46TozMY6DWerovXH2XTRWD7tAWHoDty2Q8PIvzVRooXLGAX0D0pay6cfXlpEKhtPUHKM9bmbE5DpHO0GKMCroZDDIe79bV1mvd36uH3ZV54iCZ6_0Ak/s1600/100_4952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI62Sx1ppPJnkYYQd4VaWzeQU46TozMY6DWerovXH2XTRWD7tAWHoDty2Q8PIvzVRooXLGAX0D0pay6cfXlpEKhtPUHKM9bmbE5DpHO0GKMCroZDDIe79bV1mvd36uH3ZV54iCZ6_0Ak/s200/100_4952.JPG" width="200" /></a>I have been trying to break the pups to can puppy food. Tousen seems to be taking to the puppy food better than his big brother. Aizen still seems to want nothing to do with food or water. You can tell Asa (their mother) is getting tired of nursing them. She spends very little time with them and when they are free to run through the house she spends her time trying to get away from them or up on the couch where they can't get to her. But still, there are those times when Aizen is determined that he will have his meal and stalks her until she is least expecting it and then he latches on. If she is standing he will hang on her until she lays down. She looks at me with the most pitiful expression as if to say "help me" then she gives in. I really feel bad for her. But I know once it is time she will let him know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEltSylxYk4-lBJ9cyXnFtHxLBMQJiC0UnKgoUy2ClvIxzuDyWEic6kT6JB0pz9OWmGsKYeDpRHdyoqjr8jUscPWsRCCi4SpK66-4BM_EJSBw_fmo0SRW3xYuEZzEvKGLkeTRCdyMR5A/s1600/100_5020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEltSylxYk4-lBJ9cyXnFtHxLBMQJiC0UnKgoUy2ClvIxzuDyWEic6kT6JB0pz9OWmGsKYeDpRHdyoqjr8jUscPWsRCCi4SpK66-4BM_EJSBw_fmo0SRW3xYuEZzEvKGLkeTRCdyMR5A/s320/100_5020.JPG" width="320" /></a>I gave the pups their first bath yesterday. They both took it a lot better than what I had expected. In-fact neither of them really seemed to mind the bath at all. Aizen wanted to play just as soon as he was done. Tugging on the towel as I tried to dry him off and running around in circles barking at me. While little Tousen got really sleepy and cuddly after his bath. I dried him off and then wrapped him in another towel like you would wrap a baby in a blanket and we snuggled on the couch and fell asleep for a couple of hours. It was a good bonding time I think for both of us.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr69i-NQkhnN9BrKZd_Po3TzZxlbB2vx_Zdy_TnCGHkZamMFj7ajN7SK3cAqE5IYC3Mhh-VzqAMLH66O7e6e827SEl2A9YgrctY4lD-MSCrVRBQvWkNvGAvSu0Ef1-80bCijH7e9Dw27g/s1600/100_5028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr69i-NQkhnN9BrKZd_Po3TzZxlbB2vx_Zdy_TnCGHkZamMFj7ajN7SK3cAqE5IYC3Mhh-VzqAMLH66O7e6e827SEl2A9YgrctY4lD-MSCrVRBQvWkNvGAvSu0Ef1-80bCijH7e9Dw27g/s200/100_5028.JPG" width="200" /></a>Found out that Aizen loves shoes just as much as I do today. I was cleaning out the boy's closet and happen to turn around to find Aizen as happy as could be in the middle of all their shoes. Too bad that he was eating them instead of wearing them though. To his dismay I had to take them all away. Without so much as leaving him one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzqvSKTjGFkmHo1jFYxe3qN-Zq3pSh8iOxKFZGEPkidP1mZtIyDzicXniwpGLsUAfcyCvI5nl06NmAcelPsoLM7HiUI-GIIdGAfVOJM0sDVSVVAkEYTYk_HlSXMjUnZOrcj5afWqS4D4/s1600/100_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzqvSKTjGFkmHo1jFYxe3qN-Zq3pSh8iOxKFZGEPkidP1mZtIyDzicXniwpGLsUAfcyCvI5nl06NmAcelPsoLM7HiUI-GIIdGAfVOJM0sDVSVVAkEYTYk_HlSXMjUnZOrcj5afWqS4D4/s200/100_4972.JPG" width="200" /></a>I think Tousen has a much better perspective on shoes and how they are supposed to be a fashion statement not a chew toy.</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-66482438641387777722012-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:002012-02-03T20:57:52.881-08:00Dog owners do look like their pets, say psychologists.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyev_Q6wRyUbmTe3535iGSQwe9YweiznyxUd1Vn_bVXJ0YBY53Ji6qqgxx-nmDboCvyGLtnokqOpOmLt3JW3HzGsx7caYtU0cXdlVlqTdfkuJ3T3XqztxqxlPodJnlt84QYILj1q7Ezc/s1600/irishsettler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyev_Q6wRyUbmTe3535iGSQwe9YweiznyxUd1Vn_bVXJ0YBY53Ji6qqgxx-nmDboCvyGLtnokqOpOmLt3JW3HzGsx7caYtU0cXdlVlqTdfkuJ3T3XqztxqxlPodJnlt84QYILj1q7Ezc/s1600/irishsettler.jpg" /></a></div><br />
When you see a sleek woman with long red hair walking her dog – an Irish Setter, you may smile to yourself thinking they kinda look alike. Not that she looks anything like a dog or the dog looks anything like a human. But that you can see each of their personalities reflect back at the other.<br />
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Study shows that’s no fluke. Many people, including scientists, have noticed that often dogs look like their owners. The phenomenon has inspired books, contests, and even scientific studies and now it's very own page on Shiba Shindig.<br />
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While no, we are not specifically talking about Shiba Inu's and their owners. We are talking about dogs in general. I did however find this group picture and if you ask me they all kind of resemble their Shiba's.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcj4FRM__LnWT7UQtG6x-vYN0RaP2n7_ZTCe0VaTHjOe6Ae3qSDhpbE9a5hHzsrRhTUKQz6yw2euFctGeE6gKUcZj6rfUDwtVZRwJ9Ed6wZIrdUQDSA0zwZsslFgF1RGR_el265BmisY/s1600/IMG_1171-500x337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcj4FRM__LnWT7UQtG6x-vYN0RaP2n7_ZTCe0VaTHjOe6Ae3qSDhpbE9a5hHzsrRhTUKQz6yw2euFctGeE6gKUcZj6rfUDwtVZRwJ9Ed6wZIrdUQDSA0zwZsslFgF1RGR_el265BmisY/s320/IMG_1171-500x337.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Continuing our research I found that many studies done by asking the public if they could predict which breed of dog a person would own just by looking at a photograph of their owners. They were correct 2/3 of the time. With the 1/3 that was incorrect was usually discovered to have not been pure breed dogs.<br />
<br />
Mutts don't seem to apply to this study however due to most owners of mix breeds tend to either get their dog purely by accident or by spur of the moment decisions.<br />
<br />
There was this one story I had found while doing my research about how a woman found a puppy on the side of the road. She and her family had no intentions on keeping the puppy due to her son having severe allergies to dogs but after keeping the pup for about a week she realized that the pup was so much like her youngest daughter she felt that their was no way she could possibly give the pup up. And so they ended up keeping the puppy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSoldMtS3Z8ysHYR5D4yy4_GMqorDz7zrvIMV9Hr4aq6fxkfXxqFR-q6nfboFNstHWTmQAM5brUneikv8wy_SN3WbojUEwlovEQOcNmpiu8ChgqH85CF4AY_oz7SnCq6QWWdXUFpZlPs/s1600/100_2763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSoldMtS3Z8ysHYR5D4yy4_GMqorDz7zrvIMV9Hr4aq6fxkfXxqFR-q6nfboFNstHWTmQAM5brUneikv8wy_SN3WbojUEwlovEQOcNmpiu8ChgqH85CF4AY_oz7SnCq6QWWdXUFpZlPs/s200/100_2763.JPG" width="200" /></a>I wonder how many of my readers look like their dogs? I am also curious about who would be the owner of this little guy? -----><br />
<br />
While I don't think that is a dog of any kind, I do think that the owner match up is pretty good though. :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhcW1glFf7PTsJyg9nwW4Nh8fATQHaCPj0K4ZqhNmGMee-V8QCu53Xohs1WzqdKsxQOCxS6Gi3467xmeKQ60q-EUzNX0-hjkd4DqwCx7bIGIYCHb7er0Idi5VTliDMr7AlZp89PAKLXY/s1600/christopher-lloyd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhcW1glFf7PTsJyg9nwW4Nh8fATQHaCPj0K4ZqhNmGMee-V8QCu53Xohs1WzqdKsxQOCxS6Gi3467xmeKQ60q-EUzNX0-hjkd4DqwCx7bIGIYCHb7er0Idi5VTliDMr7AlZp89PAKLXY/s200/christopher-lloyd.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<div><br />
</div>Appearently Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., was at a dog show where she saw dogs and owners sitting side by side and she was struck by how much they looked alike. She grabbed a camera and started taking photos. She later wrote the book, Do You Look like Your Dog?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2RXydd1wOd02l5Oe9IVxIWSrkt6V-hbxLvy_Dq7ij1L8O89Kuor8B2nM6nm1CcGWrXKxRdDMyIhb9RT95dzb2-smszuhmOlkpbyxUPfX96QCQWvyVd7w2BuozWW2ta78BZN8snUn-Pc/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2RXydd1wOd02l5Oe9IVxIWSrkt6V-hbxLvy_Dq7ij1L8O89Kuor8B2nM6nm1CcGWrXKxRdDMyIhb9RT95dzb2-smszuhmOlkpbyxUPfX96QCQWvyVd7w2BuozWW2ta78BZN8snUn-Pc/s320/book.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Hmm... I don't know if I look like my dog or not but I did think that maybe there was something more to all of this and that it was interesting enough to spend an entire week reading up on it and this is what I found.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxd4-ByWHAszZDxMLblVcZqZHEJjhR8KwooXQCj90WNbPEbQMeb3_egRLhx19v0xKtvD2GkM0GwrHiMibcfEPJ71D50GOM0ki_8y83-O5rprG-WvqLcP9fPYZ7vteisCGcsKX8JIa5DE/s1600/lanceworkman2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxd4-ByWHAszZDxMLblVcZqZHEJjhR8KwooXQCj90WNbPEbQMeb3_egRLhx19v0xKtvD2GkM0GwrHiMibcfEPJ71D50GOM0ki_8y83-O5rprG-WvqLcP9fPYZ7vteisCGcsKX8JIa5DE/s1600/lanceworkman2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dr. Lance Workman</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dr Lance Workman, from Bath Spa University said: "There is a little bit of truth in the theory that owners look like their dogs.<br />
<br />
Now I know what some of you are thinking. Seriously? "Bath Spa University" this has to be a joke, right? Wrong. Bath Spa University is located in Bath England and it was originally called "Bath Collage of Higher Education. It became a full fledged University in August of 2005.<br />
<br />
I also found that Dr. Nicholas Christenfeld, Professor of Psychology at UC San Diego, conducted a test in a San Diego dog park where he took photos of dogs and owners separately, then asked people to match photos of dogs to photos of their owners. He too discovered that the public was right on the money.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6lN6pQkZcnaeYhOgYZcCWRYmFeusFmf0yhyphenhyphenIYTqcNePi_g2SSKqOETWxM1bOs4qVeB59ZFhpc16sDRmW83_JMPFNOOgAGPs4iCJJ9OBqrhFrnzdE5sm790zI3-uqS84wcdF3Lpv7v1I/s1600/raw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6lN6pQkZcnaeYhOgYZcCWRYmFeusFmf0yhyphenhyphenIYTqcNePi_g2SSKqOETWxM1bOs4qVeB59ZFhpc16sDRmW83_JMPFNOOgAGPs4iCJJ9OBqrhFrnzdE5sm790zI3-uqS84wcdF3Lpv7v1I/s320/raw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Dr. Christenfeld says the accuracy in pure breeds is due to selection – when people choose a pure breed, they know what the dog will look like as an adult. With a mutt, you don’t know what he’ll end up looking like.<br />
<br />
Dr. Workman figured that those who don't own dogs used stereotypes to match the dogs to their owners. <br />
"These stereotypes persisted into judgments of the dog owners' personalities: non dog owners considered the owners of each breed to share certain personality traits, such as level of conscientiousness and emotional stability."<br />
<div><br />
</div>"But when we tested the dog owners' personalities, we found no strong links between any particular personality trait and choice of dog breed, so any shared qualities are only skin deep," Dr. Workman said.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c7XYo8Ud2ZYMscNf6HHMEEzbuuB0FmEztKGLWT2oj0M4x5bJL7Zh2r6PP-khcnDJF9uEr8e3cmIsisrJsb-hQqJca6gTmQM1JzlyLXVUX4KOa9_Tf-2vmbbDth2e1qbihBtpzSCAnqc/s1600/owner_dog_look_alike_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6c7XYo8Ud2ZYMscNf6HHMEEzbuuB0FmEztKGLWT2oj0M4x5bJL7Zh2r6PP-khcnDJF9uEr8e3cmIsisrJsb-hQqJca6gTmQM1JzlyLXVUX4KOa9_Tf-2vmbbDth2e1qbihBtpzSCAnqc/s200/owner_dog_look_alike_10.jpg" width="163" /></a>But I also found that Prof Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, asked almost 2,500 people to complete online questionnaires about their characters and those of their pets. In order to figure out if pet owners in general shared the same personalities as their animal companions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">He found that many dog lovers, cat owners and even reptile keepers said they shared many of the same traits — such as happiness, intelligence, independence and sense of humour — as their pets. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But he also discovered that the longer an animal had been with their owner, the more likely they were to have picked up their characteristics. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Prof Wiseman said: "For years owners have insisted their pets have a unique personality. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">"Not only does this work suggest they might be right, it also reveals people's pets are a reflection of themselves."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Almost half of the respondents to his survey were cat owners, while 31 per cent had dogs, seven per cent fish, six per cent birds and six per cent reptiles.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Prof Wiseman found about 20 per cent of pet owners rated their own personality and that of their animals in similar terms.<br />
<br />
<br />
Fish owners were apparently the most contented, with 37 per cent strongly agreeing that they were happy, compared with 24 per cent of people with cats and 22 per cent of those who had dogs agreeing.<br />
<br />
Four out of 10 people with dogs believed they were fun-loving, compared to just two per cent of reptile owners.<br />
<br />
Those with cats came out as the most dependable, but also the most emotionally sensitive, while those who kept reptiles were the most independent.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But for those who had owned their animal for seven years or more, the chance of them rating their pet's traits as broadly comparable to their own increased to about 40 per cent. So longer you own your pet the more likely your pet will begin to act like you...or will you begin to act like your pet?<br />
<br />
Now that I think of it my uncle Jim use to chase us around the house barking like a dog and he'd even stick his head out the car window when driving down the high way. He owned a Chinese Shar pei.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQR4OHF1RSnMX1N3YK1KA5f39XfWhl3od7yyCiTh_oDEuGnJtPB8jGZ86SPmBwr_xcz6I1JX5W3A7HjLXG4yNdwpJZ4cUtx96Tuc-eRyKMSoZyR_26ASrIQEq7PVzKn6-H4FdlcPw1YA/s1600/timthumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQR4OHF1RSnMX1N3YK1KA5f39XfWhl3od7yyCiTh_oDEuGnJtPB8jGZ86SPmBwr_xcz6I1JX5W3A7HjLXG4yNdwpJZ4cUtx96Tuc-eRyKMSoZyR_26ASrIQEq7PVzKn6-H4FdlcPw1YA/s320/timthumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Prof Wiseman said: "Similarity promotes liking in humans. Research has shown couples that are like each other stay together longer... So what ever happen to opposites attract? - I guess that's is where all the failed relationships come into play.<br />
<br />
Prof Wiseman believes that: "Extending this to the animal kingdom, someone who is fun and playful is more likely to go for a dog, for example.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgrKJbleI97NwkGjxDi2pRKiQRp5L0EzojYjy4srt2lZu7wCEc63FPFAbC8TJajduKiR8151KeJ5tzZu2RwGxUOA0xV2bGL5AQlI-bAfzF93BbPJlIh7-Yl1OwMpEKoAum3i0HPBXULY/s1600/orlando-owner-dog-look-alike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgrKJbleI97NwkGjxDi2pRKiQRp5L0EzojYjy4srt2lZu7wCEc63FPFAbC8TJajduKiR8151KeJ5tzZu2RwGxUOA0xV2bGL5AQlI-bAfzF93BbPJlIh7-Yl1OwMpEKoAum3i0HPBXULY/s200/orlando-owner-dog-look-alike.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
"It's like with married couples. They grow to look like each other and to have similar personalities. It's possible we are seeing a similar effect."<br />
<br />
Based on this study it's no wonder that I am so overly emotional. Maybe my family should consider owning one type of pet and then I could relax once in a while... Anyway.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-hnVg3G7oEnHJA9hrgaRL76AJJsA2-nWQBi-gbiWgGzkVGyZ_8WZPBi-0jTXnFiBv3Bb_DvnE5cz4pYkxLlhxLjVCJ4Nk-SDr506s5BraxMcou2YFKkxeJ3NQBhbgMjWOZb52Jh5qUU/s1600/Soccer+Graduation+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-hnVg3G7oEnHJA9hrgaRL76AJJsA2-nWQBi-gbiWgGzkVGyZ_8WZPBi-0jTXnFiBv3Bb_DvnE5cz4pYkxLlhxLjVCJ4Nk-SDr506s5BraxMcou2YFKkxeJ3NQBhbgMjWOZb52Jh5qUU/s200/Soccer+Graduation+026.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dale always said we were destine to be</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">together because we look alike.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I thought it was just a pick-up line.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The research continues to show that A similar phenomenon happens among couples. People tend to be attracted to those who have personalities similar to their own, according to a study done in 2006. And as time goes on, similarities in appearance grow, explaining why some older couples look alike.<br />
<br />
But further investigation also said that those who think purebred dogs look like their owners are barking up the right tree, but matching a mutt to its master is another thing.<br />
<br />
Research at the University of California, San Diego indicates that when people pick a dog, they look for one that, at some level, bears some resemblance to them. And when they get a purebred dog, they get what they want.<br />
<br />
I guess this could be somewhat true. When Dale said he wanted to buy me a Shiba Inu he did request that I pick one with red hair instead of a black one like I wanted. When I asked him did it matter to him he replied "so that it looks like us"<br />
<br />
<br />
While I am not certain that I look or act anything like my Shiba Inu's I am certain that all of my pets not just my dogs are a big part of who I am.<br />
<br />
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</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-15297174628897192012-01-28T15:43:00.000-08:002012-01-28T15:43:38.615-08:00Week 4: Puppies fourth week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPadAN2GusRgtmWKmkaYaal7Q396B8u0dCHTi6bkRSl-n4Z4oEc3L0QzTH65F1SDK8QLWsAgLlmcZTzqVJ6g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well Aizen and Tousen are officially 4 weeks old now. We know what that means. Time for our first round of shots, which I still need to schedule.. The brothers have started tasting, not eating, can puppy food. I have to add that it is kind of annoying if I allow myself to think about it because they lick at it a couple of times and then they are done and waste the rest of it. Even though I just give them a single teaspoon at each feeding it is still being wasteful. I know I shouldn't do it but I can't stand to just throw the food out so I mix it in with Asa's food. Not to mention the fact that I have to warm it up before they will even go near it in the first place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Oh and yes, Aizen LOVES to eat my curtains not his food but my curtains. Sure it's cute now, when he can't do any real damage. But wait until he starts tearing into the $60 xbox games that Alex and Dale have been collecting over the past 10 years or so. Who's going to be laughing then? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aizen also loves to chase his shadow. It reminds me of the scene in Peter Pan when he first met Wendy and lost his shadow. It's so cute. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hfmoevWE_K9hLFw3DGrqmafjgBkAdPfIdCGHR_eY03XZD_2o9d6ag7I5pWd5HHEwQF0DmqIkZG_nG3gpXHXdu9bvj9J3TTxqwx-VDQUa63YXkqdcWGshWpM68l3bilxxnidFlT9gFD4/s1600/Pans_Shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hfmoevWE_K9hLFw3DGrqmafjgBkAdPfIdCGHR_eY03XZD_2o9d6ag7I5pWd5HHEwQF0DmqIkZG_nG3gpXHXdu9bvj9J3TTxqwx-VDQUa63YXkqdcWGshWpM68l3bilxxnidFlT9gFD4/s200/Pans_Shadow.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I noticed that the two brothers were also starting to leave me little surprises on my carpet that I wasn't too appreciative of either. So I built them a temporary play area to keep them in one area. I am so not looking forward to potty training. Maybe I'll get lucky and they will learn quickly. I hope.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been looking into finding some affordable obedience classes for Asa. She is still glued to my heel which makes me think she is still going though some baby blues. I've been giving her all the love and attention she acts like she wants and have been trying to give her special treats as often as possible but to be honest it don't seem to be helping much. It will be another topic I discuss with the vet this up coming week when I take her and the pups in for their check up and shots. I've been thinking that there is a good possibility that Asa has finally come around to being my companion... Ok, let me rephrase that. I've been "hoping" that Asa has come around to being my companion and has let go of some of her Shiba arrogance and is willing to be trained now that she is older and had two litters of pups. But looking at the courses they want to teach her I am not so sure I want to waste the money to put her in them because she already knows how to sit, come, and lay down and walk on a leash nicely. Which is what most basic classes offer. She needs the more advanced classes that teach her off leash commands but I'm not finding any that will work with her without first obtaining a diploma from the first class. Maybe I can convince to the guys to pay me to train her. Sure, I'll take $150 and train her to not run away. That's even giving a family discount.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYn95ZoFq6fAUGXmqEwrrYYrozHbOh7GYn0QpMHd2RrvJkLfkivaLCYpV5eq2sC4dhahPChywDIHUZfICzfRA7qYoneLj7drvM3oV0SECfBeEirGuDtwY1qC8Q4uYapI8_b96xNwsL7I/s1600/100_4924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYn95ZoFq6fAUGXmqEwrrYYrozHbOh7GYn0QpMHd2RrvJkLfkivaLCYpV5eq2sC4dhahPChywDIHUZfICzfRA7qYoneLj7drvM3oV0SECfBeEirGuDtwY1qC8Q4uYapI8_b96xNwsL7I/s320/100_4924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-2663014525341694042012-01-23T20:35:00.000-08:002012-01-23T20:41:23.235-08:00Bath Time for AsaMy baby girl was seeming a little depressed today as she watched the kids play with the puppies and me snap picture after picture of them. I felt bad for her and tried to take her picture too but she was not interested in posing for me. Which is really not like Asa at all. She's the type of girl that loves to be brushed, dressed up in pretty dresses and prance around the house showing off. She loves posing for the camera and getting all sorts of attention. But today nothing was cheering her up. I tried to offer her a treat and she took it but she wasn't as excited about it as she normally would be. I even shared my dinner with her but still no luck making her smile.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29Tzhnh5L_-DTPe_R7iQLhD09gvm21WkoP41P3tTsypKl7jt9VYmY9s5v2MWWXBJ3pppLFPjrHCX46QEPmMFUXS4_j7RurJTjdRM7YqbZeYLSlKDE_rjwr4iszP5n9y2r5zQuwv0ZVSc/s1600/bath2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29Tzhnh5L_-DTPe_R7iQLhD09gvm21WkoP41P3tTsypKl7jt9VYmY9s5v2MWWXBJ3pppLFPjrHCX46QEPmMFUXS4_j7RurJTjdRM7YqbZeYLSlKDE_rjwr4iszP5n9y2r5zQuwv0ZVSc/s200/bath2012.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So I decide she needed some girl time. Some good ol'fashion pampering. Just to show her that she is still "my girl" So first we started with a hot bath. Not too hot though but enough to help her achy muscles relax as she got my full attention scrubbing her down with her Aloe and Water Lilly shampoo and conditioner. Of course she's a Shiba and like most Shiba's she hates water but she certainly didn't mind too much after I started massaging the soap in and giving her all sorts of praise and compliments.<br />
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After her nice relaxing bath I dried and spent a full hour at least brushing her. Boy you would think that you could make another full grown shiba inu out of the fur that comes from them when you brush them. I had to take a break and change my clothes after that between Asa having decided that if she had to be all wet I had to join her and all her fur sticking to me like Velcro. I was pretty uncomfortable myself. I wasn't done pampering my little girl as of yet though. I trimmed her nails and put her best dress on her and snapped a few photos of her as I complimented how beautiful she was. But, she was still a little depressed at the end of the day over what would seem to be all the fussing over the pups. I need to make sure that postpartum don't take hold of my girl. That is hard on any mother, but especially on one that has no way of letting out her emotions. Now, I know some of you are thinking "Postpartum in dogs, your crazy." But I'm not crazy and I'm not kidding you. Dogs like humans suffer from postpartum and even regular depression.<br />
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Dogs, just like humans have their off days; they can mope around, spend more time sleeping than they usually do, go off their food or avoid everyone all together. Usually, they go back to being their usual selves just as quickly as their depression appeared.<br />
The truth is, dogs experience a deep and varied emotional life mostly brought on by us humans, and we as dog owners often witness the expanse of these emotions throughout our dogs lives. Because dogs share a similar neurological make up to humans, they to are capable of experiencing a series of complicated emotions, such as depression.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hBJJ8cGMc5oju82JPT-5kZk7wVReKymIipSEBqjm_Av3umROr6lyVcJr6WkO8XRLSLNNWuBmUcHdD3xH_T6DdC2vGuefc1J4XKXTkv_ZaDmJJh3HV2evDR-i9yaQKSUW88LQVOFGEvY/s1600/asa+bath+2012+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hBJJ8cGMc5oju82JPT-5kZk7wVReKymIipSEBqjm_Av3umROr6lyVcJr6WkO8XRLSLNNWuBmUcHdD3xH_T6DdC2vGuefc1J4XKXTkv_ZaDmJJh3HV2evDR-i9yaQKSUW88LQVOFGEvY/s320/asa+bath+2012+2.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>Postpartum depression can occur in female dogs after the delivery of puppies. The depression can set in quickly or take several weeks. If your dog has depression, she may exhibit signs of sadness and lethargy. She will lose interest in her puppies, and she may even refuse to nurse them. In some cases, female dogs suffering from depression will also become aggressive with her puppies.<br />
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</div><div><div>Loss of appetite is a sign of postpartum depression. Your dog may show less interest in food and water. She may not even respond to treats that she would normally crave.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div>A female dog with postpartum depression may show a lack of interest in her puppies. She will avoid grooming them and push them away when they try to nurse. She may refuse to nurse all of her pups. </div><div><br />
</div><div>All female dogs sleep a lot after having puppies, but if your dog is sleeping excessively, she might be suffering from postpartum depression. All dogs are different, and some dogs are able to recover quickly from the hormone surges that come after pregnancy. While others take it harder. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div>As with humans, dogs can experience depressive symptoms for a whole host of reasons, however, depression is usually a reaction to a stressful event such as:</div><div><ul><li>The loss of a human friend or the dogs owner</li>
<li>The loss of a canine friend</li>
<li>Illness</li>
<li>Trauma</li>
<li>Bad treatment</li>
<li>Weather changes</li>
<li>Environmental changes, for example, change of house or location</li>
<li>Loss of attention due to a new addition to the family, such as a baby or puppy</li>
<li>Separation from it's owner for long periods during the day</li>
<li>Boredom due to being left alone</li>
<li>Lack of exercise and mental stimulation balance.</li>
<li>or a imbalance in the dogs neural chemical make up, usually referred to as clinical depression.</li>
</ul></div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Depression in dogs rather it be postpartum, chemical or otherwise can be really difficult to diagnose. But some symptoms you should watch out for are.:</div><div><ul><li>Lethargy</li>
<li>Loss of appetite</li>
<li>Weight loss, due to refusing to take food</li>
<li>Loss of interests in play activity</li>
<li>Withdrawal from people</li>
<li>Clinging to owner</li>
<li>Restlessness</li>
</ul></div><div>As for my Asa she has been displaying 4 out of 8 of these symptoms over the past few days and I am quite concerned for her. The good news is though the pups will be old enough to start feeding can puppy food at the end of this week and that should take some stress off of her. Hopefully she will be able to start getting back to her old self again once she doesn't have to worry about nursing any more. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBLrBbsNUha8CXuqi4_3gKeCR1sXFYUS0esGk5a6Bo3qC2hZbG-Hcwc84-Pnd33Y2nRvJw5InvvA6fjAm52oCDu7D-Sc9lwSzFxmtYn0aJ3opI3rkLKpgcaC-E_gUew1VrsRNA3kkoVw/s1600/asa+bath+2012+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBLrBbsNUha8CXuqi4_3gKeCR1sXFYUS0esGk5a6Bo3qC2hZbG-Hcwc84-Pnd33Y2nRvJw5InvvA6fjAm52oCDu7D-Sc9lwSzFxmtYn0aJ3opI3rkLKpgcaC-E_gUew1VrsRNA3kkoVw/s320/asa+bath+2012+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-74736883762616291912012-01-21T08:19:00.000-08:002012-01-21T08:19:33.063-08:00Week 3: Puppies Third Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV8GyrX5PZiPaAMnCVObU_p5z-bTf_o4eqqTpApUBPsMJtL6uatHnBU8r_DibHqcvO_1REmZU-QdjcCppn4OyYZSKiJBeG9biabAP3fiL0Fz6j2Lg-IPiuu1CPw9eh7SwnCD6EbASIA0/s1600/100_4863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV8GyrX5PZiPaAMnCVObU_p5z-bTf_o4eqqTpApUBPsMJtL6uatHnBU8r_DibHqcvO_1REmZU-QdjcCppn4OyYZSKiJBeG9biabAP3fiL0Fz6j2Lg-IPiuu1CPw9eh7SwnCD6EbASIA0/s200/100_4863.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Both of the pups have their eyes wide open now. Although the little brother was behind his big brother by four days. His eyes did finally open up. They are even more adorable now that they can look back at me with their sparkling eyes. Everything is still a little blurry to them though.<br />
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They sleep a lot but they are also eager to explore. It's so cute to watch them try to walk and look around for a few moments and then they just lay down where they are as if to say "ugh this is too exhausting" and then fall fast to sleep and sleep for hours where ever they are. I've started to see into their sleeping patterns though. They tend to sleep a lot during the day and are awake more during the night when every one else is trying to sleep. So to say the least Dale and I haven't been getting very much rest. Big Brother Howls and whines a lot and it keeps us up all night. So I've been trying to not let them sleep so much during the day. By waking them up and rubbing their legs and backs to get them motivated. Then I sat them down on the floor so that they can have some free roam for a little while.<br />
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Neither of the pups like to be held or petted which is very different from our last litter. Those pups simply loved being center of attention. But Big Brother and Little Brother absolutely loathe human contact as all. They fuss, howl, growl, and try to escape with all their might. If I didn't know better I would mistake them for feral pups.<br />
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I plan to go at the end of this week and buy the puppies their first chew toys. Their teeth should be starting to come in this week and I want to be prepared.Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-2822238171530074812012-01-20T06:31:00.000-08:002012-01-20T06:31:49.371-08:00We have Names!So even though I am not completely thrilled about them we have settled on names for the puppies. I say settled because I was having the most horrible time falling in-love with two names. Dale had requested that when I named them that the names didn't sound like anything else. Such as on of my favorite names "Taka" which he insisted reminded him of "Taco".<br />
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Alex in his own round about way asked that the names held meaning and that they were easy to say. Which went along with what I wanted so there was no problem there. He was pretty easy going about the whole ordeal finding acceptance in a lot of the names I came to him with.<br />
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In the end though we agreed that all three of us should "like" the name. And after long nights on the Kinect we finally came to an unanimous vote.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcuXyZvYrMFhb4GSTVr3rI12mUETRFpOFjHAX1cpqdyVqHzRiqCwbxxaBcnl95cFbywBNgglElzDTd7GIwzrEXMN4lcHijoP7hdCDfRzQ9ZdXWdT__CUzj-tFV80fxYun5In5VYpdpgM/s1600/introducing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcuXyZvYrMFhb4GSTVr3rI12mUETRFpOFjHAX1cpqdyVqHzRiqCwbxxaBcnl95cFbywBNgglElzDTd7GIwzrEXMN4lcHijoP7hdCDfRzQ9ZdXWdT__CUzj-tFV80fxYun5In5VYpdpgM/s320/introducing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaNmK8zSeAH-K5qGHPmKqJA4GUTVPJn4nvNsYOLBpIKz597E-hIUA9Rrz1Exx4DEHAEGnwrMnsmhgTuSZ8eF4DMWHR-AoUhKQkn7OxZW0RbGN-lp76r4xcwQeFXk8Bm5NPxBDY-MCSkg/s1600/aizen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaNmK8zSeAH-K5qGHPmKqJA4GUTVPJn4nvNsYOLBpIKz597E-hIUA9Rrz1Exx4DEHAEGnwrMnsmhgTuSZ8eF4DMWHR-AoUhKQkn7OxZW0RbGN-lp76r4xcwQeFXk8Bm5NPxBDY-MCSkg/s320/aizen1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcvw6d0O4f9V4qwbYTO85OV7DjIPsMsz6va_nVQqUFdPiZ_issu6aB_OjcHZWoUbC3VFtAj3xYrduISmraHGVPG6BEc06t7f85KE5zwJiLkPUVtaf7WczIzoenJPTuTPEL65qAzFgcy4/s1600/tousen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcvw6d0O4f9V4qwbYTO85OV7DjIPsMsz6va_nVQqUFdPiZ_issu6aB_OjcHZWoUbC3VFtAj3xYrduISmraHGVPG6BEc06t7f85KE5zwJiLkPUVtaf7WczIzoenJPTuTPEL65qAzFgcy4/s320/tousen1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-89913017300140637022012-01-14T11:27:00.000-08:002012-01-15T07:21:34.929-08:00Week 2: Puppies second week.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4_CDSMAV0TEMJTqnBJyuiabHWjBsuUlRLCVq7h2Tqvta25pohpqXkodcRe2kiNEqvsq2Ge4YYfEzaBsUxVGx78Iy6otydSGOBQxy6qBZO9ADQGEENXXVY8b0qp8PkIHZxy3H5Cj-3I4/s1600/100_4852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4_CDSMAV0TEMJTqnBJyuiabHWjBsuUlRLCVq7h2Tqvta25pohpqXkodcRe2kiNEqvsq2Ge4YYfEzaBsUxVGx78Iy6otydSGOBQxy6qBZO9ADQGEENXXVY8b0qp8PkIHZxy3H5Cj-3I4/s320/100_4852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The second week has been simply adorable, the oldest puppy has displayed discontent for being hot. He barks, growls and even howls when he gets too hot. As of today he has also opened his eyes and taken his first steps.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI3PhMfZ0yaX64UHDlmNmwoaYaqwrPpSfD1o1A-KAu5pW8wpVBpvDPOln_73WT2wGCgrtrajjNk3lZ1UWU1mjw_F10jrCrUifc_97HfLpIkEGaeLGzM3ZlSiYbjGd5jSqTY6q7jb4A3s/s1600/100_4840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI3PhMfZ0yaX64UHDlmNmwoaYaqwrPpSfD1o1A-KAu5pW8wpVBpvDPOln_73WT2wGCgrtrajjNk3lZ1UWU1mjw_F10jrCrUifc_97HfLpIkEGaeLGzM3ZlSiYbjGd5jSqTY6q7jb4A3s/s200/100_4840.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Brother with eyes open</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The little guys also known as "Squeaker" sleeps a lot. He doesn't take to well to being handled very often. I think I may focus on holding him more over the next week to get him use to being handled and hopefully that will help him warm up to me.<br />
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I am still trying to find a permanent name for both of the pups, but I think I am going to take a different approach to choosing the names.. I've know from the beginning that despite Alex's good intentions of saying he is going to help me with the pups as much as he can. The reality of it is that he is never home. Alex may have been the only one in the family that really wanted a puppy but it is going to be me that does everything for them. So I have decided if I have to keep these puppies they are mine. I should have said that with Nanook and Inali but I didn't and I regret it. This time I have learned my lesson. These pups are mine and I am going to name them what ever I want. Of course I am willing to <i>share</i> the puppies with the family. ;)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymEOZsgGEfRF9dC2BTXvkxZlErurgGPtAuMEHVgUwRohn4K9-JW3l2NLuyNomO6_SI0Wr_JEauYmsD9ZJsbg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Puppy even had his own theme music in the background. lol </span></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-62791840796107026622012-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:002012-01-18T18:04:58.712-08:00Name that puppy!Names are a very big deal to me. As they should be, after all they tend to stick around for all of your life.<br />
The names of my Shiba's are no different. For me the names I choose always have to follow a few certain guidelines.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>There is a old Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. This belief is call the "Kotodama" which translates into "the soul of language". I too believe this and always have, even before I became obsessed with Japan and it's Shiba inu's. </i></div><ol><li>It must have a meaning. I am not talking about a name like Dale (no offence darling.) which means " a broad lowland vally". Where is the emotion behind that? Nor am I talking about names like Kikiwimbazoo sure it has a bunch of unique letters and sounds but what does it mean? Nothing. The soul before me that requires a name is unique, it is special, and it deserves a name that begins the definition of their life's path.</li>
<li>When naming you must be careful its much like casting a spell or something. You inscribe their very essence with a definition of how they will be or will not be. Now of course if you name you kid or dog Kichirou meaning "lucky son" wanting to add luck to their life. There is a very good possibility that they will end up being very unlucky. Which of course we don't want that for our children of two or four legs. But there is also a good chance that they will be extremely lucky and simply have everything fall into their laps with little to no effort. That's not so great either. So when choosing a name, I try to keep this in mind and choose a name that will be tolerated on either spectrum. Something like Jirou meaning "second son". It's straight forward and no matter how it's taken it doesn't effect the balance of nature so much that it could cause havoc either way. But it still follows my first rule of having the meaning of second son. I love my second son, rather I am naming my second son Jirou or naming our fur baby in honor of my second son. </li>
<li>Honor thy legacy. Now this is a very broad idea. You see, While of course we want the soul in question to be themselves and pave their own path. We also need to put a little touch of who we are and who their ancestor are in them. Remember, I did say this is much like spell casting... People may not like it and say that spells are evil. But if you take a step back and break it down. We as humans cast spells every single day of our lives without even thinking about it. The reason being is because spells are little more than the force of pure "will". It officially turns into a spell when someone consciously directs their will. But lets face the facts rather you consciously do something or subconsciously do it the point is, you still did it. Now, in honoring ourselves as caretakers and parents and honoring our ancestors I try to choose a name of origin. For example, Shiba inu's are a Japanese breed. Thus I try to find a Japanese name that holds meaning for me or my family. Such as Asa which means "new beginning". In that we honored her Japanese ancestors and heritage all the while making her fit within our family because "new beginning" held a sentimental meaning to us.</li>
<li>Syllables. Sure it's easy to put together a single word that says "my bright prince" which would be "Akihiko" which would be pronounced "Ae k ee h ee k oh" which could be a mouthful and really hard to roll off the tongue in an emergency. If a long name or a name with many syllables is a must it needs to have the ability to be shortened such as Sephiroth to Seph. Trust me, It makes everyones life a whole lot easier. Because names, again, rather being our two legged babies or our four legged babies are public. If other people have a hard time saying them, kids will be cruel and adults will simply avoid you or make up something else less flattering. Rather it be what they hear or what they want. For dogs specifically you should try to keep the name to one or two syllables this will help to make it much easier for the dog to understand. The general rule of thumb is the longer a name is, the more confusing it will be to understand for the dog.</li>
<li>This is where it becomes more textbook, a dogs name should end a long vowel sound. So that they will have an easier time recognizing it's name from a command. Naturally we should stay away from names which sound Similar to obedience commands, like "sit", "down", "stay", "come", etc. Imagine giving your dog the command, "Bit, sit." Or “Faye, stay” You can see how the puppy could get very confused.</li>
<li>It has to be likable. The name is going to stick around for many years to come. It's going to be said thousands of times over and over again. It's going to be shouted, whispered and written. </li>
</ol><div>With all of that taken into consideration here are the facts about the pups so far.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>They are Shiba Inu's a semi rare, expensive, noble wolf-like breed.</li>
<li>They are sesame colored.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFNh9JKM4I5IOucoByIq2sD575RRRPBBv0n7GjutOqCH4zgPSyygQxkS5ik75tSP2pNePaMHu3H1v37a3mcEXuS_Uvvo9WEjPSAnonoo7l7N6YXRkM5fmJOL9xEg7q7Wr0JPkpwHRuj4/s1600/dusty-snow3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFNh9JKM4I5IOucoByIq2sD575RRRPBBv0n7GjutOqCH4zgPSyygQxkS5ik75tSP2pNePaMHu3H1v37a3mcEXuS_Uvvo9WEjPSAnonoo7l7N6YXRkM5fmJOL9xEg7q7Wr0JPkpwHRuj4/s200/dusty-snow3.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sesame Shiba Inu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>They are both males</li>
<li>The oldest is kind of big boned </li>
<li>The younger one whimpers more often than the other (I nicknamed him "squeaker")</li>
<li>The oldest has a low tolerance for warmth. He gets hot really easy and when this happens the howls begin.</li>
</ul><div>I have been bouncing around a few names but none of them have really stuck. I know before I officially decide on a name I want to see what personalities they develop over the next couple of weeks.</div><div>But we still need a list of names to toss at the puppies to see if they actually like any of them or not.<br />
<br />
I have made a list of names both Japanese and Non-Japanese that I an considering. I have color coded them<br />
3 different colors rating them on a scale of "maybe, like and love" or 1-3. Three being love. Though I have rated a name lower than a 10 does not mean that it won't grow on me. I have to consider everyone in the family and what they may or may not like as well as when I like and don't like. Also as I have spent several days putting this list together I have found many names that I love for a day or two but then my love for them starts to fade into the background. Because of that I want YOU to help me out by telling me what your favorites from the list are and why. Also feel free to add suggestion that I may not have thought of.<br />
<br />
Color Chart :<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol><li><span style="color: lime;">Green "Maybe"</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Orange "I like it"</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">Red "I love this"</span></li>
</ol></div><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4272836027_34c618dfba_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4272836027_34c618dfba_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: orange;">Aki </span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: lime;">Atsuko</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Keiichi</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;"><br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Kiba</span></li>
<li><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: lime;">Nogitsune</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="color: orange;">Onibi</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: red;">Tsume</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Taka</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: red;">Ty-ohni</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">YuuJou</span></li>
<li><br />
</li>
<li><span style="color: orange;">Zenaku </span></li>
</ul><div><span style="color: orange;"><br />
</span></div></div><div>Anime Character Names to consider:</div><div><ul><li>Koyōte Sutāku = Coyote Starrk </li>
<li>Tousen Kaname</li>
<li>Aizen Sousuke</li>
<li>Urahara Kisuke</li>
<li>Koga = Steel Fang</li>
<li>Seikei</li>
<li>Naraku = Hell</li>
<li>Kohaku</li>
</ul></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoJyPnI29rBja6kDx3fEWLLZ9275MvA_5oFDtD_e6BYkuCUcIB4j7gaWkuIYilG9o6YmRIJX5KnCO7W_ZuCWxqAeON9CEUx69a7jAu3TUQBTveOdf8_Bw1grXWI2njcOQ_K-cXVCH6c4/s1600/hinode1_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-87830306566774097562012-01-07T20:55:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:55:06.332-08:00Week 1: Puppies first week.<div style="text-align: left;">The puppies are officially one week old today!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SoO96HARs14DQ8Hipkwya2La77FuLu-RUybNEI0dWm0jYtOXvKsggikHpUc2md0QZ4Tap8GoCki7gd5V-F1OxJJfov-8ho7igQdNrCWYE7N4w_b1JKNMzPmLgQXNG5A0tdGNfls0nJY/s1600/100_4765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0SoO96HARs14DQ8Hipkwya2La77FuLu-RUybNEI0dWm0jYtOXvKsggikHpUc2md0QZ4Tap8GoCki7gd5V-F1OxJJfov-8ho7igQdNrCWYE7N4w_b1JKNMzPmLgQXNG5A0tdGNfls0nJY/s200/100_4765.JPG" width="200" /></a>They are doing well, and Asa is a wonderful mother. </div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwgPCdpZ4QVJJLnfGa7kJuPNo8ZfYFnszv25yoiIWehmL2FPdeFE6NenwIFwaa_WDk24fRm04KRFqs4VtO7ItpbdZFBHvOIq_SLPAcY4KBQUrZU13TZv9M_pt9LPIb6Agau804dwzq70/s1600/100_4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwgPCdpZ4QVJJLnfGa7kJuPNo8ZfYFnszv25yoiIWehmL2FPdeFE6NenwIFwaa_WDk24fRm04KRFqs4VtO7ItpbdZFBHvOIq_SLPAcY4KBQUrZU13TZv9M_pt9LPIb6Agau804dwzq70/s200/100_4762.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zsRT4gmL5-E1b2_7enHOMhCFk1c-3eQJyb8PHEwt5p2q0sRsymWR1kseVaZKjswm5G-SnI_fDDaY8va2aUaIXR809kMX1VeZXr0xF7D0hGWG0-FvVOVF47wLO_4UL0Jb3fSetK2Jlng/s1600/100_4763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zsRT4gmL5-E1b2_7enHOMhCFk1c-3eQJyb8PHEwt5p2q0sRsymWR1kseVaZKjswm5G-SnI_fDDaY8va2aUaIXR809kMX1VeZXr0xF7D0hGWG0-FvVOVF47wLO_4UL0Jb3fSetK2Jlng/s200/100_4763.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyy4wg921VWyy-VHc7-_4z9-gcgxxz583fTQkLMsdm8dgJXyf-s1CWrn2OvzDkEefYXTydKds13AXevMTtj34OLyaA1p1QqfbxVBxf26tlCb09rEoWD_GY7r39Si9BNKk0PAlP4foqDE/s1600/100_4814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyy4wg921VWyy-VHc7-_4z9-gcgxxz583fTQkLMsdm8dgJXyf-s1CWrn2OvzDkEefYXTydKds13AXevMTtj34OLyaA1p1QqfbxVBxf26tlCb09rEoWD_GY7r39Si9BNKk0PAlP4foqDE/s200/100_4814.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9h-HB4Fya62DGugM0KIGz5VTqGnRt3iIi5KD81XUNb03cqN1SxhcbJR_adsJDxzlt7GZyXkg3EY1UTbGKis8rYphRwDPFTxP4dDUGkuDnojCJ_UH5LnPwGcZdZcIRPjp_vT0LNubqR94/s1600/100_4819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9h-HB4Fya62DGugM0KIGz5VTqGnRt3iIi5KD81XUNb03cqN1SxhcbJR_adsJDxzlt7GZyXkg3EY1UTbGKis8rYphRwDPFTxP4dDUGkuDnojCJ_UH5LnPwGcZdZcIRPjp_vT0LNubqR94/s200/100_4819.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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</div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-60560076317208908912012-01-07T13:49:00.000-08:002012-01-07T13:49:18.544-08:00Anniversary Puppies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cRj8sCOcbUk/TwIKYBmQSuI/AAAAAAAAAHU/hh3wDvRO-gE/s1600/Shiba-Inu5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cRj8sCOcbUk/TwIKYBmQSuI/AAAAAAAAAHU/hh3wDvRO-gE/s320/Shiba-Inu5.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Asa woke me up at 3 a.m. this morning. I kept hearing her whimper, whine, and bark. At first I thought she had to go outside to go potty. Despite my efforts to ignore her and go back to sleep she insisted it was urgent. So I got up and slipped my boots and coat on and reached for a leash. Only to realize she had no intent on going outside. "What the heck could she possibly want at this hour?" I thought to myself as I stumbled back to bed. Again at 4 a.m. she woke me up with her whimpers, whines and barks. I got up thinking "what are those silly cats doing to aggravate her this time?" But all our little kitties were nestled in their beds sound asleep. "That's odd." I thought as I went back to bed. 5 a.m. and again, but more urgently. She barked and whimpered. Could someone actually be outside the house upsetting her? A burglar? I paused in my tracks and looked down at Asa to see where her focus was. She was looking directly at the dining room window. Should I wake my husband and make him secure the house? She barked at me again. This time I was fully awake and certain this was not at all like my Asa and she was trying to tell me something. So I keeled down to pet her and she lay down in my arms and that's when I noticed the contractions. PUPPIES! No, we can't have puppies! We're going to have puppies! I rushed to grab her a blanket and woke everyone in the house. We're having puppies! And as I keeled back down beside her and petted her gently to reassure her that everything was going to be alright she pushed the first one out. She looked up at me confused and back at the puppy and began licking it but he was struggling to get free from the bag. I looked to her wanting her to do it but he was starting to not move and so I tore open the back from around his face as she watched me and then took over. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">30 minuets later a second puppy appeared and she was a pro. I sat by her side all day waiting to make sure she and the pups were alright. But no more puppies arrived. And I did see some after birth with the second pup. But why only two? Certainly it wasn't because I could only afford to keep two at the most. But then I realized. It's my anniversary. I got puppies for my anniversary. I had hoped she would give me a black one just like my beloved Tsunami was. But it was quite clear neither of these pups were going to be black. But I love them none-the-less. </div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-6418601405021533032012-01-07T11:37:00.000-08:002012-01-07T11:37:10.611-08:00Ancestors of the Shiba Inu<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Honshu wolf: </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58EvIQ4R31BVbB13n6lOVKLnJbi6FvQPu0FOciY2fIKo64GAFWt_p7Z94LrZJL3k503l15Ynor1iRZSMiaC8tuyyXY5cBOnHOIVCwpMcmLb8zip2xrr344iLmcTf2SnHx3GytM2Y5wz4/s1600/button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58EvIQ4R31BVbB13n6lOVKLnJbi6FvQPu0FOciY2fIKo64GAFWt_p7Z94LrZJL3k503l15Ynor1iRZSMiaC8tuyyXY5cBOnHOIVCwpMcmLb8zip2xrr344iLmcTf2SnHx3GytM2Y5wz4/s320/button.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray Wolf vs Sesame Shiba inu<br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Honshu wolf was identified in 1839 as the gray wolf subspecies (Canis lupus hodophilax by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Temminck). It was also known as the Hondo wolf, the yamainu, and the mountain dog.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The small wolf lived on the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu primarily in remote mountain areas. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Officially, the wolves that once inhabited the Japanese archipelago have long been extinct. Though some researchers such as John Knight believe that some may still roam the lands. The Honshu wolf is said to have become extinct in 1905 due to an epidemic of a contagious diseases like rabies. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe3WUdl0S8hhuBGMo_NM4i_l2xry_wmzv0UWi5IGvaytk-dNX11hpFDoIXrQCJlKkmz8HSyFKmjofU637eLpymdKTGQlgIXpBvUGxm6bltNkoFmkNx2RyYjiBFNG2sJT5xJMFTAJBWo4/s1600/cherry-blossoms-and-mount-fuji-japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe3WUdl0S8hhuBGMo_NM4i_l2xry_wmzv0UWi5IGvaytk-dNX11hpFDoIXrQCJlKkmz8HSyFKmjofU637eLpymdKTGQlgIXpBvUGxm6bltNkoFmkNx2RyYjiBFNG2sJT5xJMFTAJBWo4/s200/cherry-blossoms-and-mount-fuji-japan.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In Japan mountains are dangerous, frightening places that are associated with death, not only as sites of physical burial but also as the abode of the spirits of the dead. There is a large body of Japanese folklore featuring encounters in the mountains with ghosts and a range of other, often malevolent, spirits....The mountains form a world with its own separate way of thinking and ethics, one that belongs to the yama no kami (mountain spirit)....Man's presence there is a potential infringement on the kami's territory, and thus potentially provocative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Wild animals, such as bears, feral dogs, and vipers, are a further source of perceived danger to humans. The boundary between wild animals and spirits in the yama is often blurred on account of the theriomorphic character of the spirits. Many forest animals, particularly remote-dwelling ones, are associated with the yama no kami.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The association of the wolf with the mountains is indicated by the many wolf-related place-names found in upland areas of Japan. In the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, for example, there are places known as Okamitaira (Wolf Plateau), Okamizawa (Wolf Marsh), Okami'iwa (Wolf Rock) and Kobirotoge (Howling Wolf Pass...). These tend to be sites of past encounters with or sightings of the wolf. In some cases an area may be associated with wolves even when the name does not reflect it, such as the forest around one remote village in the Hongu area, which is said to be cold in the summer and warm in the winter. The wolf is also associated with Shinto shrines on the peninsula, shrines such as Tamaki Jinja and Takataki Jinja (both in Totsukawa Mura), where they serve as the kami's otsukai (messenger).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Honshu wolf (okami) was grey-haired, and, standing just over one foot at the shoulder, was the smallest wolf of all. It has long been recognized as significantly different from other wolves, even to the point where its very status as a wolf has been called into question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Japanese zoologist Imaizumi Yoshinori, stressing its difference from other wolves, claims that the Honshu wolf was in fact a distinct species. But most mammalogists have not accepted this position and continue to regard the animal as a miniature subspecies of the common wolf.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp4ee3tOoeedFm0REiHZB3t1i_DlHaGcx2l2MkznkTnEeRJteo240Kn95o0c-igCn6OtpIv3Kmi26n2CdMACJLxzqq6cvoXI2oIpNqYoSzB6pDWSCfBrtY2HodknE8Q4IgZrJx9JmXwY/s1600/NVBCD00Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp4ee3tOoeedFm0REiHZB3t1i_DlHaGcx2l2MkznkTnEeRJteo240Kn95o0c-igCn6OtpIv3Kmi26n2CdMACJLxzqq6cvoXI2oIpNqYoSzB6pDWSCfBrtY2HodknE8Q4IgZrJx9JmXwY/s1600/NVBCD00Z.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps adding to this uncertain taxonomical status has been the incorporation into scientific nomenclature of certain Japanese terms. Thus the Honshu wolf has been known as the shamainu, a corruption of yamainu, literally "mountain dog," the name by which the wolf was known in much of Japan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">An extension of this semantic affinity of the wolf with the dog is the image (in myth and legend) as a protector of mankind -- a sort of banken (watchdog) in the mountains. This watchdog role appears in the benign okuri-okami (sending wolf) stories. "When someone is walking along mountain roads at night sometimes a wolf follows without doing anything. On nearing the house the wolf disappears." Sometimes the ubiquitous okuri-okami tales also mention the danger of looking back or falling over while being followed by the wolf, acts that may invite the wolf to attack....Nonetheless, what is usually stressed is that the wolf's purpose is not to prey but to protect, to see the lonely human being safely home through the dangerous night-time mountains....Even today many villagers claim to have had such experiences in their youth.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this connection the scientific name of the Japanese name, hodophylax, is worth reflecting on, for it is related to the okuri-okami legend described above. Hodo derives from the Greek for "way" or "path," and phylax from the Greek for "guard," together giving the meaning of "guardian of the way." </span><span style="font-size: medium;">A local Hongu saying attests to the wolf's singular capacity to conceal itself: "The wolf can hide even where there is only a single reed."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBW-3RVOd1TbLKLXkOfDsHp7PDX34MXWeOlvhK1jqLYSyTeMh6sSPAkvkEPdNW6s9yUV9joVQtke8BJXVngteAU43PSbbrcdlxqFH5Ybg2ZxOrOc2yq1xdUV4jCuYWHWA-AWLaNAowu8/s1600/draft_lens18082329module151056468photo_1308881401March_2011_back_to_Japan_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBW-3RVOd1TbLKLXkOfDsHp7PDX34MXWeOlvhK1jqLYSyTeMh6sSPAkvkEPdNW6s9yUV9joVQtke8BJXVngteAU43PSbbrcdlxqFH5Ybg2ZxOrOc2yq1xdUV4jCuYWHWA-AWLaNAowu8/s320/draft_lens18082329module151056468photo_1308881401March_2011_back_to_Japan_.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Japanese folklore credits other wild animals, such as the fox, tanuki (raccoon-dog), and snake, with a capacity for concealment. The difference is that these animals are said to achieve this by assuming human (often female) form, while Japanese wolf-lore -- unlike European wolf-lore -- has little to say about wolf shapeshifting or lycanthropy. Rather, the Japanese wolf is concealed by the natural environment itself. This virtual invisibility of the wolf in the yama is the basis for the claims to have encountered it after its supposed extinction. Even when the wolf actually did exist, in the yama it was able to keep well out of sight of man, while keeping man in its sights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Much folklore -- not least from the Kii Peninsula -- presents the wolf as a good animal. Chiba argues that up until the second half of the seventeenth century the wolf was considered an ekiju, "benign beast." or a gentle spirit.</span><br />
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The okuri-okami legend above is an example of the way the wolf protects the vulnerable -- in this case the lone traveler in the night-time mountains. Other stories tell of how the wolf protects the young and helpless, some echoing the famous Romulus and Remus legend in which the founders of Rome are suckled and raised by a she-wolf. In the Nonaka area of the southern Kii mountains an abandoned infant (of the court noble Fujiwara Hidehira, on a pilgrimage to the area with his wife) is said to have been brought up and protected by wolves; and in the postwar years the tale was told of an old man who lived to be nearly one hundred years old after having drunk the milk of a mother-wolf as an infant.<br />
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The wolf may also help the poor. In the tale Okami no mayuge [The wolf's eyebrow], a starving man resigns himself to death and goes to the mountains to offer himself to the wolf. But the wolf, instead of eating him, offers him an eyebrow hair, and with this the man returns to human society to become wealthy and happy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIteWsXwswpY0a2nc5K5op3GUo0sqFEm-4K64DdEp0dHwFEpsiVDFwObO-vs6FfdhxOSpyk-p-MQ4ohUbcVUgt9cQAt3b2tQ80XAwkANz92F9LPMTk5prSnQV0mQRBFljq94hRZiM27WI/s1600/Oyunohara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIteWsXwswpY0a2nc5K5op3GUo0sqFEm-4K64DdEp0dHwFEpsiVDFwObO-vs6FfdhxOSpyk-p-MQ4ohUbcVUgt9cQAt3b2tQ80XAwkANz92F9LPMTk5prSnQV0mQRBFljq94hRZiM27WI/s320/Oyunohara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another dimension of the protective character of the wolf has to do with its powers of prophecy vis-av-vis the natural world. In the high Tamaki mountains north of Hongu there is a giant tree known as "the cypress of dog howls." Here wolves are said to have howled continuously on the eve of the great flood of 1889, which killed many people in Hongu and nearby areas....The wolf appears as a human ally in the mountains, protecting villagers from the vicissitudes of the natural world around them.</div><br />
The Japanese stress on the protective, benign character of the wolf contrasts with the widespread view outside Japan of the wolf as a threat to human livelihood, if not human life initself, and therefore as the very embodiment of evil. Accordingly, wolf-killing has often been encouraged, celebrated, and institutionalized in places like northern Europe, where this took the form of large-scale wolf chases, the levying of taxes in wolf-skins, or even the hanging of wolves. In southern Europe too a strongly negative view of the wolf has been documented... report from the Iberian peninsula points to villagers' loathing of wolves -- the "most hated creatures from the wild" -- and mentions the custom of "begging for the wolf." "when someone has killed a wolf, he or she takes it from house to house around the village and is given eggs, sausage, potatoes, and other foods by grateful cattle-owners." Greek mountain villages are another place where, even in recent years, wolf-killing is an occasion for great celebration....<br />
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Japan offers a marked contrast. In yamanashi Prefecture, for example, there is the tradition known as inu no ubumimai...whereby sekihan (azuki bean rice) is offered to the wolf when wolf cubs are born. Sekihan is a ceremonial food traditionally served to celebrate human births and other felicitous occasions...; its offering to the wolf therefore appears to be a striking expression of the belief in the wolf's benign character (indeed, in some cases the ubimimai practice included the belief that the wolf, in return, would make a congratulatory offering [deer, wild boar, hare, or even bear's paw] on the occasion of a human birth in the village.)....<br />
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In practice, wolves were on occasion killed in Japan. Indeed, there are tales of villages organizing wolf-hunts (inugari) in response to livestock predations.However, through his actions the wolf-killer exposed himself, and his family, to the risks of spiritual retribution. There are stories from the Kitayama area of the Kii Peninsula of wolf killers who subsequently met with great misfortune, from successive sudden deaths in the family to dissipation of the family wealth and property. Moreover, the death of the last recorded Japanese wolf in Yoshino in 1905 is annually remembered in the form of a kuyo (requiem) ceremony carried out in the local temple at the time of the Bon midsummer festival. Thus the existence of wolf killing in Japan seems to reinforce, not undermine, the cultural status of the wolf as an animal that should <b><u>not</u></b> be killed.<br />
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A common reason given for the positive view of the wolf in Japan is that, far from being a threat to village livelihoods, it helped to protect them from farm-raiding forest animals such as wild boar, deer, and hares.<br />
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Wolves were a form of farm protection, as they mitigated losses by keeping down wild boar numbers. Whenever a wolf was sighted, villagers in the Sendai area would beseech it thus: "Lord Wolf [oino tono], please protect us and stop the ravages of the deer and wild boar." But even when a wolf was not physically present its power could be invoked through a charm. Some villages in the Hongu area enshrined a wolf ofuda (charm) -- known as shishiyoke, or "boar deterrent" -- in the village shrine to guard against wild boar predations. There are...Shinto shrines throughout Japan that have the wolf as their otsukai, the most famous of which is Mitsumine Shrine in Saitama Prefecture....A significant number of such shrines are to be found on the Kii Peninsula.<br />
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The earlier benign character of the wolf was therefore related to its identity as a spirit: the beneficial ekiju was also a reiju, a "spirit beast." Indeed, the wolf has often been more specifically identified with the yama no kami (mountain spirit) in rural Japan. Teira suggests that in ancient Japan the wolf was viewed as "the dog belonging to the mountain spirit" (yama no kami ni shitagau inu)...<br />
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....Not only does the wolf rid villagers of farm pests, it even leaves behind part of its prey for villagers, something known as inu'otoshi or inutaoshi (dog-prey). While inu-otoshi tends to be cited as evidence of the wolf's benign disposition toward human beings, it is important to remember that when this happens villagers are expected to leave something behind for the wolf in return, whether this be a limb of the animal (in the case of a whole carcass) or some salt, lest they incur its anger....<br />
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The principle of reciprocity also works the other way around. When a human is kind to a wolf the animal will give something in return, for the wolf is girigatai, that is, it possesses a strong sense of duty. One story from Hongu tells of a wolf that falls into a pit used for trapping wild boars. On finding the wolf sometime later the villagers, after their initial fear had been overcome, take pity on the beast and decide to help it out of the pit rather than leave it to a slow death. The wolf is released to return to the mountains. A few days later the villagers hear a wolf-howl from the direction of the pit, in which they discover a large deer (in some versions a large wild boar). The wolf has made its return gift (ongaeshi, oreigaeshi, okami ho'on). Kindness to the wolf is ultimately to the villagers' benefit because it obligates the wolf to make a return of some kind. Similar examples of the wolf's sense of reciprocity can be found elsewhere on the peninsula and beyond.<br />
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Offerings to and worship of the wolf notwithstanding, we should be wary of simply attributing a "benign" character to the animal in neat contradistinction to the "evil" of Mediterranean wolves. The Japanese wolf does not have an essential or fixed character, either good or evil. Rather like a human being, a wolf can be good or bad, helpful or dangerous, depending on how the relationship with it is conducted and managed. Provided that a relationship of reciprocity is properly and faithfully maintained, the wolf is a benign beast. It is only when this principle is not observed by humans...that the positive relationship with the animal breaks down and it develops an ada (enmity) towards human beings....The disposition of the wolf to mankind, whether benign or malign, is an expression of the state of the moral relationship with it. Dangerous wolves are more a sign of human infidelity than of the animal's bad nature....Japanese wolf lore tells not of good or bad wolves but of good or bad people.<br />
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The Honshu wolf -- whether extinct or not -- continues to symbolize something much larger than itself, something about modern Japan as a whole.<br />
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There are very few documented wolf attacks in Japan prior to the seventeenth century. Three main reasons are given for the emergence of rogai (wolf damage): rabies, deforestation, and changes in farming practices. Rabies entered Japan in the late seventeenth century, and the early reports of inukurui (dog madness) were soon followed by reports of rabid wolves, foxes, and tanuki. The first report of rabid wolves (in Kyushu and Shikoku) occurred in 1732, and the disease then spread eastward.<br />
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<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-kweubMWZhFMwDi76rRA0uZzgfPitqSZp2Ln9Qm398_84luW1e2jLA8U_5LHJmDfLoaXtGvwK98WlxTX2P06o-Uwoxuj1xM0CZB3qKszQ5p7kaWd4ljYG_RKpcmVyeDKGLTO70H3vTP0/s400/lobo+de+honshu.jpg" /> </div>The urban development that took place from the late sixteenth century, involving the construction of castles, temples, shrines, mansions, bridges, and roads, consumed vast amounts of wood. In addition, rapid population growth led to sharp increases in the use of the forests for fertilizer, fuel, and fodder, and to the conversion of woodland to tillage. The result was wide-spread deforestation. While deforestation, insofar as it leads to grassy new growth, may have been initially favorable to deer, the subsequent establishment of timber plantations ultimately meant less forage, with a resultant fall in deer numbers that reduced the amount of prey available to wolves. This is the background, it is argued, to the rise of wolf predation of village livestock in the later Tokugawa period.<br />
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There also occurred a shift of farming away from the mountains towards the reclaimed land of river valleys.... While this arrangement did not preclude field-raiding by animals like deer and boars, it did make it more difficult....If the wolf was looked to for protection from forest farm pests before, in these new circumstances it was no longer needed.<br />
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Not only did this change in farming patterns make obsolete the wolf's earlier, protective role, it also led to a new form of predatory relationship between the wolf and the village. As noted above, the earlier pattern of farming...created gatherings of deer and wild boar, providing the wolf with a highly successful hunting ground ....But with the passing of this...earlier farming, the wolf's opportunity for such easy predation was lost.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There is little doubt that the Honshu wolf was the world's smallest wolf, standing just over a foot at the shoulder and measuring 35 inches from nose to end of the tail. They had short wiry hair and a thin dog-like tail that was rounded at the end. Their legs were shorter in relation to their body length. In many ways, it resembled dogs, much more so than its Siberian wolf ancestors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Although it is presently classified as a gray wolf subspecies, many argue that its physical differences are enough to consider the Honshu wolf to be its own species. Some believe it may not have even been a true wolf.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">While the true origins of the Honshu and the Shiba are shrouded in the mysteries of the oriental past, the evidence speaks for itself. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Special Thanks to all of those wonderful people that aided me in my research directly and indirectly:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The creators of Shibashake and shibashake.com</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">John Knight</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Amanda Morrighan</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Julia Cadwell with Shosha Shiba Kennels</span></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blue Country Shiba Inus</span></div><div><br />
</div></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7077422635893657843.post-75595361377758211682012-01-04T16:59:00.000-08:002012-01-06T13:59:10.866-08:00The Shiba Inu<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KyKtLx90ci09dwVT4u1-MFjFI7Rh2tCvCDwAj1-okdxdANliOVczb0FZ1wDGYKjPqm96A6WU5hgt2d4_aVEwgtiSGrVA-hnoXxo0rI1mQRpKjMrkLA12pb53qa7xhos5pmyCt9om5Ck/s1600/ShibaInu-Banner01.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KyKtLx90ci09dwVT4u1-MFjFI7Rh2tCvCDwAj1-okdxdANliOVczb0FZ1wDGYKjPqm96A6WU5hgt2d4_aVEwgtiSGrVA-hnoXxo0rI1mQRpKjMrkLA12pb53qa7xhos5pmyCt9om5Ck/s320/ShibaInu-Banner01.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NBlyQ8UTXUM/TwTS8FVporI/AAAAAAAAAJs/EmfTsnpfnI8/s1600/shiba-inu-096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;">The Japanese were kind enough to contribute six breeds to the dog world, the Shiba Inu being the smallest of the six. Most of these Japanese breeds originated as early as the 3rd Century B.C. The other five breeds from Japan are the:</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;">Akita</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><img height="183" src="http://www.whistlingwolf.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Akita.jpg" width="200" /></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</span></div>Kishu<br />
<img height="160" src="http://www.letocar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Kishu.jpg" width="200" /><br />
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Hokkaido<br />
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Shikoku<br />
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Kai<br />
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In 1936, the Shiba Inu was declared a national cultural monument of Japan, but the breed was nearly driven to extinction during the Second World War, when bombing raids and a widespread distemper epidemic killed all but three bloodlines, known as the San'in, Mino, and Shinshu, indicating their regions of origin.<br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;">The Shiba was brought to the United States in the 1950's and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1992, where it was added to the Non-Sporting Group. Less well known than its larger Akita cousin, the Shiba Inu is an agile dog originally bred for hunting in mountainous terrain.</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><b>Hunting Dog:</b><br />
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<div style="background-color: none;">The Shiba is thought to be named after the Japanese word for "brushwood", indicating their early use in hunting animals which inhabited the brushwood bushes of Japan. Alternatively, some theorize that the red color of the Shiba's coat is similar to the color of brushwood leaves in the fall, leading to the breed's name. "Inu" is simply the Japanese word for dog.</div><div style="background-color: none;">The Shiba Inu, like many dogs, has a double coat, with the soft, dense undercoat being blown (shed in large chunks) twice each year. The undercoat is cream, buff, or grey. The straight top coat may be red, black and tan, or sesame, which is red with black-tips. Urajiro markings are a pattern of white showing on the dog's underside, which are in contrast to the dog's primary coat color. Some shibas have a creamy white or pinto topcoat, but these are considered less desirable because the urajiro markings cannot be seen.</div><div style="background-color: none;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: none;"><b>Shiba Inu Size:</b></div><div style="background-color: none;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="background-color: none;"></div>Males generally stand about 14 - 17 inches high and weigh about 23 pounds, while females weigh in at 17 pounds and stand about 13 - 16 inches tall at the withers. The dog is very quick and agile, consistent with his history as a hunter. He has a black button nose and small, pricked-up ears. His tail resembles that of a Husky or Chow-Chow, curling up over his back. The Shiba puppy is absolutely irresistible, resembling a very small Husky or Akita.<br />
With his high energy level, the Shiba is one of the dogs famous for being hard to train, not due to a lack of intelligence, but rather because of a fierce independent streak. They are very possessive, guarding their food, toys, and even their humans ferociously from other dogs or from children. Early socialization is vital to make training easier and to prevent violence springing from the possessiveness. Harsh training will not be well-accepted by this breed. Positive reinforcement and rewards are the far better training method to use, resulting in much faster learning.<br />
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<b>Resisting Restraint:</b><br />
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Shibas are famous for hating restraint and will resist collar use at first. Some even carry this hatred of the leash for their whole lives! It is best to let your puppy wear a loose collar for a few days, then add a leash and let him lead you for a few days. Once he stops fighting this, begin to gently lead him where you wish to go.<br />
<div class="k9artphotcontainer"><div class="k9articlephoto"><img alt="Shiba Inu close-up" src="http://www.doggies.com/imageuploads/1224293649_shiba-inu-face-ed.jpg" /></div><div class="k9artcaption">Shiba Inus have some cat-like tendencies.</div></div>The Shiba resembles a cat in that this breed has a huge interest in keeping himself clean. He will often lick his paws and legs, and can be seen to avoid puddles and mud when he is outside. This bodes well for potty-training, as the dog has no impulse to mess in his den.<br />
<h2><span style="font-size: small;">Shiba Scream:</span></h2>Shiba owners are well acquainted with the Shiba scream, a loud, high-pitched noise the dog makes when excited. He may squeal when he is unhappy, provoked, wildly excited, or extremely happy.<br />
Shiba Inu guardians need to be prepared for the fact that these are very active dogs. You don't necessarily have to have a huge back yard for them, as they are perfectly happy to race around inside your house. However, you should plan on taking the dog for a daily walk to keep him in tip-top shape.<br />
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<b>Temperament and Health:</b><br />
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The Shiba temperament is described by three Japanese words: kan-I, ryosei, and sobuku, loosely translated as brave, gentle, and refined. The breed has been described as "brave and bold with composure and mental strength" and as "artlessness with a refined and open spirit". The other description, "spirited boldness", is really a euphemism for the aggression seen in un-neutered males. Prospective guardians of a Shiba need to be prepared for this, before making a lifetime commitment by purchasing a dog.<br />
The Shiba Inu is a generally healthy dog, although there are some diseases to watch out for. Shibas are prone to allergies, especially to fleas. Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) can cause reactions ranging from very mild to very severe, and can be treated with medication in most cases. Topical remedies are used initially, but severe cases may require regular injections of cortisone.<br />
Like many small breeds, the Shiba is prone to patellar luxation, where the kneecap is displaced from its normal position. A mild case can normally be treated by your vet's simply pushing the kneecap back into place, while more severe cases may require surgical repair.<br />
Somewhat surprisingly, given his small size, the Shiba also has a tendency towards hip dysplasia. Of 889 Shibas evaluated in 1997, about 78% were found to be in good or excellent hip condition, while as many as 8% showed signs of dysplasia.<br />
The Canine Eye Registry Foundation finds that about 18% of Shibas have some sort of eye problems, which are more common in females than in males. The most common of these problems is juvenile cataracts which commonly occur around two years of age. Because cataracts may lead to blindness, it is important to have your dog examined, and to make breeding decisions based on a clean bill of eye health.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OC-Y5DAyS-I/TwT13SE6lKI/AAAAAAAAAKE/D49WbSED9h0/s1600/dscn2374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OC-Y5DAyS-I/TwT13SE6lKI/AAAAAAAAAKE/D49WbSED9h0/s320/dscn2374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jesseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07540028140979341866noreply@blogger.com0