Who is Really the Alpha? - You or your Shiba Inu?

Shibas are born believing they are Top Dog. It is up to the owner to establish Top Dog status as soon as possible. The Shiba will thank you for it. However, it's not always easy to do this. Sushi will be 5 yrs old in September. Am I Alpha? Yes...and no... So, basically, no, lol! Or at least, not in all situations, but we are working on it.

How do you know? Well, whoevever is making all the decisions is the Alpha.

Here are some interesting articles about Being Alpha:

WHO IS THE REAL ALPHA IN YOUR HOME

ESTABLISHING ALPHA - tips from the Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup group members


Bonnie & Sushi

Shiba Inu Movie - A Tale of Mari & 3 Puppies

Inspired by a true story...

In the small village of Yamakoshi, a dog named Mari gives birth to three puppies, much to the joy of young owners Ryota (Hiroto Ryohei) and Aya (Sasaki Mao). Soon after on October 23, 2004, a major earthquake hits the area, and entire sections of Yamakoshi are reduced to rubble. Away from home, Ryota and father Yuichi (Funakoshi Eichiro) escape the worst of it, but Aya and Grandfather Yuzo (Utsui Ken) are trapped in their collapsed house. A rescue team arrives in time to save them, but there is no room for Mari and her newborn pups on the helicopter. With the entire village evacuated and blocked off, Mari and her puppies are left to their own means in the desolate village. Inspired by a true story of canine heroism, A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies is a touching story of love and resilience starring some seriously adorable dogs that could give Quill a run for his money. Mari's tale of survival against all odds became a symbol of hope for the people of Yamakoshi in the aftermath of the earthquake, and was later turned into a best-selling illustrated book from which the film is adapted. A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies is helmed by television director Inomata Ryuichi (Golden Bowl) and features music from renowned composer Hisaishi Joe.

If you want to watch the movie, here is the link for it (make sure you have kleenex):

A Tale of Mari & 3 Puppies

Bonnie & Sushi

Support Shiba Rescue GTA

Hey, all you lovers of the Shiba Inu!

It's that time of year again. Shiba Rescue GTA will be participating
again in this year's Annual K9 Rescue Me Walkathon, part of Woofstock, a festival for dogs! Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

If you would like to show support by donating online, please go to

CanadaHelps.org

Please be sure to use the drop down menu to select "Shiba Rescue GTA"
and there should also be a comment/notes box where you can type that
in as well. There are approximately 20 rescues participating, so it
needs to be clear which rescue you are donating to.

If you will be in the Toronto area on June 8th, come out and join the
Shibas! The walk starts at 11:00am. Pledge forms and all other info
can be found at:

http://www.rescuemewalk.com


Thanks,
Bonnie & Sushi

Shiba Inu Tricks

Mom makes me learn these very silly tricks. But, it makes her happy and I get a yummy treat, so what the heck.


Sushi's Yum Yum Trick



Shiba Inu Tricks

Young Shiba Inu Needs His Forever Home

Meet Chigo, a young male Japanese Shiba Inu. Chigo is a very intelligent boy, with plenty of energy to burn! He needs owners who are true Alphas, can match his energy and challenge him. Please contact Shiba Rescue GTA at shibarescuegta@gto.net if you are interested, or know of someone who might be.

This is a high energy playful approximately two year old Shiba Inu. He weighs about 23lbs. He is very sweet and affectionate. He loves rides in the car and toys.

Chigo somehow lost his owners and was found at the local pound where he was removed into rescue. He is about two years old, neutered, up to date on all shots, heartworm negative. This dog knows basic commands and walks well on a leash. Chigo is looking for a new owner who will provide firm direction and has some training experience. Because of his nature, the adoption requirement will include an agreement to take obedience training. No cats in the home since he has a very high prey drive.

See our Petfinder web site for information on our adoption process. (paste the following address: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON241.html)

Back to School!!

Mom decided "we" needed more work. "We" really means "Mom". I know all this stuff, I"m bored. Oh wait, we did learn a few new things, to which I perked up to! I know one of the other dogs in the class, a cute Coton du Tulear. The other 2 dogs are bigger than me and I don't like it. Oh yeah...THAT'S why Mom said we are back in school, humph. Something about reastablishing who is alpha. I like the teacher though - she doesn't let me get away with anything, but she likes me :) I've known her since I was a puppy and she even takes care of me when Mom and Dad go away. I guess school isn't so bad, afterall.

Sushi

Socializing Your Shiba Inu

It's always important to socialize your dog, whether it's a puppy or an older dog. They need the exposure to people, kids, other dogs, life, etc...

That being said, I always encourage newer members of the Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup group to start coming out to the Shiba events as soon as they can with their Shiba Inu. The Shibas get to hang out with their own kind, some are reunited with their littermates, and the owners get the chance to compare stories & concerns with other owners who are going through the same thing or have already been there done that.

The sooner you can enroll your Shiba Inu in puppy class or have it involved with other dogs, people, etc...the better. You can never do enough for your Shiba!

Some people, breeders, owners, etc...used to say that Shibas don't get along with their own kind. Well, I"m here to tell you that isn't always true. Our last Meetup event had 26 Shiba Inu attend - all different ages, colours and sizes. Everyone got along wonderfully. We do have fantastic owners who are very attentive to their Shibas.

The Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup group had a fantastic year and busy, too!!

I've put together a Year in Review Video - so many memories from just one year. Shibas rule!!


http://tinyurl.com/ywnnfv


Bonnie & Sushi

Meet my new friend

The Shiba Inu was bred to flush out small game. Well, Sushi does have a prey drive, but I wonder if really small is just too small? HUH? lol

We have 3 Dwarf Hamsters. 2 of them we were told were males, but of course, 1 was female and we ended up with 8 babies! Needless to say, we found good homes for all of them except 1. We figured after all of that, we should at least keep one! So, we kept Pepe.

For whatever reason, anytime I mention "Hey, Pepe's up!", Sushi comes running to sniff noses with his new pal. I still wouldn't trust Sushi with him for a second, but it's cute that they seem to like each other.

Bonnie & Sushi

Happy Birthday, Shiba Inu - Style!

Yesterday was my Birthday, I turned 4 yrs old! I was very spoiled. Mom took me to the park early in the morning to play with my pals, and afterwards we sent to my favourite store and my friend that works there bought me a bone! How cool is that! Mom & Dad bought me 2 fun toys - 1 for outside and 1 for inside. I love to play!

Happy Birthday to my brother, Storm, too!! Happy Birthday, buddy!

Sushi

Busy Shiba Life!

I had to drag Mom to the computer to update my blog, hmph!! I know things have been busy, but there is no excuse.

I had struvite crystals, which meant it hurt when I peed and there was some blood in my pee. I didn't like that at all!! I wanted my Mom to make it all go away. So, she took me to the vet, they gave me some medication and different food. Now, I am back to my old self. The vet things I was passing stones, though, and this may be the 2nd time this has happened. I"m not looking forward to this happening again anytime soon!

Summer has been ok. Mom went to the Agility Nationals to watch a Shiba Inu, Soshi, compete. They did SUPER!!!! Soshi and her owner, Brandi came in 5th place, and were very proud, as they should be! Mom said it was a lot of fun seeing a Shiba Inu off-leash and doing agility so well! She also bought me a stuffed duck that makes funny quacking noises, I love it!!

Mom and her pals have been busy with placing Shiba Inus in forever homes. They now have 1 Shiba Inu available, Aiko - very sweet girl! Mom's heart had gone out to a little black & tan, Kichi (means Fortunate), and Kichi has found her wonderful new family, yay!! I met Kichi a few weeks ago - we were posing for the 2008 K9 Rescue Me Calendar! Here's a picture of us.



Mom has been going a bit crazy lately. She is planning the Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup Group's 2nd Annual Fun n Games Event. She "thinks" she is nearly organized now. I saw a lot of yummy treats just waiting for me to taste test them...sluuuuurpppp!!! The event is on Saturday, Sept. 15th in Mississauga. Mom said she is expecting at least 21 Shiba Inus, and more!! We'll be sure to post a video or photo from the day.

Hey!! Guess what? My brother found me!! There was just the 2 of us in the litter. We will be turning 4 years old this month - it took us that long to find each other. Just by email, but someday maybe we'll get to play together, that would be cool. His name starts with an "S" too - Storm! That's his picture at the top of this post! Don't we look alike? And, we have a similar blanket too! He's on the left, I'm on the right.


Bonnie & Sushi