Rowdy Rover

The journey of a lifetime - Day 1

2010-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have to admit, I haven't been keeping the blog up lately. And I'm sorry. There just hasn't been much to blog about. Trixie was out of coat and not showing. I cut back on agility with Timber - as much fun as it is, that's one really expensive sport, and I've needed to take finances into consideration lately. So, really, you haven't missed much... until yesterday!!!!

We're taking a trip. 1900 miles. 5 days. With 4 dogs in a very small Toyota Rav 4. Yes, we're crazy. My sister, Renee, flew to Seattle as a second set of hands. We're crammed in that car like a bunch of sardines. And as I pull dog after dog out of the car, people at the rest stops look at us like we are the canine clown car.

All my dogs are good travelers. They know to relax in the car, they get frequent breaks, and lots of love and attention from us and everyone they meet.

Yesterday was 500 very long miles. Almost 12 hours from start to finish. We took lots of potty breaks - more for my sister who was downing large Diet Dr. Peppers like they were going out of style. We made it from Seattle to Missoula, Mt.

Timber. Oh. My. Timber.
Timber has figured out how to get out of his seat belt. He's very stealty about it too. So, I'm driving along and the next thing I know there is a soft nose nuzzling the back of my neck and heavy breathing in my ear. Dear Dog... Get in the back seat!!! I'd stop. Re-seatbelt him and 5 minutes later he was again nuzzling my neck. I think it was the heavy breathing that got to me.

So we're off for the day. More updates tomorrow!

They're two years old today.

2010-04-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

They've come so far and accomplished so much thanks to their loving and supportive owners! Let's all give a round of applause to Trixie, Kenji, Kona and Odie. It's their birthday today.

You might remember them two years ago as they were preparing to go to their new homes.

Here they are today:

In this photo, Kona, Kenji and Trixie, all littermates, won that day.
Kona (far right) - Best of Breed
Kenji (far left) - Winners Dog and Best of Winners for a 3 point major
Trixie (center) - Winners Bitch for a 3 point major

The next day Kenji and Trixie both won their second major, finishing Kenji's championship and putting Trixie 4 points from hers.

The one puppy from the litter not pictured above is Odie. Here's a recent photo of him. He's living the good life with a wonderful owner. That dog, seriously, wants for nothing.

A Big Happy Birthday to Tama's puppies! May you get lots of treats and toys today.

Peninsula Dog Fancier's Show update

2010-03-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kenji won BOB both days, Trixie won BOS for another point on Saturday. But the big news... and the dog that really deserves the spotlight because he just doesn't get enough recognition in a house full of shibas...is that Timber, my australian shepherd, qualified both days in Rally-O. On Sunday, he not only qualified, but won a 4th place ribbon with a 97 out of 100 score. I'm so proud of my boy!!! And by the way, it's his third birthday today, so he gets extra hugs and kisses and a nice big chewy.

Not to overshadow Timber's success on his birthday, but here is Kenji's photo winning his championship in Arizona. Finally got the photos.

Growing up and moving on...

2010-03-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there is a puppy in a litter that just tears at your heart. In this litter it was Edge - the fat faced, calm demeanor, cuddler of the bunch. A friend of mine visited us a couple weeks ago and fell in love with Edge, too. And today Edge jumped a plane and took off for Arizona to an amazing home and a great future. We'll miss him terribly, but I know he has the best home any puppy could ask for.

Don Juan and Edge

Timber and Edge

Tama and Edge

A dream come true.

2010-03-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

Just got home from the Fiesta Cluster in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Before I left for Arizona, I joked about sweeping the show with the three littermates that were in attendance. "Wouldn't it be nice if Kona won breed, Trixie won winner's bitch and Kenji won best of winners?" But to do that at a major show with some hefty competition, the stars would really have to align.

They did.

On Saturday, during the Arizona Shiba Inu Association's (ASIA) sponsored event, that is exactly what took place. (And we all have beautifully engraved plates to prove it! Thank you ASIA) It was a major in the girls to boot, and Kenji, by taking Best of Winner's also won a major that day.

We almost did it again on Sunday, Trixie won WB, Kenji took BW, both receiving 3 point majors and finishing Kenji's championship. An exhibitor called for the wicket in the Best of Breed class, so all the champions competing for Best of Breed and the WB and BW were measured to make sure they were within the height range. It took a really long time to wicket the 8 dogs in the ring - all while standing in the rain. Kona was pulled out against one other male dog for consideration but the win ended up going to the other, also well-deserving, special.

We were keeping our finger's crossed for more points for Trixie on Monday. She currently has 11 points with both majors. But the stars unaligned, the clouds rolled in, it rained, it poured and the show grounds flooded. The show on Monday was canceled.

Here is a photo of the show grounds on Monday morning when we went to collect all of our belongings from our little set up.

Never the less, Lennie/Tama puppies kicked some butt this weekend... Kenji finished his championship, Trixie is almost there, and Kona racked up his 6th Best of Breed Win.

Thank you John for his showing expertise, and to both John and Carol for everything you did! Thank you Valerie for letting Trixie and I invade your house for the week. I already miss you, Jeff, Kona and Pet-Kai. Hugs to all my Arizona friends. I can't begin to tell you how much I miss all of you already! You make dog shows loads of fun. Can't wait until Nationals to see all of you again.

Kona

Trixie

Kenji

And when the dogs weren't showing, they got to enjoy time out at the pool.

Growing up

2010-02-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's hard to see how fast puppies grow when you just see a photo of them all alone. I snapped this photo this morning of Edge sharing the dog bed with Tama (and Don Juan in the background). Edge is just slightly smaller than Tama at almost 18 weeks. He's still all puppy as evidenced by the teeth marks on the stair closest to Tama. Not to mention the handle on my husband's TV-watching recliner, hordes of papers from my office that look like they've been through a soggy paper shredder, My son's baby picture, lots of my son's toys and Edge happily de-fleeced my husband's favorite sheepskin slippers. No adult teeth yet, but I predict from all the chewing that they are coming soon.

The things we are working on are:
1. Edge goes to a weekly conformation class so we get some ring experience before he begins to show.
2. He goes to a weekly puppy kindergarten.
3. He consistently will sit and down. We're past the luring stage with treats, and working on sits and downs by hand and verbal cues only.
4. He has a very consistent "watch me"
5. Putting on a leash is still an issue with the boy. He's in his "Don't touch my collar phase". But once the leash is on he loves the walks.
6. Doing nails are also not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. We practice touching the paws and pretending to clip or clipping a couple nails daily. Lots of screaming still going on!
7. Daily socialization. I take him everywhere I go.

Messin' with Momma

2010-02-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Tama: "Don't talk back to me kid."

Edge: "Ya, Ya, Whatever mom..."

Tama: "You really think you're cute. Don't you kid."

Tama: "Anyone ever tell you you have a big mouth?"

Edge: "Ha Ha Ha"

Tama: "I'm warning you. You'd better keep quiet."

Tama: "Message Sent."

Edge: "Eeeek!"

But the boy still has to get the last word in... (somehow this rings true in real life, too)

The last puppy remaining...

2010-02-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Avalanche is off to his new home, and that leaves us with Mr. Edge. He's a cutie pie with a big wide head and thick forward ears. Speaking of which, I do believe his ears are fully up!!!

And be still my heart... are those white eye dots peaking through?

As far as temperament, he's a cuddler and he's calm. He stays by my side. I must say I like that trait in a shiba. He's not fond of collars or leashes and will scream every time I hook a leash on. But he loves walks, so he'll tolerate the leash once it's on.

I took a few photos for his 15 week birthday. Here are some of my favorites...

By the way, news from the Southwest is that Trixie won WB again today for two more points! Yahoo Trixie. Yahoo John!

Another Whooo Hooo Trixie!!

2010-02-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Trixie won Best of Opposite Sex and Winner's Bitch at the Saguaro State Kennel Club show today. A huge thanks to John for handling her, Valerie for her grooming expertise, Carol for all her love and support and Wendy for taking Kona in the ring while John stayed on Trixie! Miss all of you and wish I could have been there.

Video of Avalanche

2010-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Avalanche went to live with his new family this week. I was reviewing some old video of the puppies and found this one of Avalanche and Tama playing. That's our Betty screaming in the background!

Farewell to Avalanche. He's got a fantastic home!!!! And not too far away, so I'll get to see him occasionally!

My annoying bathroom buddy.

2010-02-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

Dogs are cute when they want to be petted when you're indisposed. Possibly a little annoying at times, but cute never-the-less. I can't say that about my darling Don Juan. At 5:30 in the morning when my eyes barely have openings, he's not so cute. He's just downright annoying.

I guess I should backtrack and explain the situation. If you'll use your imagination here, you'll have to see the layout of my house. First there is the bathroom. When you leave that door you enter a little hallway and directly across from the bathroom door is the door to the bedroom where the puppies reside. In that room is a nice window that faces the front of my house, the walkway and the road. Some day I'll get the curtains up on the window, but right now the window in that room stands naked. With both doors open and the lights on in the house, from the outside, you can see all the way through the bedroom into the bathroom. So as you can guess, it behooves you to keep the doors shut tight when you are in the bathroom. You wouldn't want the neighbors to view the goings on.

I don't know if dogs can be claustrophobic. Don Juan has never liked to be crated, contained, or otherwise shut in. He can climb out of any fence. Open any crate and the latest and greatest, he has figured out how to open all the doors in the house, including the bathroom door. It never fails, on the toilet, the door flys open and there's Don Juan demanding his pets. But, I'm smarter than the normal dog - right? I know he's going to do that, so I shut the door to the bedroom and all is good. Ah ha.

But not this morning. He opened the bedroom door first, ate the puppy food, and then opened the bathroom door to expose me to the world in all my glory. Thanks Don Juan.

I looked up to see the door to the bedroom standing wide open. I'm sitting wide-eyed, exposed to the world, mad at a dog who thinks he's the most clever dog in the world. He then looks up at me, takes his furry paw and flips the big metal water bowl into the air, spilling what's left of the water. It crashes to the ground not once, or twice, but three times. He just had to let me know he was out of water with that metal bowl on tile sound at 5:30 am when the rest of the house is still asleep. The whole time I'm telling him in my stern voice, "Don't do that again.", "Don Juan, No." "No, Donny, No." really thinking, "Please don't wake up small child!"

He just smiled. What could I do from my perch on the john, the whole neighborhood watching? (OK, maybe not, I think everyone else was probably still in bed at that time. But if my neighbors are reading this please don't tell me that you were peeping through my window at the exact time this all took place. I don't think I really want to know.)

My Don Juan. My new training challenge is to teach him to close the doors properly when he enters or exits a room. Do you think at almost 11 years old he'll be up for that challenge?

Post-class socializing

2010-01-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

All the boys were together in class today. So after class all the owners decided to head down to the coffee shop for a little puppy socialization time. Who can resist four adorable shiba boys? Everyone stopped to say "hi" and to meet the boys. And we got to sip coffee while answering "what kind of dog is that?" and "how big will they get?" and "they look like a fox. Don't they?" a hundred times. The boys are exhausted and should sleep well the rest of the day. I'd be ready for a nap, too, but I drank way too much coffee this morning.

Enjoy the photos of the boys. I wish I'd had my real camera. The quality isn't very good because these are all from my phone. Maybe I'll remember it next week!

From closest puppy: George (formerly K2), Edge and Avalanche

Avanche (left), Edge (right)

George

Left to Right: Joaquin (formerly Mogul), Avalanche, Edge, George (formerly K2)

Joaquin (formerly Mogul)

The boys at 13 weeks

2010-01-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

Not the best photos. Sorry for the "green" eye in the photos. I took them at night and there wasn't enough natural light so the flash really did it's thing. I need extra hands - two to work with the puppies, one to shake the toy to get them to look where I want, and two to work the camera.

Avalanche, now Tazer: Kishi's Set to Stun

Edge: Kishi's Catch'n Edge

Whooo Hooo Trixie!!

2010-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

Trixie wins BEST IN MATCH! That's the equivalent of Best in Show except it's during a fun match. Fun matches are for clubs to practice putting on a dog show before the real show. It also gives dogs and handlers an opportunity to practice in a show setting. Since Trixie doesn't really know my friend, John, who will be showing her in February, he entered her in the fun match today so they could practice together! She not only won Best of Breed over some really stiff competition (her sister Betty, now known as Kioko), but she also won group and then BEST IN MATCH. I'm just thrilled.

By the way, I guess I forgot to post it earlier when she flew off to the southwest, but Trixie is in Arizona. She took the rainy weather with her and we've had beautiful sunshine while they've had the cold and rain. I'll fly down and meet her in March for the Fiesta Cluster. In the meantime, John is going to show her at the 4 day dog show in early February.

Here are some photos of the day...

Stiff competition: Kioko and Trixie

Kioko all tuckered out:

Trixie in the ring:

Winning Best of Match:

A big thank you to Wendy for the photos. I won't go as far as saying it's just like being there, but since I can't be there, I really appreciate getting to see the photos. Wish I could have been there to share the excitement of the day for both of my girls.

Mogul has his own blog!

2010-01-22T12:49:00.000-08:00

Mogul, now Joaquin, has his very own blog. His new owner is just starting out with it, but WOW are there a couple of adorable photos of Joaquin on there. So check in with our "Little Man Walking Tall" every once in a while to see how quickly he grows.

Email from Betty (now known as Kioko)

2010-01-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Brothers,
I'm sorry I missed the get together this week. I'm having a fun adventure here in Phoenix though.

I get to go to 'work' on Fridays. I like 'work'. I play with a teacup yorkie named Cudi, a Jack Russell called Oliver and a Cocker Spaniel named Wriggly. Pierre, the Chihuahua, barks at me so I bark back. It makes him mad but I just wag my tail.

Just so you don't think you're getting ahead of me, I asked Mom to take a picture of me sitting too. My one ear is fuzzy 'cause it's raining really hard and the wind is really blowing and my ear was blowing in the wind. But I still sat still. See if you can hold a stay in the wind and the rain.....

Woofs and Wags,
Kioko (aka Betty)

I have a bone.... and other things 3 month old shibas have to say.

2010-01-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

My bone... mine.

I can sit like a big dog (and stay, too)

Mommy is my bestest friend. She plays tug with me.

All the pups, except Betty, had a reunion in my puppy class yesterday. They are all happy, well-adjusted and doing great in their new homes. Edge and Avalanche are still hanging at my house, growing up far too quickly for my taste. They are now running with the big dogs. I hate to say it, but nap time is my favorite time, because that's when the house is finally quiet!

The boys know sit, down and stand. Avalanche has picked up obedience skills amazingly fast. He surprises me at times how well he does. We're working on socialization so you may see us out and about around town.

Odie's home!

2010-01-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

Odie ate whatever the vet was feeding him last night and kept it down, so the vet released him to go home today! Denise said he's still a pretty sick puppy and he's sleeping more than normal. She and Tomo are really happy that he's home. He has to eat bland foods for the next few days. But it looks like he's on the road to recovery.

Just thought everyone might like an update.

Odie and Pacific Rimism

2010-01-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Odie is still at the emergency vet. Poor Odie. After a slew of tests, they called Denise and said that they thought Odie had Addison's disease. He had elevated potassium levels.

Just recently I was reading the Two Naughty Shibas blog which led me to Shiba Inu Spirit's post about Pacific Rimism. From what I understand, shibas naturally may have higher levels of potassium (K), and elevated potassium should not be assumed to be Addison's disease. I called Denise and had her call the emergency vet to suggest they do a little research on Pacific Rimism before they treat him for Addison's.

Thanks Lindsay and Jen for opening up my eyes to this!

When will they learn?

2010-01-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

When will dogs learn that the only thing that belongs in their stomach is food. Tama's older pups love to eat things: Piggy has eaten everything under the sun including a cell phone, razor (but thankfully didn't swallow the blade) and part of a brand new sofa. Tomo ate a pair of his owner's underwear. Kona stole a bone that got lodged in his intestines and had to have surgery. Odie ate a bottle of thyroid medication. Odie and Tomo together tried to kill a possum last month. And the most recent is Odie, again. He's at the emergency vet right now with something in his stomach that shouldn't be there. Naughty puppies!

In case you're wondering, every single owner is a very diligent, responsible, experienced shiba person. All of them have owned shibas prior to getting these pups. But the pups are running amok! What is a birth mommy to do?

My new bag...

2010-01-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

I've had a CafePress store for years. In fact, I just updated it with some new items, so if you haven't looked at it recently, check it out.

When I do in-home dog training (aka private lessons), I carry a canvas shopping bag filled with all the items I may need. It's worked well, but never looked very professional. So when I saw this beach bag on CafePress, I couldn't help but throw a logo on it and call it mine! I LOVE IT! It will work perfectly. It's lined on the inside so that will help it stay clean. The canvas feels really durable. I can't wait until my next private lesson to try it out.

Edge is working as my Vanna here, modeling my new bag.

Bye Bye Betty!

2010-01-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Betty left for her new home today. We had final cuddle time together on the ferry. At the airport, we met her new mom, got her plane ticket and packed her away in her carrier. She fell asleep immediately. I really hope she stayed that way for the trip and our spirited little one didn't take over the plane. You know, she'd make a great co-pilot!

The little conversationalists...

2010-01-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

The puppies always have something to say. But the spookiest conversation that I've held with a puppy so far is one I had with Miss Betty - in plain English. When I walked in the room, I must have woken her up, because she puffed up and barked at me. And I said to her, "Why are you barking at me, little girl?" And she answered yawning at the same time, however, it was as clear as a bell, "I... don't.... know." Spooky. Coincidence? I really don't think so.

Here's Betty chatting away!

And Avalanche calling the coyotes!

And Edge making a statement!

Whatcha lookin' at kid...

Don't mess with me...

Video Cam

2010-01-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

On nice days outside, the puppies have been spending less time in their little indoor pen and more time outside where they have space to run and things to do besides destroy the pee pads. So if the cam isn't on, sorry, but just remember the pups are on a grand adventure, exploring their world outside the lattice fencing and candy cane bed. K2 and Mogul have already left to go to their new homes. Betty leaves January 5, and Edge soon after that. We'll shut down the cam at that point. But be sure to follow the ski patrol pups on this blog to see where life takes them.

Wishing you and your family the best holiday season!

2009-12-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

FROM...
Shredder Betty

Catch'n Edge

Avalanche

K2

Mogul

Momma Tama

Sister Trixie

Don Juan

and last but definitely not least, Timber, the play buddy!

The Ski Patrol are 7 weeks old.

2009-12-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Times flies whether you want it to or not. When we began this journey 7 weeks ago, the puppies were helpless little creatures that resembled gerbils more than puppies. Today is a bittersweet birthday because it means that the puppies will start to fly the coop pretty soon.

What will I do without my daily dose of puppy prozac? No one will ever be able to lift my spirits like the crazy antics of Shredder Betty and her "This is MY BED" obsession. It's even to the point that she'll pick it up and move a bed that's 5 times her size. We all felt sorry for the lone girl in the litter until we saw who really ruled the roost. Or what about Edge and his fat face and floppy-eared greetings in the morning. He often hangs back to let the others get the spotlight, but when it's his turn, he really likes getting pets. Or Avalanche and his kisses in which he uses not just his tongue but his entire upper body to slap one on you. And K2 with his steady but determined demeanor. What a cuddler. He's always at the bottom of the puppy pile, but doesn't seem to mind it. And last but not least, Mogul, the smallest of the bunch but the one that is always in the center of everyone's "bizness" and my biggest peepad shredder. He may be small but this puppy has one BIG personality.

Here are some candid photos of the Ski Patrol taken today.

Shredder Betty:

Boy #1 - Edge

Boy #2 - Avalanche

Boy #3 - K2

Boy #4 - Mogul

Sweet Dreams

2009-12-07T17:51:00.001-08:00

Decorating for the Holidays

2009-12-07T17:16:00.001-08:00

Ski Patrol at 6 weeks

2009-12-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Brrr... it was cold today outside taking photos. The puppies were only out there for a couple minutes, but I was out there 5 times as long. My fingers are still stiff as I try to type!

I know someone will ask me about the logs in the photo. We recently had to have a HUGE tree removed. It was dropping limbs that were the size of small trees. We called an arborist that deemed the tree dangerous and a liability because people liked to park their cars under the falling limbs (silly humans). The arborist removed the tree, but left the wood for us for firewood, and for puppy corral stations for me to use as photos. Actually that was just an afterthought when I realized that this week the puppies were not about to sit still for photos. Those days are over.

So, here are the most recent photos of the puppies.

Betty, Girl:

Catch'n Edge, Boy 1:

Avalanche, Boy 2:

K2, Boy 3:

Mogul, Boy 4:

Yummy Quail Eggs!

2009-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

My friend Lindsay brought me a dozen COTURNIX quail eggs for my dogs. My older dogs eat them raw. To them they are like candy is to kids. They LOVE them. Knowing that the puppies would make a huge mess of raw eggs, I hardboiled one for each puppy. This is not the best video of them, but here is the Ski Patrol's first experience eating quail eggs.

Video of noise and movement socialization

2009-12-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

The puppies are 5 weeks old so I'm starting to work through my 5-8 week old puppy socialization list. Noises and other animals are on that list. How many breeders socialize their puppies with chickens? Well I can count at least one. I don't think Buffy the chicken was thrilled with the little predators, but the puppies pretty much ignored the big bird in their space. The lawn mower was a little by accident. Hubby decided to mow the lawn while I was outside with the puppies. When you have a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, you have to take advantage of it! By the way, the lawnmower was a long way away from the puppies. It just sounds loud on the video.

The Ski Patrol are 5 weeks old today!

2009-11-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

To get everyone in the holiday spirit, here are the Ski Patrol ready to head out to Grandma's house in their one-horse, open sleigh (without the horse, of course).

Not turning this into a cooking blog...

2009-11-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

but I've had a few people ask me for the recipe for my protein-packed waffles. After last night's chat on Ustream, it was no wonder I was craving waffles and bacon for breakfast. So, here's the recipe...

Waffles
1/2 c. cottage cheese
3 eggs
1/2 c. water
2 t. light olive oil
1 t. vanilla extract
1-1/3 c. old fashioned oatmeal
1 t. baking powder
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar or splenda to taste

Put oatmeal and baking powder in a blender and process until powdered. In another bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, water, vanilla and olive oil until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the blender and process until it forms a batter. As the mixture stands it will thicken and you may need to add more water a tablespoon at a time to keep it the right consistency.

Spray waffle iron with light olive oil. Cook batter in waffle iron according to iron's specifications.

Serve with fruit compote or syrup.

(when I'm being really lazy, I dump it all in a blender and stir it up instead of doing the two bowls. You get bigger chunks of oatmeal and the final result is not as fluffy, but it still tastes the same)

FANGS!

2009-11-26T20:24:00.001-08:00

Ouch, poor Tama... the puppies are getting used to their new teeth and sometimes you'll see them bite their tongues.

Video of puppies playing

2009-11-25T10:18:00.001-08:00

PSA for the holidays

2009-11-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

With the holidays coming up, many people think that as they are celebrating, Fido should too. Unfortunately, holiday fare is just not healthy food for dogs. You may already know that cooked bones of any type are dangerous for your dog to eat, but when your focus is on the holiday and not on the dog, it's easy for Grandma to slip a turkey bone from her plate to Fido waiting below, or as you're clearing the plates into the trash, you turn your back for a moment and the remains are gone. Dogs can be very sly little creatures when they want something so badly and they don't want you to see them steal it!

Make it a household policy not to feed your dogs cooked bones of any type. Don't throw the leftover turkey carcass in any trash can accessible by pets. Don't leave food on the plates where a dog could counter surf and grab a bone.

Below are photos of a dog who ate a steak bone. A chip from this bone embedded in it's intestines. I've heard about cooked chicken and turkey bones splintering, but not so much about steak bones. The owner of this dog caught it quickly and rushed the dog to the vet who got it into emergency surgery before any real damage was done – except for the sizable scar on the dog's belly and an even more sizable hit to the wallet due to the surgery, a night at an emergency vet and a stay at it's regular vet for two following days to make sure he stayed hydrated. Prevention is the key.

And while I'm on my PSA soapbox, be very careful with medications, too. I just recently heard of a young dog getting a bottle of his human's thyroid medication from her purse and downing all 30 pills in the matter of seconds. So much for child-proof packaging. It's definitely not dog proof. For the owner, it was a very scary call to poison control and a trip to the vet.

Our adventure into the great outdoors.

2009-11-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

The advantage of having spring puppies is that you have beautiful weather for the puppies to enjoy the outside. The last two of Tama's litters were easy peasy; flowers blooming, lawn chairs pulled up to the puppy run, picnics while watching the puppies play, neighbors dropping by to visit with each puppy. Not so easy in November. And really not very fun under cloudy, rainy skies.

We succeeded in venturing out three times today. And I waited... and waited in the cold and rain until each puppy had pooped. I know I should do one more trip out tonight. But it's dark. And cold. And I finally warmed up from the last trip out at 3:00. Uggh.

So while I was waiting, I took a few more pics of each of the puppies.

Betty, Girl:

Edge, Boy 1:

Avalanche, Boy 2:

K2, Boy 3:

Mogul, Boy 4:

The Ski Patrol are 4 weeks old today!

2009-11-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

Today was our first adventure into the great outdoors. Lucky for us there was no snow in sight, but certainly lots of rain so we didn't stay out for long! Right away one of the boys pooped! That's always a good sign that we have smart little puppies that want to keep their house clean.

Here are some random close ups of the puppies at 4 weeks old:

Girl - Shredder Betty

Boy 1 - Catch'n Edge using Betty as pillow

Boy 2 - Avalanche

The puppies are really playing with toys now. Here's Avalanche modeling for the Zanies commercial!

Boy 3 - K2

Boy 4 - Mogul

Introducing food to the puppies...

2009-11-19T15:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today I began to offer the puppies an alternative to mommy's milk. To wean the puppies, I offer them food and if they eat it that's fine. If not they can still have mommy at any time. Once they have teeth Tama will wean them on her own, so it's good to get a head start on that. Tama's already spending time away from the puppies. If it's like the last two litters, by 5-6 weeks she wouldn't let them near her with those sharp little puppy teeth.

On my first introduction of the food, Edge and Avalanche dove right in and began eating. Edge made a good dent in finishing the bowl of food. The other puppies weren't quite ready yesterday. Today all of the puppies showed interest in the food and each of them tried a little bit. Clumsy K2 shoved his whole face in the bowl. Totally cute!

The Ski Patrol at 3 weeks old...

2009-11-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on the Ski Patrol Puppies! They are really motoring around on all four legs when they are not sleeping! They are so clumsy that it's fun to watch them tumble all over themselves. They spend most of the day sleeping with just periodic times of play. They've noticed their brothers and sister and are now mouthing and playing with each other. They had toenail trims today and each puppy got some out of the pen exploration with mom closely following behind!

Here are their photos!

Girl - Shredder Betty

Boy #1 - Catch'n Edge

Boy #2 - Avalanche

Boy #3 - K2

Boy #4 - Mogul

Big Brother wins Best of Breed!

2009-11-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Kona is paving the way for his new brothers and sister in Tucson Arizona this weekend. His owner said that Kona even beat two specials (dogs that are already champions) today for Best of Breed. We are all very proud of Kona!

For a reward following the win, Kona got to do two runs around the lure course. That whole litter loves to run. Lure coursing would be Trixie's dream if we had it where we live.

Now she has to clean him up and get ready for the group ring this afternoon. Hopefully great results to follow on this fantastic Friday the 13th! He is also showing tomorrow but not on the last two days of the show, Sunday or Monday.

*** Kona also won BOB on Saturday!!!!!!!!!! Go Kona, Go Kona, Go Kona

How can you resist puppy bellies...

2009-11-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

I found two of the puppies sleeping on their backs this morning. They look so comfy cuddled together. They are 2-1/2 weeks old.

Our eyes are open!!!

2009-11-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Awww.. they are so cute! This week the puppies are trying to put weight on their legs. All of them can sit up, very shakily. Every day their mobility increases. And the big news is their eyes opened yesterday and today.

I had to give the puppies ribbon collars because the beauty of being a Lennie child is that he throws very consistent puppies. All the puppies look alike! The differences are so small - the far right toe on the left back foot of one puppy is white. One puppy has a tiny white blaze. Two of them are pretty much identical. But from my view, standing above the whelping box, there is no way to tell them apart. So collars are the best way for now. The colors are as follows:
Girl, Shredder Betty - of course she's pink!
Boy 1, Catch'n Edge - Teal
Boy 2, Avalanche - Yellow
Boy 3, K2 - Red
Boy 4, Mogul - he was brown but the ribbon fell off so he doesn't have one. You couldn't see it anyway.

So here's our cute girl... she's fabulous. And Jared's favorite of course. She reminds me alot of Trixie at two weeks.

Edge:

Avalanche:

K2:

Mogul:

And the last but not least - Trixie - she wants everyone to know that her eyes haven't opened yet...

CH Kishi's Mojo Desert Sun aka Kona

2009-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

From Tama's previous litter, baby Kona (now 17 months old) is headed back into the show ring. This time as a special. Look for him at some of the upcoming shows in Arizona. Valerie just send me this picture of him hanging out at the pool...

Puppy Names

2009-11-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

How about these for puppy names? Valerie and I were thinking of ski names since it's winter. They're only temporary. The real owners will get to choose their names, but for now...
Boy #1: Edge
Boy #2: Avalanche
Boy #3: K2
Boy #4: Mogul
Girl: Shredder Betty

Watch the Tama Cam

2009-11-04T08:46:00.001-08:00

My genius husband put the puppies online so we can watch them from afar. It's interesting to watch what Tama does differently than when I'm in the room with her and the puppies. If I'm in the room, I always feel like she's just waiting for me to say the word so she can hop out of the box and follow me. Loyalty's one thing, but the puppies need her worse than I do right now. How much cuter can these puppies get? If you only see four in the box, don't worry. I often spend time holding a puppy and getting it used to human interaction.

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

Puppies are 1 week old today

2009-11-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

The puppies are growing like weeds. They are starting to motor around in the whelping box and they express their discontent in little screeches. Tama's a great mom. But I've noticed on this litter she's spending more time out of the box than with previous litters. She makes sure the puppies are asleep and then comes out to chew on a bone or play with a toy. She has one ear peeled for the little guys, because at first cry she's right back in there with them. All puppies are doing well and every one of them doubled their weight this week.

Happy Howl-o-ween!

2009-10-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

Puppies at 3 days old

2009-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

They still look like gerbils but are starting to develop personality. One of them if you scratch behind his ears leans into you like Tama does. One of the boys trills a beautiful song while just laying there - just like if he's singing. Puppies were checked out by the vet today. Everything looks good. They've all had good weight gain since they were born and their hearts sound strong. The girl has gained the most weight. She was 11 oz. That makes her the biggest puppy in the litter right now. She might as well hold that title now because I'm sure at some point the boys will pass her right up.

Girl

Boy 1

Boy 2

Boy 3

Boy 4

They're here!!! They're here!!!

2009-10-25T08:02:00.001-07:00

Tama's puppies made their way into the world starting at around 1:30am this morning.

First came a boy weighing in at 9.3 oz.

And then 45 minutes later, another boy at 8.8 oz.

And then a girl! Whooo Hooo, a girl!!!! The petite little thing was 9.1 oz. Jared has already named her Treesa (not sure where he got that but I looked up the meaning and it means "late summer" so I guess that's appropriate)

And then another boy at 8.7 oz.

And finally the puppy I call BONUS, since Tama has always had 4 in a litter and he's the fifth. He weighed in at 7.6 oz.

All puppies are doing great. Tama's been sleeping between puppies. I have not. So now I'm off to bed for a few hours of shut eye!

More pics to come later but here's a preview of the happy family.

Treesa, the girl is on the far right...

Morning Walk

2009-10-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

This morning it was raining as it normally does in October in Seattle. I walk with a group of friends on Wednesday mornings, and as I heard the raindrops on the ceiling at 6am, I pulled the covers in a little closer and decided I wasn't going to walk in the rain. By 8:30am it was sprinkling, but not pouring like it was earlier, so I packed up myself, my raingear and Timber and headed down to Ft. Ward park for our final beach walk of the year.

And the sun came out. It was a beautiful walk! Timber went swimming, rolled in really smelly green stuff and ran like lightening across the rocks chasing the birds. He loves the beach!

By the time we got home at almost noon, it was pouring again. We were so fortunate to have a couple hours to enjoy the beach one final time this year.

Kishi

2009-10-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago tomorrow, a little red dog made her entrance into the world. Whether it was through luck or destiny, I was fortunate that she found her way into my life at almost 5 months old. I named her Kishi. I vividly remember the day she got her name, My friend Renee and I were sitting on the patio at a restaurant in Scottsdale, her american eskimo puppy, Yuki, at her feet and Kishi at mine. We were going through a japanese dictionary looking for a name that would fit this little bundle of energy. The name Kishi just popped right out and stuck.

Yuki and Kishi became best friends. And so did Renee and I. Our puppies were our kids and we were their "soccer moms". We did many obedience classes together. Kishi played flyball, competed and titled in agility and obedience, and was a therapy dog. She was on the PETsMART demo team. She was featured on product packaging, ads, did fashion shows, and acted in tv commercials. Kishi loved to learn and loved to perform even more. Four of her best tricks were riding a skateboard, before the bulldog on YouTube made it popular, and jumping out of a box to the tune of pop goes the weasle. For years, I have called her "weasle" as a nickname because of that. Another favorite trick was getting mail from her very own mailbox and bringing it to me. And one that could please a crowd every time was Kishi playing a toy piano with music she composed on the fly.

She had a resume! Yes, her very own resume. Even looking over it now, I can't believe everything we did together - all the training, all the fun - those were happy times.

Even though she was quick to learn, Kishi had a mischievous side to her. We called it Kishi-tude. Sometimes Kishi did as Kishi wanted to do. As a dog trainer, I constantly had to find ways to make her think whatever I was training was really her idea. (I've since used this technique on stubborn members of my family with great results).

My first experience with Kishi-tude was right after she came to live with us, I took her to my groomer to show her off. I was such a proud new dog mom as I unloaded my chow, who was the main reason for the visit to the groomer, and picked up Kishi and placed her on the ground. Kishi was wearing a cute new collar and leash that we had picked out the day before. In a blink of the eye, Kishi pulled backwards and slipped out of her collar and began running down the street. Screaming like a mad woman, I began the chase; flagging down traffic in a major Phoenix intersection, bringing cars to a halt, and hauling the chow on leash behind me. Kishi didn’t even pause as she headed a block and a half down the road. Finally, she ran to the first open door she could find. I followed in pursuit. She ran into the back room. I followed, “Oh, crap,” It was a restaurant. And Kishi was heading for the kitchen. I followed, the chow still hanging in behind me. The kitchen was a U-shape, and she was heading back to the main area and to the door. “Shut the door! Shut the door! Don’t let her out!” I screamed as patrons and employees looked astonished to see a crazy woman with a dog chasing a cute little puppy through a restaurant. Finally a man leaned over and handed Kishi a piece of toast, giving me a few seconds to catch up and grab her. Embarrassed with adrenaline rushing, I vowed that would be the last time, and it was off to our first training class the following week. She was challenging as a puppy, but our training classes led us to many wonderful adventures.

But sometimes her Kishi-tude bit me in the butt, in flyball, she ran as the small dog on the team and she was able to use a small tennis ball in the box. On one run, she ran to the box, but the box loader had put the wrong sized ball in the box. It popped out and she caught it just fine. But then she spit it out and re-popped the box. When nothing came out, exasperated by the inability of the boxloader to get it right, she ran behind the boxloader and pick out a small ball out of the bucket of balls and finished the heat. Now by then we had already lost, but the crowd roared that this little dog was so particular about her tennis ball.

Another Kishi-tude moment. One agility run, she ran the course clean other than a slight pause at the top of the A-frame to check out her kingdom, and then 3 jumps in a row from the finish line, she sat... and sat... and refused to move no matter how much I tried to encourage her to finish. When the whistle blew to designate that time was up, she jumped up and finished the course to the hoots and hollers of the bystanders. I went out and got a border collie after that.

Renee reminded me the other night how at one agility trial in Tucson, She had run a gambler's run with Kishi. She started to run the obstacles in the beginning sequence in which you make up your own course trying to score a certain number of points. But then Kishi took a detour to the edge of the arena to check out the horses that were outside. Renee got her back on track and she completed a pretty difficult gamble right as the final whistle blew. After all that, she was one point (she only needed to go over one more jump in the opening sequence) from a qualifying run.

So maybe agility wasn't her strong suit. But when I look back at all the competitions we were in, I don't remember the clean runs and qualifying legs. I remember the moments of Kishi-tude. That is what makes me laugh now. It's her spirit and unusual personality that I will always remember. I can look back and laugh at myself and how this 20 pound dog knew not only how to please me, but how to push my buttons!

Talking to Renee the other night, she also reminded me of the night in the hotel where Kishi stood in front of a floor to ceiling mirror, spending the entire night admiring herself. She'd turn and look at her tail, she'd cock her head to the side. She'd move away and then come back and stare at herself a little more. We laughed and laughed over Kishi's vanity - true to her princess form.

At almost 3 years old, I took Kishi in for a set of vaccinations. A couple days later she was red and itchy all over her body. She never recovered from the allergies and over the years the medications that she received to make her comfortable have taken a toll on the poor little girl. Throughout the years, she has suffered with auto-immune diseases, hypothyroidism, hair loss, infections, yeast problems, cataracts and glaucoma.

Her performance days screeched to a halt when the allergies took over. No one could enjoy watching a smelly, bald and sometimes very itchy dog, although she still loved to do her "tricks" for whoever I could trap into watching her at the house. Kishi has spent the last few years battling her ailments. The last few months she has spent most of her days and nights asleep in her bed under my desk with very little energy to do much more than that.

Without Kishi, I would not be who I am or where I am today. She made me a better dog trainer. She made me fall in love with the shiba inu breed. She introduced me to dog sports which have become such a major part of my life. She has been my canine soulmate for the past 12 years, and an integral part of my family.

I call my kennel name Kishi in memory of a great dog with spirit, attitude, and drive. But it will also be a reminder of what I don't want in my lines. I don't want ANYONE to ever have to battle the health problems that Kishi has suffered. She was dealt a bad health card - whether it was genetic or a bad batch of vaccines with all the meds to follow. I want to do what I can to prevent others from having to go through what we have with Kishi the past 9 years.

The japanese meaning for the name Kishi is "Long and Happy Life". And I want to believe that Kishi indeed had a long and happy life with me. Today, one day short of her 12th birthday, I had to say goodbye to my dear girl, Kishi.

This is by far one of the hardest days of my life - right up there with losing my father over a year ago and losing Farley, my 10 year old aussie, to cancer. Twice a day when the time rolls around that for the past 9 years I have given her medicine and eyedrops, I won't know what to do. But really, I will miss her every minute of every day, all the rest of my life. Rest in Peace my dear Kishi. Finally, you are out of pain.

Want to guess how many puppies?

2009-10-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

So animal communicator, Tracey Ann, said that she thinks there are 7 puppies this time. WOW - 7. Tama does look bigger than last time.

I still think there are 4, because that is what she has had in the past two litters.

And Valerie thinks 5.

Any other guesses? Here's her photos. Remember, she still has 23 days to go in these photos.

Ad in the Shiba Enews!

2009-09-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Tama is definitely pregnant! I ran an ad with all the puppies in it from the last litter. I'm thinking they are a pretty good-looking bunch. And I'm anxious to see the new litter!

Wow. Lots has happened since my last update!

2009-08-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

June - huh? Has it really been that long? You're probably wondering what's been happening around Casa Canine.

July 10, 11, and 12. Timber competed in his second agility trial. This one went much better than his first. We actually ran like a team! He's a fast dog and we had so much fun at this trial. No qualifying runs, but I was totally happy with what we did. Now we just need to work on communication and he needs more experience trialing. He is so far ahead of where my previous agility dogs were on their second trials. I have to keep reminding myself of that. It's hard because I have never been known for patience, and I want him up and running like they were at the very end. He has a GREAT foundation. We will get there. One trial at a time.

A friend of mine shot all these photos at the trial and put together a collage of Timber's runs. He's such a goofball. I love the photo with his tongue hanging out.

And here's a video of our last run. A little mistake at the yellow tunnel cost us a qualifying run, but he did the hardest parts which was working away from me at the other tunnels.

I was gone for a good part of July and missed the 100 degree weather in the Pacific Northwest. I signed up for a conformation show with Trixie in August, and came home to a bald dog. Drats. We went anyway and drove for 2 hours to get to the show. Showed for a couple minutes, shopped (my favorite part of the shows) and drove the two hours home. Two days in a row. We won nothing, but it was good experience for both of us, and it was also Trixie's first outdoor show which seemed to hold more distractions for her than the inside shows.

Here's Trixie and her boy...

The chicken's have grown up! And Don Juan has adopted them into his pack. He spent hours staring at them when they were chicks. All that time I figured he was picking one out for dinner. Instead, he really thinks of them as part of his family. Here's a video to prove it...

One afternoon I was working on my computer and I saw the chickens fly by in a panic. The dogs outside in the dog run started barking so I had to go out and see what was happening. I'm not sure what animal was out there. We have cats, coyotes and raccoons in the neighborhood. Whatever it was, the chickens and dogs weren't happy with it being in the yard. Don Juan slipped out the door behind me and started running circles around the chickens. I thought he was chasing them. I even yelled at him to stop. He looked at me like I was crazy and then he moved the whole flock of chickens back to the coop. He wasn't chasing them, he was just running large circles around them and by doing that he put the chickens in the coop. I locked the door to the coop just in case whatever animal had been in the yard came back. Yes, I officially have a herding shiba. And of course the real herding dog in the family is just looking to get close enough to the chickens that he could make one a snack. But we're working on that.

Kishi is still kicking. Her poor eyes are completely white. And her allergies and yeast problems come and go. Can you believe she's almost 12? Her favorite thing is laying in the sunshine in the grass. You can almost see a smile on her face when she's out there.

And that brings us to the big news of this post. Tama is off visiting her boyfriend, Lennie, again. We are repeating the breeding that produced Trixie, Kona, Kenji and Odie. To briefly give you the run down on these puppies, Kona went to Arizona and finished his championship quickly. Kenji has won multiple Best of Breeds and is just looking for those elusive majors to finish. Trixie won a Best of Opposite Sex, losing only to Kenji. And Odie. Well, Odie is one spoiled little boy with a house full of toys, treats and lots of love. And what do all of these puppies have in common? Personality. I always say that Trixie is just so full of JOY. I can't explain it any other way, she's always happy.

If all goes well, Tama's new litter should be born around her birthday on Oct. 23-25. They should be ready to go to their homes by Christmas. This will be her last litter.

Trixie's day of agility

2009-06-28T19:01:00.001-07:00

No pictures to show for it, but yesterday I took Trixie to an agility foundation seminar taught by Susan Perry. After working with Timber, who even in his craziest state will stay close to me and come when called simply because he's a herding dog, I was a little nervous taking Trixie off-leash in an open arena. Trixie has a good recall. But she is a shiba and no matter how much I've trained, the chickens next door, a sparrow flitting through the arena, the grass waving in the wind outside the arena can all be way more exciting for a one year old shiba that me with my bag of treats.

So I put her in a wait, led past the first jump. She stayed nicely. I called her over the jump. She came to me perfectly. And then... she realized she didn't have a leash on. I could see it in her eyes, like a light bulb going off. She did that shiba thing where they duck away before you have a chance to grab their collar. Without time to even exhale, I pulled out a toy and took a few steps away from her. OK, the toy was more fun than running off. Now I can breathe. We played tug until I could grab her collar and then I took her over two jumps, and then three and four. She stayed with me off leash through the rest of the class. I even think she thought agility was fun.

I know that people with other breeds don't have the same fears as those of us with shibas. But the first time you're in a place that's not fenced like Ft. Knox and you slip that leash off, as a shiba owner you can't help but say a little prayer and hope that when you open your eyes that the dog isn't a 1/2 mile down the road.

Trixie's photo winning BOS

2009-06-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my little girl. Doesn't she look great in this photo?

Denise and Kari want recognition...

2009-06-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

I got crap today from Denise for not naming her in my last post about going to the dog show. Denise is my friend who owns Tomo and Odie (both sons of Tama, Tomo is Trixie's 1/2 brother and Odie is her littermate). So, Thank you Denise and my other friend, Kari, for going with me to the dog show. You two are the best! Thanks for the fun, the laughs, and for breaking my crate handle in the middle of the crosswalk with only 4 seconds left to cross. Thanks for being Trixie's "royal" entourage and helping to carry all her show stuff. You both made going to this show a bunch of fun.

So, here's Denise with her two shibas, Tomo and Odie, and Trixie. ...

Trixie and Odie...

Denise, Trixie and Odie...

Denise and the puppies...

Odie...

Kari and Denise...

Wow, what a day.

2009-06-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have to say that in all my years showing dogs, today was a first. I took Trixie to the Tacoma Kennel Club dog show this morning.

I didn't sign up for yesterday's show because I teach obedience classes on Saturday. All week long I wondered if it was even worth driving to the show on Sunday because our show time was first up after the national anthem at 8:00am. I've been telling my friends that I just wasn't into getting up at 4:15am driving all that way for an early showing, just to be done by 8:30am and then turn around for a return drive home. A couple of my friends agreed to go with me as Trixie's support team. Of course I promised them lunch, lots of fun, excitement and shopping afterwords. And, I also need to include Valerie, my long-distance conscience, who called me daily to make sure I WAS going to go. Thank you Valerie.

So, now that you know how close I was to almost missing today, on to the excitement of the day. The boys showed first and Kenji (Trixie's littermate) won "Winner's Dog". Then it was the girl's turn and Trixie won "Winner's Bitch". There were no specials at this show, so it was Trixie and Kenji (littermates) up for "Best of Breed". Kenji won, Trixie took "Best of Opposite Sex". I have no complaints - AT ALL. It was fantastic seeing two dogs that I bred still in the ring at the end! Whooo Hooo.

So, Trixie is no longer a bridesmaid. She has her first points! And I'm more than thrilled that I went to the show today.

And, by the way, I guess I should have gone to the show yesterday, too. Kenji also won "Best of Breed" on Saturday.

Go Kenji... Go Kenji!

2009-04-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm unbelievably happy with Tama's last litter: disposition, conformation, friendliness, drive, and willingness to work. And I love their funny little personality quirks that all the puppies seem to have; from jumping on the door to go in and out, to using their paws like hands to grab things, carrying a toy in their mouth, and retrieving over and over and over. The whole group is a bunch of incredible little spirits.

If you've been reading my blog, then you know that Kona has done well in the show ring. And after this weekend, now Kenji has a Best of Breed under his belt.

So here's Kenji with his first points and a Best of Breed to boot.

Guess it's time for me to really start showing Trixie.

It's about time for a show update that doesn't include Kona

2009-03-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Peninsula Dog Fanciers Show at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. This was an extra special show because it was Kenji's first show. Both days he got reserve winners dog with his owner handling him. It was the owners first time in the ring, too.

Trixie is out of coat. So nothing for her. But she was handled superbly by Lea, one of my 4H teenagers. Lea wanted to try handling at an AKC show and what better dog to try it with than Trixie. The two made a great pair. I would definitely let her handle her again when Trixie is looking a little better.

The exciting event of the weekend was when Lea took Trixie out to go potty. Trixie slipped out of her show collar and took off at full speed. Luckily Lea is a great runner as well as a good handler, because it took all she had to keep up with her as she ran around the entire building. A group formed to corral Trixie into one place. And finally two shiba people saw what was happening and jumped in and grabbed Trixie. All was well.

Of course, I was inside chatting away and knew nothing of the goings on, until Lea came back to the ring totally out of breath. And total strangers began to filter by calling Trixie "the runaway".

Not nearly as cute as shiba puppies

2009-03-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

but still really adorable.

What? Yep, we're the proud owners of some baby chicks... two California Whites, two Sicilian Buttercups, and one Speckled Sussex. Very different from raising puppies.

Not sure how shibas and chickens will mix, but we're going to give it a try. Don Juan is standing guard at the crate right now, his paternal instinct kicking in (really he's thinking they'd make a good snack).

Looking forward to farm fresh eggs!

And sure enough, he's a champion!

2009-03-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

The exciting news is that Kona finished this past weekend with four 4-point majors. The next day Valerie was talked into leaving him in the class to hold the major and he won again... another 3 point major. For a total of 19 points (all majors). They are going to take a break to let him mature. Maybe we'll see him in the ring with the specials.

YAY Kona!

2009-02-25T11:22:00.001-08:00

You go boy... Here's the photo from 4-point major #3. It was a great win from judge Barbara Alderman.

Don't you love Kona's wagging tail, and the intensity of his stare. The photographer threw a toy and he just had to have it.

Keeping our fingers crossed for this weekend. Four days of showing at the Fiesta Cluster in Scottsdale, AZ.

Getting old sucks

2009-02-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Eleven years ago, Ed showed up at home with an adorable, almost 5 month old, shiba puppy. One of my favorite memories is walking in the door on my birthday to find her bouncing around my feet. She was a total surprise and it made me jump for joy right along with her. I never knew how much this dog would mean to me or how she would change my world. Her incredible spirit, endless personality, and her ability to rule to world with "kish-a-tude", made her my canine soulmate. I've looked for that personality in every shiba I've come in contact with, but there will never be another Kishi. They broke the mold when they made her.

And in a way, it's good that mold has been broken. And let's hope that it was thrown away, too. Because even with her unforgettable personality, her health problems throughout the years have weighed heavily on us. From the time she was 2 years old, it has been one health tragedy after another. As my vet recently said, "nothing she has will kill her, but all combined, she sure doesn't feel very good."

So the latest in the string of health issues for Kishi... you can add anemia and glaucoma to the list. The anemia isn't expensive to treat. Although it probably means there is some underlying problem that hasn't been discovered yet. Unfortunately, Treating the glaucoma is expensive. And it doesn't matter what option I pick, the price is in the hundreds to thousands of dollars to treat. Right now we are treating her with pain medication and eye drops. I'd like to say that is the cheapest way, but long term, it won't be. Surgery or removal of her eyes would be the next steps but I can't even fathom that.

So it sucks when your pets get old. I'd love to go back 11 years to when she was bouncing around my feet. I need a reason to jump for joy.

Kona and Trixie

2009-02-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I spent last week in Arizona visiting Kona and his family. I was fortunate enough to take Trixie and let the siblings play. What a great time! They are so well matched and even look like twins. During the time I was there, they were inseparable.

We took the pups to a dog show and Kona won Winners Dog for another 4 point major. He has 12 of the 15 points he needs for his championship. Trixie took Reserve Winners three of the four days. No points for her, but she showed her best and I was proud of her.

Vote for Timber!!!

2009-02-03T17:14:00.001-08:00

Vote for Timber!

Trixie's First Show

2009-01-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

Trixie went to her first dog show on Jan. 10 and 11. She won her class each day with a pretty blue ribbon. But no points for her. I was very proud of her. She stood on the table nicely, showed her bite with only a little hesitation, and did pretty well on the leash. Not bad for a puppy in the 6-9 month class.

...and more snow

2008-12-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

So we're still alive despite the SNOW. We have well over a foot of snow. The cover to the dog pen took a dive last night. I was talking to a friend and couldn't figure out why the gate wouldn't shut... it was because it was all imploding in on itself. A few minutes later the tarp fell from the weight of the snow. It bent all the metal uprights and put all it's weight on the actual fence. The dogs weren't in it at the time. Ed was up on a ladder in the dark and cold trying to shovel the snow off the top so we could take apart the tarp. So much for "castle shiba". While we were outside we could hear trees falling in the woods next to us. That's really a scary sound, especially the ones that are close by.

All the dogs seem to really like the snow, although Don Juan is having a hard time figuring out how to lift his leg in snow that is higher than he can lift his leg. J has spent more time outside the last couple days than he has since summer.

This is the 3rd day we've been without water. The well owners are saying it could be a couple more days before they can get the parts and have it fixed. Good thing we have our emergency water bottles, and because there was a storm coming in, I filled the bathtub up with water so at least we can flush toilets. But I'd do just about anything for a hot bath to help warm up!

Our electricity has been on and off all day. Nothing like roughing it the week of Christmas. Doesn't put me in the best "spirit".

We are expecting snow flurries the rest of the week. I guess I'm done shopping for Christmas until after the snow melts which could be after Christmas.

On a positive note - TImber just loves the snow. Watching him brings a smile to my face every time! His new favorite word is "snowball". It's amazing how the cold white stuff turns him into this...

And here's Trixie!

And more snow...

2008-12-18T13:51:00.001-08:00

We got a bunch of snow for where we live. Normally we'll get a sprinkle and that's it. School was canceled. The kids had fun sledding this morning. And the dogs were really wound up. Timber decided the landing was so soft that who needs to take the stairs when you can leap into the pile of snow below...

And of course, when you're all done tearing up the yard, just stand around and look cute...

First snow of the season

2008-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to about an inch of snow. While most of the shibas would rather not have to deal with the fluffy wet stuff on their paws, Trixie didn't seem to mind it. She and Timber romped through the snow and had a great time in it.

The big agility trial...

2008-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

Timber ran really fast, stuck his contacts and made it through all the weave poles, but that's about all I can say about this boy's agility runs this weekend. The environment was so different than we had ever trained in and the atmosphere so intense that he was just insane. Insane! Turning around and jumping on me if I was behind him, doing his own course if I wasn't right there with him. Looks like we have lots more training to do.

He reminds me alot of the way Farley was in his beginning days. Looks like I have another bossy aussie in the agility ring. Now we just need to learn to work together better as a team.

The coolest thing about this weekend was that there was a huge field that we could let our dogs off leash in. To wear Timber out I started throwing some frisbees to him. By the end of the three days he was catching the long throws with pretty good regularity.

Photo by JoeCamp

The others...

2008-11-15T16:40:00.001-08:00

While Kona was in the show ring, the rest of the litter had a little get-together. Denise and I played personal manicurist to 12 little paws while the puppies had time to play.

Denise and I faired pretty well. Only a few scratches and each of us got peed on at least once. Not bad for a days work. But, I'm sure my neighbors are wondering what we were doing to the poor little puppies with all the shiba screaming going on. Those darn shibas and their nail trim phobias.

But as you see in this after photo. They all survived.

Kona's on a roll

2008-11-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today Kona won Winner's Dog and got another 4 point major! YAY. Both majors are out of the way.

BOW - WOW!

2008-11-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

First show out in Tucson, Kona took Best of Winners and got a 4 point major to boot. WOW - OH- WOW Kona. That is awesome for a 6 month old puppy. Congratulations Valerie and Jeff for going through puppy hell to turn out a stable, wonderful boy that wows the judges like that.

Two more days of showing!

Thanks to Wendy for this photo of Kona from the match.

Earth to Satellite...

2008-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

"I seem to have lost something here on earth."

Since Timber's nose didn't fill in, I couldn't show him in conformation. So I made the decision to neuter him. He's doing well. My calves are not. He flys by me and rams that cone into my legs over and over. He's already broken one cone ramming it into furniture. So now he's on the second one. No stopping this boy - even with lost parts and a cone on his head.

Kenji

2008-10-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Kenji's here for a couple weeks. You might also know him as Tres. He is the third puppy from Tama's last litter. He's a very calm, sweet puppy that follows you around wherever you go in the house and lays beneath your feet while you are working at the computer.

I worked with him a little with the show leash to see how he'd do. OK, the calm, sweet puppy turned into a raging lunatic as soon as he felt that show collar tighten up around his neck. He is his mommy's son that's for sure. Tama still doesn't like anything around her neck. We got through the show scene showing on a REALLY loose leash. Good thing that's in the shiba standard - they are supposed to be shown on a loose leash!

There's still a few more weeks to work on it.

In the meantime, he's doing really well with learning stand. Here's a photo of the dreaded show leash and a very pretty boy attached to it. Isn't it amazing how much he looks like Trixie?

Kona

2008-10-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Kona is the puppy that went to Arizona to live with my friends Valerie and Jeff. They took him to a fun match this weekend. Kona did awesome and I heard a bunch of complements on what a nice puppy he is. My friend Wendy sent me these pictures of him at the fun match.

Update on the puppies

2008-09-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Trixie and Odie have been practicing their obedience together on Monday nights. So I was able to snap a few photos in between our sits, stays, downs, and stands. Both of them are doing great. They learn quickly.

Trixie can also do take a bow and shake paw. We are working on roll over, but that's definitely not her favorite trick.

Trixie

Odie

Timber and Trixie

2008-09-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

These two love to play!

What I did for Kishi...

2008-08-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've had several emails asking what I did for Kishi to make her more comfortable. I don't want to say that she's cured. She's far from it. But she has hair finally. And looking at photos from 2 years ago, I'd say she's improved.

It hasn't been an easy road with Kishi that's for sure. But here are some of the things that I did over the course of a couple years that helped Kishi back from where she was to now. As long as I keep doing what I've been doing I keep seeing improvements. I've kind of picked up on all of this by trial and error. Some things were with my vets approval and some were not... I don't want to make any claims that one thing might work on someone else's dog... so what I've written here is what I did for my dog to make her feel better. Check with your vet if you have questions or concerns before trying any of these steps.

I feed Kishi a raw meat diet with absolutely no grains. There are many pre-made raw diets the market - you have to find one that works with your dog- I do switch around because I believe allergy dogs can become allergic to something given to them over and over. So every few months I switch to a different protein source. Plus, how many dogs get to live their life eating veal, lamb, buffalo, rabbit and venison. That makes Miss Kishi a pretty special dog.

She also gets a 1/4 cup of yogurt with her meal. And a hard boiled egg in the shell twice a week.

And I give her and all my dogs NUPRO with their meals

And because of feeding her raw meat I worm her every 2-3 months with Panacur-C. She does remarkably well immediately after the worming.

Make sure they don't have fleas. I use Advantage, but only if I notice fleas. I don't use it regularly.

I bathe her in full strength Selsun Blue 2-3 x per week. When she's doing better this drops down to 1x per week or sometimes even less than that. I leave the Selsun Blue on her skin for 10 minutes before rinsing. AND I don't let her lick any of the shampoo for the fear that it might make her sick.

I removed all the carpet in the areas that Kishi hangs out. I believe she reacted to the chemicals that my professional carpet cleaners used on my carpets. She immediately improved and hair began growing on her stomach once the carpet was gone. Her initial allergic reaction was days after a vacination AND having my carpets cleaned. We moved, she got better. I had the carpets cleaned in the new house. She got worse. I removed the carpet, she got better.

I took her off of all medication except Thryroid medication. That's the hardest thing to do because it's against what my vet suggested, but I really believe that is what she needed. So no more antibiotics, steriods, etc.

After making the decision not to continue giving her medications, I used Nzymes to help her recover from her yeast infections.

I used two of their yeast kits and then I've just kept her on their Antioxidants ever since. When I first started using it on her, she got worse just like they said on their website, and then slowly started to get better.

I do not vaccinate her - she stays inside and is rarely exposed to dogs other than my own. All of her problems started after a vaccination reaction.

If she starts to chew on herself, she wears a cone to prevent chewing. I bought the Bonafido Soft_E_Collar... I don't like it for shibas because it's too heavy and because their neck is larger than their head they can duck and pull out of it like they do with collars. So stick with a regular cheap plastic cone.

My groomer recommended
Tomlyn Allercaine with Bittran II sprayed on her between baths when she starts to itch. It really works to kill the itch. She doesn't like it when I first spray it on her, so it must sting a little. But she gets over it fast and is much more comfortable. I will also use Gold Bond powder on her to keep her dry. Just make sure the dog doesn't lick the powder. It's medicated and I don't know if it would make them sick. So I keep her cone on her when I powder her.

The idea is that her skin MUST stay dry or the infections start up again, and so does the chewing. The vets kept giving me medicated lotions to use on her. They never worked because they didn't allow her skin to dry out.

I think that's it... although there are many other products that I tried that I didn't list because they didn't make a difference with Kishi. Like I said, I don't think it was just one product or one thing that helped. It was a combination of all of them.

The long road

2008-08-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I did an update on Kishi. Kishi is my oldest dog with allergies and a variety of other health problems. For several years her allergies were so severe that she looked more like the shiba version of a Chinese Crested. Seeing the photo of her from a couple years ago allows you to appreciate that she is now sporting a beautiful shiba-orange coat in the middle of summer.

I can't exactly tell you that one individual thing or product worked for her. I can give you a list of things that I did consistently that brought her from the first photo to now (the second photo). I won't make the claim that one product fixed her problems. I really believe it was a combination of all things I tried and time away from all the medications that the vets had prescribed for her over the years that brought her health back. It has been a long, long road. I'm so happy she has a little comfort in her senior years. She's a great dog. She deserves as many healthy days/months/years as she can get.

Then

NOW

It's good to be home

2008-08-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

After a long trip this summer that was totally dog-free, it's nice to be back home with my puppies.

Speaking of, the real puppy, Trixie, has really grown up. She almost doesn't look like a puppy anymore. We've been working with her on the agility equipment. J is planning on training her and eventually competing with her. She's fearless - like most shibas. Dog walk, A frame, teeter - not a bit of fear. I wish a little of that would rub off on teeter-scared Timber.

Timber is almost ready to start trialing. We just have to work on our flow between the obstacles, better communication and of course the teeter. And wait a couple more months until he is 18 months.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a cute photo.

Kona

2008-07-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Since Kona missed the reunion here's an updated photo of him at 10 weeks.

Reunion at 10 weeks

2008-07-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Kenji (Tres) and Oto (Dos) came over for a playdate with Trixie yesterday. It was great to see the 3 puppies together again. They missed Kona (Tank) who is in Arizona. Long distance puppy kisses to him.

Here's Trixie!

And Oto (Dos)

And Kenji (Tres)

Hope you had a happy 4th!

2008-07-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Trixie was the pick to go to the parade with us this year. It was the perfect chance to socialize her with lots of people, activities and noises. And she handled it like a pro. One of us carried her most of the time since she's so small and I didn't want her stepped on. And since she doesn't walk on a leash very well and it would have taken us all day to go through the booths prior to the parade.

Fireworks make me nervous. When I moved to this area my dogs had never been exposed to the sound and Farley injured himself badly one year out of fear. So I know I'm on edge every year when the fireworks start up. But this year none of the dogs acted like anything unusual was happening outside. Of course they all had really great chewies to concentrate on. So the only one nervous and pacing was myself. And most of that was because my 8-year old child was outside with the neighbors as they were shooting off their fireworks.

Low tide!

2008-07-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

This spring the weather has been crappy. It's been cold and rainy, and only recently have we had some sunny days. We love to go to the beach when it's low tide. And last year when Timber was a puppy, we went alot. But since last fall when it started getting cold, we haven't gone. Who likes to stand on the beach in dreary Seattle drizzle? Definitely not I.

So I wasn't sure how Timber would handle his first time back in the water. He was so young last year, he was a little afraid of the waves. But I guess all the socialization last year made him fearless. He chased the birds, jumped right in the sound, checked out the sea life and ran up and down the beach until his paws were raw. Our beaches aren't sand - they are rocks, shells and barnacles - all sharp little things on puppy paws that are flying across them.

I didn't take my camera, but Ed did. So here's Timber hanging out at Wing Point which is normally covered in water but because of the low tide we could walk a long way out into the sound. High tide is back there where the clump of trees are in the background.

Last puppy leaving...

2008-06-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

Tres left today to go to his new home. All of the puppies have awesome homes. I will miss them, but I know they will have great families that love them as much as I did while they were here.Here's one of the last photos of Tres at my house.

So, at 9 weeks old Trixie is all by herself. I'm not sure if she is sad, or relieved that her brothers aren't around. Now she gets us all to herself. Denise gave the puppies this little bed. Trixie has decided it's hers!

Happy 8th Week Birthday Puppies

2008-06-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

The puppies start leaving for their new homes this week. Here is probably their final photo together...

I'll miss all of them. What a great bunch of puppies.

Timber the flying aussie

2008-06-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Timber loves the puppies. He is very gentle with them. So when he wants to see them, he flys into their pen for a visit and when he's done he flys out. Anyone have any wings we could add to these photos?

Puppies at 7 weeks!

2008-06-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Not only was it Father's Day and the puppies 7-week birthday, today was a beautiful, sunny June day. So the puppies got to play outside most of the day while we were working in the yard. Ed took a video tape of the puppies running all around the pen.

But of course after playtime, the best thing puppies do is sleep. And I have to be honest, the easiest way to photograph puppies at this age is when they are sleeping!

I also temperament tested each puppy so I'd have a general idea of their reactions. I wasn't all that surprised by one outcome tests versus my observations of them the past few weeks. Who knows how accurate temperament tests are - especially with shibas. But it's fun to do and see how they react. So here's the rundown of the puppies:

Trixie
Trixie is independent but will make a loyal pet once she learns to work with her humans.

Dos - now Kenji
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.

Tres - Jared calls him "Lost Boy" because he doesn't have a home yet
Lost Boy is extremely independent. Although he likes people, he would rather be off exploring on his own than being held.

Tank - Now Kona
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.

And here's some puppy playtime:

And Trixie helping me take photos:

6 weeks

2008-06-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Can you believe they are 6 weeks old? They are finally acting like puppies. It's hard to take your eyes off of them because you might miss one of the many cute things that they do.

Everything they do is adorable. Well, almost everything. When they see us, they start screaming to be picked up. And of course, when they see their mommy, who only wants in their pen so she can eat their food and really doesn't want any of their sharp little chompers near her, they start screaming again.

They are officially weaned and are eating food and drinking water like pros.

Uno - now named Trixie.
Jared wanted to name the girl Trixie. So I'm tossing the formal name of "Kishi's Tricky Trixie" around. What do you think? Guess that means I'll have to teach her a few tricks to live up to her name.

Dos
Over the weeks littlest Dos has really evolved. Initially he didn't like being held at all, and never licked or kissed you. He has always been the quietest but not necessarily the calmest. Beginning last week he started jumping up to be the "chosen" one, and he seems to enjoy being held. At times Dos still hangs back and lets the others play rough and tumble, but lately I've seen him diving in for some good play times.

Tres
Tres is a charmer. He's cute. He does adorable puppy antics like running and hopping around. He is not shy at all and he and Kona are vying to be the top dog in the litter.

Tank - Now Kona
Kona is the bravest one in the litter. He loves to investigate and will try anything new - even the agility teeter totter in our yard. I turned my back for a minute and before I knew it he was part way across. I grabbed the end of the teeter before it slammed down because I didn't want it to scare him. And he waltzed on down it like he had done it a million times. Considering that I just got Timber to go over it by himself, I thought that was a pretty amazing thing for such a young puppy.

And speaking of Timber...

2008-06-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

Timber was feeling a little neglected on this blog. So I thought I'd give you a quick update. He's doing great learning agility. I fixed up, painted and bought some new equipment so now we can do a little more practice at home. He learns so quick.

Last weekend we went to the PAWS Walk and performed some of Timber's tricks. He did "Put your toys away" and "Get the mail from the mailbox" perfectly. We set up a little Rally Obedience course and he even did part of it off-leash. And then, still being the puppy brain that he can be sometimes, he saw a squirrel in a tree nearby and ran off to chase it. Here's two photos of him that I took today.

Dog Pile

2008-05-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

It is time to start introducing the puppies to the other dogs in the house. I was a little nervous about introducing them to Timber. He's such a big dog and he still has hyper aussie puppy brain. Amazingly he was very calm with them. He played gently and let the puppies climb all over him and chew on him. I can't say the puppies were as calm with Timber.

Don Juan takes one whiff of their puppy breath and heads for the hills. Maybe he'll be better with them in a couple weeks.

Almost 4 weeks

2008-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's a couple days early, but it was a good day to take some photos, so here are the puppy's 4 week old shots. We ventured outside after a little rain storm and I let each puppy sniff around and check things out. Please ignor the weeds in my garden. I've been a little busy lately with these adorable four.

Here's Uno! She has a very sweet personality. Jared carries her around everywhere and she's happy to be along for the ride. If he sits down, she crawls right in his lap. He started calling her Ono... as in "Oh No" she peed on the floor.

And Dos. He's still the spirited one of the bunch. He's slightly smaller than the other two boys, yet he's the more opinionated of the three. When I took them outside to take photos, he wasn't really willing to venture off on his own. He was content to just stay where I put him.

Tres. Tres likes to play and to investigate new things. He's usually the instigator in playtime in the puppy pen.

And finally Tank. Tank will follow you anywhere. He's a tough one to get a good photo of because as soon as you move away, he moves toward you. He's also very curious and likes to check things out.

It's a big day for the puppies

2008-05-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's the first time they tried real food. Well it's almost real food. I make a combination of baby rice cereal, goat's milk and meat baby food and I serve it up as puppy gruel. They loved it! The last litter took several days to figure out the eating thing. They just wanted Tama. But not this little group. They dove into it and looked at me as if to say "What took you so long?"

Here's a few pics of the messy little eaters.

Can't get any cuter than this.

2008-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Uno and Tres were napping on their backs this morning. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the two of them.

And since it was such a beautiful day out today. The puppies got to spend a few minutes in the grass. This is the first time they've been outside our house.

This is Uno being cute for the camera

Here's Dos exploring his new world

And this is Tres.

And here's Tank.

And isn't this the cutest face you've ever seen? (It's another photo of Tank)

Two Weeks old!!!

2008-05-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

All the puppies have their eyes open now.
They have all had their first nail trims.
They have all doubled their birth weight.

11 days

2008-05-08T16:14:00.001-07:00

Wow are the puppies growing. They are getting bigger each day and alot cuter. Their eyes should open next week. They are already starting to develop little personalities. Here are a few photos that I took today.

Uno (the girl)

Dos

Tres

Tank