inspecting the bone and cking out the bag

what a xmas present

hey there folks.. well as you can see i got a nice present frm my brother mika. mommy actually had it for a few weeks but didnt give it to me until xmas eve. There was a plushie that mommy also gave me but she took that away cuz it ended up outside and mommy doesnt want toys outside until we can get a lawn. but i dont think we will get one anytime soon.

Anyways, mommy and mika mom wants to see how long it will take me to eat this bone. I only chew on it a lil at a time, so i think it will be a while before I will get through least half of it. mommy has other pics of me trying to figure out this bone.

I heard mommy is going to have to kennel me for next wk. She will be visting with my aunties and uncles in anahiem but i cant go with her cuz there will be lots of people and food at her anties new years eve party. mommy doesnt think i will behave good enough(sighs) oh well least at the kennel i will get lots of attention, the people there are really nice and i think mommy has it set up for me to have nails clipped and possibly a bath so that i look nice and clean for the new year.. (ugh.. waht am i saying?.. )

mommy wants to wish everyone a happy new year & properous 2010!

namichan

Not clean enough for a shiba...

Hi fur-gentlemen and fur-ladies,

This is Mika's mommy posting.. One day in December, while I was doing laundry.. I found this Do you think Mika was trying to tell me that his hedgehog was dirty and it needed a bath?

Here is a close up:

I guess that hedgehog was not clean enough for a shiba...
-Mika's mommy

We wish you the happiest, the happiest...

"We wish you the happiest, the happiest.. the happiest new year!" (From a holiday song, I have no clue which one, but I heard it on the radio.)

We hope everyone enjoys their holidays and get lots of love and presents (the presents don't really matter, but all that love we give throughout the year regardless of the situation, I think we should be shown that at least throughout the holiday season)!

One of the things that my mommy says all the time is that, she loves how we love them through thick and thin. It doesn't matter if we're hurt, or not feeling well, we always offer unconditional love (and we give more love when we know someone else is not feeling well.). The Disney movie "Up" shows that really well, when Dug says "I hid under the porch because I love you." Even though Mr. Fredrickson was not happy with Dug, Dug stuck around because he loved Mr. Fredrickson.

During this time, it is not materialistic things that count, it's showing how much you love and care for someone. We believe that showing kindness, care, and love is the best gift anyone can get.

Happy Chris-Kwanz-ukkuh and new year!

With lots of love,
Mika and Namichan

Tomo (Carl) update

Hello! For all who read about Tomo (previously known as Carl), Winnie's mommy is fostering him right now. Here is an update at Winnie's blog!

Nami's Mommy Rescues a Shiba Inu!

It's time to CELEBRATE! Nami's mommy rescued a shiba inu today and delivered him to his new foster home. This is Carl (temporary name.. He was from the Carlsbad shelter.)


Nami's mommy brought him over so I can meet him (and to pick up Nami's Christmas gift part 2). When Carl wanted to go a certain direction and Nami's mommy and I weren't moving, he would do this: If you click on the 2 pictures below, you can see a video of Carl letting us know where he wants to go.

Carl is about 10 years old. That was the shelter's guess at his age from looking at his teeth. We were giving him some treats and were really amazed at how gentle he was at taking them. He would slowly close his teeth around the treat, but if there was resistance when he slowly and gently tried to pull away, he'd let go. He did this every time we offered him a treat.

Mika and Carl met for a little bit in the back yard. They did pretty well together, but we kept them both leashed just in case since same sex shibas usually don't get along. We brought Carl back inside and had Mika stay outside, but we left the sliding door open so they could continue sniffing each other.

Carl was so happy to be out of the shelter, he decided to wrap the leash around Nami's mommy's leg.
Unfortunately, he has some problems with his eyes (he tripped over some stuff while trying to go over them), and if you move too fast towards him, he's skittish. Here is Carl in the front yard looking at only he knew what:


Nami's mommy and I put on the movie "Up" from Disney and this was Carl's reaction (click picture to view video): Hershey, you like watching tennis, Carl as far as we know likes the movie "Up."

Near the time it was time for him to go to his foster home, he opened up more around Nami's mommy and I by letting out some "Wooo"s. If you click the picture below, you can see the video of him "Woo"ing. Does his coat look better in this video? I brushed him out a little bit, he was actually pretty good about it. I wanted to keep the brushing short so I didn't stress him out too much.

-Mika's mommy

Playing in the Rain

On 27 November, we experienced really heavy rain. When mommy woke up, she realized that no one has checked to see if the rain gutters were clean. Mommy quickly changed into clothes she could get muddy in and grabbed an umbrella and ran out side. Our gutters were clean, but the storm drain across the street from the house was spitting water out instead of taking water in. Luckily, our house is on a hill and it is not at the bottom, so there was no chance of our house flooding. Anyways, back to what mommy kept bugging me to show you.

Most shiba inus are afraid of water and don't like going out in the rain even to relieve themselves. I, on the other hand, don't mind the rain... at all. When mommy went outside to check the gutters in the back yard, I was out there with her. Here is the proof.. (sorry, about the quality of some of the pictures, mommy had to play with a photo editor to make the photo light enough so you can tell where I am or see the wet background)

You can tell that the ground is wet because you can see my reflection on the ground.

"Mommy, come out and play with me!"

You can see the water drops, kind of.. It's not clear, but I think this proves I was in the rain.
Look at my muzzle. It's all wet from the rain. My back is wet too, but I am not sure if you can tell.

Nami's Christmas Gifts

Don't tell little sis yet, but I'm letting you all know what I got her for Christmas now. Here is a picture of some of the stuff I got for my little sis for Christmas. She got a blue football from a college in Southern California and a handle leash from The Cozy Critter for part 1. (The handle leash is to help her mommy get ahold of her when she really needs to.) Today, I gave her mommy a giant bone and a squeak toy (For those of you who are fans of Disney and Pixar movies, do you recognize where the bird is from? When mommy was at Disneyland, she saw that toy. There is actually a squeaker in the bird's belly. Mommy checked to make sure there aren't any metal or plastic, besides the squeaker, in the toy.). My mommy thought it would be hilarious to get Nami a bone that is about the length of her. We wonder how long it'll take Nami to finish the bone.

The Cozy Critter

First of all, here is The Cozy Critter's website: http://www.cozycritter.com/
They make collars, harnesses, leashes, toys, check book covers, tinkle bells, etc. for dogs (and humans so they can look stylish writing checks for our necessities) and they have a billion different patterns (well, not a billion, but it sure seems like it!).

Mommy ordered a new collar, harness, and handle leash for me and gave it to me for my early Christmas gift.

USMC Desert Camo collar (To represent the family who took care of me before mommy and daddy now.), USN Camo harness and handle leash (To represent the family I have now.), and to top it off a dog tag... for a dog.. How fitting! The dog tag is to represent the military families that took care of me and are still taking care of me.

Merry Christmas

OK folks i know i look silly in these antlers and jingle bell collar but mom had to "dress me" up for chrismas so that she can sent pictures out to everyone to say Merry Christmas. So i had to let her.

So on behalf of mom, dad and I we want to wish everyone a merry christmas and happy new year.. Hope mom wont try and dress me up for new years too ugh..

Namichan

Dear Nikita Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

One of my great friend's beloved companion had to be put to rest today. Nikita was found by my friend B in Northern California when she was a puppy. She was found roaming the streets. When B picked her up, he asked the people that lived around where she was found if they knew anything about her, or knew her owner, no one knew anything nor claimed her. From that day on, Nikita was part of B's family.

This is quoted from B yesterday:
"As Nikita grows, she becomes assertive, strong headed and very protective of me and my family. My home is her home, and unless I let you in and acknowledge you, she wasn't letting you in. And if you did come in unannounced, she would come at you, unless I called her off.

Back to present day, I see Nikita limping on Tuesday. I figured she and Bella played to rough outside. Bella should have been named Ballistic instead....

Wednesday, it gets worse and when I come home from work, she can barely walk, hasn't eaten, and has lost considerable weight.

I feared the worse and didn't think a healthy dog like her would have cancer. I kept my thoughts to myself and didn't want it to be reality.

I took her in to see my brother today on the way to work, and he tells me there's a mass on her spleen and lymph nodes. He shows me the xrays. I knew what it was but didn't want to accept it.

A specialist was called in, and the Vet and my brother told me what I didn't want to hear. But I already knew.

Thank you Nikita for watching over the boys and I the past 8 years.

I hope that I provided you a good home, and a better life than what you would have had [where I found you].

I love you, I will miss you, and I will never forget you.

...

as I held you on the table, the Vet and my brother told me what I knew but didn't want to hear. The tears started to flow and you licked them from my face. It was like you knew what was going on, and was reassuring me that everything was going to be ok. Thank you for your unconditional love Nikita! I'm going to miss you!"

Unfortunately, I had not had the chance to meet Nikita, but Mika's daddy has. He had nothing but good things to say about Nikita when he met her a while ago. He was very impressed by how much love and dedication she gave to her family. She knew what it was like living on her own as a stray, so she never took her family for granted. She loved her family more than anyone would imagine and her family loved her back just the same.

She was B's family's guardian angel and, I know, she will continue looking out for his family over the rainbow bridge.

Here are some pictures taken by B during her visit with her B's brother at a vet clinic:


This is dear Nikita.


Here is an example of how dedicated and loyal Nikita was to her family, she is watching B's brother; even when she is not feeling well, she is still watching over the family.

This was taken after B gave her her favorite treat and some water today.

Loyal Miss Nikita will always be loved and will truly be missed. I'm sure she will be well taken care of on the other side of the rainbow bridge. May Miss Nikita rest in peace.

Well Least i got something! & Meet some new relatives

Happy Post Thanksgiving Everyone! I knew mom was making something specail when i saw her bring out 2 packages of something green(ie..spinich) and then chopping up some sort of white crunchy thing to which i didnt like..(blech dont like waterchestnuts) and then putting in some sort of package into the green thing.. I think they called it soup mix. Then gatherd up all the crackers she had on top of the refrigerator and left. She least spent lots of time with me in the morning. We watched/played around during the Macy's parade and then mom watched the dog show. ( dad was at grandmas place in Orange County--more stories on her later)

It was a good 6hrs that mom was gone and when she came home i was soo excited that i did the shiba 500 around the living rm and bedrm. But then she came out with this plastic bag and had a lil piece of white meat inside.. I was soo excited.. my one and only taste of turkey. mom told me that she sneaked out a piece frm grandma grace's place. So least i got to have something.. Hey mika,, you have to tell your mom/dad to cook on thanksgiving in order for u get something.. hehe.

Got to meet my new anutie Naomi, Uncle Gordon, and cousin Elise this week, as well as daddys mom. I think they liked me, cept for my jumping on them, to which mom and dad had to keep telling me NO! and i think grandma didnt like me biting her pant leg when i was trying to get her attention to play with me. But least i got to meet them.
Thats all for now.
namichan

Early Turkey Day post!

Hi, every animal and human!

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving!

For my fellow pups (we're all puppies at heart), watch out for those bird bones, I don't think any of us want to spend our holiday at the v-e-t's office. Oh, and join me in using our mind control to get our humans to give us some table food. =D

For all those humans out there, I hope you enjoy your turkey/tofurkey/turducken/ham (etc) this holiday! If your furkid is not allergic to any of those (tries to use shiba mind control) maybe you would like to share some with us. It would show us how thankful you are of us being your companions. *grins*

[Mika's mom here, guess who is not getting food from the table!
Mika: But mooom.. it's Thanksgiving! We're supposed to have a huuuuuge feast and it's supposed to be a time to be shared with family. Remember one of your favorite movies, Lilo and Stitch? I quote, "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." You're not going to leave me behind to have all the good food for yourself, right?
Mika's mom: You're not going to be left behind. You have your own way of getting turkey. It's called Turkey and rice baby food dinner! Well, it'll be mixed in with your kibble. We have some baby food left from when you were on the baby food diet from the Urgent Care, one of them just happens to be the turkey and rice dinner. See? You're not getting left behind.. You're just getting your own special version of Thanksgiving.
Mika: You are such a party pooper! I was looking forward to getting my fangs on some nice, juicy meat instead of some crunchy kibble covered with baby food turkey dinner mush.
Mika's mom: You know, I don't ever recall you complaining about your kibble during special occasions when you got baby food mixed in.. In fact, I remember clearly that you lick your bowl clean each and every time..
Mika: I licked it clean so you wouldn't be disappointed that I didn't like it.
Mika's mom: Uh huh.. how come I don't believe you?
Mika: Because.. Oh look! My squeaky bird! *squeak, squeak...*
Mika's mom: Uh huh.. that's what I thought..]

Okay, anyways, back onto the subject of Thanksgiving dinner. I hope everyone has a delicious meal with lots of food coma!

Happy Turducken/Tofurkey/Ham/whatever you eat today day!

I posted this in the comment area of Khyra's blog (but it's for all you huskies and malamutes out there), but I think it's funny enough to be posted here as well (also, I had trouble finding Thanksgiving shiba pictures).

Help us educate people!

From Shiba Inu Spirit and k9 solutions

Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to help educate our movie going public. Your deadline for the mission is December 18th. Your countdown begins now.
*
While this current mission is targeting those who may be interested in a specific breed, it benefits anyone considering a dog because it helps to educate people about the need for breed research BEFORE getting a dog "just like the one they saw" in a movie. This helps cut down on the amount of mismatched dogs to owners. Not every breed of dog is right for every home after all. What might be the best match for you may be a nightmare for your best friend and vice versa.
*
The steps for this mission are simple.

1) Go to this website http://www.akitaclub.org/ and download and print a copy of the file "Is the akita the right dog for you?"

2) Take the handout to your local Staples store and make a bajillion copies.

3) Take the bajillioon copies to your local movie theaters on December 17th and ask if they will share them with every ticket buyer to the movie "Hachi".

4) If you have a blog please consider passing this information on. All agents need to be activated for this one my friends.
*
The advanced agents, and you know who you are#, may even stay to pass out the handouts personally or set up a booth at the theater (with permission of course) showing off their well trained akita or shiba. (shibas are also featured in the movie as they used some of them in place of the akita as a puppy. Here is a link to "Is the Shiba for you" to add to the flip side of your handout: http://www.northeastshibarescue.com/right.html ) You can even go to your areas akita rescue website and print off a list of akitas needing homes to add to a poster. A "dogs in movies" set up with other breed information for those who are extra creative to leave at the theater is also an idea. This isn't the first breed this has happened to, nor will it be the last.
*
The mission is an important one. It may be met with resistance. A back up plan my be required. Consider recruiting your local pet supply stores. They may agree to passing out handouts if your theater won't participate or be willing to host a breed education table. Posters are also welcome in the fight. Ask the local theater for copies of the movie poster, take it for display to your local pet supply store, and add the akita handout. Or your local shelter would like to be involved. It never hurts to ask.
*
Check out the Hachi movie trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaS37E3gKOU

footlose and fancy free again

The other day i gave mommy another scare. We had just come back from the dog park near our house, when that brat(cassie) --a lil westie puppy from across the street got out of her house and ran across the street, as mom proceeded to call her so that she would not get run over. Well she started to chase me around and around and i got out of my collar. Mom took me out of my harness few days ago to brush me, and i have not let her put it back on, well that, and she cant seem to find the original one that mika's mom had for me.

Anyways, I took off running down the street, almost got hit by a bus and ran towards the park with the little brat cassie chasing me from behind. Lucky for cassie's mom she was able to catch up to cassie and get her back home. I, on the other hand, crossed the street to the other park, and ran around free for a while until mom had recruited about 5 kids to ATTEMPT to catch me. I must have really liked those kids becuz one of them was able to catch me with the treats that mom had provided. Mom put my collar and leash back on me and we walked home.. The kids said that all that running they did to chase after me, was the most excercise they had gotten in 1yr. (glad i was to be of service.. haha) Needless to say mom is trying to find my harness and good luck in her trying to get me back into it.. I may do my shiba scream and put up a fit. hehehe
namichan

Happy Veteran's Day!!

Guess what today is???? It's Veteran's Day!!! Which means.... ANOTHER celebration!! Oh boy, two celebrations in a row!

I thank every Veteran and Active duty military for their service to the United States. Let's also take a moment of silence to remember those who have fallen for our country.



I hope all the Veterans have a great day and no one takes them for granted.

When daddy gets home tonight, I'm going to stick to him like glue and show him how appreciative I am to him (and try to bug him for some delicious human food). hehe..

Look at this picture, it's so cool!


From the Arlington National Cemetary photo gallery:


Happy Veteran's Day!

As one of my human friends says: "To ALL of the veterans out there, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! This day is for you, and comes with much appreciation. I wouldn't have the luxuries I have if it wasn't for you. Some will never appreciate the blood and sweat shed for our freedom, and they take this freedom for granted. FREEDOM ISN'T FREE! IN VALOR, THERE IS HOPE!" -B.C.

-Mika

Note: Pictures on this post do not belong to us, they were found using a search engine. The Arlington cemetery picture was found from their photo gallery and probably belongs to them.

Happy Birthday to USMC!

Today is the United States Marine Corps birthday! Which means... a celebration!

I got to spend extra time with mommy today and we played fetch for a loooong time. I got some extra treats in my kibble tonight, but not too much. I still have to watch my figure. I'm trying to slim down some fat, then bulk up with muscle, like Taka!

Happy birthday, USMC!

-Mika

Note: Picture was found on a search engine. We didn't take the picture.

I got a bath! Ugh

Apparently mommy and daddy thought i needed a bath today. I heard mommy say something about daddys sister and her family going to be coming soon and i needed to look nice and fluffy. Mommy tried to call mika's mom to see if i had any issues in getting a bath, but i guess mika's mom was not around. So mommy and daddy gave me what they call a doggie dunk.. At first i did not mind it, but then i started to wiggle around and wanted out even though mommy and daddy were not finished with me. They rinsed me as best they could with a large container thingy under my chest and then daddy wipped me down wtih a towel. I came inside the house and shake shake shake the water all off me, then they gave me a treat for being somewaht of a good doggie. However mommy would not let me go outside for a long time.. Did they think i was going to go outside and get dirty again? Not me?? Well, i have to say that yes i do smell and look good now. Have to try and stay clean for a few weeks, otherwise mommy will take me to the groomers that hana and my other sister went to,

Umm i dont think so.. hehe

namichan

I get a doggie door!

Well looks like mom and dad got tired of being my door people and finally got a doggie door up. I thought i saw one in the backyard when i first got here, but i wasn't sure if it worked. Looks like dad finally got it together and put it up. I wasn't sure of it at first since it looked a lil smaller than the one i used to have back at my brothers house. Mom worked with me with my favorite treat and helped me go in/out of it. Now I love it! And mom and dad don't have to come running when i want to be let in.. Boy did I have them trained well.. He he..

I even try to sneak out things that i am not supposed to have thru the doggie door but mom keeps catching me and takes them away only after i have dropped them. Then she will give me a treat. :)

I am getting better in my separation anxiety, I now know that mom leaves early in the morning and will come back. Then she takes off again only to return few hrs later. I have stopped chewing and pawing at the doors to which i know dad is very happy about. I guess i just had to learn that even tho mom will go away for a while she will eventully come back

namichan

Hello everyone

This is nami, I wish to thank mika's mom for giving me this space to post my wonderful antics that drive my mom and dad crazy. hehe

For right now i am trying very hard to be a good doggie for my new mom, but i seem to like to get into things taht she ends up takeing away. not sure why. Mom does keep plenty of my chew bones and hoofs around the living rm as well as my chew toys.. ie.. tennis balls, squeeky balls, but i seem to like the things taht i am not supposted to have, to which mom ends up finding outside in our backyard. Even tho i dont have grass in my backyard i have lots of fun running around in the dirt. Tho i think mom will prob have a fit with me when it comes to the raining season.

As mika's mom has said in the past I have "escaped" frm them 3X now and they have been pretty good in keeping the back door that leads to the garage shut pretty tight now. Guess i have them trained now.. hehe..
Will have my mom post more things as they come up.
namichan

Happy Halloween!

I wish every animal friend out there to have a safe and fun Halloween (or as we dogs put it Howl-o-ween). Don't get into that chocolate!

This picture was taken before the scuffle, but it still conveys the message I have: Happy Halloween everyone!


For this Halloween, mommy wants to see how many families she can convince that I'm a fox, not a dog. That'll be my costume: fox. (I'm a little too chubby to fit into the costume above, but I do have a jester bell collar, that mommy might put on me later. Surprisingly enough, I don't care when they put that stuff on me.)

Update on Mika

I think there should be an update for Mika, for people who read the post about the scuffle a month or so back.

Mika is doing much better. If you don't believe me, you can ask Hana/Nami's mommy how Mika looked when she came over for the meetup. Mika is still heavier (fatter) than he was before the fight, but we're working on getting him back into shape. It probably didn't help that he wasn't allowed outside for long periods of time when he was still healing, and he couldn't run.

From the previous posts (Doggy overboard and meetup posts), I'm not sure if you can tell, but he does look a lot better.

To even prove it, he has decided to let me take a picture of him in a box. It was even funnier when he was laying in it, but I didn't get any pictures then, I was still running to get the camera.


-Mika's mommy

Update to Good News Bad News Post

Hello, everyone!

I'm just letting everyone know that pictures have been added to the Good News Bad News Post and they are, I guess you can say, graphic. If you don't like looking at sutures, please don't look at the post, I don't want to make anyone sick.

-Mika's mommy

Silly Mommy

So one day, mommy and daddy decided to go to Costco. Mommy was walking around when she found this huuuuuge chrysanthemum flower plant for $15. Daddy hadn't seen it yet, so mommy went back to daddy and asked if he could help her take it down. Mommy had told daddy the price and he was expecting a small flower pot, imagine his surprise when he saw this how big this plant was!


Mommy loves chrysanthemum flowers along with tulips, but since tulip bulbs are poisonous to dogs if we dig it up and chew on it, she can only enjoy that in the front yard after she plants it. For the back yard, she got the chrysanthemum plant for all of us to enjoy. Mommy warned me not to pee on it when she got home.

Currently, the plant is in the back yard with lots of room to grow, she put it in the ground. When she took the plant out of the pot, the roots were all out of room. When she put the chrysanthemum plant in the ground, she also seeded a part of our back yard for California poppies! It's in its own little planter thing that is quarantined from the rest of the yard, so in case they have to do any yard work, they won't be breaking California law on removing/picking California Poppies. I've been trying my best to not pee on the plants, but the chrysanthemum plant is so fun to smell. When it was first in the house, I kept going up to it to sniff the flowers. Maybe mommy will learn how to make her own chrysanthemum tea (one of her favorites next to chamomile tea, she's not much of a caffeine drinker)!

Warm day + Playing fetch = ?

So, I was playing fetch with mommy this afternoon and it was pretty warm. Mommy had sprayed down the ground I was running on (and kept spraying the ground so the water would be cooler), so my paws were cool, but she thought that wasn't enough.. Today was doggy overboard training day (Man... two consecutive days? Daddy did doggy overboard yesterday too at the meetup.). It had been a while since I had been in the pool and I guess mommy wanted to make sure sure sure sure sure that I knew where the stairs were. I couldn't go in the pool for a while because my wounds were still healing and mommy thought she needed to make up for the times she couldn't do the drill.. Anyways, mommy "accidentally" threw the ball into the pool and she helped me get it close to the side of the pool so I could get it... and then she pushed me into the pool! How rude! She also proceeded to laugh as I was paddling about. Truth be told, I was very happy that I was in the pool. I stood on the top step for the longest time (it was just deep enough where my legs and the bottom most part of my chest was in the water, the rest of me was out, so mommy had no worries of me getting tired and drowning. Even if I were to sit, I would still be well out of the water).. It felt so good to have my paws in nice cooooooool water. I think mommy figured out that I was thankful for being pushed into the pool because she said "Ohh.. so you like that, huh?" Anyways, the doggy overboard drill went on a few more times to "make sure I wasn't too hot while the movers were moving stuff and I was stuck in the back yard." One thing is for sure: I did not get heat stroke.

I'm trying to be a ghost!


So.... Uncle is moving back in with us!!!!!!!!!! I can sucker him into letting me stop whenever I want to during walks!

Nami Updates!

So, mommy and Nami's mommy were talking today at the meetup. They want to keep putting updates about Nami here, so hang tight, and you'll be seeing more pictures of Nami with updates on how she is doing and adjusting to her new house. Maybe my mommy can figure out a way to let Nami's mommy make posts here too.

Here are some pictures of Nami in her new home to keep the suspense from getting too high. =P

Nami is being crate trained, and she's taken to it pretty well. She even voluntarily goes in to sleep now.

Here is Nami having fun during playtime!

Shiba Meetup

We had a shiba meetup today and it was really fun! I got to see Nami again, and we did well together: NO fights!!! Yay!! We also met a new friend. His name is Taka and he is a huuuuuge shiba. He's very buff and he is taller and longer and stronger than me. Taka's mommy thinks that I'm a mame shiba. Mame means bean in Japanese, and mame shiba are smaller shiba (Like Hana sized, but then again, I'm just a tad bigger than Hana), and all the times that Taka's mommy has been back to Japan, she says, the normal shiba size there, is Taka's size. I feel so small compared to Taka. Even Nami is bigger than me. =( I think I need to workout more, I need to drop the tennis ball at mommy and daddy's feet more so they can help me run more and build more muscles. Maybe one day I can be as buff and strong as Taka.

USN Birthday and Memory of Mika's daddy's Mom

What a lucky pup. He gets to celebrate the birthday of two military branches: USN (13 October) and USMC (10 November).

Today is the birthday of the United States Navy. Mika's daddy is a sailor, so Mika is a 1/2 Navy family dog, and the other 1/2 is a USMC family dog (Mika's collar is the USMC desert camo collar, his harness will be the USN camo.. Well, he will have the USN camo harness when we get our funds in balance again and I can order his harness from www.cozycritter.com). When we adopted him, we adopted him from a Marine Corps family, so we'll be celebrating the USMC birthday too. (We will always celebrate both birthdays with him. He will forever be part of the family we adopted him from, and they visit every once in a while since Mika's first daddy and Mika's current daddy are friends.) Since Mika's daddy and I had to work, we celebrated when we got home. He got a great meal of kibble, mixed with some chicken and rice baby food (to act like gravy), and some of the Natural Balance sausage-like roll. I don't think he knew what the occasion was, but he got a good meal and I'm pretty sure he loved it because he licked the bowl clean. It's like the bowl just came out of the dish washer, if no one saw me prepare the food in the bowl, I'm pretty sure, they would have fed Mika again because of how clean the bowl was (I think they would have thought that I didn't feed the furball yet).

Happy birthday USN!

Okey dokey, on another note: Happy breast cancer awareness month!

I urge all females to be proactive in keeping your health in check. Mika's daddy's mom passed away this month some years ago from breast cancer, if she hadn't passed, today would be her birthday. May she rest in peace!

Happy breast cancer awareness month, and happy birthday to the USN!

News about Nami

Nami is settling in with Hana's family. Despite a few hiccups (like taking Hana's mom for a tour of her neighborhood off leash, Nami thought it was fun, but Hana's mom nearly had a heart attack during the whole ordeal. I think Nami learned from Mika, when we first got him, he took me on a tour of the neighborhood too.), she's getting used to how things run around the house (and Hana's parents are getting use to her schedule as well). Nami has also grown quite attached to Hana's mom and still does some silly things. I think yesterday she got her paws tangled around a leash or something to that nature and whined for Hana's dad to save her. Hana's parents got quite a laugh from that.

Bad and Good News

Before I start on the blog, I believed I finished replying to the messages that collected here during our hiatus.

I'm not sure if people want the bad news first or the good news, but I'll give the bad news first since the good news first would start to confuse people.

Bad news: Mika and Nami got in a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE fight a couple of Fridays ago. Mika was hurt pretty bad, and Nami got away with a couple of scratches. I'll upload pictures once my internet is fully up (currently using public wifi somewhere right now). For those of you who don't like to see pictures of stitches or hurt animals, I will post a new post saying pictures are up and then you won't have to scroll down to see them. If you don't like reading about that stuff, you might want to skip to the next paragraph. Anyways, Mika was shaved down so he looks like he's wearing a vest, a majority of his legs are shaved (3/4, actually a little less because not all of his front left is shaved), his front right leg was wrapped because there was so much damage (and we didn't find out until we took him to the regular vet, we went to the emergency vet, that he had two drainage points in the wrap), he had about 8 stitches in his back right leg with two drain points, his tail looks like a poodle's tail but with stitches where the fur was shaved off, one of his teeth had been knocked out but the root was retained, and his tongue was split. Oh, and he is wearing a cone (earning the nickname "flashlight dog," taken from jolly Ollie the golden retriever's blog, but Mika being Mika still came to that name... he comes to any name). When Mika was at the emergency vet, he had to stay overnight because his blood pressure was low and he was given super strong sedatives and pain killers to keep him from screaming in pain every time he moved. He is currently on tramadol, anti-biotics, and the vet just added an anti-inflammatory after the first visit.



After the first visit with the vet, Mika had to be sedated because he wouldn't let the vets change his bandage (but I don't blame him because he was hurt pretty bad), we had a talk with the vet and she recommended that we found a new home for Nami to prevent future fights that go this bad from happening. I didn't get to see the wounds under the bandage (and actually won't until tonight), but the vet said that the wounds Nami inflicted on Mika looked like she had an intent to do a lot of harm. Mika's daddy and I talked it over at night. I had initially thought of asking Hana's mom to see if she was ready to take in another shiba, but I was hesitant to ask because it hasn't been a very long time since she lost Hana. Mika's daddy called the lady we rescued Nami from and told her what happened. She gave us the choice to do what we wanted, knowing that we would find a fitting owner and home for Nami and we know Nami best, so we knew what would work and what wouldn't. When I left Mika at the emergency vet overnight, I called a couple of people to tell them what happened, Hana's mom was one of them.

Good news time: I had been talking to Hana's mom frequently since this incident happened, and one day, I asked her if she would be willing to take in Nami. She said she would talk to her husband and lo and behold a few days later, they are at our house and her husband is meeting Nami. Nami was shy at first, but once she got to know him, she took to him like a duck to water. She snuggled up to him, tried to drink his energy drink, tried to sucker him into letting her drink the energy drink, played with him. She totally enjoyed herself with him. On Saturday, Mika's daddy and I brought Nami to her new house and family, and to check it out to make sure it had been "Nami-proofed (she's still a puppy)."

So, now Mika is recovering, Nami is having fun with her new family (that we will see often because we're in the same meetup group), all is good. I'm just sad that it didn't work out with Mika and Nami, but Nami is with a really good friend of ours, who we know will be taking great care of her (she already gets to sleep in the bed with them). So far, it looks like Nami prefers being the only dog in the house. Best of luck to Nami (for not getting into too much trouble, and for getting use to how things work at the new house), and I wish the Hana's family good health and hopes she doesn't terrorize you two too much. =P (Hey, there needs to be some kind of action and excitement!)

Snuggle Bunny Hana has crossed the Rainbow Bridge

I was just informed a few minutes ago, that our beloved Hana, the cream shiba inu who loved to just curl up in your lap and snuggle with you, has passed away. For the past few weeks, she had been fighting a bacterial infection in her liver. Very soon after the infection started, Hana's mom brought Hana to the vet where they gave her medicine. Not having much luck with the medicine, Hana's mom rushed Hana back to the vet where they kept her under observation. Today, Hana's mom was supposed to find out if Hana was able to come back home to her loving family. When Hana's mom visited Hana in the morning, she seemed fine, but still on fluids. In the afternoon, she still seemed fine, but again still on fluids. By this time, the vet had started to suspect that it wasn't just a bacterial infection anymore, and suggested that a biopsy and ultrasound be done to find out what it was. Unfortunately, those two procedures were way more than what many of us can afford in this economy, so the vet suggested that they try prednisone for now. Hana's mom got a call later in the afternoon from the vet saying that Hana's heart was slowing down and they were administering CPR. About ten minutes later, the vet called Hana's mom back and told her that Hana's heart had given out and she had crossed the rainbow bridge.

Let us take some time to remember the beautiful cream shiba that loved to curl up in your lap to nap. The same one who was completely content with snuggling with you instead of chasing after those squirrels. May you rest in peace, Hana. We love you and will truly miss you.