Sushi

sharing bed 2
Originally uploaded by thepaisleyfox

Our foster Mushi (now Sushi) back in August has come back to us for the Christmas holiday while his new family went out of town. Him being here is making me wonder why we ever let him go, this week has just further proven how perfect he and Koji are for each other. I've just got to tell myself there will be other Mushis out there and enjoy his company while we can (as well as volunteer to watch the little guy whenever they want!)

Rescue: Volunteers, Shelters, and the dreaded Armchair!

A friend and fellow rescuer recently brought up a few rather good points about rescue. First off is her article about how you can help and actually make a difference in rescue, as well as what is generally not recommended and regarded as the opposite of help.

Second, anyone actively in rescue, volunteers at a shelter, does it individually or is interested in it is encouraged to go to this most recent post and post your insight or opinions on the matter! Even questions you'd like answered is highly welcomed. You can post on Jenna's blog, comment on here, or find one of us on Facebook. We'll be sure to get the information where it's needed.

It's Official!

The Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas is now officially a 501(c)3 non-profit organization! Wahoo!

Consistency

You don't really realize how important the routine is to your dog until it gets completely tossed out the window.

Koji's been in boarding before, he's been over at friends' for the weekend, we've had fosters and guests come and go and both Jeff and I have left for a few days while the other stays at home with the dog. Apparently this last time completely threw our dog off his mojo.

I was invited to join my mom out at DisneyWorld for 4 fun filled days, and of course I jumped at the chance. Jeff had to stay home, on account of him student teaching, so nothing else out of the ordinary would have to happen except dropping me off and picking me up from the airport.

I guess with me being gone, his whole world flipped upside down this time. As reported by my husband, he'd race out of the bedroom in the mornings to look for me at the front door or living room, then sulk back off to bed when I wasn't there. And when I did get home, not only did I get the lovely parting gift of food poisoning, but I had to go right back into work for the next four days. My dog turned into a shaking, unsure, almost neurotic mess. Every time it looked as though we were going to leave, he'd get up, hide behind the chair in the living room, and shake. If i was home, he'd shake. If the ice maker was dispensing ice, if the rice cooker was making noise, if someone walked up the stairs on the other side of the living room wall, he'd shake. Of course I couldn't coddle him, pet him, or tell him things were gong to be okay. He's a dog. He'd think that shaking would keep me here and give him lovin's.

So we went about our normal routine, continuing to feed, walk and play with him as normal, and as he was getting even when I was gone. After about a week back into the normal swing of things with everyone home, he's finally starting to settle down, his leg will barely tremor and he's back on track to being the dog that "doesn't give a f**k". I suppose some good that has come out of it was the tactic I used on my days off to distract him from his neuroses of training. I was able to get his nails dremmeled with less panic and we're on our way to a new trick (though so far only if I have treats. Of course.) Also, he is continuing to be my velcro dog and has to be in the same room as me more than ever. I must admit I do enjoy the attention, but only if he continues to be confident. I don't need him to be a broken mess every time I have to step out to do something.

The Downside to Rescue

A good friend of mine and a fellow SIRTx rescuer wrote a guest blog about her experiences with three not so happy endings in our rescue (one of which y'all might recognize) and I highly encourage everyone to read. Sometimes rescue is more than happy stories and mild headaches with training and socializing new dogs. It really does take a certain type of person to deal with all of the ups and downs of rescue, but luckily we've experienced more ups than downs, and it's the ups that keep us going.

Inu Baka

Besides the obvious restrictions of our apartment complex, I feel the same way and confusion of why I haven't just been jumping in to volunteer more readily. My home is always open to those in need, people and animals alike, but I've felt off, and Sentaro wasn't ever my foster, though the poor guy did spend hours in my car. Perhaps whats getting to me is that I've never had to make the decision or be there to put down any of my own animals before, my mom taking our cat herself, my rat dying of natural (tumor) causes, and my husband's dog being taken care of by his parents. I still didn't have to make the decision, it was made for me, I just had to be there with him. Sentaro wasn't my dog, or as I mentioned even my foster, but I felt for him, I loved for him and I cried for him, even for the short time I knew him. I don't believe I'm burnt out from rescue, as I haven't done it for long enough, but I do know I will be aprehensive about the slightest signs of Parvo from now on.

Sad news

Zip and Zap are recovering well and were able to go home to finish fighting off this illness. Unfortunately, Sentaro was getting septic and since the Parvo was proving to be too much for him, we at the rescue felt it to be the most humane to let him go this morning.

We didn't get a chance to really know you yet, but you will be sorely missed and you were greatly loved, little buddy.

Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas

Zip, Zap and Sentaro vs Parvo

Wednesday and Thursday this past week, our rescue picked up these three brothers from Garland, TX. The two creams were at the shelter, positive for mange, and the B&T was found by a resident. They're all, unfortunately, the product of terribly irresponsible breeders, who decided to not take care of them and dump these 7-9 month old pups in the middle of nowhere. Besides mange, these puppies have hookworm, roundworm, scabs, and just recently, Parvo.

Parvovirus, for those that aren't familiar, is a particularly nasty disease that has an 80% fatality rate and causes gastrointestinal tract damage as well as a few other things. In laymans terms, these poor dogs get the worst intestine destroying flu, to say the least. All three of them right now are fighting for their lives at two different vets, and we, the Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas, need your help.

Our rescue has gotten by in the past with privately donated funds, but these guys need a fighting chance and unfortunately, our pockets are not endless. Even you can only spare $5, it would mean the world to us and to these puppies. Our PayPal email is texasshibarescue@aol.com and every little bit helps.

If you decide not to donate, that is also okay. Please only support responsible breeders and keep your animals up to date on all of their vaccinations.

(Next up are those pictures and cookie recipes I promised. Stay tuned!)

ALMOST there

The Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas has been Incorporated by the State of Texas and just last night, Nicole and I finished up the paperwork to file for our 501(c)3 (nonprofit) after working on it off and on for the past few months. We just need the heads of the rescue to sign, write a check, and mail it to the Feds to get approved.

Goodness, it was a lot of work and full of legal jargon. I don't think we would have come close to have comprehended it and finshed so fast without the help of Paula from the Tri State Shiba Inu Rescue. You are awesome, Paula.

Next step is to curb Koji's allergies that recently started up and to make another tin of cookies this weekend for a Shiba in need. I'll be sure to get pictures and recipes up, as well as more info about Keido. Feel better, buddy.

Mm cookies

Tar0 finally got the treats in the mail a few days ago, and looks like they all arrived in one piece! More or less. ;)

For those who want to make some of these treats at home, I will post recipes as soon as the apartment has been thoroughly de-furred. Aah, coat blowing time.

Stay tuned!

Koji Cookies

FINALLY got some of these recipes to listen. I'll be a baking machine for the next few days to get all of these done for my winners (and I apologize for the delay!) I promise they'll be worth it.

Pictured left is a grain-free peanut butter and carob cookie that literally makes Koji drool.

Winner Announced!

Time's up! 

Random.org has chosen comment #6. Congrats, Carina!

Also, Random.org chose comment #7 for a runner up prize of a tin full of Koji Cookies! Congrats, Taro!

Shoot me an email at thepaisleyfox [at] gmail.com and let me know about your pups' food concerns, if any.

Happy Gotcha Day, Koji

One year ago today, we drove nearly four hours away to pick up this little guy at the parking lot of the Round Rock Ikea from someone who took him in after his owners felt they no longer had the time for him. We had been looking for a dog for some time, had emailed the rescue with our information, and at Quakecon 2009, had gotten an email back from, who are now our "Shiba Friends" that he was available and needed a home soon. So after four sleepless gaming nights, we hopped in the car the Monday after and snatched up this bundle of pure crazy. Against better judgement, we decided to leave him uncrated in the car for the first 20 minutes, and he decided it was going to be a good idea to attempt to drive on the freeway, paws on the wheel and everything. He was crated as soon as we pulled over. I loved that we got to see pictures of him being the absolutely adorable puppy that he was, yet didn't have to deal with that level of obnoxiousness.

Koji has taught us so many things over the last year, including why he's the best dog in the world, and why we still really want to wring his little neck sometimes. He's kept us honest and has also given us excuses to duck out early. I love the way his feet smell like Fritos, a corn chip I absolutely hate, how he screams for sweet potatoes, and the way he smiles and wags his swishy tail when we come home, whether we were gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours. I love that he talks to us, annoys us till we play, and that he wants to be everyone's best friend, even to the point of making other dogs annoyed with his persistant rudeness. He makes us burst out laughing every single day and we miss him dearly if we don't come home to his anxious face.

I love this dog. He was definitely the best decision we've made so far.

To celebrate, Koji, Jeff and I would like to give away another Field Point Shiba key cover, as well as a tin full of custom Koji Cookies, tailored to fit your pup's tastes and needs. Just leave a comment telling me about your first dog, your first Shiba, or the day you picked up your current dog. A winner for the double prize will be announced 1 week from today, (8/24).

Life is hard for a bubs.

*hearts*

So my family came and went and Koji did FANTASTICALLY well. I am so proud of my bubs. <3 It was also a huge change of pace to be around my family again, and people who understand dogs. The girls, not knowing too much about what teasing a dog with toys looked like, had Goose and Koji jump a few times, but instead of blaming the dogs my sister or her husband would explain to them why they did that and how to not tease them next time. Even when Koji thought my 11 month old niece was rocking in a play bow, ran up to her, butt in the air, and barked in her face, everyone laughed and picked Natalie up, who had quite the shock (and would start to fake cry the next few times Koji would walk by) and everything was fine, no harm no foul. SUCH a relief that they knew that dogs were dogs, they won't change who they are and its up to us to act accordingly around them. Koji was so facinated with the girls, too, having so many new interesting smells. He followed me and the youngest around while we were walking together, it's like he couldn't get enough of this tiny walking person, and the oldest (6 years) loved to come over to give him belly rubs and pat him on the head, which I know he loved. For someone who was so afraid of little ones when we got him almost a year ago, he seemed right at home and went right up to all of them to meet them when they first came over. The middle child, Lindsey, is almost 4, and while she was sort of okay around Koji, I think she felt he was a little too high energy for her and kept thinking he was going to steal her food whenever he looked at her, so she seemed to prefer my in-laws' dog, Goose, also probably because that mini schnauzer could really fetch, and that's all she really wanted to do.

The only problem now is that I miss my family terribly as they've all gone back to California.

Family!

Not much has happened on our end of things recently. Mostly we've been trying to keep cool during the day and shake out all the crazies at night. The fourth came and went with much celebration from Koji, Dug, and Goose chasing each other around the in-laws' backyard, but the exciting thing is my family is coming out to visit today, and this is the first time my sister, her husband and my three nieces will meet my fuzzbutt! I'm excited and nervous and all around giddy. The girls are 6, almost 4, and almost 1, and Koji has been getting better around children, willingly going up for pets and kisses. I know things will turn out fine, especially since the girls have been taught manners around dogs, but the excitement is building, and thankfully Koji isn't catching on, being zonked out in his bed.

Key Fob Giveaway Winners!

I really enjoyed reading about everyone's favorite things about summer! Gave me warm fuzzies and ready to hit the summer activities! And what you've been waiting for, the winners (brought to us by random.org)!

#14 - Peter and Edgar
#6 - Kimberly and Bella

Please email me at thepaisleyfox at gmail dot com to claim your prize!

Adorable keys!

I have a perpetual need for cute. I love stickers, stuffed animals, pillows, keychains and kitchen gadgets, especially if they are cute. You can see my apartment key in the background there is an adorable little owl I picked up from Borders about a year ago (and the key that I hid up the owl has little pink sparkle hearts. Yeah barf, I know, but I love it.) So when I found this Shiba head key cover by Field Point from an awesome online compnay in Osaka, I jumped at it. They also had other dogs, such as Bostons and Corgis and Chihuahuas, but you know that there was only one that mattered to me. ;)

So after several emails, taking time to try and trust my rusty Japanese, and about a month to convert pay and get addresses straight, this little guy finally found itself in my mailbox. I could not be happier, either. It has upped the cuteness factor of my keychain tenfold, and it's slightly relevant, seeing it's on a spare copy of an apartment key to good friends of ours, who we refer to other friends as "the Shiba friends." (BONUS - they, TOO have a cute key!)

Also, I felt like it would be an awful waste of time and resources to only get one, so I got a whole bunch. But seeing that my husband doesn't like things on his keys (or keychains for that matter), and I only needed the one, I decided that I'd share the cuteness and offer them up!

So, right now, I'm giving away TWO (2) of these Field Point Shiba key covers! Keeping in the recent summer spirit, post a comment that tells what is a favorite aspect of summer for you and/or your dog. For example, I think Koji loves summer because that means I share my watermelon with him.

Two winners will be chosen at random 8pm central on Saturday the 19th!

I love my vacuum.

I really really do, and with the time crunch of working on costumes this past month, I figured I'd share one of the things that has kept my sanity, not only for keeping hair off of our fabrics and props, but everything else throughout the year.

I used to have a little Eureka Optima when I had my first apartment. Good enough to pick up the leftover chip and popcorn crumbs and the occasional hair of mine. When we moved, we noticed it didn't really pick up as much as it used to, and finding the replacement filters for it was a pain.

Then came the dog.

I heard stories about the fur, the blowing coat plus the intermittent shedding throughout the year. What I wasn't prepared for at all was having fur around my things 24/7 again. I mean, I had be without pets for a few years, so I had forgotten how it sticks to everything, especially things you don't want it to, such as your blankets or food. Needless to say, my little Optima just wasn't up to the task of making my carpets Koji free in the slightest, but it didn't leave dust in my carpets at least. With my quest for fur-free burber, I broke down, gathered a coupon or two, scoured sales, then hopped on over to my local electroincs store and purchased my monstrosity, the Dyson DC25 ball. They had all three there, the regular yellow, the Stormtrooper-esque Blueprint, and the purple Animal edition. I opted for the Star Wars-y one, since it was the cheaper of the three at the time (as well as the prettiest.) Why not the Animal if I was getting it for the sole purpose of pet hair? Because the only difference was, besides the price point, a scrubby pet hair hose attachment that didn't seem to make a difference, according to reviews. I had also decided to settle on the 25 rather than the 24 since it was a) bigger and b) had almost TWICE as much suction, and my carpet needed all the help it could get.

Needless to say, I don't regret that almost $500 purchase, even if it did take me a bit to pay off. This baby picks up anything I ask it to and more, it's easy to clean, easy to empty, I never have to buy a filter again, and works on several different floor surfaces. Not to mention it looks down right space-agey and cool.

I mean, just look at what it picked up from my supposedly clean carpet (I had vacuumed with the old one just before, and this is only from my small living room.) That's a full canister of hair and dust my other vacuum had left behind.

So in case I didn't make it clear, I love my vacuum. <3

Something exciting on the horizon...!

A secret event should be coming up soon. I'll try to post here when I've got all I need to do it.

Meanwhile, a hike is coming up this weekend and some Texas Shiba pictures (like the one on the left) are currently in "post production." Needless to say, there will be pics a plenty.

In other news, my temporary foster Umi found herself her new home! I wish her many years of happiness, warm beds, and belly scratches with her new family.

Happy Birthday, Koji!

Today is Koji's 2nd birthday, or at least the date we chose for him. Apparently we're not far off, since the only clues we had for his birthday was his old Dogster page, which lists him as a Taurus, and it does say he's 2 now. I just picked 29 since 9 seems to run in my side of the family (I'm 29, Jeff's 29, my sister is 29, my dad was 19, my niece is 19, my mom is 9...we have a lot of 9s.)

Today we will celebrate with an egg all to himself and a baked sweet potato. Maybe a trip to the dog park while we're at it. Because he's just not smelly enough from the last time we went a few days ago.

Happy birthday, pup pup. I'm sorry about the hat.

...okay, I'm not that sorry.

Stylish Sunday

Moving to midnight shift has taken a toll on doggy outings as well as blogging things. Lots of plans, but with an unorganized mind like mine, sometimes it's hard to put fingers to keyboard. So in the meantime, enjoy Professional Koji.

Mmm, scratchies good

OMG it's foster time!

Meet Umi!

She's what I think is a Shiba/Shepherd mix and a temporary foster dog for us until she can go to a foster home that can take care of her a little more long term than we can (especially since technically, she's not allowed in our apartment since we never told the office, shhh!)

Umi was our first pull by ourselves for the rescue and our first temporary foster, which has been a bit of a learning experience. One of the first things Jeff and I realized is that while we definitely want more dogs, and we will miss Umi (and I know Koji will carry on a sad song for a while) but we're looking forward to just having the one dog again. Not saying we won't do this again any time soon, or that we didn't like it, but it's nice to know it's temporary. Fostering is pretty cool like that, I guess, since we're able to experience and help different dogs.

Could also have to do with the fact that this little lady is currently in heat, which means she's bleeding randomly in the apartment. Luckily, she's sticking to the floor under the dining room table (as pictured) and Nature's Miracle takes care of any spots in the carpet right quick, but we're looking forward to not having to clean up after her so much. Also, she's a licker, though I'm proud to report she's starting to pick up the word 'stop' and usually moves on her merry way, which is letting me appreciate her more with dry appendages. She also rudely woke me up yesterday from a nap by licking my forehead, which I was not very happy about. Umi just happens to be a much needier and dog-like dog than Koji, which makes me realize how much I like the non-dog-like dogs. Jeff and I will never not have a primitive breed.

But she's sweet in her own way, and I know she will make some family extremely happy, but she's just not the girl for us, which is just fine. We'll give her love and encourragement for as long as she's here.

Some videos!
Koji and Umi
Trying to get Umi to play
Umi Plays!

Tired Tuesday

More snow!

Snow Day!

And it's still snowing outside! Koji took a liking to it much better this time around since there was no brutal wind to go along with it.

I wish I could have stayed home and taken him out on his 20' leash and have him run around all day. It seriously looks more like the Rockies than Dallas right now, and I'm loving it, even from the 6th floor of my office building.

Life at Chez Dill

or: Why nothing has happened lately.

Us here at the Dill residence are a bunch of wimps. I grew up in LA where the cold part of the year was watching fireworks off the harbor during 4th of July with that frigid 50 degree breeze blowing off the Pacific. Koji grew up the better part of his life before in San Antonio, where hot and humid is the norm (though not nearly as bad as Houston.) and while fluffier than last August, he still has a rather not fluffy coat when compared to his Shiba pals. Jeff can handle it pretty okay, but he and Koji aren't gone on many long walks in the frigid and damp outdoors lately.

We're in Dallas. I don't think we'd be able to brave anything much further north of us. Especially since the use of our heater last month hiked our electric bill an extra $100!! Ouch...

We braved a dog park over the weekend and met a very nice lady with the sweetest Basenji (which Jeff called the 'corgi inu' since the little African dogs look like a mashup of our favorites.) Jeff sounded like he'd consider one, though I was surprised by how short the little girl's fur was, though thinking on it, it's not like they exactly need to brave harsh winters down on the savannah. But even with the highlight of a Koji sized and attitude matched play mate, we didn't last much more than an hour at best. At least the road directly to the park is finally open, making it actually convenient to go to the nearby complex now.

I wished I had brought my camera with me, but hopefully we'll see her again. When I finally sort through a few of those photos I took at another dog park a few weeks ago with my new Nikon D5000, I'll put them up. Thinking of picking up a book about it at the store, though. Kind of a big deal, seeing I'm not a manual kind of gal, but seeing I have NO IDEA what I'm doing, it might be a first step into something good...

House Guest

Look at that happy smile!

Haku, a foster for the Texas Shiba Rescue, came to stay with us yesterday while Nicole and Ian were out. This little guy is a little needy as far as attention goes, so the long hours they were out would have been too much for him, so he got to hang out with Jeff, Koji and me.

And what a sweetheart, though his little doggie farts were something less than desirable. But even with that big ol cone head and a recent neuter, Haku tumbled a bit with Koji (with supervision, of course) and they shared toys and bullies and us very well. He falls right asleep in someone's lap and was just a joy to have around. Also made us realize how far we've come with Koji and how much we appreciate what he does. He may not know a bunch of tricks or commands, but the basics he has down like nobody's business, and that was something that Haku will still need to work on, though he looked like he was starting to get it but just didn't care enough. I know the cone is a big obstacle, so I'm sure he'll learn faster once that bad boy is finally off.

Hopefully his forever family is found soon. He'll be a great pet and I hope we'll be able to see him again after he's home.

Koji and Haku Play
Round 2!

Take your cold back, Canada!

Koji is having fun testing us recently since he's been getting a little stir crazy. We haven't been able to take our extra long walks around the neighborhood or take a trip to the dog park because it's been riddiculously cold with wind, which has left no one happy on the necessary walks. We're supposed to get back into the 50s by the middle of next week, which will feel like a tropical vacation compared to the teens we've been experiencing.

Don't worry, fuzzbutt. We'll take a trip to the park on Wednesday so you can get all your crazies out. <3

Yessss, they're over!

Koji experienced his first snow over Christmas and wasn't so sure about it while it was actively falling. He was better the next few days when the sun was out but the snow stayed behind so he could explore without getting that chilly wind and snow all in his face and through his not so fluffy coat.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season, I for one am glad they are all over. With work, deadlines for gifts, budgets and babysitting both my dog and the family I am a bit exhausted and ready to start the new year off with a fresh start on many things, including job searches, costumes, better weight training habits, and a new camera by the end of the month.

Cheers!