HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEE!!

it's my paw-ty and i'll scream if i want to!

HI EVERYBODY!! I'VE MISS YOU GUYS. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT GOING ON AND MY HUMAN HAS BEEN TOO BUSY TO UPDATE THIS BLOG WITH THE EXCITING THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN MY LIFE. WE'RE REALLY HAPPY AND LOVING LIFE RIGHT NOW. AND BOY DOES TIME FLY WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN. :)


I'D LIKE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I WILL BE HAVING MY FIRST BIRTHDAY PAW-TY IN BROOKLYN, NY AT THE HILLSIDE DOG PARK (http://www.yelp.com/biz/hillside-dog-park-brooklyn). IF YOU'RE IN THE AREA THAT DAY, PLEASE COME CELEBRATE WITH ME!

WHY: YAYYY! I MADE IT. I'M A ONE YEAR OLD NOW!
WHEN: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH AT 3pm
WHERE: HILLSIDE DOG PARK, Columbia Heights & Vine St - Brooklyn Heights

hungry..?

My shiba puppy is now about 9 months old. For months now, I have been feeding her twice a day. About 3/4 of a cup of dry kibble that is moistened with pure salmon oil. She now weighs about 26lbs. I'm wondering if I'm feeding her too much or too often?? Do you have any suggestions for me? (she is currently on Wellness 'Just for Puppy' dry kibble... I plan on switching her to California Natural as she gets older, perhaps after she's a year old)

How much are you feeding your shiba?

oh no they didn't...

so i was walking with the human the other day and we were stopped by people and they asked my human if i was the same type of dog as the one in that Disney movie "BOLT"..?

do i look like 'Bolt' to you?

i don't think so. Happy Mothers Day Mom! =D

spring cleaning and some rearranging

SO... IT'S SPRING. AND THE HUMANS HAVE STARTED TO DO SOME SPRING CLEANING AND THEY'VE ALSO DECIDED TO DO SOME REARRANGING.. ON ME!!

TO MY DISAPPROVAL, THE HUMANS WENT AHEAD AND SCHEDULED "THE APPOINTMENT" WITH THE VET. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP CAUSE THEY STOPPED FEEDING ME THE NIGHT BEFORE. I THOUGHT THEY WERE PUNISHING ME FOR THAT EPISODE THAT I HAD AT THE PARK A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE WHEN I TRIED TO RUN AWAY AND GOT CAUGHT BY THAT GUY. SIMPLY PUT, I GOT SPAYED FOR NO GOOD REASON AND I STILL HAVE MY STITCHES IN TO PROVE IT!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

well.. it wasn't great the first few days but i got through it. i have to deal with a stupid cone over my head and these itchy stitches on my tummy. and to make it worse, my human took all these pictures so we can re-live it forever.. UGH!

can't wait to get these stitches removed so i can stop wearing the cone. you should see me drinking water... it spills EVERYWHERE cause i can't get my cone head in the right position to not tip the bowl over.

here are some of the other sad pictures my human took while i was trying to recover..

this why i try to run away when i'm at the park.. to prevent these kinds of things from happening.

wild & freeeee - part two

since i'm getting "fixed" on monday, my human decided it would be nice to let me run wild again for the last time before i am confined at home to keep the stitches intact.

i went to the park.... and instead of running around with the other dogs and playing like i was suppose to... i decided to bolt and weave through the front gate of the park to run into on coming traffic. eeek! i'm in a lot of trouble with my human.

my human spanked me really hard on my bum and yelled "whydidyounotcomewhenicalledyou!damndog!!whatthehellisyourproblem?!!doyouwanttoDIE?!!

they brought a camera to capture some priceless moments while i was running around at the park but since i decided to bolt soon after we arrived, they did not get to take any pictures. so we're not posting any pics here today. mabye next time. maybe.



they should have named me "BOLT" instead of kuma

wild and freeeee!!

TODAY WAS THE FIRST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE THAT I GOT TO RUN IN A PARK FULL OF HUMANS AND DOGS... OFF LEASH!! The-best-day-ever!

AND... I am a Shiba. A Shiba that always runs away when called.

I can't describe it all but there were big dogs... little dogs... all kinds of dogs. The best part was when I decided to run away from my humans and go into this muddy pond so they can't catch me! haHAHAhah... sucka!! Although, my human decided to punish me for rolling around the mud by giving me a bath right after we left the park. I don't like it. I don't care that my white fur is dirty. I think I smell pretty nice.

No pictures of today's adventure but I'm sure my humans will bring a camera next time. ;)



FYI - the park was like a little island surrounded by water and only one entrance/exit. It's called Stoddard's Neck Dog Park in Hingham, MA

oh shiba..

So my humans occasionally bring home this other shiba that's suppose to be part of our "pack". His name is Brady. I have to admit, it's nice having him around cause I have somebody to chase and bite on when I'm bored. He doesn't like it but he doesn't have a choice cause I'm kuma bear!





Here are some additional pictures for your viewing pleasure. I recently got a present from my human friend in Texas. She was nice enough to send me a hoodie that says "love stinks" on the back. THANKS TRIMI :)

I heart my toys.

My human thinks he's quite a handsome boy!

long time no see my friends...

Its KUMA BEAR!! I'm taking over this blog now.. gonna fill u in on my life with humans.


I've been spending my days mostly with my pack leader and following her where ever she goes. I get to go to the pet store a lot and to the park on nice days. I've learned to enjoy car rides and I love to write my name with my wet nose all over the windows. I'm not the stick-my-head-out-the-window type of dog but I like to sit up and look out whenever I can to see what's going on out there.


For those who have been keeping tabs on my training progress.. I've just graduated Basic Obedience school! I now know the following commands: sit, lay down, paw, stay, rollover and I only come when I feel like it. My humans think that there's something wrong with my hearing because when I'm outdoors or around other humans and dogs I can't hear them. BUT... I can hear perfectly when someone says "treaaat!" and I come to them immediately!



Other things in life have been coming along nicely. Especially when the humans say I'm being a good dog! They'll give me some of my favorite treats like these here:

Old Mother Hubbard Puppy Biscuits
Kong Ziggies & Stuff'n treats
Little Bil-Jac Chicken liver treats
Puppy Teething Rings




Well... my humans say I'm not always good. I sometimes pee on the carpet when I want to gain control back from the humans that try to dominate me or tell me what to do. They'll use this stuff A LOT to clean up the pee and sometimes they'll spray this bitter stuff in my mouth when I chew on things that I'm not suppose to:

.. I'm just sayin.. a shiba that's teething needs to chew everything.. right?!..


As if I didn't hate those things enough... the pack leader will use these things to torture me! She says they're suppose to make me well groomed but I prefer to be "au naturale". I like to think that drinking water will make my breath smell nice.. but she insists on brushing them with this gooey stuff. sheeesh..




I get no respect.

Track Dogs

Got to dog sit Porkchop while his owner was out visiting family. This proved to be pretty interesting since Kuma has never really had another dog (besides Brady) to play with outside of the family over to her home. As luck would have it, Porkchop did an awesome job keeping Kuma in her place which is all that we could hope for. You see up to this point Kuma acted like she was queen of castle and she could do whatever she wanted. In fact when she saw other dogs she use to try to 'dominate' them by jumping all over them and barking. This encounter was no different except for one key thing. Porkchop held his ground and fought back.

And just like any other bully, Kuma backed down and slowly began to realize her place. She can't just go crazy and do whatever she wanted without facing any consequences. I felt sorta guilty for letting Porkchop push her around a bit (I was actually cheering him on.. heh heh) but after seeing Kuma calm down a bit and do more 'soft' biting as not to piss off Porkchop, I couldn't be happier!

Here's a video of 80% of what Porkchop and Kuma did while they were here :

Introducing Porkchop

Here are some CRAPPY cell phone pictures of Kuma playing with a new friend, Porkchop the beagle! Yay!

(Special thanks to Christina for letting us have Kuma and Porkchop play. Hopefully in the future, we'll get some decent pictures)

Porkchop moves so fast, even Kuma is impressed

All dogs should be required to be dressed as superdog at least once in their lives

Kuma - "Come and get it if you dare, Porkchop"

Training a bear

Took Kuma to a dog training class not too long ago. It's one of the first steps that I'm taking to making sure that Kuma grows up to be a well adjusted dog as an adult. I've read in alot of different sites online and from people who own various dogs, in addition to trainers, that a dog needs to be socialized as a puppy (with people and other dogs) or he/she is going to have problems with other dogs in the future.

So training her has become a first priority. As it stands now, whenever I take her outside to go eliminate (heh heh) and she runs into another person, dog or God help me, children.. I can never let them play cause I'm afraid she might bite them and cause some sort of bleeding. She bites now but even her hardest bite doesn't draw blood.. yet. But she's young and only getting stronger.

So we took her to this training school and of course the first thing she wants to do is attack everything and everybody.

The dog on the bench jumped up there cause Kuma scared the crap out of her

So the class went really well besides that. She calmed down a bit and impressed the hell out of everybody cause she look so cute and did every trick she was taught. She did sit (she knew that already), come (I was sorta training her to do that at home), look-at-me (you put the treat in your face.. of course she's going to look at you), and lay down (that one is just fun). It's great fun and she was the best one there. Shiba's are really intelligent. So you try that at 3 months old... bitches ..

** ALERT **

She now knows how to lay down! OMG! This is huge!!

Fast Facts

Here are some fast facts about Shiba's that I just read about online (and some comments) -

- The hunting instinct is very strong in this breed of dog (if hunting means leaves, dirt, grass, the wind, my sock, my foot..)

- Its nature is to be an escape artist, and they are very clever (Kuma diggs into our carpet .. not sure where she thinks she's going)

-The Shiba is reserved and aloof towards strangers, and will not be interested in seeking friendship from outsiders (if you feed her, you are no longer a stanger)



-The Shiba sets the terms when it comes to showing affection, it hates to be cuddled unless it is what they want at that particular time (hugging Kuma is like hugging an octopus with fur.. very awkward)


- They are normally quiet dogs and will not bark unless there is something to bark at (I LOVE LOVE this trait)

- The Shiba is a fastidiously clean dog, these dogs never have a "doggy odor" about them

- Many owners believe that they do not own the Shiba, the Shiba owns them (this is a good way to sum up any Shiba)



All in all, Kuma has been a great dog (so far). I know its only been a few weeks since I've brought her home but I can't possibly imagine this apartment without her (even in its messy state). Even when Brady left after only a few days, I have to admit I was glad that Kuma was still here and sleeping contently in her crate/prison. Obviously I can't read her mind but I have a feeling she feels that she's better here with me than with any other famly. Check out this picture and tell me she's not happy with us :

Soooo cute! (Kuma was not drugged for the making of this picture)

When Brady met Kuma

This weekend my friend and his wife dropped off their dog for me to dog sit. It was fun to see how Kuma (about 13 weeks old) gets to interact with Brady (6 - 7 years old.. that's 42 in dog years!) and fellow Shiba Inu.

And it begins... (brace yourself)

(the following times are estimates)

11:00AM - Brady has already made his presence known to Kuma. Kuma is scared shitless and precedes to hide in the back of her crate... Brady couldn't care less.

11:30AM - Kuma decides to become more bold and nip at Brady.. Brady shows his displeasure.. growls and whines ensue.

Kuma - "I just want to be friends! "

12:00PM - Have you ever seen parents force two kids who obviously don't get along to play together at the playground? It was like that for at least 30 minutes. Good times for all.

Brady - "Somebody tell me why you bought this .. this thing?"

12:30PM - Kuma nips and bites Brady. Brady tries to hold it together and not snap Kuma's neck off. Kuma is oblivious to this and continues... she's a puppy for pete's sake.

1:00PM - Brady picks up toy. Kuma attempts to take it. Brady growls. Kuma thinks 'yay, play time'.. Brady finds another toy. Repeat.

1:30PM - Group walk! Brady is outside for 38 seconds and has taken a dump and has peed. Brady wants to go in.

1:35PM - Kuma walks for 45 minutes before going to the bathroom. 42 minutes of this walk is Kuma flipping through the air as she throws herself at Brady trying to bite him. Leashes are a wonderful thing.

2:20PM - We're inside! Kuma pees again. Yelling ensues from the 'Alpha'. Brady seems bored.

2:40PM - Kuma is in her 'prison' in the kitchen. Seems tired. Brady sits outside her prison. Seems like he's taunting her. Kuma is sad.

Brady - "You're so cute. But I hate you so much"

3:30PM - Kuma and Brady sleep.

Puppy Prison. Where bad puppies go.

The rest of the day is random variations of the above events. Sometimes Kuma will eat Brady's food.. or Brady will take Kuma's toys. Its fun to watch. In the end we have them separated because Kuma is just interested in playing and Brady is interested in.. well, anything that isn't Kuma-related.

It's a bit exhausting.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Kuma and Family!!

Now how do I get out of this chair-like prison?

Duck.. Duck.. KUMA!

Here are some one-of-a-kind, never before seen action photos of her approach on a highly trained attack duck underneath the living room table.

First vet visit

Kuma went to the vet today! I had to put her in a crate in fear that she would somehow get away from me while leaving the safety of the confines of the apartment. You never know with these Shiba's... they are a clever and mischievous bunch.

The visit was pretty successful as far as visits to vets go. Kuma met her first Irish Wolfs Hound there. My GOD.. that dog is HUGE. I don't care, any dog with the word 'WOLF' in its name shouldn't be classified as a dog anymore. Actually it was kind of cool.. the Wolf Hound stood outside Kuma's cage while Kuma barked the shit out of it. Kuma did not back down (that's my baby girl). Although I think if the dog inhaled deeply, it would have accidently ingested little Kuma.

Let's dance. That wasn't a request.

All in all she did a good job at the vet. I think everyone there fell in love with her (and with a face like that, who can blame them?)

It moves!

I'm often amazed about how much pee / poop can come out of something so small.. and cute.. and white. Things with potty training are coming along okay considering all the snow I've been getting. Kuma still gets confused where she can 'go' so she pretty much just runs and runs and runs until suddenly the breaks go down and she pretty much let's it loose wherever she happens to be (she's just recently decided that the middle of the road is the best place for her gifts.. much to the amusement of the drivers of the cars that have to stop at these moments)

Anyway, let's try a video! I call it "Kuma vs the Duck vs my Hand". Tune in to find out who wins!

Kuma is a Pats fan

I'm raising Kuma to be a patriots fan. Good way to start.. Pats won 47 -7 against the Cardinals.

I don't think I could handle Kuma being a Jets fan.

Girly Girl

Variations of girly-ness

See it ain't that bad. Cute and white but not girly.. right?







Yep... that is a pink collar. We're pretty close. I like to think that the garbage next to her makes it less feminine.
Oh, we're not done yet..







And we have a winner (not sure what was won) !! But at least it keeps her warm! Right? I'm not sure what she's thinking but it probably isn't good.

Let is snow let it snow let it snow

HUGE ass snow storm last night.. HUGE. We're talking about at least 6 inches of snow. So of course that means Kuma gets to pee in the snow again.. yay! There's something really curious I've noticed about Shiba's. Kuma will only 'eliminate' (I like using the word eliminate to talk about her going to the bathroom.. its like she's an assassin.. of feces) on the ground if she's as FAR away from the warmth of my apartment and where there's dirt she can smell. On snow days, she can't go to far cause the snow drifts are as high as she is (though its cute watching her jump through the snow) and there's no dirt for her to smell and feel happy with.

Its kind of sad cause half the time she's outside, she has this really sad whine.. and she's looking all around to find something familiar so she can eliminate (heh heh) there. Inevitably she just goes anywhere she happens to be, which at first appearance to me seems like she's miserable.. and what do I do? I reward her with treats! Cause damnit, I'm not staying out in the snow (30 minutes at least at a time). For me, she'll figure it out.

Eliminate.. (heh heh)

White Ball of Fury

So today was the first day she discovered snow. Actually its more like she discovered that snow is 1) cold 2) when you eat it, it turns into water and 3) 'no way am I peeing / pooping on that'. Which kinda of sucks when the entire ground is covered in it and you're outside waiting for her to 'do her business'. Let's just say.. business was slooooooow. One of the rare times that I actually thought 'fine, pee inside'. The snow drift was taller than she was. I was afraid that, as she was bounding around looking for a good place to go, she'd disappear into one of the piles. Yeah, good idea to pick a white dog in the white snow.