Kura the Shiba Inu

The Great Escape

2011-11-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Taking advantage of the backyard gate not closed all the way while we had visitors, Nikki and I escaped. Nikki went out to the front of the house and sniffed around, and was lured back to the house quickly. I bolted out to a busy street a quarter miles away in a matter of minutes and almost got hit by a car. It took five people and 2 cars to block and catch me because I was so fast. Needless to say, no one is too happy with me right now.

Loyal Dog

2011-11-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

Loyal Dog In China Refuses To Leave Owner's Grave, Goes Week Without Food

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/22/loyal-dog-refuses-leave_n_1107561.html?ref=mostpopular

Pan lived in the Chinese village of Panjiatun, but died earlier this month at the age of 68. His furry friend was found by villagers at Pan's grave safeguarding the site according to BBC News. The loyal pup refused to leave even after going seven days without food.

Rats end

2011-10-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Before it was a body-less gopher head, this time it is head-less rat's end. Hee, hee. Nothing like a disgusting dead rat to scare the heck out of my owners. Happy early Halloween. Boo!

Mine, All Mine!

2011-09-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Two dogs, one ball. Hmmm...

Grrrr....

Hee, heee...Loser...

going for a swim in the pool

2011-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

I went for a swim in the pool while Nikki sat on the float and watched.

2 minutes of awww!

2011-07-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

a spot of sunshine

2011-07-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

(1) Nikki saw a very bright patch of something on the blanket and went to investigate (2) I went over to help her out (3) Nikki went under the blanket to see what is causing the bright patch. Hmm, she still has a lot to learn.

day at the beach

2011-07-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Had a great day at the beach yesterday frolicking in the surf. I am no longer afraid of getting wet like I did last year. Nikki also no longer mind having her paws dirty with sand. We had a great time.

busy morning

2011-07-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I was very busy this morning. Saw something by the pool pump, in a few second, the rat was a goner. Kura the Mighty Hunter strikes again.

licking the dishes

2011-06-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Although I would NEVER take foods from my owners, even if their plates are one inch away from my face, I love licking their dishes as they load them into the dishwasher. Everytime I hear the dishwasher opened, I run to the machine and start licking. My owners think it is gross and drives them nuts, but, hey, I lick my butt and kill rats. I am also teaching Nikki to lick the dishes, but she does not seem to be into it as much as I am.

tale of an unbroken tail

2011-06-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last evening all of the sudden Nikki yelped really loud while playing. I was so frightened that I ran away. My owner thought she broke her tail accidentally and brought her to the emergency room for dogs. After x-ray and discussions with the vet, we learned that a dog's tail is an extension of the spinal cord, and accidental injuries of the tail may have severe crippling effect. Thankfully Nikki's tail is not broken. Because Nikki's tail does not curl up like a shiba's tail, rather it dangles precariously out, plus she is so tiny and fragile, we have to be very careful with her. Last night Nikki's unbroken but injured tail was dangling down between her legs and she had to be pain killer because she was shaking. Twenty four hours later, she is wagging her tail, although most of the time her tail is still down. The vet said she should be fine by tomorrow, then I can start playing with her again.

Making progress

2011-06-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Nikki and I lounging around on a sheepskin rug and sheepskin pillow. Ahhh.....life is good. We still get into fights 3 to 4 times a day, either I annoy Nikki or she annoys me. I bark and growl at her, she cowards and pees on the rug from my growling. Hee, hee. But in most cases we get along.

Fireplace in May

2011-05-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Although it is end of May, today is overcast, damp and cold outside. So rather than frolicking in the sun, Nikki and I decided to lounge around in front of the fireplace.

peaceful coexistance

2011-05-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

Nikkie calms down a lot after her surgery, or perhaps because of her lampshade. We can now hang out together with minimal adult supervision. By the way, thank you for CC's owners for tips on caring for my seizure. Hopefully no more seizures.

seizure update

2011-05-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, as expected, the vet could not figure out why I was having these episodes after a bunch of x-rays, blood test, fecal test (eeek) and lots of poking and prodding. I did learn that seizures do not always come with convulsions and lost of bladder control (another eeek). So it could still be seizure, but the vet could not tell. Let's hope I am over these catatonic screeching episodes. Thanks for commenting on what my owners should do to help.

Seizures for shibas? Please help!

2011-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

http://forums.webmd.com/3/pet-health-exchange/forum/903/0

This link describes the symptoms I have been having. Three times this past month I stopped in the middle of running, walking, or just getting up from lying down, and started screeching (not the normal shiba howls when greeting owners), like I was in extreme pain. I would get into a catatonic state physically, with head contorted in a weird way, legs straight up, screaming. After 1 or 2 minutes of unbearable screeching, I would get up, walk away as if nothing happened. No limping, or any residual symptoms. My owners rubbed me all over to make sure I did not pull a muscle or broke a bone, but absolutely no reaction. I would wag my tail all happy and run around like the episode was nothing.
Anyone heard of other shibas doing this?
Please ask around. Thank you!!

Nikki and her lamp shade

2011-05-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Nikki came home yesterday with a funny looking lamp shade on her head and she was very groggy and quiet. I was so concerned that I stayed near her the whole time as she slept through most of the day with the lamp shade on. Everyone told me I had the same lamp shade on when I was six month old also, but I wiggled out of mine in less than an hour after I came home and refused to let anyone put it back on me. A stubborn shiba, never!

how to be a nosy neighbor

2011-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am teaching Nikki how to be a nosy neighbor by climbing on the sofa and looking out the window so we can bark randomly at whoever walked by the house. She is good at climbing but not so good at spotting the neighbors and any other random birds and squirrels.

2011-03-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Don't we look proper and regal here. Actually, breakfast and dinners are chaotic. I would go near Nikki so that she would wag her tail at me, brushing all her pellets from her chair onto the floor. I then gobble them up because I love Nikki's puppy food better than my dry, weight loss pellets. Unfortunately, since Nikkie joined the family, I gained 2 pounds, and now fast approaching 20 pounds. It's all Nikki's fault ;-)

sending positive thoughts to all the shibas in Japan

2011-03-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Thinking about all the shibas and their owners, especially the followers of this blog. Wishing you the best in this difficult time. Lots of hugs and kisses from Kura (and the fluff ball Nikki).

How to be a Shiba

2011-03-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

I'm currently teaching this little fluffball how to act like a shiba inu. This is for all you dogs out there who want to be like us majestic shibas.
Lesson #1: Be as lazy as possible. Always take up as much space as you can, preferably near your owners. When they get up, move over to their warm spot.
Lesson #2: Be a hunter! Always be on the lookout for birds, rats, or squirrels.
Lesson #3: Be very protective and loyal. Bark at anything that might threaten your owners (like cars passing by and squirrels.)

Nikki mastered the first lesson, but failed the next two. She loves sleeping, and falls asleep on our owners laps. But she's not so much a hunter. She likes to eat pebbles, twigs, and nibble on pine cones. She is the opposite of protective. When the dog next door barks, she runs away as fast as she can, and hides behind her owners.
As a teacher, I have a lot of work to do!

P.S. Do you like our new background?

spray bottle

2011-02-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

Puppies can be a bit annoying sometimes. Nikki now is bigger and bolder. She tries to run with me and hangs out with me, but then she pounces on me and sinks her sharp teeth in me, which I really do not like. My owners use spray bottles to squirt water at her to train her to not jump on me. Nikki is good, just needs to calm down and acts majestic and regal, like a shiba inu does.

Family portrait

2011-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Nikki can be annoying sometimes, especially when I am lying down and she comes and sniff all over my face, but she is cute and I will do my best to be her big sister. Nikki and I have a lot in common. We both run around and like to chase our tails when we are being playful. We like eating each others foods and sniffing each others' butts. We love attention from our owners while I lean against them and Nikki sits on their laps. But Nikki is a bit more crazier than me because she is still a puppy. She is almost done with her potty training because I set a good example.

Shiba the Protector

2011-02-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

As Nikki, the 3-pounder we just got, went outside to do her business, all these crows started decending around her. There must have been around 15 of them, cawing and circling above her. It was freaky as more and more landed on the tree near her. My owner locked me in the house so Nikki could focus on doing her business. Unfortunately I could not get to those vultures right away. The minute they let me out, I barked like crazy chased all those birds away. Nikki almost became crow food. Good thing I am around to protect her.

new pack member

2011-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

With Hoppy gone, everyone decided that we need to add a new member to our pack. Yesterday, a new member arrived, a 3-pounder fuzzy thing that called itself a "dog" joined our pack. It is a maltese/poodle (maltipoo). It is kind of like Hoppy, quiet, cuddly, and tiny. It is so small that it cannot even climb into my bed, which is good because I like my space to myself. Welcome, Nikki!

Look! I'm a cat!

2011-01-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

This is a video of me pouncing on a ball like a cat! http://m.youtube.com/index?client=mv-google&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=TBsS5ZPpztE

shiba and her iRoomba

2011-01-02T16:15:00.001-08:00

We have a new addition to our family, a iRoomba who goes around sucking up all my fur. My owners love it. I did not like it at first and was kind of afraid of it, but now I dont care much for it and just ignore it when it zooms by.

RIP Hoppy

2010-12-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hoppy came home from the vet and was not moving. I tried to wake her up but it did not work. I even tried bringing her my bone but that did not do the trick either. Everyone was crying. Later my owners put Hoppy in a box and put her in a big hole in the backyard. When they started putting dirt on top of the box, I started frantically dig the dirt out. They put a big stone on top to stop me from digging. That was two days ago. Things are so quiet without Hoppy, my best friend since I was a little pup :-(

getting ready for Christmas

2010-11-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

I can't wait. I am wishing for a giant bone for Christmas, hee-hee.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving crabs. yum!! Smelled great but I did not get to have any. The turkey smelled divine in the oven, but I got my usual doggie pellets and dental treats. Happy Thanksgiving to all the shibas out there.

Dogs are smarter than cats

2010-11-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

It's official. Scientists measured the brain size of 500 mammals, and found that...Yes! Dogs are indeed smarter than cats because animals that are more social are better than doing complicated tasks. Hee, hee. Now it is official. check out http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/8151924/Dogs-are-smarter-than-cats.html

I am such a good shiba

2010-09-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

My owner was eating and I jumped onto the chair next to him, curled up quietly beside him without even attempting to sniff or beg for food. I understand a lot of dogs would try to jump on the table or beg for food. Not me! I just wanted to be near people. What a great shiba I am, hee, hee.

Two more trophies

2010-08-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Busy morning today. Caught 2 rats, but one got away. Hmm, last time I was able to get 4 in a row. Losing my touch a bit. Will do better next time (wink!) Of course, more of the darn teeth brushing again from my owners. They would not even let me take a few bites out of them, like last time with the body-less gopher, hee hee.

toe chewing dog

2010-08-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

there is this terrier named Kiko who smelled an infection in his owner's toe, and chewed off the toe to prevent infection to spread while his owner was passed out from diabetes. Yes, he ate his owner's toe. http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/03/48-7400-dog-chews-off-owners-toe-and-may-have-saved-his-life.
Well, i do not go around chewing off my owners' toes (because that is just gross), but whenever one of them is sick or sad, I can sense it, and I usually go lie right by them or right outside their doors.

my favorite toys

2010-07-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

I carry these toys around with me all the time, and sleep with them. The little nylabone dinasaure's head is all chewed up, but I still like it. It's my favorite.

what's worse than a shiba bringing you a dead gopher?

2010-07-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hint: It is the size of a tennis ball.
Answer: A gopher head, with the body no where to be found.
Picture: No way. Owners are too grossed out to take picture.

Consequences: Lots of teeth brushing. No one comes near me. Wonder why.

skunked!!

2010-06-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's me getting a vinegar and baking soda bath at 4 in the morning. I was out and about in the backyard hunting early this morning like I always do. Next thing I knew I was sprayed by a skunk. Rather than patiently waited for my owners to wake up and help me, I yelped and ran around the house, smearing the skunk stuff all over the carpet, furnitures, and bedsheets. So far they had washed me about 8 or 9 times, and I still got a funny smell. I yelped and cried the whole time. Many hours later, the house is de-skunked, but I am still not. Whimper...

who says I need to be brushed

2010-06-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

I don't look clumpy, do I?

kura the mighty hunter strikes again

2010-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I caught this gigantic gopher. So I spent the entire night trying to wake each one of my owners up by harrassing them all night with whinning, pawing, and making alot of noises. One of them finally got up early this morning and found my trophy. Of couse I am exhausted all day today for being up all night last night.

red fox howl

2010-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many times people on the street tells me that I look like a fox. Here is a video of a red fox. I sound nothing like it (make sure you have the sound on when you view the video). Shiba howls are much more elegant, I think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk1mAd77Hr4&feature=player_embedded

2010-05-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

It is towards end of May, but this global warming/cooling stuff is confusing me. In northern California, it should be nice and warm by now, but we still got rain and chilly weather (well, for california). I cannot decide if I should finish shedding and grow my summer coat or not. So I am still sporting my shedding shiba look.

Hey, get your own food!

2010-05-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

getting a good view

2010-04-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

I love sitting on the headrest of the sofa, with my butt hanging off, looking out of the window all day long.

my new toy

2010-04-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am really into playing with my basketball nowadays. One day I managed to bite a hole in this basketball. Since then, I have been playing with this slightly deflated ball, pouncing on it like a cat, and growling at it.

Why Shibas are Special

2010-04-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yup. Too lazy to get out of bed, but i'm that desperate to eat. I'm a Shiba-version of Garfield! You may also notice tufts of my fur sticking out, as i talked about in my last post.

Molting!

2010-04-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

My owners took another ridiculous picture of me.

My owners have given up on grooming me, (thanks for all the tricks you guys posted on my last shedding-related post!) And more tips?

And that furminator- I took care of that! (The furminator is a dog brush)

Shiba Chair

2010-04-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

Instead of holding my head up high, i am holding my butt high. Go figure :)

New Pillow!

2010-04-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

My owners took this picture of me at night.

I was using my owner's old stuffed bear as a pillow. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T15:23:00.001-07:00

Have a great easter everyone!

The Majestic Shiba

2010-04-01T20:39:00.001-07:00

lovely.

Cool Shiba Blog

2010-03-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

My owners found this blog for four Shiba friends, who post comics with their posts. Read their blog at http://shibal-inu.blogspot.com/! One of my favorite comics is shown here.

(If the picture is too small, read it larger here: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/4464096790_404e124fdd_o.jpg)

Hey! Im orange too! Oh wait, im colorblind.

So go ahead and visit http://shibal-inu.blogspot.com/ for Shiba comics! They made me laugh. Or as you humans call it, "Lol"

Singing Shibas!

2010-03-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnXQDMDobHc

My owners found this video of a Shiba Inu singing. I wish i could sing, but our family doesn't do a lot of music. I guess that i should leave my screaming to barking at the dog next door!

Toe Food Vs. Tofu!

2010-03-24T18:02:00.001-07:00

My owners made a new video of me chewing my toes. You can watch it at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDvoDR9hRgc

Toes taste pretty good, so all you shibas, (and shiba lovers!) should try it out sometimes!

"Toe Food" for my birthday

2010-03-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to me! I turned 7 today.

Thought I would share my favorite breakfast food. Yummy. Hope I get a special dog bone for dinner tonight.

papr - paparazzi

2010-03-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hoppy's glamour shots

Busy!

2010-03-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

My owners have been neglecting me because they say they're "busy". Like they have more important things to do, rather than sitting around and petting me, all day!

Ive been sleeping more, and wake up in the morning to say "hi" to my owners, then go back to bed. I spend most of my dads sleeping.

My owners also found that Hoppy's favorite food is cabbage. She ate them up really fast, and my owners never even cooked the cabbage that they bought. They just gave them to Hoppy, every day!

Hoppy the escape artist

2010-02-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

My owners keep finding Hoppy hopping around the house, after she escapes from her indoor winter retreat. She is able to get out of the tiniest gap that the gate has, by becoming long and skinny. Amazing for such a chubby bunny. :-)

Hoppy

2010-02-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

My owners did a photo shoot with Hoppy and me! This is my favorite picture.

blueberry leaves

2010-02-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

Because everyone in the house loves blueberries so much, especially me, my owners decided to buy a bunch of new blueberry plants. While they were digging holes in the garden, I started munching on the baby leaves that were sprouting from these blueberry plants. They were yummy, tasted like blueberries. Except I got caught twice and my owners were not too happy about it. That's me in the background eyeing these plants. Yum.

flossing my teeth

2010-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

My owner and I had lots of fun playing with my doggie teeth flossing toy.

Muddy Face

2010-01-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

Its been raining pretty hard here, and our backyard has been overflowing with mud. Ive had fun playing out there. :-)

addicted to bunny food

2010-01-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

I like having Hoppy in the house for the winter. Whenever she gets a cup of food in the morning, I run over and help her out with her food bowl. What are friends for, right?

frolicking in the rain

2010-01-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was raining cats and dogs (note to self: why do people say that). Anyway, I ran around in the rain and had a great time.

close encounter with crabs

2010-01-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

It is Dungeness Crabs season in California, and my owners got 2 big ones. I was really scare of them when they were wiggling in the sink, and I was shaking all over when I saw them. Even after they were cooked, I was still hesitant. But, after I tasted a piece of meat that "accidentally" fell on the floor, I could not get enough of these yummy crabs.

bunny food thief

2010-01-08T19:38:00.001-08:00

Right before the Christmas vacation, my owners were busy filling up Hoppy's food bowl. There was this huge bucket of bunny pellets just sitting there. Hmm, just looking....On second thought, what the heck, don't mind if I help myself with some.

new favorite thing to do

2010-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

I love running with my owner on his bike. They used to take me jogging, but they are just far too slow for a shiba. Now with the bike, I can run really fast. Here is a video of me at the end of my daily run.

stripes on shibas?

2010-01-02T20:43:00.001-08:00

My owners are wondering why I got these stripes on me, especially visible with my winter coat. Their previous shiba did not have them. They think I am part feline with these stripes. Huh?

Faith the 2 legged dog

2009-12-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

This dog was born without her front legs, so she learned to walk on her two hind legs like a human. Amazing.

new nest

2009-12-11T22:24:00.001-08:00

it is getting cold outside, so last night I decided to make myself a nice warm nest to sleep...in the laundry basket. I dugged all the linens out, and settled myself in comfortably. It was so warm and cozy until someone woke me up with the camera flash.

cutest kitty video

2009-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Even though I am a dog, I do have a soft spot for cute little kitten. check out this video

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/27/the-cutest-video-of-all-t_n_372535.html

eewww!

2009-11-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

another kill, from yours truly.

a lazy Sunday with Hoppy

2009-11-22T15:27:00.001-08:00

Hoppy moved indoor for the winter, so I get to spend more time with her.

who you are calling an air head?

2009-11-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

Every morning I go to each of my owners' rooms and jump on the bed to wake them up. This morning I went to one of their bedroom, walked right past her who was right by the door without seeing her, went to check out her bed to look for her, then realized that she was already up. I quickly howled and tried to greet her. She called me an air head. Humph! Just because I did not see her and thought she was in bed still. It was early in the morning afterall.

alpha and omega dogs

2009-11-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

I know who the alpha dog is in my pack. Everyday she gives me food and I wait till she starts eating before I eat. Today she accidentally left a plate of chicken on the coffee table, and I just sat there and did not touch it. But when my alpha dog accidentally left a cup of Hoppy's pellets on the floor, I quickly helped myself with it. Afterall, I see Hoppy as the Omega dog, so her food is free for all, hee hee.

persimmons

2009-11-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

The persimmon tree in the backyard yielded over 100 fruits this year. They are really sweet. Hoppy, my rabbit buddy loves it, but I just can't get into it. I am a blueberry eating shiba.

the rat hunt continues

2009-11-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

Must be the warm weather we have been having. My owners put out some gopher traps at the entrance to some holes in the backyard. We got a rat instead. I got so excited I tried to get it, but of course my owner kept the fun all to himself again. Now I circle the gopher traps all the time, and he had to put some buckets over the traps to prevent me from trying to get the traps. No picture of the dead rat this time. Apparently it was too gross. May be next time.

shiba yarn

2009-10-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.vipfibers.com/collect-store-fiber.htm#collect

This place can spin dog's fur into yarn to make hats and stuffs. My owners had collected a huge bag from the shiba they had before me. And now they are thinking about collecting fur from me. I shed big time after each bath, with bags of fur. Has any you shiba out there ever had your fur made into a sweater or hat or scarf?

the "shiba lean"

2009-10-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Whenever I am scared or I want to cuddle, I sit up properly on the couch with someone, then I start leaning towards the person until my weight is completely on the person. My owners get a good laugh out of that because apparently my predecesor used to do that a lot, and my own shiba mom did that to my owners when they went to pick me up at my breeder. The other day during that big rain storm, the wind was so strong that the whole house was shaking, and I was doing some serious leaning. I did not want to show that I was scared, so I sat up properly, but I did some heavy duty leaning there.

it was a dark and stormy night

2009-10-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Boy, oh boy. Did it rain last night. Supposely leftover of a typhoon from Japan that came across the Pacific and hit our area really hard. Things were blown around all over the yard, tree branches broken all over the place. Today is 60 miles an hour wind and a lot more rain. I got so wet going to the backyard to do my "business" that I ran right back in the minute I am done. My pretty fur is all matted down from the rain storm. And now the roof is leaking right near my food bowl. Eeek. Not my precious foods!

bunny in the backyard

2009-10-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

We have had hummingbirds, racoons, rats, lizards, and gophers in the backyard, but never have we thought there would be wild bunnies. No, not my buddy of 6 years Hoppy, who is living in this huge hutch. Today we saw a bunny freely hopping around the backyard. We noticed that it was hopping much faster and higher than Hoppy, who is a bit overweight and not as agile. I hope the bunny comes back so we can get a picture of it. I did not chase it or try to kill it like my owners were afraid I would do. I know bunnies are friends and I just sat there and left it alone :-)

where the wild things (lizards) are

2009-10-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is where I hunt for lizards in the backyard. Everytime my owners stackup the bricks nice and neat, I knock them down and sniff through the bricks for lizards. Last week I found a big nest of them and killed about a dozen of them, which upset my owners greatly. But I am not going to let that stop me from knocking down these bricks. The hunt continues...

pigs smarter than dogs?

2009-10-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33205603/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/

Acoording to this article, teacup pigs are the new fad in UK. People like them because they are smarter than dogs? Huh? Well, at least I will never become bacon. Plus do pigs hunt? Guard the yard? Shed all over the rug? Never mind, forget that last one.

pics of rat hunt

2009-10-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

pics from last weeks hunt. First one is a pic of one of the four (prob 5) rats I killed (ewww, pretty gross). And that's me searching for more rats.

Just little old me

2009-10-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today one of my owners was trying fix the irrigation system in the backyard. He was driling a hole through the fence. After he drilled it, he stucked his finger through the hole trying to clear the hole. So I sneaked up to the fence and licked his finger from the other side. Because we have been having rats, racoons and gophers in the backyard, he thought it was a rat and screamed (like a girly girl). Hee, hee. It was just little old me.

longer lifespan for dogs and cats

2009-10-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Apparently we are living longer, just like humans.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33076736/ns/health-pet_health/

This MSNBC article mentioned a dog that is 26 years old. Wow. The shiba inu my owners had before me lived till she was about 17 years old. I heard she was very active hunting in the backyard and going for walks every day until the final 2 months. This is a picture of Uni three months before she passed away. That's Brownie (Hoppy's brother) who passed away a month later because he ate through the dry wall one day and ate the insulation inside the dry wall. So unfortunately he did not live very long. But Hoppy is over 7 years old now. So hopefully she will live a long time.

the killing spree continues

2009-09-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my owners were moving some bricks to prop up the tool shed in the backyard. I always knew there were lizards amongst those bricks, but never realized how many. It was a whole nest of them. Maybe 10 or 12. I went after them so fast, they were dead bodies all around. I did not eat them, just kill them all. Needless to say, my owners started screaming because while they do not like rats, they like lizards and were trying to protect them from me. While I got praises the other day for killing those rats, I got nothing for killing the "cute little" lizards. What can I say, I am a hunter. Just like the other night, no kisses from my family last night and more teeth brushing and disinfecting wipes.

Kura the Mighty Hunter

2009-09-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today my owners were cleaning out the tool shed in the backyard. They noticed the birdfood bag had a big hole in it, so they moved the tool shed trying to clean things out. As always, I was sniffing around checking things out. Four rats scurried out from underneath the shed. I caught them. One! Two! Three! Four! Four in a row in less than 10 seconds. I got them just like that. I killed them and dropped them immediately. Later another big fat one ran out. But this one was fast, and I took off after it. Later on, my owners found blood drops along the wall in the back yard, but could not locate the rat. Tonight for some strange reason, no one wants to kiss me, and everyone keeps trying to brush my teeth and clean my nose with anti-baterial wipe. What's up with that?

getting wet

2009-09-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

I did not go into the pool all summer until yesterday when my owners launch a surprised attack and grabed me and put me in the pool. It is important for dogs to learn to swim just in case we fall into the pools by accident. Most common accident for dogs in the backyards is drowning because many dogs were not trained to find the exit for the pools to get out.

I hate getting my pretty fur and paws wet, so I made sure I swam directly to the steps as I was taught where I can get out. Once I got out, I automatically ran to away to a dirt pile and got as dirty as I could. My owners got their revange by catching me and giving me a bath. I have video of my swim that my owners will post soon once they upload it.

vitamin effervescent water, yuck!

2009-08-30T07:46:00.001-07:00

My owners got this crazy idea of buying these vitamin effervescent tablets that dissolve in water. It would not be such a bad idea except it is chicken liver flavor. The water bowl now looks like there is pee in it, and it smells terrible. I refused to drink from it all day yesterday eventhough it was 106 outside. Finally I drank a little from it, and it was so gross. What were they thinking?

Doggie IQ

2009-08-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

According to this, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32349079/ns/health-pet_health/ dogs are smart. Nothing new there. Now researchers have determined that an average dog knows 165 words, the level of a human 2 year old, and the smarter 20% of dogs know 250 words. For me, I know my name, "Hoppy", "eat", "food", "treat", "are you hungry", "walk", " let's go out", and "car". Not much else are worth knowing.

doggie seat belt

2009-08-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

My owners tried to put this new seat belt harness on me so that I do not have to be in a crate when we travel in the car. But I did not like anyone touching my dainty paws to put my front leg into the harness, so I yelped as loud as I possibly could and cried bloody murder. I even snapped at them, a big no-no. Oops. I am the same way when they tried to cut my nails. Anyway, they gave up on the idea of the seat belt, and I am back using the crate when travelling in a car. Used doggie seat belt for sale, anyone? :-)

Singing Shiba

2009-08-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

My owners found this video of a singing shiba online. I wish I could sing! Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnXQDMDobHc

Raccoon hunting

2009-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I woke up everyone with my feroucious barks. I had cornered a raccoon in the yard, and was trying to get it while it hid high up on a planter. It was about twice as big as me, but, hey, I am a hunter. When it made its escape, I chased after it, with my owners screaming for me to get away from it. I wonder why. Did any of you shibas out there ever try to hunt for animals bigger than you? How did your owners prevent that? We also got Bobcats in the area, so now they are scared that I will be going after these bigger "preys". They rather I stay with birds and lizards....and those silly tennis balls.

First Time at Beach

2009-08-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I went to the beach for the first time. When we got out of the car, I was afraid of the waves because they were loud and made my dainty little paws get wet. My owners cruelly forced me to get into the water, and I tried with all my might to get back to the car. I did enjoy sniffing at all the seaweed, and catching flies that hung around the seaweed. After about an hour of being cruelly forced to stand in the water, I made a little game of jumping over the waves and running around. After i finished hanging out at the beach, I spent the whole car ride home grooming my dainty little paws. My owners made a video of me at the beach. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-eTodMJe-o.

A minute in the life of a Shiba

2009-07-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

My owners created another video of me. This time it was of me chasing frisbees and balls. Watch it at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwibP7mLAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwibP7mLAA

Hoppy and I

2009-07-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

My owners created a video of Hoppy and me playing! They took Hoppy inside, and we hung out for a while. They filmed me chasing my tail and running around too. See my video at youtube also, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU2bpCLQ3Eg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU2bpCLQ3Eg

tennis ball thrower

2009-07-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

My owner got this and started launching a bunch of tennis balls at me. Since I am not a retriever, I went after the first ball, ran around the yard with it in my mouth, and had enough of it. I stopped chasing the balls. My owner was really disappointed and kept trying to bribe me with doggie cookies, but I stood my ground and refused to be trained. Finally my owner gave up, for now. But I know they are going to try again. Round 1, Kura 1, owners zero.

cats do control human

2009-07-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

this just in today on Yahoo! news. Researchers found that cats control human through high pitch cries (get me food) and purring (am i cute or what? let me cuddle up with you where it is warm). Of course my cat friend Raven already knows about this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090713/sc_livescience/catsdocontrolhumansstudyfinds;_ylt=AutCPXP6QgzdjwGVT4FPHg8DW7oF

Soon researchers will verify another well known fact, we shibas control our owners too with our shiba howls when they come home and feed us, and our silly antics so they would massage our backs. Hee, hee.

dental treats

2009-07-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Today we went shopping for my dental treats. As we were leaving the pets store, we walked past these glass cages full of plump juicy, chirping, bouncing birds. Forget those dry dental treats my vet wanted me to eat. These birds look delicious. I think they are great for my teeth too. The glass cases had so many of my nose prints on them as I pressed my face against them. Yum!

Pets Hotel... Again?

2009-06-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

My owners went on a vacation to Greece, Rome, and Turkey, and they put me at the Pets Hotel. When they came back, they picked me up from the Hotel and discovered I was unnaturally skinny. While they were on vacation, I didn't eat my normal large amounts of food, and lost weight. I felt sad that I didnt have people to play with even though I was in doggie playgroups. For a few days after I got home, I acted weird to my owners, avoiding them, but soon, after a lot of treats, I became back to normal and decided to post on my blog!