tale of an unbroken tail

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!!

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

I don't look clumpy, do I?

kura the mighty hunter strikes again

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

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

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!

getting a good view

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

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

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!

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

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

New Pillow!

My owners took this picture of me at night.

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

Happy Easter!

Have a great easter everyone!

The Majestic Shiba

lovely.

Cool Shiba Blog

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!

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!

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

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.