All content on this page is copyright Vince d’Eon (c) 2005-2018 and may not be reproduced in any way without express written permission.  It originally appeared elsewhere on the web. This represents my creative writing works and life with two Shiba Inu half-sisters.

The world according to Sikoya – Sikoya’s diary

Please — Pretty Please — Rub My Belly! – Oasis’ diary

What a strange new place this is – Sikoya

September 24th 2005 8:59 am

I got here late last night. I don’t know who these people are. There’s a man who feeds me, and a woman who simply adores me. A funny house with lots of stairs, I’ll have to master them someday. Every once in a while I hear a clicking noise, then I get treated! I hope that I can get more clicks and treats. I sure miss my old pack but I think I can train this new pack pretty quickly to *my* way of doing things. I heard the woman say that she has booked puppy school already –good thing, they both need the training

It truly is a dog’s life – Sikoya

September 27th 2005 3:40 pm

Well, what a day I’ve had. I thought I’d treat the man who feeds me with some sleep overnight, at least a few hours in a row of it anyway. They tried to tucker me out last night but I still got up in the middle of the night and fooled them! But back to today…

The man who feeds me took me for a car ride right after lunch. I fooled him, and soon after we were on the highway I begged to get out and pee. I just really wanted to see what was around me. Noisy and dirty, yuck! I just couldn’t bring myself to pee in THAT spot. He gave up on me after about 5 minutes and put me back in the kennel. We were soon on the road again, and I started begging because, well ya know, I HAD to go. He made me wait about 10 minutes until I met two very nice men that he used to work with. I got to pee before I met them (I’m a lady, after all) and was on my best behaviour. Sure was cold out, glad I have all this fur.

Off to our next stop, man who feeds me said something about a “customer” whatever that is. Then my favorite part, he took me back to the place I was born, and I romped around with my brother and mother and ate most of their food too! I slept the whole way home, I was even too tired to give the woman who adores me much attention I’m afraid.

Ahh, the life of a princess, chauffered everywhere and left to sleep afterwards. It truly is a dog’s life.

Uh-oh… whadd’ya mean I gotta WORK? – Sikoya

October 2nd 2005 12:17 pm

I’ve been at my forever home for about a week now and yesterday I got bundled up in the kennel for another trip. This new place I went to was a bit scary. I could hear lots of dogs barking it up. The man who feeds me put my kennel down in the middle of a large open area and they sat in chairs and waited for someone else to arrive.

Finally they let me out! It’s about time as a princess does not stay in her kennel after arriving, for I have my public to meet and greet after all.

Then this other woman enters the room and all of them begin talking. Bor-ing! I even have a leash on me, how indignant! I hear the new woman in the room saying that she’s a private trainer and how Shibas are very food motivated, but -and get this line of crock- how I have to WORK for every bit of food I get during the day. Good thing I don’t eat much I’m-a-thinking so I won’t have to work too much at least. Us princesses don’t like to get grime under our nails. More talking…

Hey, what’s that?!? FOOD! I remember, I haven’t been fed all day… looks like the man who feeds me has been slipping up? A bit too distracted maybe? Whatever. I’m paying attention to the woman with the food!

More talking. Something about Shibas this and Shibas that and how they differ from other pups. Bor-ing!

Finally! They get around to feeding me. It’s about time. Whadd’ya mean I gotta SIT first? What’s up with that? Okay, I’ll sit, sheesh. So I do this five or six times, and keep in mind it’s mid-afternoon, so considering I get one nibble for each sit this simply becomes a good deposit on the long-lost breakfast!

More talking… I think I’ll lay down. Hey, waitaminute… LOTS of food all at once? Just for laying down??? Hmmm… I’m gonna have to think about this one. Maybe I’ll sit real quiet and pretty and I’ll get some more. Waiting… nope, hel-loooo, I’m over here? Waiting, getting tired… time to lay down again. Then all of a sudden, more food! I think I’ll get the hang of this food thing.

More talking about how I’ll live in my kennel more (less free run of parts of the house) and more about how I’ll work to earn my tidbits.

Looks like the man who feeds me and the woman who adores me are completely buying into this crap as they bundle me up to take me back home. I think the free ride is over and I’ll never see my beloved food dish again…

It has been a busy little while – Sikoya

October 14th 2005 5:15 am

Hmmph! I don’t remember the last time my Food dish had anything in it, ugh I have to work for every scrap these days. At least I’m keeping my girlish figure neat and trim so I can’t complain too much. Besides, all I have to do is push away that kibble with my nose and the man who feeds me sometimes switches over to something more yummy!

That reminds me … I eat like a piggy! Ate so much wet food one night that I had to get sick all over the floor (they said it was pretty easy to clean up, lucky for them because my teeny tummy hadn’t digested it yet) and prove to the man who feeds me and the woman who simply adores me that they gotta watch out for me from now on because I’m a piggy. They slept on the floor watching me all night long. Boy they must really like me a lot. I think I’ll formally adopt them as Mummy and Daddy! Besides, it’s sure easier for these two paws to type that then ‘woman who simply adores me and man who feeds me’…

I was about to tell you about all the trips I’ve taken since I got here. Let’s see… I get to ride in the kennel a lot with Daddy and sometimes Mummy. They take me places to meet people, like where Mummy works, and like the place with the funny table that I stand on and the lady who speaks really funny baby talk to me when she gives me a needle (I didn’t even let out a whimper). But my favorite place was where my cousin Jade lives! That’s me and her in a group photo on my page. She lives a few hours away, but I don’t care because I slept the whole way. Daddy says that Jade is “90 something pounds” of Black Lab. All I know is that she sure can move pretty fast when she needs to!

Hey I gotta tell ya about this neat-o place I went to one day… Mummy called it “Puppy Daycare” but all I know is that it was lots of fun, many different Pups to play with and boy oh boy was I ever bushed at the end of the day. I had just enough energy left to give Daddy one kiss and just about fell asleep waiting to get in my kennel for the trip home.

Ya know, with the schedule of trips that I keep, I just have to get me one of them Palm Pilot thingees so that I can keep track of it all! I’m just not so sure that these paws can manage to work the stylus…

Travelling Puppy – Sikoya

October 17th 2005 7:08 am

Well holy moly… do I ever get a lot of rides in the truck. I can’t wait until I’m old enough to sit on the seat. It’s getting kind of boring being in the kennel all of the time.

Mummy and Daddy ran a lot of errands last Friday night and they kept telling me that I was a good dog. At least they remembered to let me out for a whiz every once in a while. Lots of strange sounds and places too.

Daddy was sick most of the weekend and on Saturday he left me in my pen except for the occasional trip outdoors for a potty break. The rest of it, he slept on the couch. Well, except for Saturday morning, we took a long trip and saw some boy scouts setting up a camp where Daddy had to deliver some papers. And Saturday evening he had a few errands to run then pick up Mummy from work. And Sunday morning he took me to a place where all these other women fawned all over me. something called a ‘fun run’. One of Daddy’s buddies said that I was quite a chick magnet…

But then they took me to a place with lots of other dogs and they called it Puppy Training – but you and I both know it’s really training for Daddy and Mummy so that they learn doglish. I catch on real quick – there was this one thing where Mummy stood on the leash and all I had to do was look at Mummy and she’d feed me these really yummy treats! Some of the other dogs in the room didn’t catch on so quick and I figure they went home hungry. Tough nookies, they’ll learn soon enough… I had to laugh after we all went home and Mummy and Daddy learned they have homework, can you believe it they said, and I just laughed because they are both 40-something and they have homework! Hahahahaha! More food for *me* is all I can say, and that’s all that’s important, now isn’t it.

Daycare again and the not-so-great escape – Sikoya

October 18th 2005 6:21 pm

I like this place they call daycare. Mummy dropped me off at a place called Pawsitively Pooched (.com) not too far from my forever home. It’s the second time I’ve been there. I recognized the place right off and went into my trademark Shiba Smile -for those of you who don’t know, that’s when my little prick ears go back and my whole butt wiggles along with my tail. It means I’m really excited and can’t wait to play with everyone. Mommy and Daddy were both out of the house today and this is where they take me for days like this. I don’t care — I just wanna play with the other dogs!

When Daddy picked me up tonight, Brenda (she’s one of the Daycare owners) told him that I was in both the puppy and the big dog playtimes today, and that I was so tired at lunch I didn’t eat. I tell ya, I was pretty hungry by the time I got home! She also said that I was the darling of the place today and *I* have no trouble believing that because of course I am.

A couple of days ago I learned not only how to walk down stairs but how to get through one of the baby gates! I am so proud of myself! Ya see it happened the other day when Daddy left me on the main floor to go upstairs for a shower. Mummy said to Daddy that she heard me whining the whole time, and Daddy comes back downstairs and sees me squeezing back through the gate and onto the main floor where he’d left me. I gotta give him credit, he’s pretty smart (sometimes) and he figured out that I got through the gate and was whining because I was not where I was supposed to be. He was pretty cool about it and didn’t bust my butt for sneaking out on him. But then the stinker put up some corrugated plastic on the gate so that I can’t sneak out again! Dangit, I have to figure out a new escape…

At least he doesn’t carry me down the stairs anymore when I gotta go potty.

A wack-o night ends on a high note. Arf Arf… it’s- grrrrrrrrrrr-eat! – Sikoya

October 23rd 2005 9:39 am

I had a bit of a wack-o night last night. I had to wake up Daddy a couple of times to go outside. I haven’t done this for weeks. I think he laughed at me the once. Imagine the humility of having to go #2 in front of someone, no privacy at all. Well then I did something that I’ve never done before and passed a large amount of gas. I did not fart, that’s what male dogs do, I fluffed as Mummy would say. It’s just that this time the noise was closer to a fart than a fluff. Anyways It startled me mid-stream and I had to run away from it. I think I got laughed at while it was happening. This happened a few times while I darted around the yard. Next time I’ll know that it’s okay to fluff (or fart) and go #2 at the same time and it won’t startle me. Poor Daddy had to chase all over the yard to pick up after me this morning after the sun came up.

As far as dogs go, I’m pretty advanced eh. I have this page on Dogster (mind you it’s the only thing that my paws understand how to do with the computer mind you as I’m just a pup) and I take my own pictures and do these diary entries. A girl’s gotta do something to build her skills in between naps, feeding, whizzing, sleeping, playing and then doing it all over again. I mean you can only do so much napping, feeding, whizzing, sleeping, and playing before it gets old.

If I didn’t know how to surf the Internet I would not have known that a great honour has been bestowed upon me today! So it is with great pride that I graciously accept the honour bestowed upon me today of being chosen for the Diary of the Day by Dogster. Allow me to clear my throat for the acceptance speech… ahem… I’d like to thank all the dogs that made this happen… My Dad, Koyote’s Majic and My Mom, Koyote’s Kricket. I’d also like to thank the Kennel where I was born, Koyote’s Kennels at http://www.koyotekennels.com and Laura with all of her kind heart and deep knowledge on the breed. And last but not least the guardians of my forever home, Mummy and Daddy. I love you all! Shiba Kisses!

Whomever invented baths should be barked at and peed upon – Sikoya

October 30th 2005 11:46 pm

Daddy was being awfully kind to me one day this week. He was handling me a lot and then he brought out the nail clippers. I whined and cried and struggled but he persisted and got the job done. I had the last bark because it took him a half hour, but to his credit he didn’t put me down even once. He’s getting toughened up and I’m simply going to have to up the ante…

And then! The nerve of Mummy and Daddy. They said something about a *bath*. It was my first bath and it seemed okay at the start. Daddy put me into the bathtub with a couple inches of water in it and I played around for a bit, like it was so far so good eh. But I had no idea it meant that I got wet right down to the skin! Hoo-Boy did I ever try to squirm out of that one but to no avail. At least it only took about 5 minutes. Then they got out the noisy black wind making thing that Mummy uses on her hair in the morning. The temperature was nice but every time Daddy pointed it at my head I tried to bite the air blowing at me. I sure don’t like any air blowing on my face.

I’m now totally convinced that I don’t like all of this personal grooming stuff, nails and baths and such. Whoever (or is it whomever, I can’t remember) invented this stuff should be soundly barked at and then peed upon. Hmph!

What’s this white stuff falling and on the ground? – Sikoya

November 6th 2005 8:02 am

Life is pretty simple for a pup… eat, sleep, play, sleep, go for a whiz, sleep and do it all over again. It was during one of these whiz times a few days ago that Daddy lets me out in the backyard and there’s all this white stuff on the deck and the grass and it’s falling down from the sky. He called it snow.

I was *so* startled by it that I almost forgot to go pee! At first I just stood there looking around, then I ran around and tried to catch the ones that were falling but there were too many for little old me -even though I am a fearsome hunter- so finally I just tried to eat up all the dead flakes that had fallen. This proved to be a larger task than I imagined. Then it hits me that I’m outside for a quick whiz and this stops me dead in my tracks… phew, that feels better, now back to the hunting task at hand.

Run around with my nose buried in the snow. It’s cold! on my nose. I try to shovel it out of the way but there is too much! Okay, time for a new tactic… I’ll run and POUNCE on it and maybe it will all jump off the grass in fear… POUNCE… POUNCE… nope, it is still there. Hmmm it looks like I could eat it, and it tastes like the ice cube I chase around the floor too. Not bad, not bad at all.

A few hours later Mummy takes me out front on the flexi and I run and chase and dig and eat and whiz and run and chase and dig and eat (but *not* the yellow snow!) and run and Mummy laughs the entire time. After 15 minutes of this I’m positively pooped.

The only downside to the snow is that my paws get cold and that I absotively hate the towel on the paws and howl my discontent when Mummy or Daddy try to wipe them dry. I try to tell them it hurts but they just say that it only hurts as much as being towelled off after a bath (see previous diary entry). Oh well, at least for the most part this stuff called snow is pretty fun!

How do you spell ‘m-i-c-r-o-c-h-i-p’ and what is it anyways? – Sikoya

November 18th 2005 8:59 pm

Dear readers, so much has happened in the past little while that I don’t know where to start.

Daddy tells me the white stuff is called SNOW and I *like* it. But, this being Calgary, the snow doesn’t stay all that long at this time of year so the backyard is back to grass for the time being. I saw a few flakes fall the other day -just a few and they fell so slowly- that I was CERTAIN I could snap them shut inside my alligator-in-training jaws but this was not to be. I’ll have to work on it I guess.

I got to visit Dr. Carolin again for my last shots. It was going pretty good until the microchip. Hoo Doggie that sucker HURT going in. I let everyone know that it hurt by the size of my YELP. I thought I was over it all and we were gonna split from the Doc’s office but then Daddy has the gall to ask about how to trim my dew claws. You see they are black and small and he’s been a bit scared to trim them.

Well the in-dignity of it all! I had to endure a clipping of my black nails by Doc Carolin! But, I am a Shiba Inu after all so I simply *had* to do the Shiba scream to show my discontent. And they all laughed at me. I was embarassed for sure.

I am beginning to know my surroundings and recognize the front of very important places when I’m being carried or walked in. Let’s see, the very important places are (in no particular order): any pet store, our home, and Pawsitively Pooched (http://www.pawsitivelypooched.com) for daycare. If I’m in the kennel I do this little dance and it makes it tough for Mummy or Daddy to hold the kennel. But I simply get SO excited and I have to dance!

Daddy took me to a new pet store tonight -although most of them are new still- and he had me try on a vest for riding in the car. We purchased it and now I’m not going to always be in the kennel. Finally a princess who shall ride like royalty with my chauffeur up front and me in the back. I LIKE this arrangement! The vest we got was made by SuperPet just like my pup pal Sushi’s. You’ll see more about it here http://www.caninefriendly.com/vestHarness.html. Daddy says that it seems to be really well made and a high quality product.

He also got me a shedding blade because he said that I’m starting to lose my puppy fur and it’s coming off in small tufts. He used that on me tonight and both of them were suprised at how much comes off even though I’m not in full ‘coat blow’. Hey, they ain’t seen nuthin’ yet as BTO used to sing.

BUT doggone-it, they have me figured out on nails! Haha it takes two of them but this time they put a BIG plate of treats out near me where I could see and smell it but out of reach. Mummy held me and Daddy trimmed up the nails in about 5 minutes flat! I was *so* distracted by the treats that I forgot to scream. I guess next week I’ll have to try a new tactic to prevent the nail trimming…

Howcome snow is so dog-gone COLD? – Sikoya

December 4th 2005 9:20 am

In my last diary entry we established that I like the snow. I will now establish a new fact… I don’t like the COLD.

Snow is neat… it’s fluffy and flies around and I try to catch it and it’s so white and it’s (sometimes) everywhere I look but that does not make it easy on my wittle paws. Daddy first noticed that sometimes I shiver and sometimes when I’m trying to pee that I will alternate which paw I lift off the ground. He clued in really quickly that when I do that it’s because my paws have turned into small dogsicles. That meant a road trip yesterday… I tried hard to not laugh as they went to a few different doggie stores and tried on different booties for me to wear on our walks. We came home with a nice set of four and a neoprene sweater as well.

That brings me to my next topic… walks, or lack thereof. Remember that I’m a Shiba Inu, and that means that I’ll do what I want when I darn well want to? Let’s apply this to walks, shall we?

Daddy decided a couple of weeks ago to take me for a walk and a ride in the truck. I got outside, and it being a rather warm day, I decided that my royal entourage (me) would simply lay on the grass and soak up some rays rather than walk. He encouraged me with treats (I ignored them, hah!) called my name, tugged a bit and tried everything he knew. Finally he picked me up and carried me. Sikoya – 1, Daddy – 0.

Fast forward to last night where I think he’s got me figured out… The 3 of us went out for a late night bite (read as: those 2 got to eat while I waited in the truck) and it was after we got home that he tried a different tactic. He put a BIG handful of treats -new yummy ones made of beef and stuff from Natural Balance (http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/DFRolls.html) and gave me a bit every few steps. Combined with the cold -I don’t lay down when it’s minus 25 out- I felt compelled to follow him, quickly at that, all the way from the parking spot to the front door. Grrrrrr… now I need a new technique for not walking… back to the drawing board!

We continue to go to school (http://www.sithappens.org) as one course did not seem to impart enough wisdom in the heads of Daddy and Mummy. Bright Puppy was a breeze for me and tough for them as they learned the ways of Doglish. I got my name on the graduation certificate too but I didn’t do much for it, I pretty much showed up and yukked it up with my buddies during playtime. As I was saying one course wasn’t enough for these folks and they enrolled us in Park Manners where the training is focused on off-leash and recall. While they have no hope about off-leash (it would be a nice bonus Daddy says) they hope that at least I’ll come when called. I’ll simply have to avoid the really yummy treats that they use now when they call my name…

Welcome to 2006 – Sikoya

January 14th 2006 11:18 pm

Dear diary,
It’s been a while since we’ve visited together and so much has happened I don’t know where to start.

Daddy’s had a number of new clients come to the office/house and I am just *so* happy to meet all of them. A couple of them even have dogs and know just how to treat me like the princess I am; it makes training them that much easier! He even has me linked in his company’s website as the corporate mascot!

I’ve been back to Doggie Daycare a couple of times, been to the vet a couple of times, and saw my cousin Jade for a whole 3 days! That’s Jade’s picture with me at the bottom of the set of my pictures.

Doggie daycare – the usual – most excellent!

Jade – over Christmas Mummy, Daddy and I went to visit Jade and her family. It wasn’t too cold and Jade and I got to run around on the frozen lake together and play in the snow while her family ice fished and played hockey. Jade’s Dad tied us together at the collar with a couple of leashes and Jade kept me from running away too far. As she outweighs me by 84 pounds this worked very well… Christmas dinner was pretty neat as Jade’s Mummy invited a couple of co-workers along and they are both Vets. Daddy pumped them for information on Reverse Sneezing that I started a a week before Christmas. They figured it was Nasal Mites and that meant shots. But hey I also learned that I really really like Turkey!

That brings me to the Vet visits… there are nice Vets and there are Outstanding Vets. Doc Carolin is Outstanding! When I go there she fusses all over me and makes funny squealing noises and I am *so* happy to see her my bum wiggles because my tail is going so fast! Un-fortunately, Doc Carolin was in Europe a couple of days after I got back from Jade’s so Daddy took me to a local Vet. He was nice enough but had just about no doggie-side manner. And he had to try *3* flippin’ times to get the needle with Ivormectin in! Holy Shiba that hurt!

A week later Daddy took me to see Doc Carolin because I was still reverse sneezing but I didn’t even feel the needle go in because I was *so* excited. The ivormectin was another story, that crap hurts when it goes in but I didn’t howl too much because Daddy kept stuffing my mouth with the really good treats to keep me happy. He knows when to kiss my fuzzy butt and get me to be pleased, I have him so well trained!

It’s been more than a week and I only reverse sneezed once since so Daddy figures it must have been nasal mites and thank goodness they are gone because it was getting kind of tough to have any fun. I’d just get worked up, start snorking around the way most dogs do when they get excited and +wham+ the reverse sneeze would kick in. I hope I don’t need any more of them shots anytime soon.

Well diary (and dear readers) it’s waaaay past my bedtime and my paws are tired from this hunt-n-peck style I have of typing so I’ll close out now.
*Shiba Hugs to all*

Woof Woof! Vacation! – Sikoya

February 12th 2006 12:39 pm

Dear Diary

As usual it’s been a busy little while. Daddy and I went to a dog show where he learned just how well I don’t walk when compared to all those other beauty queens. I think he has a bee in his bonnet about that now and the past week he’s been pretty strict about how I walk. How I *walk* of all things. Next thing you know he’ll want me to pee on command. Sheesh.

So he and Mummy have decided to put me in the show ring so that when I do have my pups in a year that they can benefit from having a Mom who is potentially a champion. Besides they need all of the training they can get so they know how to kiss my fuzzy butt and get me to do things.

The upshot of all of this is that I get to go and spend some time at Granny Laura’s (www.koyotekennels.com) where I’ll see my maternal Mommy and a whole whack of Shiba Inus, a few Norsbottens and a Sachi the Shikoku. There are less than a dozen of this breed in North America at the moment so I know that I’m indeed a lucky puppy to meet one of them in person. Daddy tells me that Sachi is such a nice girl too so I’m sure we’ll get along famously.

Granny Laura is going to teach me how to walk in the show ring and how to stand still and all the other things that Daddy hasn’t a clue how to do. I’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. I also overheard Daddy tell Mummy that Granny Laura will send one of her dogs in my place while I’m away. I’m not too sure if I’m happy about this or not but when I know I’ll be most certain to let the whole world know by either wiggling my fuzzy butt or doing a patented Shiba Scream.

Gotta go – it’s my last day with Mummy and Daddy before my big vacation so I gotta go and be with them.

Spring has sprung – Sikoya

May 3rd 2006 3:28 pm

I have been driving Daddy nuts these past few weeks. You see as warm weather abounds I want to be *outside* not in the house. I am pretty lucky as Daddy and Mummy both work at home but still I want to be in the sunshine all day long.

Daddy has been making a fuss about me being out in the backyard for any length of time as I seem to have developed a new habit of trying to find an alternate path to the other side of the earth via holes in the backyard. I know I can, I know I can, I know I can… but all he does is make me sit and give paw so he can clean them every time I come in. I don’t care if getting my paws cleaned is a pain in the pooper, I wanna dig!

Last diary entry I told you about how I was going to be a show princess. I’ve been out to three events and have been getting my butt kicked at two of them. I was rightfully bestowed with 3 points on the first weekend event and the rest of the judges since then have been blind or something as they can’t see that I am the prettiest puppy in the ring. I give my handler (Jo-Anne Leussink of Canine Country in Calgary AB) my undivided attention whenever we are ringside, so much so that people really notice. I *adore* Jo-Anne as she treats me really well and understands me better that Mummy and Daddy I think at times. I guess all those years as a Canine Behaviourist gives her more smarts than those with whom I live at least in the doggie understanding department.

But after all this I still wanna go back in the ring. Daddy thinks I like it even if it tires me out after three days of being around all them other yappy dogs – I’m so glad us Shibas aren’t yappy. Hey at the last event I met a ginormous Shiba! His head was as big as my whole body. I’ve never been that close to a red Akita before. He was *such* a good looking boy too, but he was still a skittish one.

Well it’s back to my incredibly busy schedule around the place here of guarding us from birds and squirrels and letting Daddy know whenever I see one by banging on the gate that leads to outside making Daddy think for the umpteenth time in the past hour that I gotta go outside to pee. I think he’s catching onto me though, as once today when I banged on the gate just 15 minutes after I was out a small pop bottle with a few pennies in it came flying out of nowhere making all kinds of racket (no, dear diary, it did not even come close to me, just made lots of noise). I’ve only been outside once since and I did have to go. I think he’s onto my tricks ….

Fur’s a-flyin’ everywhere! – Sikoya

May 18th 2006 7:35 am

It’ s official! I *hate* the shedding rake. I try to bite it just after a few swipes. I mean I feel better after Daddy or Mummy uses it, but still…

This love/hate relationship with my shedding rake started about 3 weeks ago. Daddy finally clued in -mind you it took him 3 days- after I was scratching and fur was sticking to my daybed, I mean the couch, that perhaps the spring coat blowout was a-happening.

I don’t have an outdoor coat and I think he was expecting that my coat would come out in big clumps in addition to lots of fine undercoat fur. Noooo, that would be too easy to recognize. SO he gets it in his head to set up the grooming table in the backyard and to bring out the pin brush, the shedding comb, my short leash and the bucket of treats. Then he starts raking and raking and fur’s a-flyin’ everywhere!

**shiba shake**

That feels better. Back to more raking. 10 or 15 minutes later… I decide to snarl at the rake a bit, well not actually snarling but just raising my upper lip and making like I’m gonna make the snarl noise and then I tried to bite the rake. About then he plies me with treats. Even partway during one of those treats I started to do the lip thing and I think I got bopped on the nose. He’ll never learn that a bop does nothing (but stop me from licking his plate when he’s eating off of it) for a shedding rake.

It wouldn’t be too bad if this was the only instance of the shedding rake. No, dear diary, Daddy or Mummy have been doing this twice, I said TWICE a day for the past three weeks.

Sheesh I can’t wait for this to be over and done with!

Almost done – Sikoya

August 24th 2006 11:46 pm

Dear readers,
In my last entry I told you about the Shiba coat-blowing that I was having. The 3 times/day raking that Daddy and Mummy gave me lasted until mid-June and once/day until the middle of July. Only when it stopped I started to grow back my coat as the weather turned suddenly cold as it does here in Calgary at the end of July. August is still pretty nice mind you, it’s just that we had a week of rather cool weather so I felt the need to add to my fur rather than subtract from it.

This has it’s advantages and disadvantages. The advantage (‘natch) is that I don’t have to succumb to the shedding rake nearly so often. The disadvantage is that I get hot easily.

Take the August long weekend for example. They had entered me in the dog show in Calgary, and being August it was outdoors. Kind of hot, too, into the high 20s most days. Come Sunday evening’s fun match, and after waiting about an hour for our turn in the ring, I was pretty hot.

BUT that weekend I got lots of points (wooof wooof!) and while I don’t feel any different, Daddy and Mummy are walking around kind of proud. I got 4 points in that weekend alone! It means that I’m pretty close to finishing off my championship. Daddy hopes it happens soon because he’s convinced I’m coming into season for like the last two months now… and doesn’t want me cranky when in the ring.

That brings me to another story, about how I scared the poop out of them last Friday night. They’ve been working pretty hard over the past year and last Friday night was to be the first time out on a Friday for dinner in a long time. They landed up with take-out at home because Mummy wasn’t feeling too good all day long. Better for me because I could mooch some Swiss Chalet chicken bits, but I digress.

I was just minding my own business doing the after-supper Shiba 500 when all of a sudden I got a pain around my back end, like where my legs meet my body. I was nibbling at it and running in circles so fast and hard I ran into the wall. I couldn’t get it no matter how much I nipped at it, so I made the next logical move and ran up onto Mummy’s chest.

Ya gotta know at this point I ain’t no lap dog. Cuddler, yes… lapdog no.

So I’m on Mummy’s chest and panting away before they really take notice. I was panting like I’d done the S500 for about an hour, and my paws were all sweaty and then I began to tremble. They got scared, tried to phone all their Shiba guardian buddies and everyone wasn’t home. The final call was to the emergency vet who told Daddy (what I think is common sense) that if a Shiba is trembling they are in pain. *WHOOSH* next thing I know we are in the truck for the 7 minute drive to the Vet.

Ya gotta know that I haven’t met a vet I don’t like. One guy was a bit lacking in doggie-side manners but I still licked his hand.

I trembled for about 1.5 hours then it stopped just before met this really neat vet with a very European name that even Daddy could not pronounce. He gave me a very thorough checkup and told them that he could find nothing wrong with me but perhaps I was experiencing the early onset of my heat cycle. By then I was back to my normal self. I even let the guy stick this thing up my butt and in my ear to check it all out. I didn’t like it but did not complain because he had *yummy* treats.

So as Daddy says “for $108 we got to know that our girl was okey-dokey”. They kept a pretty close eye on me for the next 24 hours but I was just fine.

Tonight I am in Cranbrook BC for another show with Jo-Anne and a few of my doggie buds. Another 3 day show and I hope that Mummy and Daddy suprise me with a visit over the weekend as it’s only 5 hours from home…

Lastly let me thank the 2,000th visitor to my diary, whoever you are. I am humbled that so many people drop by to visit my page and read my stuff. Thanks a big (bigger than a box of hotdogs) bunch!

I am better than all the rest – I AM SHIBA INU – Sikoya

November 6th 2006 11:07 pm

Daddy thinks I’m getting an attitude. It occurred to him this past weekend at a dog show that I try to one-up the other puppies in the ring.

For example there was this other pup that was in my class for the 3 shows and she beat me on the first day. I decided to show her who the better dog was in the ring on day 2. When she got up onto the table for the judge’s inspection, she squirmed. Daddy tells me at this point he was sure I’d do better than that. Yoo Betcha! I squirmed MORE. That’s better, right? Daddy disagrees. Oh well, he’ll get over it I’m sure.

BUT the good news is that I’ve had company staying at my house for a few nights and it’s been most entertaining for all of us. Koyote’s Oasis is my half-sister and a bit younger than I. We play lots and lots in the house. Can you say “Shiba 500” times 4? That’s how much we play with each other. Even though I try to tell her I’m the top dog and protect Mummy and Daddy, I still will roll over and let her groom me a bit.

Oasis is a pretty pup sweet after all…

That’s a picture of she and I on this page. I’m the one on the left.

That’s it for now dear readers, onwards to the next show in early December. Wish me luck!

Finally Finished! woof woof! – Sikoya

December 3rd 2006 2:46 pm

Dear Readers,
It gives me great pleasure to say that I have completed my quest to be a CKC champion (ta-daaa!).

I’d like to thank all of the people who helped make it happen, in no particular order:
-Jo-Anne Leussink (Canine Behaviourist and Show Handler Extraordinaire, Canine Country – Calgary) aka Auntie Jo-Anne
-Laura McKenna Lange (http://www.koyotekennels.com) aka Granny Laura
-Mummy and Daddy
-Nancy Inlow (http://www.volarelowchen.com, Show Handler Extraordinaire and all around nice lady who gave me yummy chicken)
-Jennifer Gale (all around nice lady who gave me yummy treats and speaks nicely to me)
and a whole host of others.

I accomplished this feat on day 1 of the Calgary Show Dec 1/06. Of course on day 2 and 3 I appeared to have no interest whatsoever in being there and goofed off in the ring. A Shiba *does* know when to turn up the heat and when to pull it back to a simmer, am I right or am I right?

I think Daddy was in shock that I did this [Daddy was in shock, ed.] and he had to run out and buy me a bunch of doggie beds to pamper my furry butt, perhaps instead of kissing it.

Now I have to help my half-sister Oasis finish her quest. She’ll be staying with us for a bit so I’ll have time to massage her to my way of thinking.

Gotta go – I’m pawsitively bushed and there’s sleep to be had.

Half-Sister is finished too! – Sikoya

February 14th 2007 8:33 pm

Just a quick update to those of you that are following this diary… my half-sister Oasis has finished her championship too! Quicker than I did too! I’m so proud of her.

She stayed with us but only for a short while just after I finished. Just long enough for me to show here what I learned. Unfortunately I’ve only seen her once since then but we had *lots* of fun on that visit. Maybe one day she’ll come and live with me again… maybe…

What’s an airport? – Sikoya

June 16th 2007 10:32 pm

Dear diary,

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and it’s mostly because not too much has been happening. Daddy went away working for a while and it was just me and Mummy. We had lots of fun and cuddle time.

Then one night she took me to a big noisy place and just walked me in on my leash. This is pretty special, for I don’t get to walk into too many buildings. There were thousands of my fans there, but only a few would come over to say hello. I appreciate the privacy that I was granted that evening as it’s nice to be in a public place and just “blend in”, ya know?

This place had lots of people arriving, and then leaving after they claimed their luggage. I saw one other dog that evening. I think Mummy called this place the Airport.

Then all of a sudden, Mummy swoops me up and walks towards someone and kisses him — how dare she, I mean, like who is this guy — and then I realize it’s DADDY and I was so excited I could barely contain myself I had to kiss him all over and we had a group hug and then I jumped into his arms to show him how excited I was to see him again I didn’t leave his side all night and for the next two days. Phew! I’m so Shiba happy he’s home (airplane ears, squinty eyes, wagging tail and everything) he better not leave again that’s for sure.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. We went out for some training – hmph, I’ll show *them* who needs the training. I get put on a 50′ training lead and get fed yummy treats to just lay there. Then they keep moving farther away -of course I want to follow them, for they have the treat supply- but I have to wait and endure their lack of skill in tossing me goodies from a distance. It’s a good thing neither of them plays for a ball team. I think they called this “recall” and “off-leash” training part one. Dunno when part two is but I hope there’s more yummy treats.

Puppies! – Sikoya

August 12th 2007 9:57 am

Dear readers,
A lot has been going on since I last wrote an entry. Frerose Mighty Nebo came and stayed with us for a while and is now in his forever home just north of us. We’ll go and visit him someday soon. Daddy and Mummy miss him a lot.

Right around the time that Daddy came home (see prior entry), Mummy was taking me out to the kennel a whole lot. The boys sure were *very* interested in me.

Fast forward to today – and, ta-daaah! I am the proud Mummy of 3 red puppies, two boys and one girl. Two of them have cute white socks and one sure has very nice markings on it.

I guess the next seven weeks are going to be kind of busy

I sure am tired, though, so must make this a short entry.

But, just before I run, yes — this was a planned litter done at a kennel. Daddy and Mummy are no backyard breeder types.

Shiba Hugs & Smiles to all!

Back at Home – Sikoya

September 30th 2007 1:13 pm

It sure is nice to be home again. All of my puppies found their forever homes. I had two girls and a boy. Two of them had big white socks and they were all cute as buttons. All I need now is for all my fur to grow back in. My goodness, I certainly look terrible as all I have left is my hair. Winter’s coming and I need some fur!

Once I got here, I sure missed my puppies for a couple of weeks though. Daddy caught on pretty quick that I was having a bit of anxiety about it, but he made me feel good despite myself. AND when I came home Mummy and Daddy had a surprise for me — Oasis has come to live with us and now I have a playmate forever! I’m so happy I can’t stop smiling and chasing my tail. The only time I growl is when she gets near my extra-yummy treats, but Daddy’s showing me how to deal with that.

Sometimes Daddy puts us on a brace when we go out for a walk together. I think I’ll have a bit of re-learning to do as I tend to drag Oasis around a lot when I’m on the brace with her. But look at it this way– as she digs in her heels, her nails get a free sanding down on the sidewalk while I drag her along!

Overall, It’s just like old times. I don’t seem to mind not being the only puppy in this household as I feel like there’s enough love to go around for all of us. All together now … awwwwWWW.

Forever Home! – Oasis

October 9th 2007 9:59 pm

I’m not much of a writer, and for all the entertaining news you’ll have to see my Sister’s diary (above) and she’ll keep you updated on our happenings. Besides that, she’s a keyboard and attention dog.

I wanted to explain a couple of my photos on my webpage here.

One photo shows me in my favorite sleeping position, and waiting for you to Please — Pretty Please — rub my belly! The other photo shows me modelling the latest fashion in Doggie First Aid, and Mummy and Daddy’s correct attempt at immobilizing what could have been a broken tail or leg.

You see, I stayed with the people I now call Mummy and Daddy some time ago when Sikoya and I were showdogs, and again when we went to a Doggie First Aid Course. I am now delighted to call this place my forever home!

Shiba Hugs to all

Camping at Last – Sikoya

November 21st 2007 9:35 pm

Who says humans are smart? I gotta tell ya about our camping trip. First off, I *love* camping. The smell of the outdoors, freshly dropped beef on the ground when Daddy misses the bbq and the endless scenery changes.

But they decided to go camping on Vancouver Island in November. NO-VEM-BER people! How smart is that? Not very I’m telling ya. Kind of cold, foggy and a bit miserable.

I saw trees that were 4′ in diameter and lots of feet tall. Big ships. Lots of different birds — yes, I did try to chase them. And we even got to cross on a ferry boat, twice. Daddy felt a bit queasy so I slept with him in the trailer while we crossed. I think it made him feel better.

We stopped off to see Jade on the way back (her picture with me as a pup on this page). Jade just had cruciate surgery a few months ago, but for an 8 year old she sure has lots of spunk still in her! Unfortunately she hurt her other knee while we were there, and while her spirit was willing, her knee was weak and we had to keep the party down to a dull roar. I hope she has a speedy recovery like the first knee surgery.

On the way back we visited Oasis and her pups. She’ll be home in a few weeks and I can hardly wait. She’s lost a lot of fur (like I did, see prior diary entry) but she’ll grow it back like I have. I’m darn near beautiful again I tell ya, since my fur has grown back in. I’m ready to meet my adoring public…

Speaking of which, I am a model Shiba this upcoming weekend (along with a few kennel buddies) at a trade show. I know my fans have been waiting for me and I can’t wait to see them and give them a little paw and rub fuzzy butts with them. We are out promoting the breed and the kennel where I was born.

My paws are tired so I gotta run. Shiba *hugs* to all.

One on Two – Oasis

March 24th 2008 11:54 pm

Dear readers,
My sister Sikoya has been away for a bit raising her litter at Koyote Kennels. It means I get to have some computer time when sister isn’t around to hog it all looking up stuff on Google … and it has been a nice opportunity for me to spend a bit of One on Two time with Mummy and Daddy.

And I have been educating them in true Shiba fashion.

The first thing they learned is that I *love* to play! From the moment the alarm clock rings until bedtime, I will bring my currently selected favorite toy to them and beg them to play with me. I’ll even tug on their pantsleg with my front paw in an effort to engage them. They are pretty good about it and will go a few rounds with me before they tire of it and I’m left to my own devices.

Just last night however they suprised me and kept going and going. It was 45 minutes of them throwing the ball and me fetching it (indoors) and I finally slurped down a bunch of water and flaked out on the carpet. I think I suprised them when I stopped [she suprised us all right, we thought we had the energizer bunny in a shiba package].

The next thing they learned is that I *love* car rides, or truck rides as the case may be. It can be 5 minutes or 5 hours, I love it all.

I have taught them that I have selected deafness. I will be amazingly swift [she is so amazingly swift, when her butt hits the ground you can hear/feel it! LOL] to execute a SIT command IF there’s a treat shown, but will be darn near deaf if there isn’t. Daddy’s been working on this with me and is trying to get my obedience up to par with my sister’s, but I’ll show him Shiba attitude just to keep them yummy treats flowing!

Lastly, they learned that I will engage them in play if they roll over loudly in the middle of the night. I’ll jump up on the bed and lick their faces until they wake up and play or give me a Belly Rub. They even have a sense of humour about it at 4am. Humans are weird creatures sometimes…

That’s all for now — I’m overdue for my bedtime Belly Rub!

Volunteering Weekend 2008 – Sikoya

May 15th 2008 8:58 am

It’s nice to be back at home. I was away for a bit, and I understand I missed a whole upsetted house as interior painting got done. That must have been a mess, and no wonder that Oasis was a little out of sorts when I got back. It didn’t take long for her to rebalance though after I got done chasing her around the backyard a few times.

Spring has finally showed it’s face here in Calgary, and that means a couple of 4″ dumps of snow in late April and early May, and green grass showing up. It means that shedding season has begun.

And that means *birds* to chase! Daddy is uncharacteristically smart when it comes to allowing me chasing birds – he won’t let me. I think he figures I’ll strangle myself at the end of the flexi after I take off. Oasis is much more stealthy than me and can get closer and doesn’t tend to get to the end of the flexi. I could stand to learn from her.

This weekend marks my third weekend as the “Japanese beer-hunting dog” for a cycle tour through the Rocky Mountains. It’s a 3 day event that runs from between Banff and Lake Louise to Radium BC, next day to Golden BC and then back to the start on day 3. We ride along in the luggage truck. Before each mealtime, Daddy marches me up and down the lineup and tells people I am hunting for beer hidden on their persons before they go into the group’s meal. [some of the venues are dry] I haven’t found any yet, but Daddy just knows I will one day, and claims it will be shared with the volunteers in the crew.

The photo of me with the mountain backdrop was taken on this tour a few years ago when I was just 8 months old.

And this year Oasis gets to come along and learn the ropes! It should be quite a site with the two of us sniffing out everyone and meeting the estimated 400 riders that go on this tour. We get to visit with Jade this year as all the hotels in Radium are booked, at least the ones with dog-friendly accomodations. I can’t think of a better excuse to tear it up with Jade than full hotels!

That’s it for now… typing is quite tiring and Daddy needs his computer back. I need to hit the couch as the sun is beaming in and the spot is nice and warm. Bye for now dear readers.

From Calgary to Ontario – the 8 week camping trip! – Sikoya

July 26th 2008 5:59 pm

Dear Readers,
A lot has happened since I last wrote. Our house got painted right around the time Oasis wrote her last entry entry, and a lot of stuff of mine was missing when I got back to the house. As it turns out I would see my stuff pretty soon, but you know us Shibas, it’s gotta be NOW, NOW, MINE

A few weeks pass after our Volunteering Weekend (see previous Diary Entry) and the next thing I know, Oasis and I are out at Granny’s house (http://www.dogster.com/local/CAN/AB/Cochrane/Kennels/Koyote _kennels-118659) and am hanging out with my Buddies for about a week.

Then Mummy and Daddy arrived and they had the travel trailer with them :). That could only mean one thing — We’re going camping!
I was so happy I couldn’t stop doing Airplane Ears and Shiba Smiles for an hour!

We stopped in Swift Current Saskatchewan, Brandon Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, Upsala Ontario, Marathon Ontario, Massey Ontario, Killbear Provincial Park Ontario and then straight down to Knight’s Beach on Lake Erie. We hung out with Mummy and Daddy’s family for a handful of nights and now we are camping outside of Hamilton. My humans say it’s because we are all moving from Alberta to Ontario. We’ll move into our new forever home in early September, but for now we are C-A-M-P-I-N-G fulltime! Oasis and I are so happy we can’t contain ourselves.

It was pretty tough being in the kennel for 8 days, but at least it wasn’t 5 long days for transit – the norm – as this allowed us time to stretch our legs out. Daddy and Mummy made it pretty comfy for us, as we got some smoky beef bones (yum!) and a big handful of treats each morning when we kenneled-up. We got lots of fresh water, partly opened windows for air and the fans that Daddy built into the back of our kennels going all the time – we were pretty pampered. Daddy and Mummy kept telling us that we were such good girls (we were).

So now we are hanging outside the trailer most days and lounging in the sun and shade. Except for when we go and visit people …

Today was the Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup, and as we got there the rain started up. There were about 25 other Shibas there, and as the rain was very hard (and Daddy forgot the umbrella), we never made it into the area of the Totordeca Dog Park that the other Shibas were at. I didn’t care if it was raining, but Daddy was pretty wet. Mummy stayed in the truck, and after Daddy got to the truck he was able to wring out a few pounds of water from his shirt. I’ll make new friends out there next time.

On the way home we stopped in at the most hugest big pet store ever — Ren’s Pets (http://www.renspets.com/) and Sis and I attracted *a lot* of attention. We scored some good deals on pet beds, treats and some matching leashes. Geesh, I never knew that our humans were such yuppies…

So now we are back at our temporary/permanent home and just hanging around. Mummy and Daddy are Oooo-ing and Aaah-ing at the fact they are totally plugged into services and have a microwave and flatscreen TV that they didn’t have when we all left Calgary.

And Sis and I are just happy to be with our pack.

All together now —- AWWW

Shiba Hugs
Sikoya and Oasis

The World According to Sikoya goes global! – Sikoya

August 24th 2008 12:34 pm

Dear readers,

This is just a quick note to let you know you can catch all the action from here over on The Worldwide Shiba Blog Collection at http://shibafun.eigenstart.be/

Be sure to check out all the worldwide links at http://shibasites.eigenstart.be/

There are lots of sites to keep your paws clicking away while your humans aren’t near the computer!

8 = 11 – Sikoya

September 27th 2008 8:07 pm

I can’t wait for Oasis to come back home. Mid-way during our 8 week camping trip she needed to go back to Granny Laura’s at Koyote Kennels for a long visit.

I sure miss her. I know we’ll yuk it up bigtime when she returns in December. Granny sent along a few photos to help us with the missing her part. Check out her Dogster page and you’ll see the new pictures.

Our 8 week camping trip turned into 11 as Mummy and Daddy’s house retrofit went a few of weeks longer than planned. BUT I got my backyard just a couple of days after they got the keys, *and* that means I got to run around, leash free, in my own backyard for the first time in 8 weeks. I also showed the first Shiba 500 in a couple of months [Daddy: and that means we knew she was truly happy].

Our first visitor to our new home was the esteemed moderator of the Yahoo ShibaInuCrazyinCanada group. I was honored to be in the presence of such royalty. I simply cannot wait to meet the rest of her pack, Kira and Suji. Mummy and Daddy had coffee and learned a couple of tricks that they think will keep me in check a bit better, but I’ll show them true Shiba Spirit! Did you know that the Ki in my name means Spirit? That makes me a true expert in Spirited-ness

[We chose the name Sikoya because we liked it. We later learned that Sikoya — this exact spelling — was the North American Native’s God of the Animals. Our dearest friend, our breeder, added the Ki to the name.]

Just this week the boxes got delivered into the house. It’s pretty topsy-turvy around here with a bit of foul language every now and then when they can’t find something they need in a box but I think that’s how all cross-country moves happen. When their stress goes up I think they are getting excited and playful and I become their counsellor and jump in with the closest toy I can find in my mouth and doing a full Shiba Smile That calms them down pretty quickly…

Yesterday I got into the remnants of a compost pile and got pretty stinky pretty quickly. That earned me a bath… and then today, me, Sikoya Ki, the fierce hunter, scored a mouse! I rolled in it before Daddy could stop me, and that earned me another bath! [just a half bath…]. At least one of the retrofits they got in the house was to get one of them tankless water heaters that comes with precise temperature control — and that meant my bath was *ekzactly* 108 degrees F. Not too hot, not too cold, just riiiight.

Dear readers, they have unpacked my dog beds and my leather couch and loveseat, as well as my dishes and food and their bed (or is it MY bed?). I really don’t care what else they unpack at this point as long as they let me go out and mousehunt in the big ole backyard. Anything else they unpack that I can sleep on is simply a bonus at this point!

Shaw Festival visit – Sikoya

August 4th 2009 8:35 pm

Dearest readers, we had quite the outing yesterday. I was on the computer the other day when Daddy wasn’t looking and my paws discovered that the Shaw Festival had a day when there were no plays. As the world revolves around the Shiba Inu in general and Oasis and I in particular, this must only mean that our adoring public has taken a day away from the hubbub of the theatre and they were expecting us to make our appearance. Just a few short hours later and we were riding in the back seat of the car to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

There are only two ways we travel — in our Vari-Kennels or in our Vest Harnesses. For this trip we were in harnesses. We arrived at 11am and found the crowds were thick and welcoming. It was kind of hot but we were well watered from the portable watering bottle/dish thingy that Daddy carried.

If we had a penny for every time we heard “they look like little foxes”, Oasis and I could retire in Monaco or someplace rich sounding. Aside from that it took close to 2 hours to walk the downtown stretch, about two kilometres in total. There were so many of our adoring public that simply wanted to meet with us, and with our regal graciousness, and a bit of wiggling butt, we met with each one.

The most special ones were right at the end of the route. Despite the town being dog-friendly (most hotels accept dogs) we only saw two water bowls, one at the Bark’n’Fitz and one at the Shaw Spa.

The ladies at the Shaw Spa fed us very yummy holistic cookies and we visited with them for close to half an hour. It’s the kind of place that Mummies everywhere would want to visit, they are such nice people. http://www.shawspa.com if you wish to see them on the internet…

The trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake capped off a nice week at a cottage, an invitation extended to us by some close friends of ours. We went for lots of walks around Bobcaygeon and even had an overnight visit with some of Mummy & Daddy’s family along the way.

That’s it for now — my paws are tired as it’s pretty late and I need to secure my spot on the bed before Mummy and Daddy come in for the night. It is *my* bed after all, and I have a right to be on it first, don’t I?

Westward Ho – Sikoya

October 4th 2012 6:40 am

Dear Readers,
Daddy keeps saying stuff about a camping trip and long car ride but we haven’t moved off our butts yet and he hasn’t picked us up to get us going… I wish he’d move quicker somedays. But some guys he called “the painters” turned our house upside-down a couple weeks ago, then the carpets no longer had Shiba odor on them, and then we seem to keep the house oddly tidy and neat. Sometimes we go for an hourlong walk several times a day, but just beforehand Mummy and Daddy run around and hide our beds and dishes and toys and stuff. I figure that they are worried someone will steal them while we are out…

Since moving to Ontario I’ve been kept very busy with my hourly self-grooming routines or yukking up with Sis Oasis. We have really enjoyed chasing wildlife in our backyard. In this past year I counted about a dozen bits of wildlife we’ve bagged. Daddy seems upset every time we catch one, but then he has to catch us and it’s GAME-ON!

He’s been home a lot lately, grumbling something about trying to find work in Onterrible -he says he hates the weather here but wears shorts a lot- and so we must go back to Calgary. At least I’ll get to see my buddies at Koyote Kennels again even if it is a farther drive away than the last time I lived there.

But as long as they unpack my leather couch, loveseat, big Ikea bed and my doggie beds the very *instant* we get there, I’ll remain content just to hang out with them. Even if Daddy insists on stopping and taking our pictures near every silly roadside attraction between here and Timbuktoo, I mean here and there, I’ll be happy to hang out with him and Mummy.

At least he’s keeping an eye on us. He gets us out for walks more regularly, and they are decent length walks (decent for us, we gotta start someplace) to boot. I seem to drag a bit, but Oasis just keeps boogy-ing along at a quick pace. Maybe if he fed me a bit more every day I’d have more energy?

Sadly we won’t be in close contact with Shiba Rescue GTA (www.shibarescuegta.com) or Helping Homeless Pets (www.helpinghomelesspets.com) as much as we were but I can usually sneak on email when he isn’t looking. My typing speed has improved over the years as my paws can hunt and peck pretty good – remember I’m a hunting dog!

Daddy just tapped me on the shoulder- he says to watch his Twitter stream (@vincedeon hashtag #westwardho) for pictures and stuff as we travel. Farewell, Ontario, we will have fond memories of you and your yummy dog cookies!

#westwardho, the Journey – Sikoya

October 25th 2012 8:26 pm

Dearest readers,
When last I wrote we were waiting for Daddy to get off his butt for the camping trip he kept talking about. We’ve been camping for over a week now, but the journey was quite interesting in itself.

About a week after my last entry we FINALLY got the trip started. Sis and I each jumped into a different vehicle and we had our own super-comfy kennels with extra padding and a small water dish.

But that excitement was short-lived. The trip lasted SIX days. S-I-X, count’em, 6 days. Day one was pretty cool, I was with Daddy. On day two, I was with Mummy. Day three, back to Daddy, and I didn’t really want to get in the kennel. I heard Mummy and Daddy talking and Oasis was doing the same thing. But they gently directed my head into the kennel and I got the hint, and I “kennel up”‘d for them.

At least we stopped plenty of places along the way. We stopped in places like Sudbury, Ignace, Dryden, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Regina, Brooks, and a gazillion other places I can’t remember – but every one of them smelled very different. Of course I peed at every one of them!

Daddy and Mummy spent a bit of time at the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay reading what was inscribed on the statue and it’s base. Daddy was pretty moved by what he saw and took lots of pictures.

Despite the scare about beef in Alberta, when we got to Brooks (the ground zero of said scare) he ordered a burger anyways. Did he give any to me? Noooooooo. He muttered something about “puppies aren’t allowed in the restaurant” whatever that means. Yeah, What-Ever. All I know is I got ripped off for beef sampling, a-gain.

But it’s time for me to share the computer with Oasis. She’s searching for safety collars that auto-magically light up at night ever since she learned how to use Google. I’ll tell you about our unexpected winter camping adventures next time.

#westwardho, and Winter’s early arrival – Sikoya

October 28th 2013 4:18 pm

Dearest Readers,

I’m tardy with an update, please forgive me. But the snow was pretty cold when we got to Alberta – I even said “HOLY SHIIIIIBA” a few times – and it’s taken most of the year for my paws to thaw enough to type in this entry. Last entry I promised I’d tell you about our unexpected winter camping trip.

So this move thing Mummy and Daddy were going on about came to a temporary stop the day after my last post and that’s when winter hit. The locals said it came about 2 weeks earlier than in prior years and it dropped about 8 inches of snow around our trailer. It got pretty cold inside as it’s a summer trailer, and all I can say is that it’s a good thing Sis’ and I have fur coats.

No backyard to take a quick whizz in off-leash at all. Not even for Mummy and Daddy, even they had to stroll down the road to the bathroom building.

But we went for lots of walks, even if they were short ones. We saw plenty of deer and geese and other things we wanted to chase. There were a few other dogs in the campground, too. It seemed odd to us to have to be camping for 6 weeks in the snow but it was fun for us.

I’ll tell you all about the final days of our camping trip and our new backyard and home next time around.

Shiba Hugs,

Sikoya