Welcome!
My name is Jenna Gates and my cute black and tan canine companion is Snickers, a purebred Shiba Inu.
I believe that animals are sentient beings who should be treated with dignity and respect. My companions are not toys or livestock, nor are they human; They are dogs, they are family, and they add to my life. Snickers and I enjoy working to educate others about the benefits of companion animals.
Please explore the site to learn more about me, about Snickers and about our mission.
Posted by jenna on February 13th, 2010
In the categories: Snick the Dog, bloglicious
 Today was a good day. Snickers and I started off the afternoon (which is the beginning of our day after all) with romp in the snow covered dog run. Then Snick managed to take me to his favorite liquor store. Yes, I said my dog has a favorite liquor store. Jersey City Wine & Spirits keeps dog treats at the register. I discovered this shortly after moving here when Snickers unexpectedly dragged me in there. I try not to walk by there when I’m not prepared to go in, but sometimes I’m not paying attention and he leads me there. Today was one of those days. Also today, between our time at the dog run and our visit to the liquor store, Snick made a new friend on the sidewalk.
Wherever Snick and I go, people stop us and ask me what kind of dog he is. This is pretty common for Shiba owners, possibly more so for black and tans because they aren’t as plentiful. When we still lived in Manhattan, sometimes the people who stopped us would be fellow Shiba people. (I do this too… stop people on the street to say hi to their Shiba even when Snick isn’t with me.) Many times they would ask something along the lines of "I heard there is a Shiba club or a meetup in the city. Do you know about it?" I would introduce myself as the organizer of the Shiba meetup and give them all the details. Once, a guy stopped us a couple blocks from my apartment and said "I’m sorry to bother you but I’m looking for the Shiba rescue and thought you might know. They’re supposed to be around here somewhere." Of course, the address he was looking for was the mailbox rental around the corner from my apartment. I told him the rescue doesn’t have an office and proceeded to answered all his questions about volunteering for NYCSR. Those incidents aren’t really remarkable though. NYC is just a very big small town so running into people with shared interests is to be expected!
Lately though, people know Snickers from this website. A few months ago, we were at the dog run and I was talking to a couple with an adopted Shiba. I mentioned that I volunteer with NYCSR and we talked about foster dogs and adopted dogs, etc. At some point they asked me Snick’s name. When I told them, one of them said "You’re Jenna & Snickers! I thought you looked familiar!" That was weird.
We had a moment like that today and it wasn’t even a "Shiba person!" During our walk, someone came up behind us, apologized for the intrusion and asked what kind of dog Snick is. When I answered that he’s a Shiba Inu, she said she thought so, that her parents had a red Shiba and that she had only just discovered black and tans. Snickers tends to be very Shiba-like with most people on the sidewalk… meaning, he ignores them completely. So, I said "Snickers, say hello" (which I taught him during school and therapy visits). He went over to her, greeted her and immediately tried to kiss her face. Upon hearing his name, she said "Snickers! I was just reading your blog!" This was at once very odd and very cool to be talking to a stranger who knew my dog from the Internet. She said he was just as beautiful as his pictures (and he is!) and we chatted for a minute. We went our separate ways, but the idea that I’d just met proof that strangers actually visit and read this blog stuck in my head all day. Neat, huh?
Even better? She made a donation to NYCSR tonight! Awesome.
Posted by jenna on January 16th, 2010
In the categories: companion animal welfare, rescue
This video says so much. Just watch it.
This is what we do in rescue. I wish more people would help so less dogs would suffer and die. If you help, thank you. If you don’t… well, suffice to say, I just don’t understand.
Posted by jenna on December 30th, 2009
In the categories: training and behavior
I posted these Tips on Training Shiba Recall to my old site a couple years ago. The subject of teaching dogs to return on command, continues to come up on various message boards and mailing lists, so I thought these tips seemed worthy of reposting here. Shiba Inus are infamous for their disregard for returning on command, but, of course, these tips can apply to any breed or mix, not just Shibas! Snickers recall is fairly good – exceptional for a Shiba really. Here are a few things that helped get it that way.
- I have a life or death recall (“Snickers, COME!) and a common recall (“Come here Snick”). He knows the common recall is optional but the other is definitely not. This keeps me from “wearing out” his recall.
- He always, always gets yummy treats and happy praise when he responds to “Snickers, COME!” and I practice at random times so it isn’t just pattern trained.
- You should never give them the opportunity to fail when you train recall. Although I despise Flexi leads in the city, I started teaching him on a Flexi. I would let him get way ahead and then call him. If he didn’t turn back immediately, I would reel him in and then treat and praise. Be cautious in expanding their range. When I started doing it off leash, I started from about 3 feet away! First we did it at home and then at the dog run, but only when it was empty. I expanded the distance very gradually and waited until I was VERY confident before trying it with distractions. Add the distractions in slowly and always give big rewards.
- Don’t get in the habit of always using the life or death recall to make him leave fun things (like the dog run). Often, I will call Snick, treat and praise him, and let him go back to what he was doing. I want him to always feel like the reward for coming is greater than the potential for loss of freedom.
- Never, ever, EVER call them to you to punish or admonish them (even if they didn’t come the first time you called and you’re mad). If you need to correct your dog, go to him. The last thing you want is to teach your dog that he’s going to get in trouble when he responds to you!
Posted by jenna on December 21st, 2009
In the categories: pack members
And it isn’t me!
Brandy seems to be more attached to my daughter than to me, probably because they spend more time together and go on more walks together. Brandy’s crate has been in my room with me and Snick, but that means my daughter has had to wait for us to get up in the morning before going walking. She decided she wanted Brandy to move into her room (which is kind of a big deal because her room is not huge and Brandy’s crate is huge), so she rearranged her bedroom this weekend and Brandy moved.
Ms. Brandywine is a bit confused by this and keeps wandering into my room when she’s ready to take a nap. (She is 16 years old after all. Change is hard!) For now, we’re keeping my door closed and keeping an eye on her so we can redirect her. Hopefully she’ll get used to the change quickly.
Posted by jenna on December 4th, 2009
In the categories: pack members
Brandy went to the groomer on Tuesday. They brushed out all the loose undercoat, clipped her nails, gave her a bath, cut out the mats and trimmed her little butt feathers. She came back looking like a different dog. Here are a couple photos of her that night, while she was still wearing the little bandanna they put on her.
She’s easily walking three times as far on walks now as she was when she got here and she’s eating like a champ. Her little hunched back is straightening out and tonight she playbowed at me and then at Snickers right after I got home from work!!!
We’re starting to think her reported age of 16 may have been a lie on the part of the woman who brought to the shelter… maybe to help justify her request to have her euthanized? We’ll see. I want to give her a couple more weeks of good food and exercise before taking her to the vet.
Posted by jenna on November 29th, 2009
In the categories: pack members
One week ago today, my daughter and I added a third Shiba to our pack. Please welcome darling little Brandy (who we’ve affectionately started calling Ms. Brandywine, as it seems to really suit her).
Last Friday, I received an email about this little girl. She’s 16 years old and had been surrendered to a shelter in Connecticut. This is a good shelter in a nice area with a policy of only putting dogs to sleep “that suffer from medical or behavioral conditions that are beyond treatment and render the pet unable to be placed with a family.” Basically, she wasn’t in any immediate danger, but Shibas don’t tend to adjust well to shelters and the idea of a senior Shiba most likely living out her last days in a shelter was more than I could stand.
Her Story
Brandy was at the shelter for about a month. The young woman who brought her in said that her owner had died. She’d had Brandy for about a week but "didn’t have time for her" and wanted her euthanized. The medical director at the shelter convinced the woman to sign her over as a surrender instead. Brandy’s teeth were in really bad shape, so the shelter removed most of them; she only has three left.
These are the photos that the shelter took for her kennel card. She looks like a little raggamuffin. Unfortunately, she looked even worse in person. 
Meeting Brandy
Early Sunday afternoon, I set off on the two hour drive to go get Brandy. When they brought her out to us at the shelter, we were delighted by the spring in her step but dismayed at her physical condition. She’d had diarrhea, some of which was still matted in her fur. She was severely underweight and her skin is horribly dry. As you can see, she’s a "wooly (long coated) Shiba" and she was a dirty, matted mess. She kept looking around and checking every person that walked by as if she was looking for someone in particular, which made us feel really sad for her.
Making Progress
Our friend Zennia came over, Furminator in hand, the night Brandy came home. She brushed a big bag full of fur off of her that night and we’ve Furminated her several times since then also. She’s looking better, but she has some mats that need professional attention and her TAIL is a disaster area. Here’s a photo of her a couple days after she came home. Her eyes are a little cloudy and her tongue pokes out the side of her mouth where she has no teeth. Pretty cute really.
Brandy only weighed 11.5 pounds when she got here. The shelter was feeding her Science Diet I/D which, in my personal opinion is G.R.O.S.S. stuff. I’ve just finished transitioning her to what Snickers and Secret eat and, between that and having plenty of water to drink, she’s put on a pound already! She eats really slowly (only three teeth, remember?) but she’s gone from barely eating to cleaning her bowl in the past week, so that’s a great improvement.
She’s already easily walking twice as far on walks as she could go on her first night here. She’s gaining stamina and building muscle tone!
She’s stopped looking for whoever she was looking for and she seems to be growing attached to my daughter. Snick and Secret mostly ignore her and let her do her own thing. Snickers has snarked at her a few times for getting in his face, but he’s getting better. He even tried to get her to play with him once recently.
Here’s a photo of her looking pretty content a couple days ago.
What the Future Holds
We know that adopting a 16 year old dog is essentially setting ourselves up for a near future heartbreak, but we knew that when we decided to go get her. It’s worth it to us. She’s very well trained – house trained, gentle, an excellent leash walker, pees at the curb, enjoys grooming – and it’s clear that someone loved this little dog very much. After a lifetime of providing companionship to someone, having her life turned upside down must have been very traumatic. She deserves the best we can do for her in whatever time we have her.
She has an appointment with the groomer in a couple days. (A Shiba at a groomers? I know. Weird.) I’ll post more photos then and updates as she gains weight, grows stronger and visits the vet.
Posted by snickers on November 24th, 2009
In the categories: Snick the Dog, rescue
hi peeples! snickers here.
did you know that i was born on thanksgiving day? well, i was. my birthday is not on thanksgiving every year, but mom says she gives thanks for me every day.
this year, my birthday will be the day after thanksgiving and i will be six years old. and this year, me and mom have a special request. we are trying to help nyc shiba rescue raise some money. they had to stop taking in new doggies because of the economy (and a couple dogs with health problems – one with cancer, one with cushings). i want to help them help doggies, so this year my birthday is all about nycsr!
please click the donate button on the box in this post to go to my fund raising page at firstgiving and wish me happy birthday. even just a dollar or two will add up and if you can give more we would really REALLY like that too!
Posted by jenna on November 23rd, 2009
In the categories: Snick the Dog, sports and activities
Oh. My. God. This may be one of the most fun things you can EVER do with your dog. This past Saturday morning, Snick and I trekked to Central Jersey with friends Catherine and Nick and their two dogs Wylie and Tigger.
I believe the course was about 700 yards long. No one was officially timing the dogs, but we used Cathy’s iPhone and clocked Snick’s second run at just under a minute. That’s a polo field they’re running on and, no, there’s no fence. I was terrified to let Snickers take off like that without a leash, but after watching Tigger do it, I swallowed the lump in my throat and let him go. We had a little trouble catching him after his first run because he was trying to figure out where the “bunny” went after the bags stopped moving. Luckily, the lure operator heard us stressing and turned the lure back on long enough to grab his interest so we could snag him. Letting him go the SECOND time was even scarier, but at least we were more prepared to catch him that time. I’m going to take some sort of toy for him to “kill” at the end of the course next time – more satisfaction for him and an easier catch for me.
There’s really not much else to say… just watch the video that Nick posted (THANKS NICK!) of Tigger and Snickers chasing the lure!
Posted by jenna on November 16th, 2009
In the categories: rescue
Care2.com is sponsoring their third "America’s Favorite Shelter" contest to give away $25,000 to deserving animal shelters and rescue groups.
PLEASE VOTE FOR NYC SHIBA RESCUE
The top ten rescue and shelter groups with the most votes at the end of the contest will win anywhere from $500 to $10,000. That can go a long way for a smaller rescue organization such as NYCSR. We fully recognize the competition we face against larger shelters and rescue organizations in this contest, but please do not be discouraged or consider your vote a wasted effort. Every little bit helps.
Just participating offers us the opportunity to raise funds for NYCSR.
Each week, Care2.com will also be randomly selecting 1 group to win a $500 cash prize, the only requirement for inclusion is that we receive five new votes each week. Just five votes, so be sure to cast your vote now!
You can only vote once, so send this link to your friends, families, strangers on the street who love your shiba, anyone! Show your love for the breed and lend a hand.
Posted by jenna on November 8th, 2009
In the categories: Snick the Dog, education
 I’ve been spending all my “free” time (of which there is very little) working on the restructuring plan for NYC Shiba Rescue and recruiting volunteers to fill the new positions. Snick and I manage to post tidbits on twitter and facebook occasionally, but finding time to write a whole blog post has been difficult.
One thing that has been on my mind a lot is Humane Education. I was very excited during the summer, because Snickers and I had plans to work with our local shelter’s humane education program. I was really looking forward to starting school visits in the fall. Well, long story short, the shelter doesn’t really have a program. They have good intentions, but right now the only visits they wanted our help with were for fund raising events.
That got me thinking long and hard about humane education, how important it is, and how no formal, organized plan to teach our children empathy towards animals really exists. An idea popped into my head and I’ve been formulating a plan. I plan to start a new, national, non-profit organization to promote and support humane education – specifically to teach compassion and empathy for companion animals – in the public school systems across the US.
I’m considering naming it Animal Educators Alliance. I know it sort of sounds like people who educate animals though, so I’m not entirely sure. It means animals who ARE educators. We’re not just teaching about companion animals. The animals ARE the teachers. What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Have any better ideas?
The primary objectives of the organization will be:
- To create and distribute a standard curriculum to be used by schools and volunteers throughout the country.
- To provide guidelines for volunteers and their animals.
- To bridge the gap between schools and volunteers.
- To eventually provide training and certification for various levels of volunteers.
Ambitious? Well, yeah. Impossible? I don’t think so.
Thoughts? Volunteers? 
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Today was a good day. Snickers and I started off the afternoon (which is the beginning of our day after all) with romp in the snow covered dog run. Then Snick managed to take me to his favorite liquor store. Yes, I said my dog has a favorite liquor store. Jersey City Wine & Spirits keeps dog treats at the register. I discovered this shortly after moving here when Snickers unexpectedly dragged me in there. I try not to walk by there when I’m not prepared to go in, but sometimes I’m not paying attention and he leads me there. Today was one of those days. Also today, between our time at the dog run and our visit to the liquor store, Snick made a new friend on the sidewalk.
