Welcome and thank you for visiting! My name is Jenna Gates and my cute black and tan canine companion is Snickers, a purebred Shiba Inu. Ever since Snickers came into my life, I've become increasingly interested in promoting responsible dog ownership.

Snickers and I have been involved in numerous canine related activities including meetup groups, training, fund raising for shelters and rescue groups, purebred rescue efforts, animal assisted activities and humane education. I also want to make a difference beyond my local area and started this website as part of that. Please explore the site to learn more about me, about Snickers and about our mission.

T found her camera. I was so happy that I made a couple vids for your viewing amusement.

hello everyone,

in case you are wondering, I am writing this the way I do most things… making mom do it with Shiba mind control. she wants me to share my point of view on things. I told her ok as long as she does the work of typing it. typing on the laptop is impossible when you have paws. I told her to type the way I tell her though without editing to make it perfect. besides, jaqi said that mom agreed not to edit her posts, so I don’t think she should edit mine either.

today I’m thinking about how city dogs live. I lived as a puppy and most of my life in our apartment with one bedroom near Times Square (that’s in new york city, the best place to find fresh meat on the sidewalk). now I live in a big house with corn and soybean fields all around but not many people or fresh meat. (I watch the cows across the street, but they don’t look so tasty.)

in new york city there are these people called tourists. they’re like regular people, but they don’t seem to know where they are, they act strange and wear bright colors. I have heard tourists say things like it is cruel to have a dog in the city and a dog can’t live in a small apartment. I’ve even heard new people (sort of like tourists but they don’t go home), say I miss my dog. I gave him away when I moved here. It would have been selfish to bring him.

first, for those people who move without their dogs… if my mom moved anywhere and left me behind, I would have a broken heart. luckily, she loves me too much to ever do that.

now, for anyone who thinks dogs can’t live happy in the city… you are nutty. I loved living in the city. our small apartment was great because I could see mom almost no matter where she went. now, in the house, I have to get up and follow her when she changes rooms. when we went outside, there were lots of people around to pet me and lots of fun things to do. I got to go in stores and eat at sidewalk cafes. we had dog runs that we played in. I had really close dog friends and human friends that I visited and played with a lot and a big group of shiba pals to play with too. we went for really long walks around midnight every night when the streets were quiet. mom took me to lots of places with her. I even went to the office a lot and played with mom’s work friends.

I live in the country now. we have something called a yard. it is sort of like a dog run but it is way bigger and no one visits it but us. I like it a lot because I get to chase squirrels and cats and chipmunks. mom and aunt debbie build fires and cook hotdogs sometimes, which is almost as good as scavenging street meat! I don’t get to go for long walks though because mom is afraid of the dogs that are outside without humans. she’s also afraid of the dark. it gets dark here at night, so we can’t take our long bedtime walks like we used to. I don’t like that we have to get in the car and drive to go to a real dog park to play. I do have a small group of shiba pals here and we go hiking, which is fun. mom says I’m healthier here from clean air and my fur is cleaner too. my skin itches right now though; our nice new vet said that’s from something called ragweed and it will go away soon. something I don’t like about the country is that people don’t take their dogs many places here so I can’t go in the stores and stuff. mom says I probably can’t go to work with her when she starts working again either.

anyway, I am saying that I would be happy living anywhere with my mom and the two places I’ve lived both have good and bad things about them for dogs. I hope I get to live in other places. as long as mom is there and we’re doing stuff together, I’ll be happy. I think most dogs who love their humans probably feel the same way, so don’t move without your dog. and don’t say it’s mean to have a dog in the city. city dogs live great lives!

that’s all for now,
snickers

One of the bullets listed under Responsible Dog Ownership on our mission page says that I believe our canine companions deserve at least one form of identification (tags, microchips, tattoos) in case they are lost.

Although tags are the easiest solution for someone to see and read if they find your dog, collars can break or slip off and are not always enough. According to the American Humane Association, only 17% of lost dogs find their way back to their owners. 17%!!!!! Microchips and tattoos are more permanent solutions than ID tags and give your dog a much better chance of being returned to you if they end up in a shelter.

I recently received an email from a Shiba friend suggesting I write about microchips. She said: "I have been involved with several Shibas and 2 Schnauzers that were lost. I took them to a vet to check for a microchip. They all had one. However, when I contacted the number on the microchip it was outdated. … These dogs were all re-homed because no one thought to change the pertinent information."

I had similar experiences when I was working with NYC Shiba Rescue. Most of the dogs we received were not chipped. We received several who were, but when we checked, the chip’s weren’t registered. One chip led us back to a pet store. They tried to contact the people who bought the dog from them, but the info they had was out of date.

Microchips are more permanent tha collars, but what good is a microchip if you never associate any information with it or let that information get out of date? None whatsoever!!!

Moving is a hectic chore - so much to do, so little time. However, my guess is that when you have JUST moved to a new area is the time you are most likely to lose your dog. If your dog gets loose accidentally and runs, he won’t know where he is when he stops running and tries to go home. Nothing will smell or sound familiar and there is almost no chance that someone who recognizes him will spot him.

Please, please, please… when you get a new puppy, change vets, change phone numbers or move, update the personal information associated with your dog’s microchip. Also order new tags for your dogs collar ASAP.

How Microchips Work

A pet’s microchip is simply an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip. RFID chips are used for all sorts of things: Read the rest of this entry »

My mind at the age of 10 worked very much like this. I thought it would be simple, but taking care of a dog was much more difficult than I had imagined. I had no idea what I was getting into and ABSOLUTELY no idea how hard it would be to take care of a puppy. As a child I didn’t have much knowledge of exactly what feeding, walking, and loving him really meant. I didn’t realize how much of your life included the dog or how important my puppy would end up being to me.

When I first got Snickers I was very surprised at how hard it was just to be in the same room with him. He was chewing on everything and was always having accidents in the apartment. I had been expecting a sweet, little, well behaved puppy. That definitely shows how little I knew about dogs. After some time Snick started to become the smart, wonderful, calm doggy he is today. Of course Snickers turned out to be my mom’s dog since she was the only one who actually knew how to take care of him.

After a while I started to understand the dog world, the reason for having a furry friend. They give you something to look forward to on a hard work day, they keep you busy, and are always there for you. The best friend a girl could ever have. I’m glad I get to have a best doggy friend to cheer me up and keep me busy. I never would have guessed having a dog could make someone so happy.

Starting today, I’ll have occasional guest posts on Jenna & Snickers (.com). Yay!

Our first guest posting is by the Fabulous Miss ~T~, otherwise known as Jaqi (her real name), writing about how much more difficult owning a puppy was than she expected it to be. Read and enjoy!

One thing that took me by surprise when I founded NYC Shiba Rescue, was how often people would ask me "What’s wrong with Shibas? Why do they need to be rescued?" At every event Snickers and I attended representing NYCSR, numerous people would ask this!

What’s wrong with them? I didn’t even understand the question at first, but I soon realized that many people don’t realize there is any such thing as purebred rescue. Often, when a person wants a particular breed of dog instead of a mix, they automatically turn to a breeder or a pet store, not realizing there is another option. This is unfortunate and I want to do whatever I can to spread the word about purebred rescue.

Recently, I had the honor of being interviewed for a Shiba Inu breed profile page on woofpatrol.com. One of the topics we discussed was purebred rescue and WHY purebred dogs end up in shelters. Part of my response was:

Purebred dogs get dumped at shelters, abandoned at vet’s offices and dumped by the side of the road, just like mixes. Others run away without IDs and then aren’t claimed at the shelter. Many purebreds are dumped because people buy them at pet stores on impulse and then decide they don’t have the time or patience to care for a dog. Others are dumped because people don’t take the time to research and select a dog that fits their lifestyle and activity level.

And, now that I’ve had a couple years practice answering questions about Shiba rescue in particular, I was ready for this next question!

Woof Patrol: What are the top 3 reasons Shiba’s end up in shelters?

Me: 1. Unrealistic Expectations. People don’t do the research. Shibas are incredibly cute puppies, like little stuffed animals. Many people buy them without knowing what their personalities are like. Shibas don’t normally like to be held, hugged or handled excessively. They are high energy and therefore need a lot of exercise or they get into mischief. They are also VERY smart, so training them can be quite challenging for novice dog owners.

2. They Are Runners. Having been bred to hunt for thousands of years, Shibas have a high prey drive and will chase anything that runs. They are known escape artists - they bolt through doors, climb fences, slip collars - and then they’re off and running. By the time they stop, they’re usually far from home. They end up at a vet, having been hit by a car, or in a shelter as a stray. If they don’t have ID, sometimes the owner never finds them.

3. "Having A Baby" This applies to all breeds and mixes: way too many young people get a dog for companionship and/or to keep them busy. Then when they start a family, they dump the dog instead of investing some time into integrating the family.

To read more, check out the Shiba Inu breed profile on woofpatrol.com.

Recently, someone on a Shiba board asked for recommendations for a good vet to neuter their dog. One of the responses was "Why do you want to do that to your dog? If you are a responsible owner and control your dog, there is no reason."

Well… there are more than a few reasons why truly responsible owners have their companions spayed or neutered.

Even if “you are a responsible owner and control your dog” there is no guarantee that your dog will never be loose without permission (how many of us have had our Shiba slip or break their lead?). If you aren’t there to control your dog, you can’t be sure he won’t impregnate another dog (or get pregnant if she’s female).

Dogs that are not spayed/neutered are not welcome in as many social situations (like daycare and some dog parks) and therefore can’t be as well socialized and enjoy as many fun activities.

Unneutered males are attacked more often by other males - regardless of how well behaved the unneutered dog in question may be - because other dogs can smell the testosterone and it makes them more aggressive and defensive.

Unneutered males are more likely to develop prostate cancer. Unneutered males can develop testicular cancer. Unspayed females are more likely to develop breast cancer. The odds of all these things are pretty low, but why take the chance?

I will admit, I am absolutely pro-spay/neuter, although I am not a fan of early spay/neuter. (I waited until Snick was 14 months old to have him neutered because my personal conviction is that no hormone production should be altered until after the dog is physically mature.)

I have seen too much pain and suffering caused by the overpopulation of companion animals in this country - overpopulation caused by irresponsible owners, backyard breeders and puppy mills - to not be pro-spay/neuter. I don’t believe anyone should own intact dogs other than responsible, knowledgeable breeders who are breeding selectively to better the breed. I strongly encourage everyone who loves the breed in general and their dog in particular to have their dog spayed or neutered.

If you haven’t already read Our Mission for this website, please take a minute to do so and then come back.

Done? OK, great.

Now… what suggestions do you have to help me build this website as a resource? What information can we include to help educate current and potential dog owners about responsible dog ownership? There’s already a lot of info on the web… but what isn’t there? Or isn’t easy enough to find? Or isn’t well presented? How will people find this website? Why will they stay?

Pages I could add?
Blog topics to blog about?
How can I encourage more conversation and visitor input?
How can we make new visitors feel welcome to join in?

I’d love to hear any and all suggestions you may have, either in the comments (preferred) or via the contact page.

Thanks!!!

Snick doesn’t want the new blog to be ALL about serious stuff, so here’s one just for fun.

I met some of my bestest friends through the Shiba Meetup group that Snick and I started in NYC a couple years ago, so we’ve started one here in Indianapolis too. The Indy Shibas have had two meetups so far. Below are some photos from our second meetup, which was this past Sunday afternoon in Fort Harrison State Park. You may click the smaller images to embiggen.

Snickers and Sachi waiting for the rest of the group to arrive	Takara cozying up to Snickers before the hike	Snickers had SUCH a good time on the hike!	Snickers and Koda hiking together.
This is the full hiking crew, including "Honorary Shiba (aka Poodle)" Texas. From left to right: Texas, Takara, Snickers, Koda and Sachi.

One thing I said I would do more of after moving to Indiana… READING! I have shelves of books I’ve never had time to read. So, what does my daughter do the first or second week after she arrives in Indiana? She drags me into a BOOKSTORE and I end up buying another book.

How Dogs Think
What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do

by Stanley Coren

Rating:

In any and all training and behavior endeavors, my primary interest is understanding as much as possible about what Snickers is communicating to me and how he is perceiving what I am trying to communicate to him. Several of my recent book purchases have been on this subject. When I picked this book up in the store, I was impressed by the following three testimonials on the cover.

"Coren’s love for dogs shines like a beacon throughout this thoughtful and fascinating exploration of the mind of a dog."
      - Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D., author of The Other End of the Leash

"The thinking dog owner’s guide to everything they ever wanted to know about their dog. Truths expanded, myths exposed, common sense prevailing. Dr. Coren tells it the way it is. Two dew claws up for the this excellent book."
      - Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, DVA, author of The Dog Who Loved Too Much and If Only They Could Speak

"Meticulously researched, highly readable, and essential for anyone who loves and lives with a dog."
      - Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year

Of course, I brought it home and read it and now I have my own good things to say about it.

How Dogs Think is full of details about the physiology of dogs’ perceptions. I’ve always known that dogs don’t see, hear, feel, taste and smell the same way we do, but I didn’t have any information on how they do experience the world. After reading this book, I have a much better idea of how dogs experience their environment (and our actions), why they react the way they do and how they communicate back to the world. If you want to learn as much as you can about how your dog interprets and responds to the world around him, add this book to your library (and read it). Here are a few interesting facts and quotes from the book.

Read the rest of this entry »