My girl, Trinka, has a lot of qualities that bind us together too; she is as loyal as the day is long. But, I suppose the challenged ones dig a little harder; make a slightly deeper impression. If I’d only had Trinka, I’d have had it easy. I would never have known what was possible, what I was missing, and because of Ishi, I have a better relationship with her, and my husband, and maybe my friends too!"

He started out as Phineas, a family name that wasn’t used for several generations. But as I got to know him, he needed a more fitting name. I still will call him Phin, but he also knows his other name: Ishi.

I was at my local bank. I had my first Shiba girl, Trinkaryu with me. I was stopped by a man who asked if I had a Shiba. I was surprised because most people didn’t know what they were at that time. I said yes. He asked if I wanted another one! Turns out, he was an animal control officer from several towns over. He had a male shiba at the shelter. This young dog had been hanging out a park for several days. It was believed that he was dumped there. The ACO wanted to find someone who knew the breed, if possible, to adopt him- or at least get him into a rescue. So, of course, I drove over there and met the dog. He responded well to me, and got along with my girl, so I put him right into my truck and he came home with us that day.

This poor dog is a classic example of what can happen to a Shiba under the wrong conditions. He was taken from his mother at about four weeks. He was shipped to a pet store halfway across the country at six weeks and put out on the floor before he was eight weeks old. He was adopted by a couple who didn’t spend any time with him, didn’t teach him anything and I do believe they physically hit him. He had no idea how to behave around people. His already wary nature escalated and he became a cautious, nervous and extremely insecure boy.

I brought him home and he bonded very quickly with my girl dog, who was able to show him how to be a dog. They played and ate and slept together from day one. With my husband and I, it took a while longer for him to gain some trust. There were many setbacks, many challenges and it was not an easy road. There were several times when I thought seriously about putting him to sleep. I hit the wall a few times with his aggression issues which are completely fear related. He also used to have seisures that were “fly-biting”, paranoid type episodes. He was on drug treatment for several years, but as he has aged, he has out grown the need for medication, and he is a fantastic dog (with limits).
This dog won me. He had to work at it. He put me through the wringer. I had to completely forget everything I’d ever learned and re-educate myself and re-tune myself to be more instinctive and more kind to his needs. To see the world through his eyes. Nothing that had ever been taught to me about dog training applied to this boy. I had entered the world of positive-reinforcement and the baby-step exposure training of owning a fearful dog. This was foreign training to me. But during this transformation, I was able to recall what I used to think and feel about animal relationships that I’d had as a child. They were so much closer and so much better. I worked very hard to accomplish that with this boy. And slowly, he decided to work with me, and most importantly, trust me. Every accomplishment forward was a BIG deal.

We continue to make small strides forward to this day. We have a definte communication where he’ll tell me if he’s not comfortable and I can help him either deal with that something or get him away from it as quickly as possible. We have been met by many loose dogs, have been attacked many times by them, and altercations with rude people. Once I learned to physically step in front of him, and take over for him, he could then learn to let me lead him. This was one of the biggest steps that we took a few years ago.

Is it easy to live with a fearful dog? Not at all. Especially since he is a potential liability. He has and could still, bite someone. He will never be a normal dog. He will never want to take long walks and be surrounded by many people or dogs. His world is small and he likes it that way. He has learned to be himself in “his” house and he loves “his” (our) bed. He is good when there’s a routine and he expects that routine. He gets upset very easily. He doesn’t like it when the furniture gets rearranged, or if there’s any different activity going on outside. He will never be comfortable around hyper or loud people. He doesn’t cope well with fast moving or overly-energetic personalities. He’s afraid of loud noises, but he’s become better with thunderstorms and cannons, just from continued exposure and the fact that I am there for him, telling him it’ll be alright.

He travels all over the countryside with me. He likes to travel in the car and he’s really a good sport with hotels and the chaos of road trips. We recently got an Airstream travel trailer, that I’m restoring. Once that’s together it will be even easier on him, as he can always sleep in his own bed 🙂

I love the admiration that Buckley has for me but I think it goes deeper than that. He’s shown me the sort of affection you can only get from a dog that truly trusts you. It’s more than tail wags and licks. It’s long sighs of contentment, gazing into my eyes, always finding a way to position himself to be touching me. It’s not quite clingy or velcro-y, but there is definitely a strong connection. I feel it deeply. I always say that I feel it in my bones – me and Buckley were meant to be.

His official gotcha day is January 13 – the day we signed his adoption papers – although we were fostering him before that. His birthday is in October. He was 13 weeks old when his family gave him up to a local rescue. He was acting like a tasmanian devil and they thought he was dangerous to their kids. I was meant to be his foster, but within a week I was completely done for. Our relationship started right away, I think he really wanted to be treated fairly with kind hands instead of constantly correcting hands. He would follow me around, snooze on my feet, snuggle on my chest, always want to lick my face. And he still does. My husband says that I’m his due north – he’s always facing me.

He’s taught me to not be afraid to seek out a deeper connection with all dogs, even temporary ones (fosters). I’m no longer afraid to get my heart broken from inevitable goodbyes because the journey there was worth it.

How Jiro came into my life isn’t all that special but I’ll share anyway. When I was a kid I was in love with Huskies, I always wanted one. When I was finally able to have a dog of my own, I was in my last year of college and no longer living with roomates, I knew it was the perfect time. I also knew I wouldn’t be able to have a Husky still. I knew they didn’t do well in apartments and while I had time to devote, I didn’t think I had enough time to properly exercise a Husky knowing what high energy dogs they were. I knew I wanted a spitz type dog, so I starting looking around not knowing what would be a good fit. That’s when my husband (then boyfriend) suggested Shiba Inu because of friend of his (Erin) had 3 of them. The more and more I read and researched the more I realized they were perfect for me. Pretty much everything I was looking for in a dog (smart, loyal but not overly clingy, clean, a spitz, primitive). Then one day we ran into Erin out with Kitsune, and I was sold. Turns out she was looking to rehome Jiro because he and Kitsune weren’t the best of buddies. She found Jiro in the local Animal Shelter by accident when she was there with her boyfriend looking for a dog for him. It was his (Jiro’s) last day, despite wearing a collar with tags; the owner wouldn’t come for him. Since she knew about Shibas, she paid to adopt him with the intent of finding him a good home. A year later she still had him; when I expressed interest in Shibas she asked if I wanted Jiro and the rest, as they say, is history.

Jiro stands out because he’s just so extraordinary. I’ve never had a dog quite like him. I feel so much more bonded with him than any other dog I’ve had prior. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself.

I have learned a great deal in order to better care for him through research and talking with others. When I first got him, I fed Kibbles ‘n Bits because I thought it was a good food; the dogs in the commercials are always so happy, so it must be good. Now I know better. Thanks to Jiro, I found my niche in the rescue world and in turn have met a great many wonderful people. I am more confident now, thanks to doing homechecks and talking with random people about the Shiba breed and breeding practices in general. I’ve met some friends I now see on a weekly basis.

Jiro very much embodies what a the Shiba spirit should be. He is bold and confident in every move he makes. I always joke that he’s strutting his stuff every time we walk outside. He’s friendly-ish with strangers when we’re out and about, usually very gentle and calm. Never jumping or overly excited. But if a stranger comes into our house he is sure to tell them off and lay down the rules upon their arrival. He’s fine with them after a few minutes. He is very much the hunter and protector, he’s always alert to the surroundings and enjoys hunting down bugs in the house and creatures we may encounter on walks (he chases as much as his leash will let him). He’s a mama’s boy, always has to be near me or touching me. He mopes and sulks when I’m not home and will even sleep outside the bathroom door when I’m showering. I have been known to fall asleep using him as a pillow or curled up next to him. He often curls up in my lap in the evenings when I’m watching tv. In short we’re pretty attached to each other.