NYC Shiba Rescue (NYCSR) is an all volunteer group dedicated to contributing to the quality of life of Shiba Inus in and around the New York City metropolitan area (NY, NJ, PA, and CT primarily). To that end, NYCSR actively works to rescue Shiba Inus and Shiba Inu mixed breed dogs from dangerous environments and shelters in order to find them loving, permanent homes. We will, among other things, foster and evaluate Shiba Inus in order to prepare them for adoption and seek out proper adoptive homes for the dogs. NYCSR also promotes responsible dog ownership by educating the public in the selection, care and training of dogs.
Dear Volunteers and Supporters,
Due to economic hardship, NYC Shiba Rescue will be temporarily halting all intake of new dogs. During this time NYCSR will continue to function to the best of our abilities to meet our goal of rescuing and providing Shibas and Shiba mixes with the best quality of life possible.
During the past year, NYCSR has lost about half of our active volunteers. In addition, the volunteers that we do have left are working harder than ever at their “real” jobs while also attempting to carry the extra workload to make up for lost volunteers at the rescue. Due to this lack of manpower, those tasks not directly related to animal care, such as record keeping, book keeping, following up with past adopters, etc., have fallen to the side out of necessity. NYCSR has also seen a sharp decrease in contributions and – combined with the recent financial stress of caring for a few specific special needs dogs – this has put us in a precarious financial position. After much soul seeking and careful deliberation, the Board of Directors has decided to halt new intake for the foreseeable future.
Please be assured that we hope and expect this to be just a temporary situation, directly related to the staggering growth and need that we have seen for our organization as a result of the increasing popularity of the Shiba Inu breed. [click to continue…]
Blossom’s foster family gave us an update recently as to how she’s doing and the news is great! She’s more active on her daily walks and seems to be more energetic overall. She has a routine of walk, then meal, so she’s excited to eat after a nice stroll and then nap later in the day.
Blossom still has a few accidents here and there but her foster mom, Denise, said that it’s not as common as it once was and she leaves a few wee wee pads down just in case for Blossom to use. She’s been good mostly and is starting to learn to go on the pads but still has the occasional accident.
Her foster mom told us:
Blossom is quite the sweetheart lately. We think she is much more comfortable now that she is the only dog in the house. She still doesn’t like being pet while she is standing, but if she’s lying in her bed she enjoys being petted and massaged.
When Denise is doing chores around the house, Blossom likes to watch and follow her from room to room. She’s curious and likes to see what the buzz is all about.Blossom will sometimes snap at hands if she thinks there’s a treat – like an alligator. She also sometimes will snap if she’s startled. Her foster mom told us there might be two reasons for this:
1. her eye sight is poor and she is startled when a hand appears too quickly.
2. she could have had some bad experiences with “surprise” grabs and tugs by people in the past.
In any case, if Blossom sees you and sees your intentions with a leash, harness, or whatever you may need to do her, she’s ok with it all. We’re very happy to know one of our senior dogs has adjusted so well and is opening up to show her true wonderful self!
Kuna’s foster family have been working with Kuna to get over his separation anxiety. Recently, they had to leave him alone for a full work day and Kuna was very unhappy. He became upset and they are trying to confine him in a small room away from the other dogs because he has a tendency to play too rough and needs supervision. However, Kuna is a playful and good dog overall.
He’s becoming very comfortable with his foster family and is friendly towards other dogs he meets on walks, and the ones he lives with in the house. He’s also been very good with meeting strangers, children, and likes to go for car rides. He enjoys playing retrieve with toys and shares with the other dogs. He has shown food aggression in the past with the other dogs but at present he seems to be OK.
Kuna is also their new alarm system! He makes a variety of noises, not quite barks, to let them know someone may be walking by the house, delivering mail, or anything that needs to be brought to their attention. Kuna is also learning to “come” when called but as with many Shibas, this seems to be more dependent on their mood than reinforcement!
