Casper is currently being treated for ringworm. It’s a contagious fungal infection that isn’t too difficult to treat but can be difficult to contain. He’s had a few baths with special shampoo and has a cream applied to the area everyday. This hasn’t affected his personality, but does make it hard to hug the little guy as no one wants ringworm on their hands or face.
However, Casper, as his foster mom has told us, is a great dog. He’s very easy going and likes people a lot. He loves attention but isn’t too needy or demanding for it. More so, he just loves the company and is extremely gentle.
The major problem has been with the cat. Casper and the cat do not get along at all. Casper should not live in a house with cats or other small animals.
He does not seem comfortable with confinement, he is very tolerant of it and will wimper a little. He never barks or scratches at the door or anything like that, but he does not like to be in a room with a closed door. We’re not entirely sure of his past experience has been with confinement, maybe it was a form of punishment or maybe he just is acting like a cat. You know, cats always want to be on the other side of the closed door… scratching and meowing to come into a room, then scratching and meowing to leave the room if the door closes.
Casper is just a very friendly dog and tolerates his medicine and baths. He’s good with children and most dogs. He met a few neighborhood children and strangers recently and was a perfect dog. Casper went over to everyone to get pets and even gave a one of the kids a kiss.
Casper also likes yogurt and would probably prefer to be an only dog so he can get all the love and affection in the house but he can and will live with another dog, but he must meet the dog first. Casper has shown some aggression to some dogs and we’re not sure what it is about the dog that he likes or doesn’t like.
Kuna is a male shiba who will be 2 yrs old in September. He’s about 22lbs and was on medication for Lyme’s Disease. He didn’t seem to like the meds as they made him feel ill and sometimes gave him an upset stomach. He’s no longer on the medication but needs to be tested in a few weeks to make sure everything is 100% fine.
Kuna was surrendered to us by his owners because they could no longer take care of him. His foster parents have told us that he’s friendly, affectionate, and has been good with the cat in the house. He’s shown no aggression to the cat and has walked away from it when it’s hissed or swatted at him.
Kuna may have a tad bit of anxiety especially when his fosters leave the house. He tends to howl for a bit. He loves his foster parents and gives them a lot of love. Kuna is learning that jumping up when someone comes home is not acceptable and is learning how to meet strangers and other animals outside. He also seemed to be nervous of cars but has gotten much better about that. Kuna stares at squirrels he sees but hasn’t tried to chase them and ignores birds.
Kuna loves going for long walks (1 mile about 3 times a day), playing with toys, and being outside. He spent most of his time outside at his former owners – so he’s comfortable hanging out in a backyard. He has been a great dog so far and we’re looking forward to seeing him come out of his shell!
DJ’s foster mom told us that he’s getting a shinier coat and went to the vet recently to get his yearly shots. He was exceptionally good and sat in the waiting room nice and patiently, and was very good with the vet.
His foster mom, Donna, describes him as a happy go lucky boy who still has a lot of puppy-like traits and sometimes does things that aren’t acceptable like stealing food from a plate on the table. She’s been working with him on modifying this behavior. He also sometimes chews on items that aren’t his toys.
DJ does guard some of his toys and will get a little nippy if you try to take it from him. He also still whines when he’s crated and knows you haven’t left the house yet. However, he’s become very very good on walks and has shown more confidence with exploring the outdoors. He’s friendly with other dogs, people, and seems to be good with meeting children.
He’s vocal and will bark at things and whine when it’s dinner time but overall he’s learning to be a good dog and Donna is enjoying fostering him.
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by kathy
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“Choppy” is a tiny 7 yr old Shiba/Beagle mix weighing in at about only 18 pounds. She is such a sweetie! SO affectionate and well behaved.
Chopstix has never been raised around dogs, but on the first night in her foster home she has already made friends with her foster brother and sister. Choppy is super sweet with adults but can become defensive around young children and therefore shouldn’t be in a home with young kids.
Lola’s foster mom, Molly, has been working with her and let us know yesterday that there has been some amazing improvements. Over the past week Lola has stopped urinating in the house and has adapted to being crated. She’s also opening up and showing affection to her foster mom and friends.
Lola went to work with Molly last Thursday and was fabulous with meeting strangers and being in a new environment. Lola actually would push people’s hand with her head to get more pets if they stopped. Molly also gave Lola a bath and said she did very well.
She is great with the other dogs and her basic obedience is coming along. She still pulls on leash in new places but it’s coming along. The only issues she is still showing are guarding food in her crate, and growling and panicking when a collar is put over her head but both of those are at a management stage.
This is wonderful news and we’re so happy that Lola is with Molly! Keep checking back to read more about Lola’s progress.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by kathy
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June, Luna’s foster mom, has told us that lately Luna has been making it a habit to chew on her kitchen chair, table legs, and shoes. Luna tends to do this during the day when June is at work. It sounds like Luna may be bored and finding things to do to occupy her time. June has made sure to keep Luna more stimulated with che toys, treats, and other “acceptable” items for Luna to chew on.
Since Luna has been diagnosed and under treatment, her urination problems have gone away. She no longer pees in the house and is doing very very well. Luna loves to eat. She will bark when she sees you eating something. She wont leave you alone and will beg and beg. June is trying to establish that she is the pack leader. It seems like Luna is feeling better and showing some of her “naughty” habits.
Overall, June has told us that Luna is a lovely dog and would be a joy in any house she lives in.
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by kathy
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Ginger is doing very well and has no health concerns. Not even any allergies. She is sweet, needy and friendly. Her separation anxiety is improving.
Ginger is also getting better with the other dogs in the house. She is calmer around the other dogs. Her obedience is slow but steady. Her personality has emerged – she’s more personable, but also more like velcro. She has become friendlier with strangers and less vocal when left alone.
Ginger is learning to walk on a loose leash and to come when called. She gets excited and jumps on people she likes for petting, begs for food when people are eating and cries when left alone but getting better. She still periodically lunges at the dogs in the house but getting better at that as well.
Bella had a major allergy attack when she began shedding, during which she scratched or bit off wide swathes of fur. Her skin became infected due to her scratching and biting. A trip to the vet for an antibiotic injection and a new prescription for Temeril resolved these issues. She is also on a prescription white fish based diet which seems to help.
Bella has shown a fear of flies. When a fly enters the apartment, she freaks out and runs to hide under the bed. She never showed the slightest interest in going under the bed before, and her fear is fairly profound.
Bella is a little less vocal now. Not sure why. Bella is a real sweetheart and her foster parents enjoy having her around. Here are a few photos they sent us:
Calling all shoppers and shiba lovers. Need the perfect black clutch to match your black and tan shiba for that next special night out? How about a red tote to carry your red sesame shiba puppy? Well now you have a chance.
NYC Shiba Rescue, Inc. will be co-hosting an evening of fundraising, cocktails and shopping along with handbag design house Samantha Thavasa and Tinsley Mortimer on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Samantha Thavasa store at 956 Madison Ave.
10% of all sales during the event will go to support NYCSR so come out and help save some shibas and maybe pick up a few designer goodies along the way. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet everyone’s favorite tri-pawd and recent NYCSR adoptee, Hanzo, as he helps represent the rescue and the breed. If you are interested in attending please RSVP to Emily Andrews at Emily@cmmediapr.com. Click to enlarge
Our sweet Lucy Rose had to have a mastectomy last week. The doctor also removed her lymph nodes as a precautionary measure. The biopsy showed that the tumor was cancerous. I have an appt. with the oncologist that the vet referred us to. They believe that they got all of the cancer and that Lucy should recover. We’re going to the oncologist to see what other preventative measures we should take.
Lucy has been recovering nicely from the surgery. She has a cone around her head so she can’t reach the wound, and the cone doesn’t even bother her. She has no problem getting around with the cone on and is even able to come in and out of the doggie door. She was back to her playful self as soon as I brought her home from the vet.
Lucy is very sweet and affectionate. She’s grown to trust us more and more and she now co-exists with our 4 dogs 24/7. They all get along great and play well together. She’d a total snuggle bug. She likes to sleep between my boyfriend and myself at night. We even brought her with us to do a home visit for someone who is interested in adopting another shiba, and she did great. She played with their male shiba and let the owners pet her and play with her.
We’ve been working with her on allowing new people to pet her if we let her know they are ok. Some people she still seems a little leary of, but most of the time she seems to let them pet her. She’s integrated with our dogs quite nicely.
She has a little bit of food aggression at feeding time around the other dogs. We didn’t notice this until we had her around our dogs 24/7. She quickly stops her unacceptable behavior with a vocal correction of “eh, eh”. She’s learning that no one is going to take her food.
She’s definitely become more playful and happy since we first brought her into our home. She especially loves my boyfriend and likes to snuggle with him on the couch when we’re watching tv. She loves me as well, and is my little shadow as I’m doing things around the house or in the kitchen cooking. She seems very happy with us, and even likes playing with our other dogs.
We also took her to a dog park and she behaved nicely. The other dogs didn’t bother her and she was even somewhat playful.
Lucy knows her basic commands like, sit and stay. She usually comes when called and walks on a loose leash. She even gives paw.
We would like to make sure that Lucy is cancer-free and will live a ling healthy life before we deem her adoptable.
We’ll keep you posted on Lucy’s progress.
Here is a video of Lucy after her surgery. She came with us on a home visit to a couple looking to adopt another Shiba. She did great!
Kato is doing very well. He was very thin when he first came into the rescue, but he’s gained a couple of pounds and is looking good.
He is a sweet dog with people. He seems okay with other dogs most of the time, but has had a couple issues, particularly when toys (tennis balls in particular) are involved. He has some guarding issues with toys at the dog park. He needs to be watched carefully as he can become aggressive very quickly. Though he has improved, he still needs work to walk on a leash. A harness makes a world of difference with him as well when walking.
Not much has changed with his personality, he is still a very energetic and playful puppy that ALWAYS wants to play.
He has mastered the command “sit”, and his foster was just beginning to teach stay, but he hadn’t quite grasped that one yet. He generally jumps on new people when he meets them, and occasionally when he is excited. He also still begs fairly regularly.
Overall, Kato is a good dog and with a little more work he will be deemed adoptable.
Keep checking back for more on Kato.
Posted on June 4th, 2009 by michele m
Filed under: Kato | 1 Comment »
Buddy is doing very well. His coat has come in beautifully. All things are pretty much the same with Buddy except that he was recently groomed and the groomer said he was a perfect gentleman. Although we wouldn’t recommend it, the groomer said she was able to completely groom him without a muzzle. In the past she has been able to wash him without the muzzle, but did use it for his nails.
His foster mom, Jenn, has begun to introduce Buddy to her 5 other dogs.
“We are taking it slow mostly because my dogs can be protective of their house, but Buddy is doing very well. Right now we are still in the “meeting” though a gate, but Buddy has not shown any aggression even with Sawyer barking at him through the gate. This is really good because he has not shown any barrier defense through the gate and has not shown any fear or defensiveness even with 5 dogs on the other side of the gate staring at him. We are going to continue introductions and move on to limited interaction with individuals dogs next week. Although originally I thought Buddy would be best as an only dog, but his behavior meeting my dogs through the gate has been so good that I’m starting to think that he can reside with another dog. I’ll let you know how we progress.”
Buddy does have some resource guarding issues for things that he comes across on walks (bottle caps, sometimes sticks, etc.) and something that is easily snatched from a table when the owner is not paying attentions (cell phones, etc.) He doesn’t eat or really chew these items, it’s more like “Ah ha! I got it and its mine”. Jenn is working on trading with Buddy. He is slowly getting it, but he’s not 100% yet. They have more success if he gets distracted and drops the item.
Buddy is very comfortable with people and enjoys being around “just hanging out”. He still is sensitive to touch and extensive petting so you have to be conscious of when enough is enough. He is much better with petting in larger open areas where he can walk away when he has had enough. In smaller confined areas he can get fearful and defensive. He actually seems to be happiest just being near you – laying at your feet or by your side.
Buddy loves his crate and Jenn finds him sleeping in it throughout the day. His barrier defense while in his crate eating is subsiding and he is learning to relax and digest his food after done eating. Then when he comes out of his crate he is calm and ready to go outside.
DJ’s foster mom, Donna, told us that he’s a very happy and lively guy. He’s smart and a quick learner. DJ has been doing well with basic commands and doesn’t bark at the fence as much as he did last month. He’s also very friendly to other dogs that he meets at the dog park and loves going there.
DJ is vocal, like many shibas, and carries on a conversation with her and her husband if they keep talking to him or asking him questions. She said it’s very cute. The only thing they are trying to work on now is his excitement barking when they come home. He doesn’t always stop when they’ve entered the house and he sometimes cries in the morning when they leave for work.
He has certainly improved and doesn’t show any aggression and we’ve had no reports of him guarding items or treats that are high-value to him. He is a playful dog and loves to play fetch and learn new tricks. They’ve taught him to crawl, shake hands, and spin.
Posted on May 28th, 2009 by kathy
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Mr. Squeakers has been in his foster home for 4 months and his foster mom told us that he’s doing great! Any behavior problems and quirks that he had have subsided and he’s gotten into a good routine and loves their cat, Molly. They play by running around the house and the cat will turn and look at Squeakers, then zoom off again.
He’s definitely calmed down and meets new people with no problems now. His foster mom had a lot of people over to watch the Kentucky Derby and Squeakers did very well. He even ended up in the center of the room doing silly tricks and entertaining everyone. This is great news and we’re so happy he’s come out of his shell and has the confidence to say hello to new people with no problems.
Squeakers still seems to think that his crate might be a negative place when he’s placed in it during the day. It may trigger to him that the family is leaving, and he still doesn’t like it but when they let him out he’s happy, gives kisses, and then zooms around. They are still working on this so that he understands the crate is his “bedroom” and it’s ok to hang out in there during the day.
Chase who is now Quincy has been doing great in his new home. His family let us know that he’s a graduate of obedience school and has learned basic commands and recall. He also now waits at the doorway instead of bolting. His family is considering going for his Canine Good Citizen test one day! This is such great news and makes all of us here at the rescue very happy.
His new owner, Jennifer told us the following:
He and Zelda are inseparable. They even try to go into the same crate at night but we had to stop that because they stay up all night playing. They are always snuggling or playing until the evening when they each grab a bone and snuggle up to me or Dave. Quincy loves to cuddle. He’s also very good at making friends at the dog park. He seems to like dogs bigger than him and tries to wrestle dogs at least twice the size of him. He also really likes to go hiking.
On Memorial Day, Quincy and Zelda will be walking in the town parade honoring all the dogs that have served the military and supporting the creation of a dog park in town. Hopefully that will go well. We love being Quincy’s forever home!
Lola is a 3 year old cream Shiba who was adopted from NYCSR in 2008, but has come back to us. Lola was a bit too much for her new family and needs a more experienced owner to help her blossom. She is a very high energy, but insecure dog. Lola is friendly but extremely shy and nervous around new people, new situations, and new dogs. She lived with one dog and was OK, but did not do well meeting other dogs outside and also does not seem to understand how to read children.
She’s got to build some confidence and is in a great foster home with one of our volunteers, Molly. So far, Lola has been coming out of her shell at a steady pace. She was very stand offish at first but she has warmed up nicely. Lola has even warmed up to the other dogs in the house and is crate-trained. Lola knows some commands such as sit and come. She has to learn some more manners and does have a tendency to bolt out the front door.
With new places, Lola is still showing major anxiety and shyness but Molly is working on building Lola’s confidence, security, and letting her know that nothing will happen to her. A good pack leader can make the rest of the pack feel secure and safe and that is what Molly is doing with Lola. Molly told us recently:
Two nights ago she came over to me and forced my hand to pet her. From then on she has been a love. She jumps and plays and chases her tail. She is truly having a blast. She does play growl and this behavior makes it confusing sometimes to know what she wants so I am going to work on stopping it and have her only growl when she is uncomfortable.
We’re so glad Lola is opening up and starting to show her playful side. Keep checking back to see how she progresses!
Posted on May 24th, 2009 by kathy
Filed under: Lola | 1 Comment »
Casper recently went to the vet and his foster family told us he was great. Nothing bothered him, including a German Shepard in the waiting room who wanted to meet him, Casper held his own, didn’t cower, didn’t strike out – just stood quietly until the shepherd’s owner got control of the dog.
His foster family has noticed that Casper is friendly, even-tempered, and not too clingy or aloof. They also told us he’s playful, has a lot of confidence, and intelligent. Every time he was introduced to a new environment, such as visiting a friend’s house he did well. They stayed a few days at Joanna’s parents house and he didn’t have any problems adjusting. She said that Casper is the type of dog that will meet you halfway as long as you work with him and give him clear signals and leadership. He doesn’t need major coaxing or hard training, he just needs to know “what’s up” and will follow suit with no problems.
Joanna was hoping to work on his cat interactions, but her cats are too scared to make an appearance. She told the following:
He has become more perky and playful as he feels better. He has very springy movements and it is really very funny to watch him bounce and spring around.
As far as children go, Casper did visit someone who had a 2 year old boy. The little boy went up to Casper and hugged him, and Casper didn’t pull away or show any fear. He was very very good!
Casper does get a little possessive about food and has shown some aggression to the other dog in the house when eating. He also does not want to give up items like pig ears. He doesn’t show any signs of possession with his foster mom, only the other dog and it’s not a huge problem. Casper just seems to not want to share with his fellow canine friend.
“Choppy” is a tiny 7 yr old Shiba/Beagle mix weighing in at about only 18 pounds. She is such a sweetie! SO affectionate and well behaved. 
