Blueberry (now Kodi) went to his new home a few weeks ago and is loving life with his new family, especially his “sister” Tika. I saw Kodi at a Shiba Meetup a week or so after his adoption was finalized and he was definitely a happy boy.

Yay Blueberry, uh, I mean Kodi!

Posted on July 13th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Blueberry | 1 Comment »

Sissy is doing great in foster care. She’s a real sweetie and definitely ready for her forever home.

Posted on July 11th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Sissy | 2 Comments »

Roxy recently arrived at a no kill shelter in NJ as a stray. We normally only work with shelters where dogs are in immediate danger, but the Operations Supervisor at this shelter was concerned because Roxy was becoming quite anxious in the kennels. She contacted Shiba rescue about finding a foster or permanent home for Roxy.

She was both microchipped and spayed prior to arriving in the shelter. The microchip was registered to a pet store that has since been closed, but the microchipping company was at least able to tell the shelter that Roxy is 6 years old. Her temperament evaluation at the shelter showed she is both cat and dog friendly, prefers the company of male dogs more than females, no aggression issues were noted. They did note that Roxy doesn’t tolerate being restrained well, and therefore bypassed that during her evaluation. No signs of food aggression and takes treats very well.

Terra went and picked up Roxy from the shelter yesterday and took her to foster care. So far things are going well and we’ll post more information for you soon!

Posted on July 11th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Roxy | 8 Comments »

Chad continues to do great in his foster home, he is such a good boy. Earlier this month, Foster mom Irma ‘gave him a bath and he was FABULOUS! No Shiba scream, no scratching- he was an angel’. She brushes him at the dog run where ‘he sits down like a furry gentlemen and welcomed the brushing’.

He’s ready for the perfect forever home- one that has a friendly female dog for him to be best friends with!

Posted on July 10th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Chad | 4 Comments »

Sissy is doing really well in her new foster home as an only dog. After getting settled it’s clear to see that she really excels on her own as she was becoming a bit too bossy to the other dogs that she was living with. Foster mom Michelle says, ‘Sissy’s doing great. I’ve discovered she has a love of grassy areas and she’s happiest when we’re at Central Park.’

However, Sissy seems to really get along with other dogs when she does not live with them. She prefers to hang out and play with them on walks and at the dog run. At the run she is extraordinarily friendly and there has never been a problem with other dogs.

As Sissy has come out of her shell she really has become even more affectionate, and loving to her foster mom.

Posted on July 10th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Sissy | No Comments »

Hero is currently being fostered in Queens while foster mom, Michele, is away on her honeymoon. Boy, he’s just fit right in. Foster dad Jesse says, ‘He’s REALLY made himself at home and has really bonded with both of us. He follows me EVERYWHERE! He LOVES to sleep on me, too…hahaha! On my feet, resting his head on my chest, with a paw on my leg…just so long as he’s touching me, he’s happy! Such a little sweetheart! We’re really lovin’ that lil guy – it almost feels like he’s always been there!…We’re having SUCH a good time with him!!!’

What more can we say?! Hero is an amazing boy! When I saw him, I could not believe how wonderful he looked… his walk is incredible- there is virtually no limp at all at this point. He’s getting stronger and stronger.

Posted on July 8th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Hero | 2 Comments »

The latest update on Cody from Sara:

We have been working on Cody’s separation anxiety and it is much better. Last night was the big test as we took Tiki to a class and left Cody alone and uncrated for about 90 minutes. While he whined a little when we first left, our neighbors said he stopped almost immediately and when we came home, the apartment was in fine shape and Cody was napping on the couch waiting for us.

We have been working a lot on leash training and, while he still pulls, he is much better about keeping close and only very rarely tries to jump on people on the street. On leash, it is like dealing with a puppy and other dogs tend to react to him as such since he gets overexcited on every new route, but as he gets to know his surroundings, he is much calmer.

Finally, as Cody gets more comfortable, he is also willing to assert himself more. He will now come on to the couch uninvited and snuggle against me for pets and, not unlike Tiki, when you tell him “off” he looks at you like you are insane. Why should he move while he is so comfortable? But, if you are stern enough, he will get off after a few stern commands. Also, he had a follow-up vet appointment recently and his coat is much healthier and almost all the build-up on his teeth is gone. Plus, he has gained 4 pounds in the last month and is starting to fill out a little. He is not a huge fan of doggie day care or dog parks though and prefers long jogs on leash and to play one-on-one with Justin with a tug toy or a tennis ball.

Posted on June 25th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Cody | No Comments »

This Was Then	And This is Now

Posted on June 23rd, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

Cream Boy came from a kill shelter in NJ yesterday. He came into the shelter as a stray, so we don’t know his history. They’d adopted him out once but he was returned immediately, supposedly because he wasn’t housebroken. No one else had shown any interest in him and time was running short. We were lucky enough to pull him an put him into foster care. He’s a real sweetheart!

He apparently didn’t get much much exercise or walks at all. His muscle tone isn’t great and his back legs are thin plus his pads are very soft - like a puppy’s. He has lots of energy and is very sweet and kissy. Foster mom will be working on helping him gain a little weight (he’s only 21 pounds now) and work on his muscle tone on walks. She says he’s a good boy and will work on getting him and her two dogs to be friends. He was initially very barky with her dogs but she’s not concerned and is happy to work on it and keep them separated in her house in the meantime.

We’ll have more updates on him soon!

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Nami | 8 Comments »

Cody is about 18 months old and comes from upstate New York. From what we were told, his previous owners surrendered him to a shelter where he was adopted out to a family with a handicapped child. This family allowed their child to walk Cody on a leash alone. One day Cody saw another dog, pulled away from the child “to charge the other dog” and was returned to the shelter as “dog aggressive.” He was scheduled to be put to sleep (PTS) within a few days. We already had a relationship with this shelter and they got in touch with us right away. They said Cody was very sweet, becoming stressed by the shelter environment, but tagged as aggressive and therefore not adoptable. Would we take him? We trust this shelter, so, yes, we would take him.

We didn’t actually HAVE an open foster home at the time, so Cody went into temp foster with Sara, our Vice President, and this is what she wrote a few days after he arrived:

I was really nervous about how Cody would do. Dog Aggression can be serious and I had no idea what was in store. However, it has been an amazing few days. However, this is not a dog aggressive dog!

Tiki and Cody took to each other immediately.

They wrestled, played and napped together. They went on walks together. Not only was Cody not dog aggressive, he was sweet, submissive and fearless. He is willing to share food and toys (which makes him better behaved than Tiki) and explores everywhere. The hardest part of walking him is that he tries to kiss every person and dog that he sees. Do I believe he pulled on a leash to get to another dog? Sure. Do I believe there was any aggression in that act? Not a chance. Oh, and maybe the adoptive parents should have tried this, but Cody will “heel” when asked. Hard to pull a leash when you are walking in step with the leash-holder.

Cody loves to snuggle. He kisses us constantly.

Cody was clearly once well-loved. He has the best recall of any dog I have seen in a long time, knows his name, has a perfect sit, down, roll over, shake and can catch treats and toys in the air. He won’t come up on furniture unless invited. He will “drop it” or “leave it” as you command. Anything to please. Oh, and he is completely gentle with the children who live upstairs.

I have no idea what happened that made someone give up this sweet and loving soul. I don’t know how you can look in Cody’s eyes and live with yourself after letting him down. And yet someone did.

Can you believe this dog almost didn’t get another chance?

Posted on June 2nd, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Cody | No Comments »

Hero is a wonderful Shiba. He has made himself one of the pack with my 3 other dogs. They all have seemed to iron out all of their issues with each other and are getting along quite nicely. If other dogs are okay with Hero, Hero seems to be okay with them. Hero can still be possessive over his food, but shows no signs of aggression (he just doesn’t want anyone else to eat! LOL). Overall, his physical health seems to be steadily improving. He has gained some weight and is galloping around like a champ. He is such a little lover and craves affection from anyone who will give it to him… VERY sweet:) I’m very proud of this guy!

Posted on May 31st, 2007 by michele
Filed under: Hero | 1 Comment »

Chad is doing really well in foster care and we’re getting a good idea of what his perfect forever home should look like.

For the first week that he was with us, he didn’t show any signs of separation anxiety at all. His previous owners had warned us that he has accidents inside when left alone - even if only for a very short time! For the first four days, he went willingly into his crate when his foster mom had to go to work and seemed perfectly happy when she left and when she returned. However, after a wonderful four day weekend spent at the beach with his foster mom, a friend, and 3 other dogs, he’s now showing signs of anxiety when left alone. He went under the bed once when it was time to go in his crate and had a couple accidents in his crate that day and the next. The good news though is that he and the resident dog have become such good friends already that we’ve decided to stop crating him during the day. Our hope is that when he is free to snuggle with his doggie friend, he won’t be anxious about his human friend being away.

Although Chad is wonderfully well-behaved, healthy, neutered, and up-to-date on all of his vaccinations, he is not available for adoption quite yet. We want to figure out what it will take to avoid his separation anxiety, before we choose a home for him.

Posted on May 30th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Chad | No Comments »

Sissy was found wandering around in Huntington Station, NY, in early May. Lucky for her she was found by a real dog lover who took her home and took care of her while searching for her owner. No one ever claimed Sissy, so now she’s in foster care and looking for a new home.

I had the absolute pleasure of fostering Sissy over the Memorial Day weekend while her foster mom was away. We fell in LOVE! Sissy is a sweetheart. She is very quiet and mellow with a gentle personality. She loves her walks, laying on her back for naps and behind the ear scratches. She also likes to relax by the window and enjoy the breeze. By Monday afternoon, she had carved a place in our hearts by curling up next to us for a good rub. She will be spayed this week and after recovery will then be available for adoption. She is currently fostered with 2 Blue Tick Coon Hounds, 12 year old child and an indoor/outdoor cat. She seems to fit in just as well with a full house as with a quiet home as an only dog- she’s so adaptable!

Posted on May 29th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Sissy | 11 Comments »

Blueberry is doing great in foster care. He is just about all healed from his neutering and ready for adoption! His foster mom says that his personality has really come alive since his arrival. He’s now eating very well and learning sit, stay & come to name a few. As a testament to his sweet nature, he prefers affection to training treats as his reward. She also reports ‘As he gets more comfortable he feels free to curl up on the chair and strut around when strangers come over!’ And on his walks ‘He just loves other dogs to death and he is so sweet with them.’ Blueberry really will love being in a forever home that will give him lots of affection.

Posted on May 28th, 2007 by zennia
Filed under: Blueberry | No Comments »

Chad recently turned six years old. He is healthy and neutered and VERY sweet. When I went to pick him up, he snuggled up next to me like he’d known me for years. Chad has been very well taken care of… our first foster dog that we know actually had a really good life before coming to us. His owners were very conflicted about giving up such a great dog, but they were afraid their young toddler was going to torment him past his tolerance level and they were very stressed all the time trying to watch Chad and the toddler and keep them apart. Chad wasn’t getting the kind of play time and freedom at home that he had all his life and his owners decided it just wasn’t fair to him.

Chad won’t be available for adoption immediately. We’ve been told he has some separation anxiety issues, so we’re going to take some extra time to evaluate him and decide what the best home situation for him will be. He’s being fostered with a resident dog now and we’re thinking he should be adopted by someone that has a sweet, female dog to keep him company when they can’t be home.

One of my partners, Lily, spent some time with Chad on Sunday and this is what she said:

"Chad seemed shy, but after a few minutes he suggested we play tug by pushing a stuffed toy on my lap. So I tugged, then he tugged harder, then me, and it was ON. He was sliding across the hardwood floor as I was pulling the toy with him. From one side of the apartment to the other, we were sliding across the floors and it was fun! LOL! When I was tired and dropped the stuffed duck toy, Chad wanted to play again."

More about Chad to come soon!

Posted on May 23rd, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Chad | 1 Comment »

Blueberry was a stray on Long Island and came to us from the same shelter as Suzie. The shelter contacted me a day after they found him. They waited 10 days, but no one came for him. He’s been neutered and moved into foster care and he is a sweetie pie. We don’t think he’s quite grown yet. As soon as he’s all healed from being neutered, he’ll be up for adoption to the right home.

We’ve only had Blueberry in foster care for 3 days now, so we’ll be able to tell you a lot more about him soon.

Posted on May 21st, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Blueberry | 3 Comments »

Suzie is all Shiba when it comes to water.  She walked as far away from the edge of the water as possible on the beach and did not like it at all when we dipped her feet in the water… ok, ok, we picked her up and tossed her in.. She did love romping around in the sand with her brother Tomo and sniffing out all of the new smells the beach had to offer.

She also experienced our favorite dog friendly B&B (The Mill House Inn in East Hampton for anyone interested) for the first time and made herself right at home.  The innkeepers loved her outgoing personality and hearty appetite.  Smoked bacon bits and eggs that found there way off of our plates into the bellies of two lovely Shibas each morning.  They were both passed out cold on our way home from all of the activity and the good food.

Suzie is definitely getting used to her new life and she sure is enjoying it!

Posted on May 16th, 2007 by gloria
Filed under: Suzie | 3 Comments »

Early this Saturday afternoon, Terra and I attended to NYCSR’s second adoption. Bri greeted us at the door of her foster home with wagging and kisses and love. We carried her crate and supplies downstairs, and she gleefully hopped in the car to see where we were going. In less than a month’s time, this girl has been dropped off in a shelter, spayed, picked up by a stranger and driven to a strange city, renamed, and fostered in two different apartments. You wouldn’t know it from her attitude though! Here she was on her way to another new place and just as happy-go-lucky as could be. I can’t stop wondering how anyone could surrender a girl with such an amazing temperament to a shelter!

When we walked up to Carol’s building, she was waiting outside with treats. Bri was perfectly happy to say hello and eat some treats, but she did seem a little like “ok, so what’s up?” Then we went and got her crate out of the car and she knew immediately that we were going inside with Carol. We took Bri and all her stuff up to Carol’s apartment and Bri proceeded to make herself right at home while we chatted and completed paperwork. Carol already had a new bed and a bunch of toys there for her and Bri had a GREAT time slinging a stuffed football around the apartment and chewing on some rawhide sticks.

All in all it was a great experience. When Terra and I left, we knew we were leaving Bri in her perfect forever home. She and Carol are a great match and we think they will be very happy together.

Posted on May 7th, 2007 by jenna
Filed under: Sabrina | 3 Comments »

Hero is doing great:)  He recovered quickly from his surgery and is running around like a champ.  His strength and energy level has continuously improved over the past few weeks.  He is eating a lot and is looking than ever!  He really enjoys long walks and loves meeting new people.  He was at the dog park yesterday and had a wonderful time playing with friends and acting like a goof.  He is such a sweetie!! 

Posted on May 7th, 2007 by michele
Filed under: Hero | 2 Comments »

I picked up a sad little shiba from an upstate shelter near my hometown. She had been left at the shelter because her owners no longer wanted her…it was the usual excuse…we don’t have time…So I picked her up on the April 21, just five days after she arrived at the shelter. Her 4th Birthday fell on April 17th, nothing like going to the pound for you birthday.
So this no name shiba endured the long drive to the city and all the traffic and noises that went along with it. We took a walk when we finally got home and a family stopped us and told us how beautiful our dogs where and asked if they could pet them. I gave permission for the kids to pet Cadence (my shiba) and said that I was not sure with the other one becuase I had just rescued her from a shelter. So we started talking and the first thing the kids asked was “whats her name,” I told them we were trying to figure out a new name and asked for their help. The two little girls started firing off names and finally someone said Sabrina…and I thought Bri for short would be PERFECT. So Bri it is. I thanked the girls very much for their help and they wished us luck. The next morning we played the name game and she learned her new name in under 10 minutes. What a great way to get a new name!

Posted on April 29th, 2007 by terra
Filed under: Sabrina | No Comments »