Lucy and Sketch aka Diamond are loving their forever home! Michele was able to go visit them a few weeks ago and see these two special dogs.

Lucy has been learning tricks and will work for food:

We are glad they have such loving, wonderful owners. Diamond has the collar on to keep him from rubbing his eyes as he is still undergoing some medical treatments. But he’s happy, healthy, and has a sister to keep him company.

New York, NY – October 11, 2009 – NYC Shiba Rescue, Inc. (NYCSR), a volunteer group dedicated to the rescue of Shiba Inu breed dogs in the NY metropolitan area, today announced the adoption of the cream twins, Lucy Rose and Casper, on October 3, 2009. Lucy and Casper were actually brother and sister for a short time within the foster program and have been lucky enough to be adopted together into their new forever home in Cross River, NY

Lucy Rose came into the NYCSR Foster Program in late April this year when her previous owners realized they did not have the experience to give her the confidence necessary to become the inu she is now. Lucy is an incredibly sweet, loving dog to those who have gained her trust.  When she first came into the program Lucy had a tendency to nip at unwanted advances from strangers, however with the expert help of her foster parents Lucy has opened up and been more accepting of new people and dogs.

“She’s grown to trust us more and more and she now co-exists with our four dogs. They all get along great and play well together,” said her foster mom, Michele.  “She’s a total snuggle bug. She likes to sleep between my boyfriend and myself at night.”

Proving her strength as a great fighter, Lucy has also recovered beautifully from a mastectomy for a cancerous tumor which has shown no signs of returning.  As of now it looks like Lucy will be around for a long time to give her new family and fellow Shiba brother, Casper, plenty of love.

Casper also came into the Foster Program in April this year as a cruelty case, having lived much of his life in a small room with little to no socialization.  Despite his previous situation, Casper, also known as Sketch, quickly adjusted to his great new life in his first foster home, loving all the new attention and care.

At 11 years old, Casper is a mellow, well behaved boy who enjoys lounging with his family on the couch during TV time and going exploring on his walks.  Despite his grandpa status within the foster program, Casper is still a resilient boy having dealt with an ulcer on his eye giving him some sight problems, diminished hearing, as well as fighting off a bout of ringworm. Through it all Casper has maintained a completely care free and happy lifestyle, definitely doing everything he can to get all the love he can out of his new situation.

“Sketch is very friendly, enjoys the company of people and other dogs, and has no aggressive behavior at all.  He mostly likes to snuggle on the couch with us when we are watching tv,” said Michele.  “Sketch really is a very affectionate boy.  He is a joy to have around and will make a wonderful companion for his new family.”

Casper and Lucy are the 69^th and 70^th dogs that NYCSR has adopted out since the rescue was founded in April 2007.

About NYC Shiba Rescue, Inc.

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. 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.  NYC Shiba Rescue, Inc. (NYCSR) was founded in April 2007. NYCSR is incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under the Not-for-Profit corporation law of New York State and is a federal 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

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Sketch has been doing very well in my home. He hasn’t gained or lost any weight and his coat continues to be quite soft. The vet recommends he have an EKG to see what extent his heart murmur is. The last vet we took him to said the ulcer in his eye didn’t appear to be a problem or bothering him, so he recommended we just leave it alone for now. That same eye continues to tear all the time. I will have the vet look at it again when I bring him in for his EKG.

Sketch enjoyed having Miyuki to keep him company while she was in our care. Miyuki was recently adopted, so I started letting Sketch sleep upstairs with everyone else at night. He either sleeps in bed with us or he finds a dog bed or area rug to sleep on. He sometimes paces around for a while before he settles down. At times we have all 5 dogs in bed with us. It’s quite cozy!! LOL

Sketch enjoys his walks very much, but we have been allowing him to hang out upstairs and outside with the other dogs more often. He doesn’t really interact with the other dogs too much, but he doesn’t mind when they try and play with him. He mostly likes to snuggle on the couch with us when we are watching tv. He really is a very affectionate boy.

On walks he seems fine when encountering other dogs unless they are too sniffy in his private area and he doesn’t seem to like dogs that are very large.

When he thinks we’re not looking, he plays with toys and tosses them around the living room. He has this one habit of trying to knock over his water bowl. I think he needs to see the reflection of the water to know that it’s there. I don’t believe he sees out of the one eye with the ulcer and he may have limited site in his other eye. But he definitely does see.

It’s amusing when coming home and finding him all snuggled up on the couch sleeping and not even knowing we’ve come in the house. He’s definitely completely deaf. The other dogs are upstairs making a ruckus because we’ve come home and he doesn’t hear any of it.

Sketch is a joy to have around and would make a wonderful companion for someone looking to give him a loving home for the rest of his senior years.

Here’s a picture of Sketch snuggling up with Steve.

Sketch’s foster mom, Michele, told us recently that the vet noticed a small heart murmur along with an ulcer under his right eye. He was treated for the ulcer but we will be looking into checking into the murmur some more. Sketch’s eye seems to bother him and we are wondering if he will need surgery to have it removed.

Sketch (aka Casper) is very friendly and cuddly. He loves people more than dogs. He isn’t necessarily anti-dog, just prefers people over dogs. He doesn’t really know how to play with toys, but since he has seen some of our other dogs play, he has started to play with toys a little. He loves his walks and gets very excited when he sees you pick up his leash.

He was moved to Michele’s house because he barked a lot and his former foster’s neighbors started to complain. Michele told us that he did cry and bark when she put him to bed and she had to sleep near him to get him to calm down. After that first night, he’s been better and she has left the tv on when she’s out so he has some images to distract him. He also has a friend, another NYCSR rescue, Miyuki, and they get along great! They even slept together in the dog crate one night.

Sketch is very friendly, enjoys the company of people and other dogs, and has no aggressive behavior at all.

Here’s a video Michele took of Sketch:

Casper’s foster mom has a dog walker so he gets the exercise he needs when she’s not available. His dogwalker told us that he’s great and is the perfect dog. He’s been learning the down command and his dog walker has also been reinforcing it. She let us know that he picked it up and did it under a minute about 3 times. Casper is also learning to stay and he’s understanding it.

They both have told us how smart he is and adorable. Whoever adopts him will have a wonderful companion and he will make someone very happy.

We’re so glad that Casper is doing well and constantly impressing those he interacts with, fingers crossed that he finds a forever home soon!

Casper aka Sketch loves to be outside and explore the world at large. He enjoys walks in the woods with his foster family where he can check out every leaf and twig along the way. When everyone is out on the deck, he is out with them watching the activities of the natural world.

Casper likes to walk and trot around their yard sniffing, exploring, and discovering new things. He also rolls on his back in the grass. Casper likes to lie among the plants and greenery sniffing the air and sometimes snapping at bugs.

He is a great companion and his foster family think he’s the best! They sent us a few videos of Casper who is very leisurely enjoying the nice summer weather.

We can’t get over how wonderful he looks!

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.

His foster family sent us a few pics:

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.

Keep checking back!

Casper’s foster family let us know that they have nicknamed Casper, Sketch. When he went to their house he had a bottle of medication for Lyme Disease and has not shown any outward signs in the last few weeks. From what we can tell, Casper may have some vision problems as he doesn’t always know where a treat has landed if it’s tossed on the ground and can’t always follow where it went if it has stopped rolling or bouncing. It also seems Casper may have some hearing problems as he doesn’t seem aware of footsteps, noises, or alarms.

Casper seems to like other animals and has made friends with another shiba and a toy poodle. His foster family also has cats and the first few interactions were tense. He was initially curious and watched the cats but it seems he doesn’t know how to read a cat’s body language and takes a defensive stance against a cat if it comes up to him. It’s been recommended that he not live with a cat as he may accidentally nip it and cause it some harm.

Casper does not like being crated and gets extremely upset but loves the dog bed in the dining room. He also is more at ease at night if there’s a nightlight or some moonlight for him to help see where he is going. His foster family doesn’t find this to be an inconvenience at all and understand that Casper might be nervous since his sight is questionable.

As far as friendly goes, he likes to be around people, very much, and is not demanding or needy or fussy about who is around as long as he can hang with someone. He can also make himself comfortable in another room and go to sleep – doesn’t have to always be where you are. He likes to be petted, but stands back a bit as if waiting to be invited. Sometimes he will come up and put a chin on his foster’s knee as if to ask for a pat on the head. He also will nuzzle a hand with his nose and will look at his foster’s face with soft little dog eyes. He’s a charmer from what we can tell!

His foster mom, Joanna, told us the following:

I would describe him as confident without being bossy or threatening. He is able to come into a room and make himself at home in the middle of the rug in the center of a group of people who he doesn’t know and dogs he’s just met. He will groom himself, mark the carpet with his shoulders(roll on his back in other words) and go to sleep. He sleeps very deeply. He is not easily rattled. He enjoys the world at large and he has played a bit with a tennis ball in the yard and enjoyed leaping for it within a close visual range. He is always happy to go for a walk and will leap and play a bit and also just trots along brightly.

I think any cat free home would be lucky to get this dog as he is so easy to have around and so very undemanding. If the people are also low key and undemanding, it would be a good match. Whenever you wish to interact he is happy and ready to interact, othewise he settles easily and sleeps.

I think all dogs deserve a patient loving home and this dog is no exception. He should go with gentle people with light, playful and loving hearts like him. He’s really lovely – a very “normal” dog which I think is hard to find these days!

Here’s a few pics of Casper aka Sketch!

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Casper is ~ 11 year old and came to us from a shelter in PA. He was there as a cruelty case and is now in a foster home and getting very comfortable with a nice warm bed, food, and lots of love.

The spot on his face is where a growth was removed. It is healing up now under the vet’s care. He’s been described as sweet and mellow and may have the beginning of cataracts. He would do best in a nice quiet home, and can live with a nice calm dog. He’s doesn’t play with toys that much but is definitely a charismatic little guy.

Keep checking back to learn more about Casper!