Bella found a great forever home and recently they sent us an update. She’s in love with winter and romps around in the snow with great energy and excitement. She’s also taken to sleeping on the bed and will nudge her owners to move so she has more room. They adore her and told us she’s being treated like a princess and plays more and more each day.

We love to know how our adopted dogs are doing – Bella is loved and thriving!

New York, NY – October 9, 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 that the coolest Shiba on the block, Kitsuni, was adopted on September 26, 2009.  One of the calmest, most aloof and independent Shibas the rescue has taken in, Kitsuni decided that she had enough love for her foster parents to allow them to stay with her forever in their home in Manhattan.

Also known as Bella, Kitsuni was originally taken into the NYCSR Foster Program approximately 9 months ago when her owner was unable to keep her in his home any longer.  From the time Kitsuni entered the foster program it was clear that she had her own personality, preferring to do things at her own pace and on her own time.  Kitsuni is a laid back, docile dog who could spend the whole day just watching the world go by at her window.

Over the course of her time in the program Kitsuni did open up socially.  While never showing any signs of aggression, Kitsuni is a typical Shiba with an independent spirit.  She is more interested in her own plans than playing with other dogs or seeking attention from her fosters.  With training and time she is becoming more and more social every day, even taking to greeting her foster parents from the window when they come home.

“She makes a noise similar to how Chewbacca would greet Han Solo if Chewbacca weighed only 22 pounds”, said her foster parent Jonathan.  “She is docile and sweet and has been opening up to us and becoming more playful.”

Kitsuni was also one of several of the NYCSR foster dogs that has been experiencing allergy issues.  She was having severe allergic reactions earlier in the year which her foster parents have been working with a vet to help clear up.  Fortunately her allergies are now under the most control they’ve been since she has been in the program and will hopefully continue to improve.

Kitsuni is the 68^th dog 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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Bella’s allergies have been the most under control they’ve ever been since her foster family has had her in their care. She’s still limping and the vet believes it may be an old injury that bothers her from time to time. She’s on Rimadyl and we will see if that helps.

Her personality hasn’t changed too much, she’s still aloof and independent. But Jonathan has noticed that Bella seems more attached to them now and shows signs of concern and anxiety if they start packing bags for a long weekend. It seems she’s worried they may not take her and then when they do, she’s relieved and happy.

Bella has started making friends with other dogs. She enjoys playing with a sheltie and a mutt in the park and has learned sit, down, and stay. She only seems to listen though if there’s food involved, otherwise, she’s not fooled and praise just isn’t enough.

She’s a shiba through and through!

Kitsuni aka Bella has been spayed and healed up nicely. She’s shed most of her winter coat and has a nice summer coat and is doing well. Since the surgery she’s been a little more reserved and has taken to hanging out under the bed. She’s also quieter and more reserved around people. It may be that she’s feeling a little weird and not sure what happened.

She’s friendly when meeting other dogs on the street, people, and is still affectionate. She’s less vocal lately but does bark when someone comes by the house as an alarm bark.

Now that she’s spayed she is looking for her forever home. Will you be the one?

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:

Now that spring is here Kitsuni’s (Bella) foster family have told us she’s starting to shed. All shibas “blow coat” a few times a year and most of our shiba owners have let us know that spring is the time when they honestly don’t know where all the fur has come from and think they could make another dog out of it. Kitsuni has also lost a few pounds and her allergies are doing much much better.

Kitsuni has become increasingly vocal as a sign of affection when her fosters come home. The noise is similar to some sort of a cross between a howl and gurgle. As Jonathon describes it, “She makes a noise similar to how Chewbacca would greet Han Solo if Chewbacca weighed only 22 pounds.” She also lets out some noises/barks when it’s time for dinner and sometimes it seems as if she’s telling them that they aren’t getting her food ready for her fast enough.

They are working with Kitsuni to learn more commands, right now “Down” is the newest and she’s doing well. She responds well if there is a treat involved but tends to ignore it if she doesn’t believe there’s a treat in his hand.

A few weeks ago, Bella had an upset stomach leading to diarrhea and vomiting. The vet prescribed antibiotics and fluid injections, which resolved the problems. She’s also been taking Temaril-P for her allergies on a daily basis. Lastly, and most significantly, Bella went into heat a few weeks ago. The doctor said we can have her spayed in a couple of months.

Bella’s personality has changed a bit since going into heat. Her appetite has increased, she shows much more interest in other dogs, and her energy level fluctuates frequently. On the positive, her social behavior has picked up considerably, both toward her foster parents as well as toward their friends. She is also more playful with her toys, particularly her squeeky ball.

As described above, Bella is more social now than ever before. Perhaps due to her heat, she’s also become more food aggressive (with people) and more vocal about food and when she wants to go out.

All-in-all, Bella is a wonderful dog and her foster parents are doing a wonderful job taking care of her. They are working hard on finding what her allergies might be. In the meantime, the Temaril-P is helping to alleviate them.

Bella’s allergies continue to be an issue. At the vet’s suggestion, we have now changed her diet to only poultry and eliminated treats and non-poultry wet food to try to isolate the cause. Bella scratches herself a lot, to the points that scabs will develop that we need to treat with Benadryl or Neosporin.

In addition, Bella continues to suffer from paw infections, in spite of us taking precautions to protect her paws from salt and cleaning them when returning from walks. Currently, her front left paw is infected. We treat the infections with neosporin and bandages, which causes Bella to sulk.

We went to the vet to treat an infection in Bella’s right eye, which was swollen and excreting mucus. She was prescribed eye drops, which cleared up the problem quickly. The vet is aware of the other issues described above and approves with our home treatment.

Bella is docile and sweet. She has been opening up to us and recently became more playful with toys as well as happier spending time with us on the couch, etc. Health issues aside, she is low maintenance and is happy on her own or with people/other dogs.

Bella is walking outside better and shows less fear walking on metal grates. She also zig zags less than previously. We seem to have successfully overcome her housebreaking issues by restricting her to the kitchen when she’s left alone.

Bella has shown some signs of defending the home from solo women. Twice she has begun barking (which she almost never does) when a woman she hadn’t previously met came into the apartment. The dog is literally all bark and no bite and she shows no physical aggression whatsoever. On a different note, Bella has become much friendlier toward other dogs at the park and enjoys romping around outside with them.

As described above, Bella is a bit more vocal than before (changed from zero) plus she’ll occasionally whine for food. On a more positive note, she is less aloof than before and the crate training has helped resolve her housebreaking issues.

We have been taking Bella with us on our errands. Consequently, she has been spending more time in stores, a mall, at the office, etc. As when we first got her, Bella is easily freaked out by loud settings with lots of people. However, she is slowly becoming more comfortable in adapting to these environments, as she has with New York City itself since we received her. See next item below for details on other aspects of her training.

Bella knows “sit”, “come” and “stay”, which she obeys all the time in the house and selectively outside. We are working on “lie down”, which she has steadily been picking up – again, indoors only. We’re also working on reinforcing her obeying “come”. We suspect that Bella knows these commands reasonably well but pretends not to hear them when we’re outside.

As described above, Bella acted defensively whereas she never did before. She’s also somewhat whinier about food. She also has a tendency to get underfoot if she’s walking in an area that is unfamiliar to her.

Bella’s allergies and paw issues have been constant problems, which require a lot of patience and a friendly vet nearby.

Bella AKA Kitsuni has allergies and they seem to be really affecting her. She had some hives on her face at the end of January in addition to her itchy spot on her belly and body. The vet has given her foster mom some meds and it’s helping but our poor girl is still itchy and red.

Aside from being uncomfortable with her allergies, her foster parents have told us that Bella is calm, gentle, and generally undemanding. She enjoys walks in the park and can be inquisitive outside. Bella likes to look in shop windows as they walk by and peers between the openings on foot bridges, sticks her face into holes in trees, and overall just likes to explore. She is quiet and almost never barks. Likewise, she is incredibly gentle and has shown no signs of aggression under any circumstances. Bella is somewhat of a couch potato and prefers to lounge around quietly, and by herself, when at home. She is a big napper and is content to hang around the house all day.

Bella is aloof with strangers and doesn’t seem to be interested in making friends at the dog run. Perhaps she’s just not found any dog that perks her interest or understands her.
Now and then she may show some interest and has been slowly breaking out of her shell.

Bella has grown more accustomed to the city and isn’t quite as disoriented by the noise and crowds, however, she’s still not 100% comfortable with the city. She avoids subway grates and sewer grates and tries to walk around them whenever possible.

The main breakthrough has been greater confidence walking in crowded streets and training Bella to sit in the elevator and before entering the apartment. Sometimes Bella has an accident in the house but she’s confined it to her sleeping towel so it’s been very easy to clean and work on. She’s such a gentle dog, her fosters have recommended a low-key household. She could possibly even be a therapy dog given her gentle and docile nature.

Keep checking back to learn more about Kitsuni!

Kitsuni is now being called Bella and recently went to the vet. Foster dad, Jonathan told us that she received her vaccines and is now up to date and also got some meds for her allergies. For the next 6 weeks she’s on a diet of only protein such as chicken to see if it’s a food allergy. We hope it clears up soon. She’s also gotten a little sore from the salt and snow on the ground and has had to wear the doggie booties which she doesn’t seem to keen to put on.

The other issue that they’ve been having with Bella has been her tendency to pee in the apartment when left alone (she is perfectly housebroken when we’re present). She used to be fine by herself all day or night but recently has taken to peeing on one of the towels that we leave out for her to sleep on when we’re not nearby her. We dropped off a urine test to the vet today to see if its medical-related, such as a bladder or UTI infection. The vet said it might be separation anxiety that is causing her to do this, she’s now been confined to the kitchen when no one is home and will sleep in the crate if she can’t sleep under Jonathan’s desk. It seems to be working well.

Otherwise, Bella is doing well and they are happy to have her in their home.