Shanna, Nikko’s forever home mom, emailed us to let us know that Nikko is the most fantastic dog ever. She said he is super intelligent and learns commands quickly (with treats of course!).

They live in Williamsburg and he has a back yard that he just loves to hang out in. He is a bit leash aggressive and is choosy about his canine friends but he has one best friend, Leonard. Nikko and Leonard share the back yard and absolutely love each other.

Like many shibas we’ve met, he hates taking baths and lets everyone know with the “shiba scream.” But once the bath is over, he loves being towel dried.

Now that the weather is getting nicer he loves to lay in the sun and relax in the yard. Nikko is also talented; he has learned to deshell endamame but is not sure what to do with lobster.

Scooter, previously known as Mr. Squeakers, loves his forever home and has found his favorite nap spot! We love when our shibas are living life to the fullest or in this case, snoozing.

One of our volunteers, Michele, and her husband adopted 2 shibas from NYCSR and gave us an update on their furry friends as well.
The two cream colored shibas were adopted from us. The one on the left is Ginger and the right is Nami. The red shibas are Happy, top left, and Shabu.

Nami was their first foster and they fell for him. He’s a mushy dog who sometimes was easily frightened and at times can be grumpy. But he adjusted and fit very well in their house. Ginger was their second foster and for a while did not always get along with Shabu and Nami. She would play with the other two shibas but at night and when no one was home she was kept separate to avoid any problems. However, she got along great with Michele and her husband.

It took some time but Ginger now spends all her time with her shiba siblings and loves everyone. She’s also lost weight and is doing wonderfully!

As Michele put it:
“We’ve had many foster’s come and go over the last few years. It’s always hard to give them up, but knowing they are going to a wonderful forever home makes it easier to let them go. I stay in touch with the families who have adopted the dogs I have fostered.”

This past January they were lucky enough to take in another red boy. His name is Happy. He fit in almost immediately with their 3 shibas. They all get along well for the most part. A little scuffle here and there, but they know each other’s boundaries. Happy is our littlest guy. He’s a big mush and a lap dog. He has tons of energy and out-plays all the others. All four of them have become big mushy dogs and are very affectionate.

“I am thankful every day to NYC Shiba Rescue, the wonderful people I have met through them and of course for my wonderful babies who I love so much. The rescue can always use more foster homes. It is a very rewarding experience and helps to save the lives of many Shibas in need.”

We’re so happy to know that Ginger and Nami have such a great home and lots of siblings to play with!

Rusty’s family sent us an update on how he’s doing. He’s been great and they tell us he’s just wonderful. They are still learning things about him as they introduce him to new situations. This past winter when it was snowing quite a bit, Rusty showed them his skillz as he jumped into the snow and played like a puppy.

Rusty was chasing leaves in the fall and now is bounding through snow in the winter. He’s come a long way since he first came to us last year and we’re happy to hear he’s doing great!

His family thought he might want a raincoat for when they go out on rainy days but Rusty didn’t seem to enjoy wearing it. His family sent us a pic of him in his raincoat. He reminds us of Paddington Bear.

Here he is in his raincoat that he may never wear again, just look at that SAD face!

Quincy has been having a great time in his new home. His owners have told us that he gets a lot of exercise, and is the best dog ever! He loves treats and food but he can’t have too many else he’ll be a chubby fella. His best friend, Zelda, and he play a lot and marched in a parade back in the spring and saw Santa this past Christmas.

Quincy even has a new friend, a kitten that his family adopted back in December. The kitten adores Quincy and looks for him to snuggle up against for naptime. The little kitten even tries to groom Quincy. Quincy doesn’t seem to know what the deal is with that and gets a quizzical look but he loves the kitten just the same.

Quincy couldn’t have found a better home! They’ve worked on his door bolting issue, took him to obedience classes, and take him to the dog park where he makes friends easily.

We are so happy that he has a forever home that understands him, loves him, and can’t imagine life without him!

Quincy and Zelda

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!

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.

Rusty has become more and more affectionate with his foster family. He is much more playful all around and will come up onto the bed when invited to cuddle. He’s also not barking as much as he did before. He wears a citronella collar when no one is home. Rusty has figured out that when he is wearing the collar he is still allowed to bark at a soft level, just not at the full level that was disturbing to our neighbors.

His foster mom discovered that Rusty seems to love the fall season. He likes to chase the leaves as they blow around and tries to catch them. He also will try to play in the piles of leaves he passes on walks. Christine told us Rusty will check out all the leaves he walks by and when he finds one he deems to be “perfect” he picks it up and carries it. That is, until he finds the next “perfect” leaf.

Rusty spent some time with a few other dogs one weekend and got along well but was definitely tense. He also showed some aggression and possession over his food bowl to the other dogs. He liked playing with them but was somewhat reserved. He may need a few meetings with some dogs to really relax and play without any nervousness.

Christine has told us that Rusty is really a beautifully trained dog with great manners. Never snapping food from your hand he will always wait patiently for treats. He is very good with dogs at the dog run.

He has not had any more seizures of any size since the first few they observed.

Kato is doing really well. There has been no change in his weight and his coat has improved.

Kato’s foster family report that Kato is fun, curious and sweet.

He likes to bark at cats, squirrels, bikes, lawn sprinklers and other dogs on leash. He is showing more affection – jumping up on couch with us, he loves to lay in my lap while I’m working at my computer and lays at my feet while I’m cooking.

Kato is vocal at his food bowl – he eats twice a day – he starts hovering around his food bowl earlier every day for his supper – barks at empty bowl – don’t think he’s “hungry” just anxious to get his food. He has several treats during the day, good boy treats during walks, goodbye treats when I leave for work, etc. I think he is just a “foodie”.

Kato’s foster family is working on him with his basic commands like stay and sit.

New York, NY – October 15, 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 our veteran foster dog, Ginger, was finally adopted on October 2, 2009.  After one and a half years and four different foster homes, Ginger is finally going back home where she started, with her first ever foster family in Frenchtown, NJ.

Ginger was originally taken into the NYCSR Foster Program in March of 2008.  She was  surrendered by her owners following the birth of a new child which lead to a difficult period of adjustment for her.  One of the most beloved foster dogs we’ve ever had, Ginger took a little time adjusting into her new life in the program.  With the help of her foster families she quickly blossomed into a beautiful and loving dog, if at times just a little anxious about being alone.

“Ginger gets along well with everybody who comes over to the house and likes to jump on them and lick their face and hands,” said one of Ginger’s foster parents, Simon.  “When I come home, she goes crazy and can’t decide if she wants to jump on me, lick me or make me play with her, so she kind of does it all at once.”

Ginger came into the foster program as a potential bite risk dog, however all of her foster families had nothing but loving words to say about her.  At 8 years old Ginger can still display the energy and playfulness of a puppy, whether it be going for jogs in the park or playing with the waterfall in her foster family’s backyard.  With the help of her fosters Ginger has overcome ear infections, separation anxiety and some bad leash habits and is now ready to be the perfect addition to her new forever family.

Ginger is the 71^st 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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