Christmas 2010

I spent Christmas 2010 on the east coast visiting family and dashing in and out of airports and hotels. We were only supposed to be there for three nights, but a big snow storm kept us there an extra 4 nights.  I had plenty of time to play outside in the white fluffy stuff. The best part about celebrating Christmas on the east coast is that Santa Paws comes to the east coast before the west coast, so I got my presents 3 hours earlier. 

As far as hotels, many hotels are dog friendly now, especially for dogs under 40 lbs.  I stayed at the Westin Philadelphia in Center City http://www.westinphiladelphiahotel.com/  as well as Aloft Philadelphia adjacent to the  airport  http://bit.ly/hqw9lK.   Both are Starwood hotels and if you ask they will give you dog supplies- bed, bowls, treats, toys, etc.  My people didn't ask at the Westin (nor did the Westin "offer") and we didn't get anything, despite having to pay a $50 pet fee.  Aloft Philadelphia delivered lots of goodies to my room and they didn't charge a pet fee.  Pawsome!

Tokyo Reviews: Hachi

I watched "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" the other day with my family. The dog's part in the movie is first played by a Shiba Inu for the puppy phase and then an Akita.  Anyway, despite having cute moments, the movie was sad.  The kind of sad that if you don't cry there must be something wrong with you kind of sad.  Hachi only lives with his new family for about a year and a half before the tailspin moment occurs.  

Hachi was an amazing dog, no doubt.  His love and loyalty is unquestionable.  But I think he deserved better.  I'm disappointed in the humans. What was up with the disconnected Mom?  How come she didn't take care of Hachi after her husband's death?  How about proper food and a warm safe place to sleep each night?  Living on the streets as a stray for almost 10 years just doesn't seem okay.

The real Hachiko was an Akita born in Odate, Japan in 1923. Hachi spent 9 years after his master's death waiting for him to return.  Hachi died in 1935 still patiently waiting for his master.
I paw salute you Hachi. woof- Tokyo

I ♥ Tokyo

Today is my human Mom's 40th birthday.  Birthdays are a good time to think about all the things we love in our lives, so I got her a special t-shirt to wear.

Packing 101

Tokyo packs her suitcase for Thanksgiving 2010

I'm busy gathering up my stuff and getting packed today for a big airplane trip on Wednesday. I've already got my pet reservation in paw and my medical records copied.  And I've got my blankets, balls, kong, nom nom treats, Acana kibble, and friends Skeletal Jack, Babo Bird, and Plunko among others.  I even slipped in some cheese from the fridge when my people weren't looking.  This should be a fun trip to the east coast. 

Happy Gotcha Day

Happy Gotcha Day!  Today, November 14, 2010 marks my official one year anniversary with my people in my new home in San Diego.  I was 5 1/2 months old when they came to get me.  I was already a southern California girl living with Darryl Chenoweth of Kari-on Akitas and Shibas http://www.kari-onakitas.com/ so I didn't have to move too far.  Now I live with my two people and a meowie named Capone.  I've made lots of new friends in San Diego and I have online dog friends all around the country as well.  My first year has been a lot of  fun.  I've played in the pacific ocean, chased lizards in the Arizona desert and jumped around in the east coast snow. 

Stayed tuned for another exciting year!

ps- if you are looking for your own shiba, be sure to check out these links for some awesome dogs who need forever homes!

http://nycshibarescue.org/

http://www.savingshibas.com/

 

Emmie & Troy's Drum Hike

I'm excited to report that I got to meet Emmie and Troy today at the San Diego Veteran's Day parade.  For those who aren't familiar, Troy Yocum is an Iraq War Veteran and has been on a 7,000 mile hike back and forth across the country to raise $5 million to help military families in need http://www.drumhike.com/  The hike kicked off in April 2010 in Louisville, KY and will ultimately circle back to Louisville in August 2011. Now, no story would be complete without a special little shiba.  Troy is not only hiking across the country with his wife Mareike and Chihuahua Harley but also with his faithful companion Emmie the SuperDog. 

On Thursday, November 11 they finally reached my hometown and I got to meet Emmie and Troy before they marched in the Veteran's Day parade.  I gave Emmie lots of Shiba kisses while my Mom chatted with Mareike.  The San Diego Shiba Meetup Group prepared a special gift package for them, complete with yummy dog treats and a green stuffed hippo for Emmie.  I was on shiba-duty and volunteered to guard the goodie box until we were able to hand it over to Troy's crew. 

You can donate through their website. As of today, they have raised about $90,000 of their $5 million goal.  And be sure to check out and pick up this very cool official "Never Walk Alone" t-shirt to support the effort.  http://drumhike.com/merchandise/
*salutes with paw* -woof

Trick or Cheese

Happy Halloween 2010!  Did you dress up for Halloween this year?  I wanted to wear great big fangs but my people wouldn't draw them for me.  I hope everyone got lots of nom nom treats.

Happy Travels

I'm an urban city dog, so I've been exposed to many people, places, sounds, and things on a daily basis.  I've traveled by car, bus, shuttle and airplane so far.  I like traveling because it means I get to be around my people as much as possible.  Many times a trip means there will be dogs and people to play with on the other end. Socialization has been an important part of my life.  But because I'm a shiba, I don't naturally take to every unfamiliar thing so it's important that my people are alert and sensitive to my limits.  They need to be uber perceptive and watch the invisible line between building my confidence and creating anxiety.  This means that they need to know when I've had enough and it's no longer a positive experience for me.

My people are also learning that just because I am "good" in a situation today doesn't mean in two months that I will feel the same.  In many ways, my development has not been progressive nor linear.  It ebbs and flows and meanders in ways my people are trying to understand.  Patterns don't always emerge.  Nothing is a given except knowing that nothing is a given. 

My brofur, Al Capone

I live with a meowie.  His name is Capone and he is five years old.  He is a very big black cat that weighs 22lbs.  I like to chase Capone whenever I see him but my people don't like it much.  I also like to sit really close to him and poke him with my nose.  I really want to play with Capone but he doesn't like to play with me.  I don't know what the problem is.   Do any other shibas live with meowies? You can follow my brofur on Twitter @CaponeCat http://twitter.com/#!/CaponeCat

Tokyo Picks: Boomerang Tags, the best dog tag ever...

Fellow shibas, I am here to report that Boomerang Pet Tags are simply the best pet identification tags ever.  First of all, I hate hanging tags that go clang, clang, clang, jingle, jingle, jingle all day long.  Jingling is for Santa and that better mean toys for me.  My Boomerang tag is sleek and quiet. (Think "stealth shiba.")  I have the Adjustable CollarTag version which is basically designed to easily slide onto any existing dog collar.  I usually wear a martingale collar and the new ID tags fits perfect.  The tags can be ordered in different sizes to fit the width of your collar.  I am wearing a 5/8" inch pink nylon collar in this picture- so my people ordered the size small Adjustable CollarTag.  As you can see, the actual ID tag is a little wider than the width of your collar itself.  The fit is very secure.  The stainless steel material is not flimsy.  This is a strong durable tag.  This is truly a buy one have-it-forever kinda tag. The price was only $10.20 including the engraving (no tax or shipping charges).  They also ship fast.  Most shibas will probably want the size "medium" which is for a 3/4" inch wide dog collar. 

http://www.boomerangtags.com/ 

With sizes small (5/8"), medium (3/4") and large (1") you get up to 6 lines of text.  For my 6 lines I did this:

1. TOKYO (plus last name)
2. Phone number
3. Email address
4. City, State
5. County Dog License number
6. Avid ID number

La Jolla Shores Beach...ready, set, go!

Beach bag...check.  Beach towel...check.  Kelty sunshade...check.  Bottled water...check.  Sitting on the luggage cart like a good girl ready to go...priceless. 

La Jolla Shores beach is dog friendly within certain hours of the day.  At this time of year that means before 9am or after 6pm. Leashes are a must.  
http://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/shores.shtml
La Jolla Shores Beach - 8200 Camino del Oro, San Diego, California

Yes, I shed a little...so what.

Yes, I shed.  Basically twice a year- October through March and again April through September.  And then on top of that I blow coat throughout the year.  My people need to deal with it. 

Up Up And Away.....

Labor day weekend in Arizona.  It was a short flight which yielded lots of playing and running around leash free in a grassy yard.  I flew in cabin in my new large Sherpa bag because it has lots of ventilation versus my Sturdi bag. Once in Phoenix 110 degrees was a little hot for me, so I stayed cool in the air conditioning for much of the day.  On the way home, at the Phoenix airport, the TSA people asked if I was a fox (of course I smirked) and then I got lots of smiles from everyone.  And no silly, I don't go through the x-ray machine in my Sherpa bag.  I get picked up and carried through in my people's arms. 

Love all. Serve all.

Maryjane's is located in the San Diego Hard Rock hotel, located downtown in the Gaslamp, AND is dog friendly on their patio.  I went there tonight with my people and the nice waitress even brought me out my own bowl of water.  Maryjane's has a special gated entrance to their patio, so your people can easily get a seat on the patio without having to walk inside the restaurant.  It's a busy place for watching the city scene and as usual everyone wanted to know if I was a fox. 

http://www.hardrockhotelsd.com/dining-&-nightlife/maryjanes

I will report on more of my travels and outtings throughout the year. 

Jeero's Bad Day

The other day I accidentally flung my Ugly Doll friend Jeero over the edge of our 18th floor balcony. He landed eighteen floors down on the city sidewalk. Don't worry, my people went down to bring Jeero safely back to me.  I guess Jeero needs a parachute. 

I love to play!

I am super fast.  No one can catch me.  I run and do my army shiba crawl under the bed and then dart back out.  My family has to press up against the wall or else I'll take out their knee caps.   zoom zoom!

My First Birthday

Today is my birthday, June 2, 2010.  I am now 1 yr old.  I've gotten very big.  Bigger than everyone expected for me.  I now weigh 15 lbs.

Leash Free!

I spent Memorial Day weekend in Arizona with my people family and got to run leash-free for the first time ever. I loved it! I got to play more than I've ever played before. In the morning, the sprinklers would go off so I got to attack them.

Arizona sure was fun. I was so tired from all the fun, but I hope I get to go back soon.

Wish you were here...

Beach Day: Ocean Beach

10 months old today....

Just hanging out at the local coffee shop, Lion Coffee.  They love dogs here.
http://www.coffee-hawaii.com/

101 things I've chewed...

chomp, chomp, chomp....I'm a puppy...what did you expect?

Word on the street...

Q: Is that a fox?

A: Yes, I left my bear at home.

Pacific Ocean