Shibapalooza 2011

On Saturday, July 16, 2011 the Shiba Club of Southern California held their 6th annual shiba picnic (aka shibapalooza.) The 10am-3pm event was open to both club members and non-members and was held in Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim, California. It was a fun filled day with shiba games, raffles and lunch. Thanks to my pawsome shiba friend prince Zuko, I attended the event decked out in a fancy pink camo bandana.  For readers who aren't familiar, "twiba" is the hashtag for shibas on twitter.  For those who want to get your own bandana from K9 Design, Zuko posted ordering information here.

So what was shibapalooza like, and who was there?  It was a gorgeous SoCal day and there were beautiful shibas everywhere! Not only did I get to hang out with Zuko and my Arizona shiba friends, little Taro, Rinji and Mika, but I got to meet new shiba friends as well, like Zuko's sister Suki who drove down from NorCal. And I finally got to meet Walking Yuki, she's the pretty cream shiba in the picture below. There were plenty of treats to eat, so we didn't find any need to stray. 



Walking Yuki and Tokyo



I also got to finally meet other SoCal twibas Mika & her Kai Ken brother Kyuubi, and shiba Sachi, and Chloe, and NorCal shibas Sinjin & Sienna (be sure to check out the video of me & Sienna playing.)  There were so many shibas that I missed quite a few that I wanted to meet.

Pet Communicator

My people also prescheduled a 10 minute session with pet communicator Dr. Monica who was at shibapalooza. My people told Dr. Monica my name, age and how long I've lived with my people plus what other animals I lived with. She petted me very briefly and then my appointment started by Dr. Monica gathering mental pictures of how I was feeling. She explained that while I enjoyed being outside and the picnic/park was an interesting place, it was a little intense for me as it was very different  from my normal day. She also went on to say that I was feeling very special at the picnic and very much liked that I got to wear a bandana. 

Suki, Tokyo, Zuko (and a glimpse of Rinji)

My people then had the opportunity to ask specific questions. My people asked about what I do at home while they are at work and if I was okay being alone. Dr. Monica described images of my day and indicated that  spending time looking out of the windows was very important to me. She explained that I enjoy my place and there is always something for me to do, like playing with my meowie brofur Capone. She also mentioned (with a smile/laugh) that I think Capone is a very funny cat and he's a riot. Since I've been on 12 airplane flights, my people also asked about my feelings about flying. She  indicated that  for the time being, I wanted to continue flying with my people, even though it makes me a little anxious in the beginning when we arrive at the airport and at the end when I hear the wheels coming down, instead of being without them. They also asked if I would like to try going to doggie daycare. Since I have never been to doggie daycare, Dr. Monica described it to me and I indicated that I wasn't sure, but was willing to give it a try. She pointed out that I did not indicate that I don't like other dogs, so this was a very positive sign.  [Note, I was not physically engaging with Dr. Monica during the session. After my initial hello to her, I settled down facing the opposite direction of her and my people.]



Taro

Katsu, Tokyo, Mika (AZ), Mika (CA)

The shibapalooza event is an on-leash event. So was it crazy having so many shibas all together on-leash? Actually, not at all.  Would I go again to shibapalooza? Absolutely! The event was a lot of fun for dogs and people. If you can, I recommend you try to attend next year as well. Be sure to check out http://tokyoshiba.tumblr.com/ for more pictures -woof!

Surf City Here I Come



Tokyo waits to cross the street. 



My summer travels have continued with  a weekend roadtrip to Huntington Beach, located in Orange County, California. We stayed at the Shorebreak Hotel located right in downtown Huntington Beach at the strand. The hotel is very dog friendly and does not charge an additional pet fee for bringing your dog. The hotel lobby is located on the second floor, above first floor retail spaces, and has a 2nd floor terrace area with a convenient faux grass pet potty for dogs. At check-in my people were given a list of dog friendly things to do, including a list of local dog parks and dining options. The hotel also has a nice relaxed onsite restaurant, Zimzala, which also allows dogs on their patio.  Zimzala even has a special doggie menu with treats like yogurt covered bacon and the waitstaff was especially attentive to me (bringing a water bowl to my table without my people having to ask, etc.)  However, despite being labeled a pet friendly city, Huntington Beach was not quite as dog friendly as we had anticipated. Many of the nearby restaurants with outdoor patios had "no dogs allowed" signs posted.

About a mile away from the hotel is the Huntington Beach Dog Beach. The dog beach is huge with plenty of sand and surf for dogs to play. Considering the perfect weather, there were a lot of people out jogging, biking and walking dogs. I enjoyed walking along the paths as well as digging in the sand. And I especially liked playing with my shiba friends who were in California for shibapalooza. What's shibapalooza?...stay tuned for my shibapalooza post. 



Tokyo Navigates

Tokyo loves car rides.

Happy 4th of July! My summer travel and fun has officially begun. I spent the holiday weekend in Arizona visiting family and playing with my pawsome Arizona shiba friends. We played ball and chased each other.  Even getting there was fun. I love traveling and especially car rides because there are cool things to see along the way. On this trip I drove past the Imperial Sand Dunes and giant windmills. (It was all very sci-fi.)  I am also really good with directions and make an excellent navigator from my console perch. [BUSTED: Apparently my people don't appreciate my ability to navigate, because I wasn't allowed to sit on the console once we started driving.]