I was at a match this weekend with Ike. Now, this was not an official show, but it was hosted by a breed club, so lots of dog people, right. Anyways, this lady comes up and asks me if Ike is a Tervuren. Now come on!
I'm getting used to the fox/wolf thing. Though never in my life did I see a wolf resemble my dogs, but I digress. Its a great opportunity for education, obviously the looks of a nihon ken are the first to grab most people's attention, then you build on that at give them correct information. I'm constantly giving out the National Shiba Rescue's website for breed info and intro into the real situation shibas are in now, needing to be rescued.
Iits funny, we went hiking this past Saturday with a friend who never met my dogs, and after the 4th person asked if they were a fox, she said "How do you manage to keep straight faced?". I couldn't bring myself to get a shirt made, though.
Answers To The Most Frequent Of Shiba Inu Questions: Yes, they do look somewhat like a fox. No, this is as big as they get. Yes, they are good with children, if children are good with them. Yes, they bark when there is something to bark at. Yes, they are easy to housebreak. No, they don’t often get along with dogs of the same sex. Yes, they shed. Twice a year they blow their coat. Yes, they are good indoors and outdoors. No, they are not related to the Finnish Spitz, Basenji, Siberian Husky, Welsh Corgi, or the fox. Yes, they are related to the Akita. They are the smallest of the Japanese breeds of dog. Yes, they are very independent and do not like to listen when you call them. Yes, they believe everything in the world is theirs, such as: Your Bed, Your Pillow, Your Shoes, etc. Yes, they do scream.
I printed it on transfer paper and did it as an iron-on to a shirt. I usually wear it when I'm doing something with the Animal Guild and Jazz is with me.
Yeah, I was walking around at the Pet Expo with Kotomi. Someone seriously thought Kotomi was a Fox. Usually I get, "Looks like a fox". However, this time he thought, "Oh, you have a fox?!"
I do believe Kotomi is part cat though -grins-. Fox, no. Cat, yes! lol.
Yeah Heidi that is what my husband said today when I told him about Corina's "wow, you have a fox". Our foxes around here are maybe 10 to 12 lbs, tops. I think that they (Shikas) look much more coyote like than fox like (especially Rakka and Loa with their sesame coat, my Kuma is a bit more red sesame than sesame, so I think he looks less coyote like).
My parents came to visit me awhile back and while I was at school my dad took my red shiba for a walk down by one of the many lakes around where I live (she LOVES to chase ducks, big surprise). My little Kitsu has the sleeker fur and she's quite slim and leggy with a narrow face, which creates a more fox like look... He was sitting on a bench with the leash all the way out so my pup could crouch down in the reeds and watch the duckies around the time she was stalking through the weeds a police patrol car came by and stopped and two officers got out of the car and stood discussing my pup and the fact that she thought she was a fox...then they spotted my father and saw she was in fact attached to a leash. the two asked him what kind of animal she was exactly to which my father replied "what does she look like?" (my father, always the smart a@#)...the officers responded with "Sir, you know its illegal to keep wild animals as pets?" After messing with the officers for another 10min and winding them up my dad finally explained the whole Shiba Inu thing to the cops and they left we laughed about the whole ordeal for days
Oh, I've failed to mention...I've also gotten a lot of people tell me what a cute Shiba Inu I have. At least they're pretty close when compared to all of the above assumptions.
A real mind-boggle I got was mistaking Shoushuu for a German Shepherd (???). I still get those, but oddly enough it is usually a mistake made by young kids.
Well I think I have you all beat!!!!! Just this past weekend I had a lady ask me were I got my POM from!!!!!! i said "Pardon me?" She said...."That's a Pomeranian right?" I said...."Um ....no." She said "Oh, with the tail flipped up like that it looked like a pom."
"You know that coyotes mixes in Georgia are illegal, right?"
"He's a Shikoku. He's not a coyote."
"Well, sure he's one of those little mop dogs!" Wink wink.
"That's Shikoku, not Shitzu."
"Well, good luck with your coyote!"
Now, I just tell people he's a Beezlepup. True conversation at a local coffee shop...
"Well, look at him! He's a cutie! What kind of dog is he?"
'He's a Shikoku."
"Bless you," Laughter ensues. "He's a what?"
"Beezlepup."
"Oh, that's what he is!" Turns to husband. "George, I think that's what the neighbors had."
Goodness... People need to clean their ears out. A lady brought a 130 lb male "husky mix" aka strongly appeared to be wolf hybrid, into the clinic to ask us if we could DNA test for the wolf in him and how we dealt with neighbors and police, as he was purchased from a sled dog breeder in Alaska. She said she wanted to come in and ask us because she saw we had foxes as pets! (Ike, Beebe, Hattie and Sheba-the clinic Shibas). I told her I had pedigrees for them which showed that they were a certain breed, which she didn't have, so she was responisble for keeping him secure. This was just after he quarreled with a dog comming into the clinic. He ran up to Ike who was behind the counter to sniff and she goes, "Oh, he loves small dogs! He's wearing a pinch collar, so that means he won't bite." I was already standing between them but grabbed him by the head and proceeded to show them the door at that point.
How the heck is a collar supposed to prevent biting, jeez some people really need a lobotomy to improve their intelligence...
Not shiba related, but when my mother was carrying her chihuahua (who weighs 4lbs), some woman came up to her asking what breed it was...dumbfounded, my mother replied, "oh, she's a miniature Great Dane" Oddly enough, the woman actually believed her and started whispering to other people about how astounding it was to breed a Dane s small.
I have been asked more than twice if my big all-brindle dogs are hyenas. I mean, in the age of The Daily Coyote anything is possible, but REALLY now- who keeps HYENAS?
The finalists for Most Memorable Comments Regarding Chrys' Dogs are:
runner up: a teenaged guy met Reilly in PetSmart and was completely captivated: "She has such cool designs all over her!" as if I tattooed her stripes on.
and the winner: a preschooler with his mom we met while hiking Rei and Sage up Mt Greylock: "Mom, these dogs are like POLICE dogs- they LOOK scary but they are actually really NICE!" I was so proud!
Comments
Its a great opportunity for education, obviously the looks of a nihon ken are the first to grab most people's attention, then you build on that at give them correct information. I'm constantly giving out the National Shiba Rescue's website for breed info and intro into the real situation shibas are in now, needing to be rescued.
Iits funny, we went hiking this past Saturday with a friend who never met my dogs, and after the 4th person asked if they were a fox, she said "How do you manage to keep straight faced?". I couldn't bring myself to get a shirt made, though.
Answers To The Most Frequent Of Shiba Inu Questions:
Yes, they do look somewhat like a fox.
No, this is as big as they get.
Yes, they are good with children, if children are good with them.
Yes, they bark when there is something to bark at.
Yes, they are easy to housebreak.
No, they don’t often get along with dogs of the same sex.
Yes, they shed. Twice a year they blow their coat.
Yes, they are good indoors and outdoors.
No, they are not related to the Finnish Spitz, Basenji, Siberian Husky, Welsh Corgi, or the fox.
Yes, they are related to the Akita. They are the smallest of the Japanese breeds of dog.
Yes, they are very independent and do not like to listen when you call them.
Yes, they believe everything in the world is theirs, such as: Your Bed, Your Pillow, Your Shoes, etc.
Yes, they do scream.
I printed it on transfer paper and did it as an iron-on to a shirt. I usually wear it when I'm doing something with the Animal Guild and Jazz is with me.
I do believe Kotomi is part cat though -grins-. Fox, no. Cat, yes! lol.
I'll have to wear a T-Shirt with photos that says this...
This is a Fox
This is a Wolf.
This is a Husky.
And this IS a Shikoku!
He was sitting on a bench with the leash all the way out so my pup could crouch down in the reeds and watch the duckies
around the time she was stalking through the weeds a police patrol car came by and stopped and two officers got out of the car and stood discussing my pup and the fact that she thought she was a fox...then they spotted my father and saw she was in fact attached to a leash.
the two asked him what kind of animal she was exactly to which my father replied "what does she look like?" (my father, always the smart a@#)...the officers responded with "Sir, you know its illegal to keep wild animals as pets?"
After messing with the officers for another 10min and winding them up my dad finally explained the whole Shiba Inu thing to the cops and they left
we laughed about the whole ordeal for days
At least they're pretty close when compared to all of the above assumptions.
A real mind-boggle I got was mistaking Shoushuu for a German Shepherd (???). I still get those, but oddly enough it is usually a mistake made by young kids.
um......."Here's your sign".
"You know that coyotes mixes in Georgia are illegal, right?"
"He's a Shikoku. He's not a coyote."
"Well, sure he's one of those little mop dogs!" Wink wink.
"That's Shikoku, not Shitzu."
"Well, good luck with your coyote!"
Now, I just tell people he's a Beezlepup. True conversation at a local coffee shop...
"Well, look at him! He's a cutie! What kind of dog is he?"
'He's a Shikoku."
"Bless you," Laughter ensues. "He's a what?"
"Beezlepup."
"Oh, that's what he is!" Turns to husband. "George, I think that's what the neighbors had."
Not shiba related, but when my mother was carrying her chihuahua (who weighs 4lbs), some woman came up to her asking what breed it was...dumbfounded, my mother replied, "oh, she's a miniature Great Dane" Oddly enough, the woman actually believed her and started whispering to other people about how astounding it was to breed a Dane s small.
The finalists for Most Memorable Comments Regarding Chrys' Dogs are:
runner up: a teenaged guy met Reilly in PetSmart and was completely captivated: "She has such cool designs all over her!" as if I tattooed her stripes on.
and the winner: a preschooler with his mom we met while hiking Rei and Sage up Mt Greylock: "Mom, these dogs are like POLICE dogs- they LOOK scary but they are actually really NICE!" I was so proud!
What the hell do you think it is people? Oh right, a fox.
Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed deeply, because that level of stupidity has to be air borne contagious.
...a Coyote
...a Hyena
...a Jackel