Not to copy Evan, but GRRRR....

edited June 2009 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
Just got back from my 2nd trip to the dog park today. Earlier trip had too many vocal dogs and Ichi wasn't into it so we left.

2nd trip was at dusk and I met a cute 5-month old shiba puppy Kiba (owned by a nice young couple). Ichi still wasn't into the active running he usually did.

Meanwhile, an old man decides to give me a hard time about Ichi's meekness and breeding (read aloofness: no interest in interacting with dog or human). In seeing the puppy and my 10-month old dog. A condensed conversation is listed below:

Him: "Is that a Shiba Inu?"

Me: "Yeah."

Him: "That's the biggest one I've ever seen."

Me: "Yeah, he's big for the breed standard, but it's because of his legs."

Him: "Is he a mix?"

Me: "Nope, he's full-bred."

Him: "You sure? I've never seen one as big as him and I've been doing this for 27 years."

Me: "Yeah, I'm sure, he's all Shiba."

Him: "Well he looks part sheperd (Ichi's not likin' the dog park and tail was down)."

Me: "Yeah well..."

Him: "He's so shy. You need to bring him to the dog park every day and put him on the bench and hold him you know. So he knows your the master and he's safe so he can go out and roam and be a dog."

Me: "He's got some issues, but I'm working on it. Thanks."

Him: "He sure doesn't act like a Shiba. It's probably because he's a mix. Did you get him from a breeder? Does he have papers?"

Me: "Yeah I got him from a breeder. His parents are papered, but what's the point? AKC is a crapshoot anyways."

Him: "So you don't even know his parent's names?"

Me: "Yes I do, they are there in his registration papers. I didn't turn them in because, like I said, what's the point?"

Him: "Oh okay yeah."

Wasn't long before I left at the same time the other Shiba owners did. I left a bit before them but not before I heard the old codger talk to them with their dog.

"You guys have a shiba. That guy you were talking to? He doesn't have a shiba, he has a sheperd mix."

But oh it gets better...

A man walks in with a maltese. Old man is by the gate so he pipes up. "Let me guess, maltese and bichon frise?"

Man: "Yeah...well no...he's full-bred maltese."


I walked away from that experience with one poignant concept. I can't expect my dog to like all dogs at first encounter when I sure as hell can't like all people I meet.

Sad thing was a woman was interested in learning about Shibas but I wasn't in a mood to entertain her right there because the old man had basically soured me for the rest of my stay.

Short of the long. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my full-blooded, 17", 25 lbs, leggy shiba. He's got medium-to-low energy. Low prey drive (it's there but not consistent, we've walked by a rabbit 3 ft away and he didn't notice). He is wary of all dogs and strangers for the first 30 minutes of meeting them. He's smart enough to sniff out a$$holes in human form from a 10-ft radius (doggie a$$holes need closer inspection).

Bahh, had to get that out there! I feel better now.
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Comments

  • edited November -1
    Ichi's face is still one of the most handsome I've ever seen.
  • edited November -1
    I love love love Ichi's eyes!!! & WOWsa look at those legs! Sure he isn't related to Sake? lol


    Let the old man asshole be. We'll chock it up to Senileness haha. That &...well...some people are just born assholes. Don't let him get to you Jesse, he doesn't deserve it ;) ~
  • edited November -1
    Sorry you had to enudure more stupid human talk....i'm a sacarstic person, so I might be tempted to ask him...you got papers?? Cos you seem like a mix to me....part asshole part know-it-all.

    And ICHI has the Sweetest face!
  • edited November -1
    Thanks guys. I'm better. I know my dog's not the posterchild for Shibas, but he's mine and I wouldn't have it any other way. I could've easily done mental laps around the guy about his dog knowledge (thanks to this forum and numerous research I've done) but just thought it wasn't the effort.

    Jesse
  • edited November -1
    <3 Jesse ... Ichi is the cutest .. and that dude sounded like a (for lack of a better term) douchebag!

    We met a lot people today at pride that were amazed that a Shiba could be so easy going with other people (although Keiko was a bit nervous at the start... her first MAJOR event). I heard SO many times about different people meeting 'mean' or 'unfriendly' Shibas :o(
  • edited June 2009
    I had a similar incident at dogpark the other day. An old couple who brought a cute female shiba to the park insisted my Takumi was not a pure bred :-(
  • edited November -1
    Uh, I don't know...Are you sure?
    Cause I have been doing this for over 10 years and your dog doesn't look anything like the Shiba photo I have in my book with all the breeds in it. He looks like a very short hair Chow Chow to me...maybe with a bit of chihuahua mixed in there.

    You have to love connaisseurs!
  • edited November -1
    Jesse I feel the exact same way about Sake when people tell me she is faulted. Im like, who cares?!?!? She is mine and I love her more than anything I can explain. She is also fearful and grumpy around new dogs (sometimes), but she is myu little baby girl and I love her!

    And yes, Sake and Ichi must be distant leggy relatives... :)
  • edited November -1
    Shepherd Mix? WTH! I would have probably walked away trying to enjoy the rest of my day instead of wasting my time with that guy *rolls eyes* Ichi is HANDSOME. Period.
  • edited November -1
    what a freaking clown. He doesn't look like a mix to me. I don't think that the breed standard is a goal for people who show dogs, it isn't a genetic blueprint that means all dogs of that breed have to be a certain way. It's an arbitrary set of features that a group of people picked out probably because their dogs looked like that anyway. The shiba world would be a really boring place with out Sakes, Toscas, and Ichis and other "non-standard" shibas.

    What was that old man doing for 27 years anyway. Breeding Shibas, or sitting in a dog park being a ball buster. You should have hit him in the head with a bully stick.
  • edited November -1
    Thanks everyone. Like I said, I could've really made a scene and embarassed the hell out of the old man, I don't really know why I didn't. Sake and Ichi have the same birthday, but alas, they are not related. Only in their legs:P

    Jesse
  • edited November -1
    Joe/Dawn-Exactly! 27 years of doing what? I hope it wasn't anything to do with breeding dogs or being around people, how unpleasant. Is this clown seriously expecting to find show dogs and breedable to standard Shiba at a dog park ?!? Screw that noise.

    Jesse, sorry this goofus spoiled Ichi's shiba coolness.
  • edited November -1
    You didn't embarass him because you aren't a douchebag. You go to the dog park for you dog, not to engage in verbal sparring with a grumpy old man.
  • edited November -1
    Joe - Standards are important tools in breeding and showing. They represent the "ideal" morphology and temperament (some standards include a few guides on it, not enough, in my opinion) for that breed. A breed standard has, in it's origins, very little of arbitrary, and is written by the national kennel club of the original country.
    Some countries (for example Spain) go as far has stating the exact measurements of the ideal dog, not only for height or weight, but for chest perimeter, height to length ratio, height to chest depth ratio and angles of joints.

    I believe that, in it's origins, it was a useful tool for a proper selection of a breed.

    Having said that, I do agree that it's not possible for every breeding to produce champions, nor is there a reason why they should. Most people aren't worried about showing and want a certain breed. What should always be important is temperament, functionality and health. So I would prefer a dog that is further away from the standard but has a correct temperament and is healthy that to any champion out there.
  • edited November -1
    I find it funny how it's the people who don't own a shiba are the ones who nitpick and tell you that your dog is a mix. I had a similar issue because some lady at the dog park swears that shibas don't come in black and tan, only red or brown (sesame), and that me must be a Shepherd mix. I asked her, "How many shibas have you owned?" And her reply was, "None, but I know all these people who have them and I just know that shibas only come in red or brown."
  • edited November -1
    I've had people tell me that I was insane for paying for a dog that was beyond breed standard. My question is, where would all of these perfectly fine dogs go if no one would buy them??? Even if they had to go to rescues, the amount of money that I would donate to get any of my dogs would have exceeded the amount that I paid to purchase them from a breeder. And, although I've never asked because I don't care at all, I'm sure the accusers experience in the showring is just as little as mine is.
    I guess they expect you to have found your dog on the street, or to have a champion. I disagree, and I think that a moderately priced dog from a breeder that doesn't fit any sort of standard at all maybe fits the best in my household. Someone's gotta take those poor, half-bred, unsociable, deprived and disgraced dogs in... poor half-shepard shibas. They never stood a chance :)

    PS Which of the dozen or so shepard breeds was he referring to? Funny old man.
  • edited November -1
    It's silly how people expect dogs to have no faults and to tear em' down when they do...who cares?? So long as that dog is loved, well taken care of, and happy! Kahlo gets it all the time....some guy, trying to impress the gf got into with me saying long coated akitas don't exist...I'm like, well, yes, they do and you just met one...he's like no way man, she's got chow or saint bernard in her for sure. You could tell, he was not having anything of this long coated Akita talk. What gets me...is that we wouldn't have the dogs we have and love today without all the genetic manipulation breeders have done over the centuries!
  • edited November -1
    I have to say, I completely understand. Triton is 17.5 inches tall and very leggy, like Ichi. He weighs about 32 lbs. He has the thinner moss coat instead of the double coat and his tail also goes down (not curled) when he is upset. Triton is only ok with other dogs that are calm and respect his space. He is afraid of hyper people, loud noises, and sometimes flinches when someone reaches down to pet him. He was very likely abused and definitely emotionally neglected before we rescued him. Some people are stupid and insist that he isn't a real Shiba and that his scared temperment shows poor socialization. Since we rescued him 1 1/2 years ago, he has come SO far and is almost a different dog than the day we got him. I am proud of my little boy and I would rather have my flawed Shiba than ten breed standard perfect ones!
  • edited November -1
    Ichi is a cutie --- I say, forget that old man --- enjoy the day and your lovely dog!
  • edited November -1
    from what i've researched there are different variations of shibas (their looks that is) and there are some known to be more primitive looking with long legs, which is probably what ichi and sake are. I think they are all cute anyway though :) hope to own one someday (or a shikoku :) hehe
  • edited November -1
    Oh bitter old men... lol I can understand the frustration though. If anyone tried to tell me Mylo was flawed I would tell them to shove it.

    Ichi is sooooo handsome though! And I LOVE his long legs. Seriously. Love them.
  • edited November -1
    Ha. That's frustrating to hear. Look @ those legs~! Are you sure it's not a mix:D? jk jk.
  • edited November -1
    Leonberger- Breed standards are important but I think people get to hung up on them. I did when I first got into shibas, but have changed my views lately. IT's sort of a double edged sword. It's good to breed to standard, but not be a slave because. Like you said I'd rather have a dog who's happy and healthy than "perfect"
  • edited November -1
    it funny i get the same thing..kinda toru only plays when she wants other than that she will sit in a chair next to me or on me and she is small. i think she is a late bloomer she growing slowly. people have ask me if she is a tea cup shiba... umm no she's just small people. lol
  • edited November -1
    "27 years of doing what?"

    Apparently annoying the sh*t out of people.
  • edited November -1
    tea cup shiba?
  • edited November -1
    He is a cute dog. Who cares what other people think anyway, esp. someone who doesn't know what he's talking about. Better experience next time.
  • edited November -1
    I've all but given up trying to explain Tosca to the Breeding Crazies out there. Idiots should not be allowed near breed standard info.

    Case in point - I know someone who paid close to $2000 for a perfect example of a Rottweiler. Rescue societies were an absolutely out of the question because their dog had to be perfect. Well, after receiving this "perfect" dog, they never bothered to train it or properly socialize it because "a Rottie has to be allowed to be itself - training is for inferior specimens of inferior breeds." They actually advised me against getting Tosca because, since she was non-standard and coming from a rescue society, she would certainly be unstable, aggressive, and a terrible pet not to mention ugly. Their "perfect" dog is now around six and snaps at any move made by anyone who doesn't live there. They've had three biting incidents within a year (They paid the med. bills and gave money to the people so the dog wouldn't be reported.) because "She's just being a Rottie. People don't understand how to behave around her." Breed Standand + Breed Misconception = Problems. They still ask me if "That Pound Dog" has done anything heinous yet and, when I showed them pictures, I got "Too bad. Standard shibas are such pretty animals."

    It's senseless to take these fools seriously, but they are annoying.
  • edited November -1
    I've heard of mame shiba, but never tea cup. >.<
  • edited November -1
    Rotts should be raised to be friendly with people, that's a shame.

    All Shibas are pretty. Same can't be said for all the owners.
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