Poppy

I wanted to post a few pictures of my Kai pup, Poppy. She's 5 months old now, and doing really well.

I have found her to be remarkably difficult to photograph (I thought b&t Shibas were tough to get good photos of, but the Kai is much worse!). Thank goodness for digital cameras! And kudos to all of you who manage to take such beautiful photos of your Kais - hopefully I'll figure out the trick eventually.

Earlier this week I took my 8 year old daughter, Norah, my Shiba, James, and Poppy on a couple of short hikes in a nearby state park. It was a beautiful early spring day (unlike today - we've got close to a foot of snow already and it's still coming down). The "puppies" (two-legged Norah and four-legged Poppy) spent a couple hours chasing each other around at the base of the fire-tower atop South Mountain, while Jamie and I hung out and enjoyed the sunshine.

I did have one scare, when Poppy decided to climb the fire-tower. I've never before owned a dog who would have even considered climbing a steep, rickety, open stair in rather high-wind conditions, but, then again, I should know by now not to be surprised by anything this crazy puppy does. Norah had already started up the tower while I went to set down my pack, grab a windbreaker and tether James. When Norah started hollering for me, I looked up to see Pop hanging out on the first landing, and hearing Norah above her, start racing up the second landing. I was really panicked, imagining myself scraping pancake-puppy off the rocks below. Poppy really did not want to come down and I was afraid to go up after her because the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like I was chasing her (and even if I had caught up with her safely, I would not have been comfortable carrying her down). Thankfully, she decided to be a good girl and humor me, and so she came down on her own. I snapped a picture of her on the first landing on her way back down, after I'd stopped freaking out :). After playing with her for several minutes, I tethered her next to James so I could climb up the tower for a look around, and she SCREAMED bloody murder the entire time (she was just outraged by the injustice of her situation). She is quite the character, and while she's a real pest and is giving me plenty of grey hairs, if she manages to survive til adulthood she's going to be a fabulous dog. :)

Here's the pictures (hope this works!):

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In the next photo, James has just "found" Norah. For many years, one of Norah's favorite games has been hide and seek - she hides, and I send Jamie off to find her. Poppy is starting to understand the game too, but since Norah wanted Poppy to be "on her side" and hide with her, and Poppy would rather "seek" than "hide", Poppy ended up being a double agent of sorts on this particular afternoon.

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And here's the pics of the fire-tower and my naughty monkey-puppy.

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Comments

  • Poppy looks great. Thanks for sharing :).
  • you must live near-ish to me, I too have a foot o'snow and its still coming down. Plus its rocky there- as here. Are you in New England? I'm in Vermont. Poppy is super cute and I love how all your 4 &2 leggers play! :)
  • nice pics, thanks for sharing! Poppy looks great! Too bad I would NEVER be able to let Bea (my shiba) off leash like that!
  • Hi Chrystal,

    I'm in southern NH.

    By the way, I'd really love to meet you and Juno someday. Poppy is the only Kai Ken I've ever met, and since I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the breed, meeting the only other local Kai and her owner seems like a good idea. :) We usually makes trips to southern VT several times a year (for agility trials), and also travel to the Upper Valley pretty regularly (my father-in-law lives in Lyme, NH and has a camp in Lunenburg VT), but I don't make it to central VT (where I assume you are located) often enough. If you have any interest in meeting up sometime, let me know if you're ever down my way (Derry/Manchester/Salem/Nashua area) with Juno and have some time to spare!
  • It would be fun to meet up! I live in the southern Green Mtns between Stratton, Bromley and Magic Mtns- Please let me know if you are ever here for a trial and I will come see! I also like to take Juno to dog things, we did a 5k at Stratton, went to a frisbee demo at Killington, have you ever been to Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury? Another good trip. I dont make it into NH much- but we should connect! We love hiking so meeting for a walk would be fun!
  • We're planning to be at Muddy Paws Canine Center in Westminster Vt on 5/5-6, and 5/26-28, and again probably on the 4th of July weekend, a weekend in August, and Halloween weekend. If you feel like taking a drive, we'll be camping on-site on those weekends, and spectators are always welcome at agility trials! Muddy Paws also has a cute little store, which you might enjoy if you are ever driving by - the proprietors have been good friends for many years and are really awesome "dog people". We also sometimes (once or twice a year) trial at a site in Greenwich NY - when we go there, one of the ways we often come home is through Manchester VT and then across Rt 30, which must take us pretty close to you... My email is shibas at nozomifarm dot com - drop me a note and I can let you know if I'll be out your way and vis versa - hopefully one of these years we'll be able to meet up and have our own little "New England Kai Ken Meet and Greet". :)

    I haven't been to Dog Mountain yet, although I've heard of it and it's on my to-do list. I'm not sure I'd bring any dogs with me however as the concept of a giant, off lead, unfenced dog park kind of scares me. My guys are (for the most part) good with other dogs and (for the most part) good off lead, but they all can be pushed past the point of politeness, and I prefer to have them interact with strange dogs a) in limited numbers, or b) in a limited space, or c) on leash. Thanks for the suggestion tho! Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit.
  • I am very near Manchester VT- that's where we go when we need to go "In Town" :) I am right on rte 11. I'll try to make the trial in Westminster. and I'll email you if I can as that gets closer.

    I think there's also a forum member in NH with a Kishu puppy, I think?
  • Poppy is pretty cute! Glad you are enjoying your Kai Ken! :o)
  • She is super cute, and that's great she is doing so well off leash.
  • Oh wow, she is GORGEOUS! I lover her brindle color, it's very cool.
  • Just curious, is she KKA registered or UKC?
  • Wow, stunningly beautiful scenery - and dogs as well ;) Poppy is a real sweet looking kai.
    Great pictures!
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