That's Inu - Shiba Inu - Updated 1/18

edited January 2009 in General
Ok, cue the James Bond theme music!

After finally getting a good night's sleep and joining my mother and I on our errands today rather that having to be in the crate, Tosca is back to her old self. That means trying new and ingenious methods of stealing my food. She's unbelievable. Today she tried jumping into my computer chair to get at a Fruit-a-Bu wrapper... and wound up spinning round and round. Undaunted, she silently crept to my rather large purse to see if I had been so naive as to leave a candy bar or pack of mints in there. I had not, but it was worth being underestimated to come out of my bedroom to find the back half of a shiba blooming out of my bag. Now that she knew I was on to her, none but the stealthiest of tactics would work. I had made an Italian chocolate bread yesterday and finally got around to having some with crème fraiche and raspberry jam. (yum) I had the plate in my hand, but had forgotten my coffee upstairs so my plate and I went up to get it. I have long since learned to never leave food unattended for more than about 4 seconds and even that's pushing it. When I returned, Tosca was nowhere to be found. "Oh well," I though, "I can eat in peace." Just as that thought floated lazily through my mind, I noticed there was something - actually someone - perched on the back of "Tosca's sofa". Tosca was crouched there waiting to thieve from the plate in my right hand; the hand which would've been closest to her. I'm right handed and tend to carry things in that hand. She's never gone up on the back of either sofa in the apartment before. Never took the slightest interest.

Those who are planning to own a shiba, when other websites mention things like "highly intelligent" or "great problem solvers" that is what they mean. Little shiba brains are powerful, now if only they would use that power for good. Owning one, for me, sometimes seems like an episode from Spy vs. Spy, only less deadly.



Comments

  • edited November -1
    LOL that is too cute!!!
  • edited November -1
    well just recently roxy has figured out that she can get food if it's left on the table and there is a chair not pushed in we've caught her 3 times standing on the table looking for scraps, it's kinda cute, she also learned that from the table she can jump to the kitchen counter, she a oil ninja cause if she manages to get some food she some how dissappears and re appears under ethier moms bed or our guest bed.... shes even stole a empty coke bottle to go chew on it...
  • edited November -1
    Tosca is awesome... you need to capture a pic of her ninja couch food thieving tactics!

    Shiba brains are insane... and by insane I mean fascinating... yeah, fascinating.
  • edited November -1
    Fascinating... That is an interesting way to put it. :)

    My pups are not so graceful about their stealing food. However, stealing dryer sheets... They do get quite stealthy about that.
  • edited November -1
    Sake is obsessed with dryer sheets. She hides under the bed covers when I take th laundry out and then while I am putting the wash into the dryer, she sifts through the pile on the bed to find the dryer sheets! She has found the "prize" quite a few times!
  • edited November -1
    haha I remember this cartoon from when I was a kid :) ~
  • edited November -1
    Osy - Shikoku Ken Hopes?
  • edited November -1
    I was thinking Lover not Hopes. But I guess they both work!
  • edited November -1
    Ahh yes, Lover would sound better!
  • edited November -1
    Mine are also obsessed with dryer sheets!!! Sometimes I really think they get in the laundry room cupboard and climb to the 5th shelf and grab them right outta the box!
  • edited November -1
    The more I read this forum the more I think Im a little nutty for wanting a Shiba, but for some strange reason I want a shiba sitting on top of my couch waiting to steal my food & I want a shiba running 500's around my house.
  • edited November -1
    Evan, I see Keiko standing on hind leggs with Belle on her shoulders in full stretch reaching for the box of dryer sheets!
  • edited January 2009
    Sabrina, I think one does have to be a little crazy to own a shiba, to love their antics, and to continually subject themself to their Shiba Mind Control. However, Shiba-Crazy is the best kind of crazy out there. Trust me, I've spent over a decade studying and now working in fine arts; I've seen a lot of types of crazy.
  • edited November -1
    Honey doesnt hunt for food much, she just sits in front of you while you eat and gives you the most pathetic "starving" look you have ever seen. But she also LOVES dryer sheets! She doesnt really "Chew" them, she mostly holds them and rubs on them. Now empty toilet paper rolls.......THATS what she LOVES to chew!! ugh!
  • edited November -1
    While I was explaining tosca's sneakiness to Tom, low and behold Tetsu learns how to climb on the kitchen table and attempts to steal pizza. Unfortunately for him the pizza was way too hot to scarf down, so he only got as far as licking part of it
  • edited November -1
    Doggy slobber always makes pizza taste better!

    You guys have some pretty sneaky Shibas. Mookie does this cute little "I'm guilty" trot when he steals something he knows he is not supposed to have. He likes to take things from the hamper. He drops it when we tell him to, but his sneaky little trot is so cute!
  • edited November -1
    The "Spy vs. Spy"-esque battle for a human style snack continues. I had been trying to put together an exceptionally hard puzzle at my kitchen table, a favorite pastime when I need to do some thinking, and had gone upstairs for something and left the chair pulled out. (Stupid, I know.) returned to find Tosca sitting at the kitchen table with her front paws on the table seeing if there was any food on the table. All I could think of was Dickens' Oliver Twist - "... may I have some more?"



  • edited November -1
    Yes, I have to say that Mercutio was on fire during the Christmas dinner this year! As soon as anyone turned away e was up next to them trying to get at the plates. When I tell him off he always has his best "What me?" face on. Ten people dining and the total tally was 3 licked plates and one hearty slice of honey roast ham!
    Since it was Christmas his evening dinner consisted of roast Beef, Ham and gravy with some carrots. Only once a year!!
  • edited November -1
    Melissa Got it! :)


    Damn. Now I have to think of something else :p ~
  • edited November -1
    Something about Kai Ken?

    The quest for human food continues. Since having a few slices of cheese, I've been under near-constant servailence. Cheese is a favorite of Tosca's. Many of you mentioned that your dogs have a love of dryer sheets. I've never seen Tosca get too excited over them, but I'll pay extra attention when I'm doing laundry in the next day or so.
  • edited November -1
    roxy has a thing were she has to put something in her mouth to greet someone
  • edited November -1
    Osy ~ Kai Ken Make My Day
  • edited November -1
    Alex, Honey does the same thing. She ALWAYS presents us with a toy or whatever she can find when we arrive home. So cute isnt it! lol
  • edited November -1
    It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

    Tonight Tosca got one over on me, but it might be bad news for her. She pulled an open package of pre-portioned chocolate chip cookie dough off the counter when I went to the fridge. I had my back turned for all of twenty seconds. It wasn't shredded and there were five untouched pieces of dough inside, but I can't remember if there had been five or six pieces in there before she got to it. I yelled "LEAVE IT!" and she put several feet between herself and the dough very quickly. She really doesn't like yelling and it upsets her even if it isn't directed at her and she'll act strange for a while until she's absolutely sure everything is ok and that everyone still loves her and each other. So now she's acting weird and I don't know if it's because she ate chocolate (12-15 mini chips and 1-2 regular chips per piece - I dissected two) or because of my squawking.

    So now I wait. I believe chocolate causes palpitations and an increased heartbeat in dogs, I'm double-checking, and if I see any signs at all we're going to the emergency clinic. I'm checking whether or not there is one at Yale, deciding whether or not I want med students practicing on my darling baby, and getting the address for an emergency clinic I know is in a neighboring town. I've learned two things tonight: 1. I should have looked into ER vets before I was in a situation where I might need one (Stupid!), and 2. You can take a shiba's pulse at the wrist just like a person.

    Wish us luck!
  • edited November -1
    Awwww poor Tosca - hopefully she didn't manage to eat any. Good thing you caught it quickly though.
  • edited November -1
    Oh man. I'm sorry to hear that. Fingers crossed she didn't actually get any.

    I know how you're feeling though. I go through this with Lucy any time she puts *anything* her mouth other than her kibble or treats.

    And yes, having emergency contact information nearby is always a good thing. I have four numbers: 1) ASPCA poison control; 2) our regular vet; 3) the nearby emergency vet for life-threatening things; and 4) the slightly farther away, but MMMMUUUUUCCCCCHHHH better emergency vet for non-life threatening emergencies.
  • edited November -1
    how is she now? if she hasn't had any side effects by now she should be fine, right?
  • edited November -1
    She's alright. She never showed any symptoms and, if she got any chocolate, I assume it would be out of her system by now. The biggest issue she had last night was trying to figure out why I was going up to her, taking hold of her foot for a few seconds, and then leaving. She's laying in the sun on my bed now as fine as can be.
  • edited November -1
    Glad to hear it. Silly Tosca giving you a scare like that.
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