- We have never purchased a dog bed. Really. Never. I cut Yun’s old college comforter into 4 quarters and sewed up the sides. Two of the pieces go into each of the crates. The other two pieces are scattered around our home to be used as dog beds.
- We don’t celebrate our dogs’ birthdays. We acknowledge that it is their birthday (see here, here, and here), but other than that, we don’t celebrate it.
- Each dog has one martingale collar/leash set and one additional collar that stays on at all times. And we have one extra leash, which we bought when we first got Loki as a puppy. (This extra leash has proven to be very useful as a temporary replacement for all the times that Jujube has chewed up her leash.) Other than that, we don’t have any more collars or leashes.
- We’ve never made our own doggie biscuits or treats.
- We’ve never taken either of our dogs to the dog groomer.
- We haven’t bought a dog toy in over a year.
- We don’t spell out words, like W-A-L-K. Instead, the dogs have learned to understand the word “Sorry.”
- The dogs’ medical records are more organized and complete than ours.
- We have a one way doggie door. (Actually, it’s just a regular door. Jujube figured out how to push it open to let herself back inside the house, and Loki followed suit.)
- The dogs are welcome to accompany us when we’re in the bathroom.
10 random facts about us that might surprise you
So sweet
One of the best things that I love about Juju is that she accompanies me around the house when I'm suffering from insomnia in the middle of the night. The neighborhood is quiet. The house is quiet. My husband's asleep in bed. Loki is asleep in the crate.
And Jujube gets up out of bed to be my companion. If I go get something to eat or drink, she's with me in the kitchen. If I go to my laptop, she's resting in the nearest corner. If I go read a book, she's right there with me once again.
I suppose that many dogs display this sort of clingy behavior, but shibas tend to be more independent. Loki certainly doesn't bother to follow us around like a shadow. Normally, both Yun and I like their independent nature. But then, there are times like these, when I've haven't been able to fall asleep for over an hour, and Jujube's close companionship is very much appreciated.
And Jujube gets up out of bed to be my companion. If I go get something to eat or drink, she's with me in the kitchen. If I go to my laptop, she's resting in the nearest corner. If I go read a book, she's right there with me once again.
I suppose that many dogs display this sort of clingy behavior, but shibas tend to be more independent. Loki certainly doesn't bother to follow us around like a shadow. Normally, both Yun and I like their independent nature. But then, there are times like these, when I've haven't been able to fall asleep for over an hour, and Jujube's close companionship is very much appreciated.
Jujube, the Overseer
Jujube oversees the driveway snow shoveling effort and makes sure that it is up to her high standards.
More snow...
I think our tree is going to break... or die...
And here's Juju, enjoying the peaceful scenery. I don't get it... isn't it cold? Somehow she seems to like the cold.
And here's Juju, enjoying the peaceful scenery. I don't get it... isn't it cold? Somehow she seems to like the cold.
Lots of snow!
It's only Saturday morning, and it is forecasted to snow all day long. The snow's already too deep for the pups to venture out too far in our little backyard. Jujube tried, but failed to get very far. She wanted to poop farther back, but ended up going where the snow wasn't as deep. At least she went.
You can see in this picture below that there's barely an inch in the foreground. That's because we have a deck above to catch most of the snowfall.
You can see in this picture below that there's barely an inch in the foreground. That's because we have a deck above to catch most of the snowfall.
Some updates
Here are some updates on the two pups:
- Taking Loki to the vet to get his nails trimmed has been working out very well for us. This has seemed to help some of his behavior issues. He's much more comfortable with us playing with his feet. The only downside is that it's an additional expense of $18 a visit. Not terribly expensive, but more expensive than a groomer. And we don't think that the vet does a great job of really getting those nails down as far as possible. Maybe they don't want to risk cutting it too close, or maybe they just want us to come back more frequently.
- Jujube's allergies seemed to get better for awhile after we switched her to fish. But then recently, we noticed that she started scratching up a storm. Yun thinks this is because she ate turkey. Does being allergic to chicken mean you're also allergic to turkey? I don't know, but it seems plausible.
- Other than the scratching, Jujube's been perfectly fine. No problematic turkey bones in her system. No infection from the cut from the fight.
- Complete potty training has resumed. We've been back to normal for a few weeks now. No more accidents. Yay!
.Temporary Solution
This is our temporary solution to Juju's garbage misadventures:
Looks lovely doesn't it? We'll probably look into buying a step-style trash can with a lid on it later on as a more permanent solution. We did try blocking the trash with some obstacles, but that didn't deter Jujube. So far, this looks like it's working.
Looks lovely doesn't it? We'll probably look into buying a step-style trash can with a lid on it later on as a more permanent solution. We did try blocking the trash with some obstacles, but that didn't deter Jujube. So far, this looks like it's working.
Hachiko straight to DVD
I just got word from shiba Dogster forums that Hachiko will not be coming to theaters on December 18th, but instead will be released on DVD in early 2010. I've been wondering why there hadn't been any publicity about this movie. I wasn't planning on watching it in theaters anyways, so from that standpoint, I'm not disappointed. I prefer watching movies at home with the comfort of my two dogs, who wait patiently for me to drop popcorn out of my uncoordinated hands.
Dumpster Diving Doggie Style
After a full day of work, this is what we came home to:
I guess after the turkey, Jujube has trained herself to go through our garbage. Now what do we do? Does this mean we can't throw any food garbage in our garbage? Yun thinks that we can somehow block it off from her. I'm not as optimistic.
I guess after the turkey, Jujube has trained herself to go through our garbage. Now what do we do? Does this mean we can't throw any food garbage in our garbage? Yun thinks that we can somehow block it off from her. I'm not as optimistic.
Random Shiba Links
I've followed the blog Rowdy Rover for a long time, but recently I've been absolutely smitten! This shiba breeder now has puppies, and we all know shiba puppies are the cutest!!! Here's one of my favorite pictures:
In addition to chronicling the lives of my two pups, I'm also going to start sharing "Random Shiba Links" on this blog. I hope you enjoy!
In addition to chronicling the lives of my two pups, I'm also going to start sharing "Random Shiba Links" on this blog. I hope you enjoy!
Yet another leash
"Why so much chewing?" you might ask.
Well, Jujube isn't much of a puller. She might give you a couple tugs to indicate where she wants to go, but she won't really pull much. Instead, she'll start chewing on the leash. So if you're not paying attention to her, and not headed in the direction she wants to go in, then she'll be secretly and patiently working her way to freedom. She also has the bad habit of immediately chewing on her leash as soon as it is put on her. What can I say? The girl likes her freedom.
Turkey
This past weekend, we finished our Thanksgiving leftovers, and tossed the turkey carcass into the garbage. Our kitchen trash can has a top on it, so we've never been concerned about the dogs getting into the garbage. Well, never underestimate a shiba, especially a shiba named Jujube.
Yun and I were upstairs putting together our new Ikea closet system when we heard some noises. Loki was with us, but Jujube was nowhere in sight. Uh oh, if Juju isn't nearby, then she's up to no good. We came downstairs to this sight.
How in the world, did she get the turkey out of the trash without knocking the whole can over? It's a typical tall kitchen trash can. Maybe 2.5 ft. tall? Practically none of the other trash was taken out -- just the turkey and some pieces of paper towel.
Well, I've been very worried these past couple of days about whether Jujube ingested any bones. Turkey bones are particularly bad for dogs because of splintering. They can cause lots of damage. So far, she appears to be acting completely normal. She's full of energy. She still wags her tail lots. She still prances around and dances in circles before all her meals. She still gobbles all her food up very quickly. The only thing is that she has had some diarrhea. But everything else seems fine.
Well, I'll keep my eye on her for the next couple of days. Hopefully there was enough leftover meat on that carcass (yes, we were a bit wasteful) so that she went for the meat first rather than bone. And hopefully, she didn't have too much time alone with that carcass before we found out.
By the way, this act, which was clearly all Jujube's doing, now confirms the our suspicions that she was the culprit in the apple pie mystery.
Yun and I were upstairs putting together our new Ikea closet system when we heard some noises. Loki was with us, but Jujube was nowhere in sight. Uh oh, if Juju isn't nearby, then she's up to no good. We came downstairs to this sight.
How in the world, did she get the turkey out of the trash without knocking the whole can over? It's a typical tall kitchen trash can. Maybe 2.5 ft. tall? Practically none of the other trash was taken out -- just the turkey and some pieces of paper towel.
Well, I've been very worried these past couple of days about whether Jujube ingested any bones. Turkey bones are particularly bad for dogs because of splintering. They can cause lots of damage. So far, she appears to be acting completely normal. She's full of energy. She still wags her tail lots. She still prances around and dances in circles before all her meals. She still gobbles all her food up very quickly. The only thing is that she has had some diarrhea. But everything else seems fine.
Well, I'll keep my eye on her for the next couple of days. Hopefully there was enough leftover meat on that carcass (yes, we were a bit wasteful) so that she went for the meat first rather than bone. And hopefully, she didn't have too much time alone with that carcass before we found out.
By the way, this act, which was clearly all Jujube's doing, now confirms the our suspicions that she was the culprit in the apple pie mystery.
Video of the First Snow of the Season!
Video of the pups enjoying the first snowfall of the season. Loki is the one who keeps on digging and offering play bows. It's so much fun to watch them enjoy themselves!
First Snow of the Season!
Loki Digging!
Loki in a Play Bow!
What a pretty boy!
Where's my girl?
There she is!
What kind of sleeping spot is that!?
Last night, Loki slept in a crate as usual, and Jujube hopped on the bed as usual.
But where does she decide to settle down??
On my foot! Not near my foot. Not leaning against my foot. Right smack on top of it. What kind of sleeping spot is that? Does she not notice that my foot is there? It can't be comfortable! The entire other half of the bed is completely empty! (Yun comes to bed later than me.) Of all places to circle and plop, she decides my foot is the best place?
But where does she decide to settle down??
On my foot! Not near my foot. Not leaning against my foot. Right smack on top of it. What kind of sleeping spot is that? Does she not notice that my foot is there? It can't be comfortable! The entire other half of the bed is completely empty! (Yun comes to bed later than me.) Of all places to circle and plop, she decides my foot is the best place?
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