‘I’m waiting for my boyfriend to get home. Wake the neighbours and you’re going back on generic dog food.’
As the bold huntsman on some mountain path
Waits for the stag he hopes may pass that way,
So wait I for my love both night and day:–
Then bark not at him, as thou fearest my wrath.
From ‘The Tale of Genji‘, widely considered a masterpiece of Japanese literature.
On March 25th, the Shiba world lost another little star. Gail’s Sukoshi (‘Little bit’ in Japanese) passed away from either a heart attack or a stroke. She was 8 years old. We are very sorry that Sukoshi’s mom lost her at such a relatively young age, but are very happy that she was able to enjoy her life for as long as she did. Sukoshi was the driving force behind Gail’s involvement with Shiba rescue and organizing meetups with other Shiba owners.
Goodbye, Sukoshi! We will remember you.
At Tierce’s Doghouse, we’ve received some amazing stuff… people on the TMS Facebook page know that Tierce won the Dirtiest Dog category in a contest hosted by a certain Jewel Inu for her birthday. Jewel is a spokesdog for NW Shibas4LIfe Rescue and works very hard at helping needy Shibas. In fact, you should like NW Shibas4LIfe Rescue’s Facebook page right now!
Here’s the photo that started it all. We’re not quite sure how Tierce managed to decorate himself as cleverly as he did, but everyone was mighty impressed with the results!
Here you can see the awesome ‘My Wish Is Your Command’ magnet holding up a hand drawn Shiba card and a picture of Tierce and his friend Apollo.
To Tierce’s great disgust, he was not allowed to partake in the other prize we won. Jewel and Mali Ki really know how to throw a party!
The next thing that came in the mail was… interesting. I found it on Etsy and had to buy it. I call it…
THE SHIBA DEATH NIGHTMARE PILLOW!
It’s kind of disturbing. Which is why I bought it.
Me: Make up your mind which lane you want to be in.
Mischa: What, am I driving crazy? *jiggles steering wheel*
Me: Sure.
Mischa: Ha, would be funny if I popped a tire and we rolled to our deaths.
Me: Happy thoughts and all that.
Mischa: Except the dog.
Me: Well, one would hope.
Mischa: He would feast on our corpses.
Me: Because that’s not creepy at all.
Mischa: What’s creepy about it? Eat our corpses, Tierce!
Me: You’re deranged.
Mischa: What? It’s like recycling! He would get a few good meals out of us and we would return to nature via his digestive tract.
Me: Riiight.
Mischa: It’s the circle of life, Julie. The circle of life!
I know the photo is fuzzy,but it was taken by my iPhone 4. You can still see Tierce staring at Mischa if you look closely at the bottom inset.
This post was inspired by Neil Gaiman’s recent post about the loss of his dog Cabal. I’ve seen some wonderful farewell letters on the Internet that illustrate the bond between person and dog. Here are three that really struck a chord with me:
He was the best dog in the universe and I’m going to miss him so much.
Of course, there’s Rudyard Kipling, who penned one of the most famous odes to losing a dog in the English speaking world.
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
It’s funny when we say we ‘lost’ someone who has died. I think it points to the fact that, no matter whether we believe in an afterlife or not, we don’t really know where they’ve gone. It seems impossible that someone who has interacted with you so intimately could be poofed out of existence with the silence of a heartbeat.
Still thinking of you, Shassi.
Photo courtesy of Best Paw Forward (http://www.bestpaw.ca)
Tierce: Where are we?
Me: We’re at Best Paw Forward. The place where you’re going to be tormented next year in their Beyond the Leash class.
Tierce: It’s still 2012. Why are we here?
Me: You’re going to get your picture taken with Santa.
Tierce: Santa? Who the hell is Santa?
Me: He brings good dogs toys and treats on Christmas Day.
Tierce: I must’ve met him before. What does he smell like?
Me: Probably like a combination of elf slave labour and reindeer poop.
Tierce: Someday, you’re going to have to explain to me what that means. Wait, I’m not interested. Tell me about the treats.
Me: Well, Santa comes down the chimney in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and leaves stuff for good dogs. Of which you are not one. He leaves rolled-up newspapers for the bad dogs.
Tierce: What about dogs in shelters? Shelters don’t have chimneys. Come to think of it, we don’t have a chimney.
Me: Um…
Tierce: Shelter dogs are good dogs, right? I mean, they didn’t all deserve to be left at the shelter.
Me: Uh… well, yeah, they’re good dogs.
Tierce: So what does Santa bring them?
Me: A new home, I hope.
Tierce: So every shelter dog who’s a good dog gets a new home? Because Santa gives good things to good dogs?
Me: Well… okay, I lied. Santa doesn’t really exist as a human.
Tierce: So he’s a dog?
Me: No, he’s a construct. Part legend, part American consumerism. Blame Coca-Cola.
Tierce: So why am I getting my picture taken with him?
Me: Because it’s a cute thing to do.
Tierce: But he isn’t real.
Me: Okay, look at it this way. Santa is the human personification of the spirit of Christmas. He’s supposed to be the symbol of goodwill, community and being kind to others during this season. He’s also what people hide behind if they want to do something nice for someone else, but don’t want that person to know who it was.
Tierce: But that has nothing to do with the story about Santa giving presents to good dogs.
Me: You’re right. Lots of people take it farther, teaching their puppies that Santa is a real person who brings them Kong toys and dog treats for Christmas.
Tierce: But it’s a lie. Shelter dogs don’t get presents. Those dogs you talk about all the time, the ones whose owners don’t feed them or abandon them. They don’t get presents. There is no such thing as Santa, so there is no such thing as someone who brings dogs presents just because they’re good dogs! It’s not fair and you lied to me.
Me: You’re right. I was wrong to lie to you. You are absolutely right. There is just one thing, though.
Tierce: And that is?
Me: If there is no such thing as Santa, it’s our responsibility to do Santa’s job. If there is no force for good who will do this for needy and abandoned dogs, it’s up to individual people to step up and do what they claim Santa is doing.
Tierce: So why are we here again?
Me: Well, I think it’s a cute thing to do and Best Paw is donating all the proceeds to the Soi Dog Foundation, a group that helps needy dogs in Thailand.
Tierce: Oh. WHAT’S THAT? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?
Me: That’s the Santa hat you’re going to wear.
Tierce: BURN IN HELL, DEMONESS. YOU’RE NOT GETTING THAT TORTURE DEVICE ON MY HE-hey, dried liver!
Me: Take the picture. Take the picture now.
Click to go to Loki’s Christmas Wish and give BC shelter dogs a chance at a Merry Christmas.
I work at a dog daycare. One of our clients, who has the most bomb-proof Chihuahua I have ever met, was interested in a Shiba. She mentioned seeing Tierce on the Facebook page. My boss said to her, referring to Tierce:
“THAT’S the only good Shiba I’ve ever met!”
Mine. It’s all mine for the taking.
5 AM: Oh hi, it’s 0-dark-hundred and the dog is whining to go out.
Tierce: OUT out OUT out OUT
Me: Fine.
Tierce: Yay!
Me: Just pee or poop and get it over with.
Tierce: Hey, did you know that there’s a hole in the fence?
Me: No, wa- Tierce?
Tierce: Hey, they don’t cut their grass at all.
Me: Tierce!
Tierce: Doo-de-doo-de-doo.
Me: (hissing) TIERCE!
Tierce:
Me: TIERCE!
Tierce:
Me: Shit.
Me: Mischa!
Mischa: What? Yeah? Yeah! What?
Me: The dog’s gotten out of the fence and into the neighbour’s yard!
Mischa: Shit! Did you call him?
Me: Of course I called him!
Mischa: Sorry, sorry. Just waking up.
***time passes, filled with hissed commands, Mischa jumping into the neighbour’s yard, finding Tierce on the *other* side of the gate that had apparently swung shut after he merrily bolted through it***
Me: I fucking hate that dog.
Mischa: You don’t hate him. You love him!
Me: Not anymore.
Mischa: You’re obsessed with our dog.
Me: I am not!
Mischa: Julie, he has his own Facebook page.
Me: Well, he goes everywhere else without my permission, why not Facebook, too? You see some of the things he writes about me?
Mischa: You post a picture of him nearly every day.
Me: It’s not nearly that often. I haven’t posted a picture of him since… Monday.
Mischa: You post videos of him playing with other dogs.
Me: He’s cute! I mean, ‘was cute’.
Mischa: You love him and you know it.
Me: We hurt the people we love. Believe me, I want to love him passionately right now.