The Misanthropic Shiba

Archive for May, 2009

Tierce and I went to the Tyee Kennel Club Dog Show on Saturday to meet up with Marg, his breeder and Susan, his “grandbreeder”.  They were very happy to see him, but we did come to the conclusion that it would be best overall to have him neutered, not only to prevent puppies, but to cut down on the aggression as he gets older.  I’m deferring to their opinions, as with several decades apiece with dogs and Shibas, they ought to know!  So on Monday, we’ll make an appointment and little Tierce will go to get his balls chopped off.

I’ve mentioned that I’ve had reservations about neutering, but I am not as opposed to neutering Tierce now that he’s over 2 and has his full growth.  Things like weight gain and suchlike can be addressed with a good exercise and nutrition program.

While I was at the show, I bought Tierce a new toy! It’s a hollow plastic egg that is too big for him to bite and he’ll chase that thing around all day.

I couldn’t find anything about the company who makes this product.  Here’s the only information that came with it:

There is a product here that looks pretty damn similar with a cute video of zoo animals playing with them, so it’s quite possible that it’s a knock-off of that.  It would be too bad, because I love products that are made in Canada.

Totally not my work...

Also totally not my work...

A comment to my Random Thoughts post by Tamara alerted me to a possible plaigarism scandal!  The picture that I linked to on the right and here bears more than a passing resemblance to the picture on the left and here.  Now I can see how stuff like this can go either way – if you’re creating art, what’s the difference between seeing a general theme and using it and copying someone else’s idea?  Thoughts?

This reminds me of a find I made a while back when searching eBay.ca for Shiba stuff.  I found a mousepad with a familiar picture – a picture of Tierce’s dad,  Ch. Sunojo’s Aporo Gami Go.  I emailed Sunojo about it and got the reply that it was indeed a stolen image.  It’s still up there.  eBay told me that if I was not the owner of the picture, they couldn’t do anything, but I think it’s a damned shame.

***

Interesting update to this: I got an email back from the eBay site owner stating that they had gotten the picture from a photo package.  So the plot thickens.  They sent me a nice letter, so I sent them a nice letter stating that they might want to contact Susan Norris-Jones, the kennel owner, to inform her of this.

Abby Toll

Accused animal abuser OK to live with mother, dog in Chicago

Abby Toll, the woman who allegedly taped the Shiba inu, Rex, to her refrigerator is allowed to leave the state to head to Chicago.  There, she will live with her mother and her mother’s dog.  There is no report as to whether the mother is going to leave her dog alone with Toll; I certainly hope not.

Toll’s boyfriend/punching bag, Bryan Beck has a court appointment on Thursday for a pre-trial conference.  No word on whether he has obliging relatives with pets.

Someone else made this, not me, but I wish I had

The purple Shiba hat I knitted isn’t coming together as well as I’d like.  I think I might take it apart and reknit it.  In the meantime, when it comes to Shiba wear, I’m considering this.

I was on the city-data.com forums, arguing once again about the stupidity of the purebred vs. mixed breed debate.  I think it stems right back to the purebred=value and mixed breed=lower class/proud anti-rich.

In some ways, I think it would do the world of dogs a world of good if we did not put such an emphasis on purebred dogs as the be-all and end-all of “good” breeding.  Yes, I support the responsible breeding of purebred dogs, but at the same time, I support the responsible breeding of mixed breeds.  OMGWTFBBQ!

Now before the Shiba rescues come and sic a bunch of Shiba puppies with luxating patellas on me, let me explain.  I also believe that 99% of all dogs should not be bred.  When I hear of a mixed breed having a litter, a nerve starts jumping in my forehead because 99.9% of the time, it’s someone who had an “accident” or someone who is making money off the “designer dog” market.  (MUST KILL)

I will go so far as to testify to my disapprobation with an attitude that supports the breeding of purebreds with questionable genetics before it supports the breeding of healthy, tested mixed breeds.  I also believe that it is this attitude which has caused a large portion of society to turn to these designer mutts.  In this educated society, it’s not enough to say, “Only purebreds should reproduce!” and ignore the real aim behind the message, which is, “Only dogs that are genetically healthy, temperamentally stable and physically sound should reproduce.  Every breeding dog should have a known pedigree that is used to weed out the animals passing on negative traits and bring together the animals passing on the best traits.  Plus, the dogs that are chosen for breeding should be chosen for a reason; they must be proven to excel at something.  While most people don’t want a competition animal, it is from these that the healthiest, most stable pets are produced.”

You don’t need to have purebred dogs to produce healthy, good tempered puppies that are likely to grow up into excellent working and companion dogs that will live long, healthy lives.  What you need are dogs bred by responsible people who believe that breeding the best dogs possible for a particular purpose is their mission in life. There are breeders of farm collies, Alaskan huskies, cockapoos and other unrecognized animals who not only put many purebred breeders to shame, they could teach us a thing or two about breeding for function as well as adherance to a kennel club standard of appearance.

What is best for dogs overall?  Is it solely sanctioning the breeding of purebreds and thus continuing the myth that purebred breeders/fanciers are only eugenic snobs who want to keep “zee master race” pure from defilement?  Or is it going out and educating people who are trying to find their little piece of canine counterculture about the truth of genetic problems and the actions of responsible breeders?  I eagerly await the day that “purebred” is not so dwelt on so much why the breeder is breeding, how hard they’re working to keep their dogs free of genetic disease, how carefully they place their dogs and how supportive they are of their dogs’ new owners.

American Working Farmcollie Association Breeding Links

Wow, it’s late.  Or early.  Let me know if this makes any sense.