The Misanthropic Shiba

Mischa:  Bedtime for puppies.  Come on, Tierce.  Bedtime!

Me:  You are just ga-ga over that dog.

Mischa: *scoops Tierce up and cradles him like a baby*  No.

Me:  Ahuh.

Mischa:  Awww… look at da wittow puppy.  *Carries Tierce over so that his nose pokes my ear*

Me:  Yes, he’s a good little puppy.

Tierce:  *martyred expression*

Mischa:  It’s time to take da wittow puppy upstairs.

Me:  Seriously.  It’s kind of weird having a guy who looks like a Hell’s Angel, murmuring to their dog in baby talk.

Mischa:  Ohhhhhh look, Mommy’s mad.  We’d better go upstairs.

Me:  I’m not the dog’s mother.

Mischa:  Practically.

Tierce:  It would still make me a son of a bitch.

Me:  No, he’s my dog.  Not my kid.

Mischa:  Don’t listen to her.

Tierce:  Oh, believe me, I try not to.

Mischa:  Listen to Daddy, instead.

Me:  Oh, please.  Goo-goo, ga-ga, it’s enough to make you sick.

Mischa:  You baby-talk him too!

Me:  Yeah, right.  Tierce, do I baby talk da wittow puppy?

Tierce:  Yes.

Mischa:  See!  That’s baby-talk!

Me:  I’m merely communicating with Tierce on an emotional level.  You, on the other hand, are just being weird.

Mischa:  C’mon Tierce, let’s go upstairs and put da puppy to bed.

Me:  Yeah, Tierce, go upstairs with Daddy and put him to bed.

Mischa:  HAH!

Me:  What?

Mischa:  You said ‘Daddy’!

Me:  I was being facetious.

Mischa:  That rolled off your tongue too well.

Tierce:  Yeah, you’ve said it to me lots of times.

Me:  You know what, just go upstairs.  Okay?

Mischa:  Fine.  Let’s go, Tierce.

Tierce:  Um, yeah.  Let’s go.  Great.

Me:  Yes, Tierce, Mommy’ll be up there soon.

Mischa:  HAH!

Me:  Shut up!

Head over to eBay.com and type “MSIR” into the search box to get the latest and greatest of Shiba inu merchandise.

Check these out; SO CUTE!

Tierce and Riley, a Rottweiler that Tierce has known ever since he started going to the dog park.

We have been instituting a gradual reintroduction program to the dog park for Tierce and I’m happy to say that it’s working so far.  The neutered Tierce is a lot calmer and less aggressive than the testosterone filled Tierce.

I started with bringing Tierce to the dog park and allowing him to meet the dogs from outside the fence.  This didn’t provoke any aggression.  Neither did having him run loose in the small dog run adjoining the bigger dog park when there were no dogs in the small run.

A week ago, I tried introducing him into the dog park with a bunch of bigger dogs.  Tierce has been a bully in the past, so I thought bigger dogs would be able to handle themselves should any tendencies towards this resurface.  I’m happy to say that they didn’t.

Tierce is now much calmer and more able to react positively to the different personalities that can be found in the dog park.  I noticed the second time that he was getting stressed by a dog that kept following him and barking at him, so I called Tierce over and told the other dog to go play with some of the other dogs.  Tierce seemed to calm right down and the other dog didn’t bother him again, but we went home soon after, just so Tierce didn’t get too stressed.

Tierce running with some of the other dogs.

Tierce was playing today with some other dogs and didn’t show a lot of temperament, even when a couple of bigger dogs were targeting him for some rough play.  I did call him once, but while he did head towards me, he didn’t show too much stress.  I’m hoping to get him to the point where he realizes that the best thing he can do if he is stressed or if a bigger dog is bullying him, is to head to me.

He is also making strides in the toy aggression area.  While he is attracted to sticks and balls, he isn’t as insistent that he have them and can deal with another dog grabbing them.  And, in the case of Riley (above picture), he was reminded that some dogs have ‘their’ ball and woe betide the dog who thinks it’s up for negotiation.  (Riley has an impressive roar!)

Tierce playing with a new friend.

I’m really happy, because this gives us the opportunity to chisel a couple pounds off of the 27 that Tierce has some how managed to get to.  25 or thereabouts is probably ideal for him; 23 is on the thin side, but I do not want him to get fat and it’s getting hard to feel his ribs.  On that subject, walks are probably not a bad thing for me, either.

Sixteen years ago, a tiny little Shiba puppy toddled into my life and made Internet Shiba History a few years later when I discovered cyberspace.

I don’t think Shassi’s long for this world; my mom and aunt are going to take her to the vet for another evaluation.  As long as she’s content and pain free, we’re happy, but we don’t want her to be alive just because we want her to be.

Shassi was cute, funny, infuriating, shocking and completely turned my and my family’s lives upside down.  I still remember her padding around Susan’s living room, inspecting the curtains, while I signed the puppy buyer contract.  It was the best $600 we ever spent.

I’m a skeptic and have never seen or heard or read any evidence that would convince me that Shassi – or anyone, for that matter – is going to an afterlife.  However, if there is one that was suited to the person in question, I’m sure that Shassi will find herself back in Lake Cowichan, happily exploring lawns and gardens while keeping an eye out for our grasping hands.

There are a number of things that I do or want to do with Tierce, activity-wise.  I’m compiling a bunch of things I can do with him that will encourage me to exercise more effectively more often.

Walking:

This is generally what we do – or what my boyfriend and Tierce do – most often.  Walking burns a decent amount of calories if you do it for an hour or more.  There are a lot of places in Nanaimo to walk a Shiba, which is why I started my blog Places to Take a Shiba in Nanaimo (currently derailed due to family issues that are largely being resolved, fortunately).

Geocaching:

This is a variant of walking where you’re following a GPS unit to find caches hidden by other geocachers.  Depending on the terrain, this can be anything from a stroll to a hiking expedition.

Hiking:

Hardier form of walking that Shibas take to very well.  They are little mountain dogs and like nothing better than scrambling up and down mountains, stopping to cock a leg along the way.

Cycling:

I am an avid long-distance cyclist, but a bicycle going at full speed – or even a speed suitable for long distance touring – is too fast for Tierce to keep up with.  I therefore have set up my trailer to accommodate him.  Drawbacks include slower speed and a harder time securing everything if we want to hop off and explore without dragging the bike/trailer around.  I have been looking into getting an adult tricycle with a back basket large enough to accommodate a Shiba or that would support modification so that Tierce’s crate could fit on it.

Running:

I have been running with Tierce regularly this summer, but shin splints have laid me low.  I’m starting out again, but it’s slow going and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to run without pain.  Which brings me to:

Rollerblading:

Not something I have tried with Tierce.  I’m on the lookout for a modestly priced pair of inline skates and protective gear.  I also keep having nightmares about Tierce dragging me off balance while I’m going full-tilt.  But I’m going to try it anyway; maybe I’ll learn how to skate first and then try taking Tierce out.

Cross-country skiing:

Tierce has his own little sled dog harness and, if he put his mind to it, could actually pull me down a gentle slope.  But no, he wants to jump into the nearest snow drift.  In Nanaimo, snow falls about once a year, so every year I grease up the skis and go out to enjoy the winter weather and yelling at Tierce for pulling me off balance.

Sledding:

Tierce’s harness is better for him pulling my plastic sled up hills (yes, I’m 32 and yes I still sled, dammit).  He’s happy: he can pull it and bounce uphill.  I’m happy; I don’t have to pull the sled.  Sliding down the hill with Tierce running beside me is fun, too.

Swimming:

I have a couple of photos of Tierce actually letting water touch his shoulders and back as he swam after a stick for about 7 seconds.  He’s repeated the experience only under protest.

And that’s all I can think of that Tierce does with me.  I need to make this more of an inclusion in my daily routine to get a lot of cardio benefits from it – leisurely walks or letting Tierce run around in the yard don’t count!

Is this the Shiba version of All Your Base Are Belong To Us?