The F-word


It’s inevitable. When you walk your Shiba down the street, someone will come up to you, gushing how cute your dog is. And they will invariably say, “It looks like a little fox!”

Does anyone else bite their tongue on: “Well, a Shiba is much more compact than a fox, their tails curl over their backs, whereas a fox’s does not, they have a shorter muzzle and a wider head and by the way, you’re the 12th person to say those exact words about my dog. Congratulations.”

Generally, no… because, really, I’m not that petty.

But I’m petty enough to think it.

5 Comments

  1. I have a small Red Japanese Akita, who looks like a Shiba on ‘roids. I get, “OooOooO, you have a coyote!!” WTF.

  2. ah hahahaha. brilliant. The best is when your own MOTHER (who has known your dog for a year+) says “are you sure they don’t have some fox in them?”

  3. Ahhhh this makes my day – word for word what I used to say before I finally actually got tired of hearing *myself* talk. Now I just say, “Ohhh yes, heh heh, EVERYONE says that.”

  4. Honestly, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing for people to say. 🙂

    I am new to Shiba Inus, and I think they are adorable! Absolutely adorable!

    And yes, from a complete novice’s standpoint, they do look a bit like foxes! Not really, but they are foxlike. Surely you guys can see that? 🙂 No harm is intended. In fact, I think, just the opposite is intended.

    People are praising your little dogs to the highest when they say this. They are trying to tell you that your dog is cute and precious and has a very distinct look, which is one of the reasons people fall in love with it!

    Be grateful you have a dog that people love for its beauty!

    Just sayin’. 🙂

  5. Just FYI, dogbreedinfo.com states,

    “Be careful during hunting season as the dog looks like a fox and may be mistaken for one.”

    So even though Shiba owners may not think they look like foxes, apparently someone does. I don’t know if the person who wrote the article on that website is a Shiba expert or not.

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