They say dogs are a man's best friend, and in all honesty, I would have to agree with them. I talk to my dog all the time. He may not answer back but I know that he listens because when I am at my lowest point, who comes over to lick me.... my dog.
Just recently, I got a new dog and it all happened really fast. I've always wanted another dog to play with the huge, massive black lab I have at my parents house- Pepper is his name. Pepper and I always were together. He would go with me to the bank just to get a treat. He would go with me to school, just to show him off. He would always love going on walks around the block. However, Pepper and I haven't been able to do that because he know roams on 5 acres... instead of a square fenced in area...almost like the dog park...but without other dogs.
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| Luka watching TV! |
One day, my friend and I took Pepper to the dog park off Wellington. It was a nice day- sunny with a slim chance of rain, perfect fall weather. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Pepper was slobbering all over the window, barking at his friends, wanting to be released from the back seat of my car. So I park, get his leash, and pretty much was dragged from that point on. Pepper rarely goes to the dog park and when he does, that usually means a) hes been pretty good, or b) his owner (aka ME) actually wants to do something productive. As soon as we entered the fenced in area, Pepper was off. It was like heaven. Dogs galore. All over. Small dogs that looked like a treat to pepper. Big dogs! All types of dogs. Dogs, dogs, dogs. While Pepper was off playing with his friends, I started talking to my friend about getting another dog and we started to throw dog types off each other- "German Shepherd" "No. Too big". "Poodle?" "Too ugly". and the list went on.
After the dog park, we decided to look at some pet stores to get some other dog types in mind...but nothing was sticking. We grabbed some lunch, talked to mom, and finally something hit my friend. "Shiba Inu" and of course my response "was that english?"
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| He's my co-pilot! |
So, now I had to look up the dog and this was the perfect dog. The average Shiba Inu will be about 30 pounds at most. They are the perfect house dog, easy to train, get along with other dogs, and more importantly, be "your best friend". This was the dog I wanted. That night, Hunter and I started looking at breeders in Lexington that sold Shiba inus...but no luck. We then found an old posting for a breeder in Shellbyville. So I emailed her, and the next morning we received a response and by that afternoon we had the dog in the car on his way to his new home.
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| Luka sleeping! |
Now you are probably like, "well, Carlos, what is a shiba inu?" According to the AKC website, the Shiba Inu is the smallest of the Japanese native breeds originally developed for hunting in the mountains of Japan. The Shibas are very alert and make an excellent watch dog, but yet they make a good companion. Back in the day, the Shiba Inu was used to hunt bear, wild boar, and small wild game. The name in Japanese means "brushwood" and Inu means "dog". You can read more at this site:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/shiba_inu/
At only 6.9 pounds and only 4 months old, I would like to introduce you to my (well our...kinda) new puppy LUKA!
This little fox, I mean boy has been everything I have wanted in another dog. He listens to me. He listens to my room mates. One room mate has even taught him shake which is pretty impressive at 4 months. (I have video proof...) He is a bundle of joy and my little boy. When him and Pepper are together, Luka likes to steal all his toys (typical "sibling" rivalry). Although he frustrates me sometimes, I know he will always be my best friend, something I was promised as a child.
