A Shiba's Adventures in Brooklyn

I am dog... hear me bark

2011-03-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

I am NOT a penguin! Why must they do this to me? Why?

I love this white stuff...

2011-01-21T09:58:00.000-05:00

Isn't it great? I mean, why don't we get more of this stuff? Seems like lately we've been getting it every week. I hope it never stops.

By the way, I think it really makes me look good. I'm really starting to master my dramatic pose.

No such thing as bad press!

2010-12-28T10:47:00.002-05:00

Regis made the NYT snow day pics submission!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/26/nyregion/20101226_SNOWDAY.html#/4d18ef3bd730700ba300000d/

Start of blizzard

2010-12-26T15:13:00.001-05:00

Fashions in Brooklyn

2010-10-14T19:03:00.008-04:00

We all went out for a stroll the other weekend. Wouldn't you know, look at who decided to have a fashion show right in the middle of Urban Outfitters?

A New Bed for Regis

2010-10-14T18:58:00.003-04:00

We got a new bed for our precious Regis. He loved the old one, so we went out and bought the EXACT same bed. Unfortunately though, the pillow case made a loud sound because it was new and not broken in. This was scaring our tough guy Regis and he wasn't using the bed.

"Top Dog" (as she thinks she is known though she is not the rightful owner of the title), decides to demonstrate to Regis how the bed works.

Wouldn't you know... it worked!

Art or Cables

2010-09-24T12:39:00.002-04:00

Regis and I went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park this morning and noticed some giant worm-like tubes in bright orange, red and purple. We weren't sure if it was an art installation or construction work, but it definitely stood out on a foggy morning.

2010-09-24T12:31:00.002-04:00

Regis At Play

2010-09-06T22:45:00.001-04:00

It was a cool Labor Day evening on the roof deck but Regis had fun playing for a bit.

I am not ready for my closeup

2010-09-05T13:42:00.016-04:00

Regis and I went to the Labor Day Shiba meetup at the local dog run on Saturday where we were joined by a Japanese TV crew filming a segment for NTV about the popularity of shibas in the NYC area. There must have been about 25 shibas who showed up ready for their 15 minutes of fame. The TV crew filmed about 1 hour of footage with closeups of shibas playing, interviews with owners and two shiba scuffles with a collie. We even saw a shiba who was as tall as Regis, a first. So if you're wondering if Regis is going to be an international TV star in the near feature, I think this picture sums it up:

[click picture to enlarge]

Regis was bored out of his mind. He didn't do anything but sit by my side which does not make for good tv, he was like Alistair Cook without the comfy couch and shelves of book. The camera crew of course focused on the pups that played, ran around and barked.

L) It started off promising, he met a black and tan shiba but then ignored him. R) The other picture is the TV cameraman who approached Regis and a cream shiba for closeups. Regis ran away, you can see his butt heading towards the picnic bench.

L) Shiba scuffle! Regis is far in the center back (butt shot), I don't think he even knew what happened, but that white shiba had a throw down with the collie (blurry beige object at the front of the picture) and had to be lifted by his collar by his owner. R) Of course after the guy with the videocamera left, Regis returns. The other tall Shiba is sniffing Regis, they could have been identical twins size wise (ok, maybe the guy was a little more svelte).

L) A 3 month old black and tan Shiba following Regis who again had no idea what's going on behind him. R) Baby shiba gets an interview. Who doesn't love a puppy except for Regis?

So bored he can't even be bothered to get up when another shiba comes by to introduce himself.

Weekend Shiba

2010-08-29T20:49:00.011-04:00

It was another great weekend with the big red one. It got a bit hot on Sunday but we still managed to get some outside time in the dog run and walking to the sandy spot at Brooklyn Bridge Park in the early evening along with a trip to the fishmonger nearby.

Evenings by the bridge

2010-08-21T00:35:00.006-04:00

Evening walks down by the Brooklyn Bridge always brings good photo ops!

Easy like Friday morning...

2010-08-20T10:48:00.006-04:00

Regis and I took our morning walk today down by the water. He was quite content to hang out and enjoy the breeze. Too bad for both of us I had to go to work.

Saturday Regis

2010-08-16T17:11:00.002-04:00

It was a nice Saturday in the park with Regis then a trip to the fishmonger for mussels for dinner.

Mulch

2010-08-06T17:12:00.002-04:00

By mid-summer all of the leaves in a nearby park turn brown and fall off. I don't know if it's the heat or what, but it's definitely not fall yet. Every so often the parks workers will drive the mulching machine around and grind up the leaves and spread it over the grass. Sometimes though, there will be a little pile of mulch, and a certain Shiba has taken a liking poking his nose into the pile. This is the result:

Regis' birthday

2010-08-04T22:21:00.009-04:00

Here are some more photos from his birthday celebration on Sunday.

Jaws of Life

2010-08-03T09:53:00.002-04:00

As the celebration of The Week of Regis" continues, here we have an upclose view of him devouring one of the extra birthday cup cakes D got him. Yum!

Happy birthday, Regis!

2010-08-02T08:25:00.005-04:00

Regis celebrated his first birthday with us yesterday. He indulged in doggie peanut butter cupcakes and some cookies. Here's a sneak peak of the celebration, more photos to come.

Beware of dog part 2

2010-07-28T16:21:00.002-04:00

For the second time this week Regis sensed or heard something we didn't and ran to the front door barking - only this time it was 4:07 a.m. and we were fast asleep. I got up (had to pee anyway and B didn't want to get out of bed) checked the door and kept watch at the crack beneath the door to see if I could spot any shadows and feet lurking around. Regis kept eyeing the door though no one was outside to my knowledge. After he calmed down I went to the bathroom and returned to find Regis gone. I looked in his bed and around the living room only to find his lying at the foot of our bed. Was he there to protect us or for us to protect him?

Does Regis hear or sense someone that we don't? Or is Regis turning into a sleepwalker and living some subconscious super-hero dog dream? Will I wake up to find half-eaten ice cream containers and empty milk cartons lying by his bed next?

"BEWARE OF DOG"

2010-07-26T10:57:00.002-04:00

Last night just as B and I had gotten into bed and turned off the lights we heard a sudden bark. We were both startled since Regis rarely barks and we last saw him snoozing on the living room rug. We got up hurriedly worried that he ate something weird (a la "My dog ate what?") or having a bad dream. We got up to find him staring at the front door, growling with his hackles up and then letting out a few more threatening barks. We looked out the door peephole but didn't see anyone outside or any noises. We tried to calm him and coax him back to his bed but instead he just decided to lie down in the hall to keep watch. We looked out the peephole again but we were unsure of what Regis sensed. This was the third time Regis has seemingly randomly barked at the door. While we're glad Regis is on the look out for us, we're also unnerved to know that he senses some danger we can't see. Regis never has a problem with guests coming over or delivery people or even neighbors in the hallway. While Regis whimpers and howls when he's happy, snores when he's asleep, barking is rarely a noise he makes. We hope that if it's a ghost he senses, it's a friendly Casper type, preferably one that does dishes, laundry and cleans soap scum off the tub.

Regis, guard dog on duty.

1 year coming

2010-07-21T11:51:00.005-04:00

We are approaching our 1 year anniversary with Regis in about 10 days and we're excited to give him a happy celebration (ok, we realize it's more for us and he doesn't even know the difference). The year has gone by quickly and we're happy to have him in our lives. He's been a great companion and a joy to come home to everyday. Whenever I think about his life before us I get sad to think that he wasn't wanted for some reason. He has been the greatest dog we could have hoped for, plus he looks so cute! Here's the picture we saw on petfinder.com that brought the artist formerly known as Keno to us. Look at how dirty his face is - ha ha ha!! You can actually see the grey on his fur. Still cute, even cuter clean!

Black and white pooch

2010-07-20T18:30:00.002-04:00

Poor Regis. We all hate the hot weather, but definitely not as much as he does. He's been skipping his afternoon walks to stay in the AC but there's only so much Animal Planet a Shiba can watch.

Taste of paradise

2010-07-13T16:35:00.006-04:00

We were reading about what human food dogs can eat when we saw that pineapples were on the approved list. Someone wrote that frozen pineapple makes a great refreshing treat during the summer and their dog loves it. Since B is a big pineapple-eater during the summer months as well, we decided to freeze a couple of pieces for Regis. He was a little unsure with the first two bites and dropped some bits on the floor, but by the third piece he was enjoying it whole.

Regis, International Male Model?

2010-07-11T14:15:00.004-04:00

I was walking Regis down at Brooklyn Bridge Park Monday morning when he got scouted by a professional photographer who wanted to take his picture for a new book he's working on. We got Regis to pose on the grass with the downtown Manhattan skyline as his backdrop. Regis was surprisingly good with sitting and staying given some minor distractions. Let's hope Regis makes the cut of NYC Canines when it comes out by James Boddington.

Plush Regis

2010-07-07T20:38:00.003-04:00

Could Regis make a good plush doll? There's this company called Kosen that makes plush dogs, here's their Shiba Inu. There's something about this picture of Regis and the plush doll that looks very similar.

Back online

2010-07-05T17:36:00.002-04:00

We're back with new iPhones which will hopefully make on the spot blogging and photo uploads much easier.

We're back online

March Madness: Shiba Style

2010-03-21T16:31:00.007-04:00

It was a rare warm day in March reaching over 70 degrees along with some bright sunny skies. The Shibas were out at the local dog run.

Not a rescue dog

2010-03-01T22:01:00.005-05:00

We had over 20 inches of snow this weekend and Regis loved it. He was chest deep in the fresh powder and made his prints everywhere we went. He had to so much fun he barely cared when I fell into the snow and called his name. He eventually found me, a puffy black blob of down sinking into a white quicksand. As I called his name repeatedly he finally wandered by and scratched my hood five times before taking off in the snow again.

Just call me "big bones" Regis

2010-02-10T09:56:00.006-05:00

Regis looks like a textbook Shiba Inu, no doubt about it. His color, markings, curly tail, temperment and personality are all Shiba Inu except for his size. He's like a Shiba enlarged 97%. The average male Shiba Inu is 23 lbs., Regis is 41 lbs. Since Regis was found as a stray, we have no idea what his background is and only guessed why he's such a big boy. We suspected that he might have some Akita, Husky or some other Spitz-type dog in him somewhere that gives him his size.

We recently met up with one of Brian's friends who also have a rescue dog. When they adopted their dog they were under the assumption that he too was a Shiba Inu albeit a big one. They discovered genetic breed testing and told us for less than $100 you can send in a swab of your dog's saliva and they can determine your dog's genetic breed make-up. The testing is based solely on the swab sample, no pictures are sent in. Their results were a little disappointing for them - they discovered their dog wasn't a Shiba afterall but rather pre-dominantly Chow with some other breeds mixed-in yet he has he look of a Shiba.

Of course, we had to do too. While at first I was totally into the idea and ordered the kit as soon as we got home that night, I started to feel hesitant and worried that we could be thrown for a loop if Regis turned out to be 0% Shiba. I could accept and have even suspected that he might have another breed in him, but what if he turned out 0% Shiba like Brian's friend's dog? I had wanted a Shiba for so long and while I love Regis, would my feelings somehow change for him if he turned out to be something else? Would I look into his eyes and see a fraud if he was some other breed in a Shiba suit?

Well after two weeks of waiting for the test we results, we got them back on Monday night. Much to our surprise (and relief) he's total Shiba!!! He's just really, really big. He's like the Yao Ming of Shibas. I guess there's always at least one person or dog who over-indexes and that's Regis.

Shiba puppies

2010-01-20T23:26:00.002-05:00

The Shiba Inu 5 are now streaming! Too cute. I want a puppy...

Online TV Shows by Ustream

The Reege is home!

2010-01-11T21:16:00.006-05:00

After 4 nights with his new pals, Matt & Sharlene, Regis is back home. I picked Regis up where he was doing some temp work for Matt this morning and we spent the rest of the day napping together. He napped in the bedroom with me when I slept in bed and napped in the living room when I snoozed on the couch. We were both happy to be back at home after an eventful long weekend. Regis got a good report card from Matt and we are grateful that they were there to help and took such good care of our red boy.

We'll miss our fuzz-butt

2010-01-05T23:55:00.004-05:00

We're leaving for Seattle Thursday morning and will be gone until Monday morning. I miss my little red dog already and I haven't even left. I know he'll be in capable hands but I can't help but worry a little. How can you not miss this little face?

Goodbye 2009

2010-01-03T12:56:00.008-05:00

The holidays have come to a close and we are heading back to work and the daily grind again. We had a great holiday with our big, red Shiba. He closed out the holidays with a faux candy-cane beef stick from his pal/dog-walker, Kate.

Our first Christmas

2009-12-25T18:39:00.010-05:00

Regis got a lot of treats on his first holiday with us. He sat with us while we opened presents and even posed in his new gifts.

Regis' First Snow videos

2009-12-20T16:27:00.002-05:00

Shiba Snow Day

2009-12-20T15:52:00.014-05:00

Who would have guessed keeping up a blog would be kind of work.

Regis' winter boots arrived a few weeks ago and we were just waiting for the snow to come. We got a little over 10 inches last night, enough to cover his legs and come up to his chest. He was pretty awkward walking with the boots on and tried to fling them off his feet but sort of got used to them. And by sort of, I mean not really, but he'll have to get used to it, getting salt between the paws can be pretty painful and there's no way to avoid salt in the city streets. Plus he looks so cute with his little red booties! Even strangers have taken his picture!

Overall Regis took to the snow like a little snow bunny prancing through the powder and making fresh tracks. He was a little unsure where to poop not being able to sniff the ground but he finally let some out near a tree with little snow around its trunk. After spending an hour outside, he seemed to tired out and passed out in the living room as soon as we got home.

It was good for 6 hours

2009-11-25T23:06:00.004-05:00

Regis went for his pre-holiday bath this afternoon and was smelling and looking great. That lasted about 6 hours until he went out for his night stroll. The park was much wetter from the rain and mist than we expected and his paws and legs got pretty dirty. His head still smells pretty good at least.

Waterfront stroll and chicken dessert

2009-11-23T22:37:00.005-05:00

The Brooklyn Bridge Park is pretty quiet now that the colder temperatures have driven away the tourists. While I prefer going to a different park away from the water and the wind, Regis was pretty insistent on going down there tonight. I guess he wanted to see the wind ripple across the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Regis will also be getting an early Christmas gift since it'll be our first together. The snow and the salt often leaves marks on my boots so I'm pretty concerned what it may do to his feet. I ordered him a pair of booties that should help keep his feet dry. The added bonus of course will be that it'll help to keep our floors clean as well. Whether he tolerates them on his feet shall remain to be seen. They should be arriving in about a week.

Pumpkin Patch '09 = Bust

2009-10-31T11:56:00.004-04:00

The pumpkin patch drive upstate was a bust this year. We got detoured throughout Bear Mountain and never made it to the dog-friendly pumpkin patch. It was a nice day for a drive however and the foliage was at its peak.

Scrunched up Regis

2009-10-20T23:31:00.004-04:00

Regis wrapped himself into a little ball and is ready for sleep.

Keep Chompin' That Chicken

2009-10-12T23:52:00.005-04:00

Well... Regis has a hard day today. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it later. He's still de-stressing. To help speed the process along, we decided to give him some left over steamed chicken. Turns out, its a hit. Unfortunately, the green beans aren't.

Puppy Power

2009-10-11T12:12:00.006-04:00

Our neighbor's Labradoodle puppy has arrived. And he/she is making his/her presence known. As much as I love a puppy, and I would have liked to seen Regis as a little scrap, I am glad we have a well-behaved adult dog. 'Cause that puppy is a barker.... Of course, Regis is sleeping through it all.

Regis is loving fall and was paw-deep in the fallen leaves this morning. He should have a fun time at the pumpkin patch this coming weekend.

A Good Night's Sleep

2009-10-01T21:16:00.003-04:00

[click to enlarge photos]

Turns out Regis likes his new bed. While he usually sleeps on the rug in the bedroom near us, he stayed out in his new bed all night. I sort of missed his snores and rustling. I like him near us, so maybe we'll have to move his bed in our bedroom.

He also got a good report from his dog walker, Kate this afternoon. He is definitely an attention-getter.

Bedtime for Regis

2009-09-30T23:38:00.006-04:00

Regis got a new bed this evening. He hasn't tested it out yet, but it's fluffed and waiting for him...

Shiba Meetup and Time at the Cleaners

2009-09-29T09:15:00.004-04:00

We had a big weekend with Regis - a cross-borough Shiba playdate in Brooklyn and a day at the cleaners aka "groomers" the following day.

We were really looking forward to bringing Regis to the Shiba meetup on Saturday and it didn't disappoint. As expected Regis was the biggest Shiba on the playground/dog run. It was sort of like holding your kid back two grades so that he'll be the biggest on the football team. We weren't sure how Regis would behave, he's usually pretty shy and more observer than player. True to expectations he was just that. He hung out by our side and was content to watch the other Shibas run, prance, and trot around him.

Of course a day at the dog run doesn't come back without dirty paws. On Sunday Regis had an appointment with the groomers. This was his second time getting a bath since we adopted him in August. His first report wasn't so good so we decided to take him to a different place, Perfect Paws in Brooklyn Heights. The owner, Tom, was telling us about the Shiba scream that often comes along with a shampoo-y Shiba. When we dropped him off we were told that we should expect to pick him up in about 3 hours. Perfect Paws likes to let dogs get comfortable in the environment before the bath and not force anything so 3 hours was the standard for a new client. As we were headed out to do other errands my phone rang a hour later. I was expecting the worst, a frantic Tom and howls in the background. Nope, turns out Regis was terrific, like a "Westminister showdog"! He held out his paws for clipping and whenever they got too close he would gently pull his paw away without a bark or scream. He was an ideal customer apparently.

It was still rainy when we picked Regis up so we got a Zip Car and finished our errands. He looked pretty handsome riding around in his new bandana and "perfect paws."

[Click on photos to enlarge]

Indian Summer Afternoon

2009-09-23T17:17:00.005-04:00

Whewwww, it was hot this afternoon. Kind of hot for late September - my tongue was looking for a cooler breeze.

Drifting away...

2009-09-22T18:42:00.004-04:00

So sleepy. Must...close...eyes...

Oh. I don't know how that tennis ball moved either. I was just as surprised.

Late night games in the park

2009-09-17T22:51:00.001-04:00

My man-human, Brian went to visit family so it's my duty to protect my female-human this weekend. I decided to have a little fun with her tonight by playing a little hide and seek. Everyone thinks it so adorable when I scratch the dirt and kick up grass so I decided to kick my poop a bit and make her look for it. Hee hee! She had to use her cell phone light to search the grass for it. Humans are so dumb sometimes, all she had to do was put her nose to the dirt and smell for it.

Sunday brunch with Satan

2009-09-13T19:39:00.002-04:00

I had an appointment with Satan this afternoon (I hear my humans refer to her as a "vet" but I didn't see a medal of honor or stripes on her white coat so poo-poo to them). My humans found a pea-sized lump on my belly and thought Satan should have fun and poke around it. Satan took her pitchfork and did a needle aspirate. Needles don't scare this Shiba so I just turned my head and coughed. Turns out I just had a small lipoma - a fatty lump near my belly that was not chicken. I could have told them if they had just asked. I would have also asked for a lump of chicken. Anyhoo - I'm all ok and I strutted out of Satan's office with my tail in the air. Till next time I dance with the devil....

Shiba Vampires Rule the Night

2009-09-12T23:02:00.006-04:00

In the darkness and in my cape, I rule the night throughout Dumbo. Waaa-ha-ha!!! Ok, well maybe I rule a few trees, but waaa-ha-ha!!! It was a very rainy day in Brooklyn so I lazed around the house and caught up on my zzz's. This evening I went out with my weekday girlfriend/afternoon walking buddy, Lola. Her humans stepped out for the evening so I was kind enough to share my humans with her. It was grey and drizzy so I decided to wear my cape (vampires hate wet fur more than garlic).

Flipping Out

2009-09-08T23:18:00.001-04:00

I was watching Flipping Out on Bravo tonight and noticed that Jeff's dogs get "time out" in their crate. Their crate in his closet. Huh? I would fart out a windstorm and perfume his sweaters...hee hee....

So-long Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T22:55:00.022-04:00

Well, my first long weekend with Brian and Denise has come to an end. We took DUMBO by storm in three days. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge where I was the toast of the bridge and worked my way into several tourists photos (adore me, Paris! love me Seoul!), met some new friends in the dog run and I accomplished learning "sit". We also spent some lazy time and watched a lot of Golden Girls on the Hallmark Channel, I think Rose is my favorite character. The weekend was closed with my favorite treat - pig ear....mmmm.....

[click on photo to enlarge]

Me and Denise - Rooftop!

2009-09-07T11:42:00.006-04:00

I love it when Denise let's me hang out on the roof off the leash. I

give her kisses because she's so nice!

Qwerty for paws

2009-09-07T11:19:00.009-04:00

Dogs can blog, therefore I am.