Shiba Shot Glass

So much for not finding the Shiba Inu represented at specialty stores! My cousin Tracey was on vacation in Smithville, NJ and found a shot glass. Coincidentally, my last post was about how difficult it was to find anything Shiba related. This will come in handy when I take my cough medicine. Let the Shiba find continue...


We hope everyone out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I will be posting about Niko's Thanksgiving adventures shortly.

Shiba Socks & Shar Pei Niko

I had to go to Seattle for a few days last week for work. As excited as I was to see Seattle, I also missed home. Niko was in good hands with Ed and I received periodic updates. On the first two days, after Ed returned from work, Niko went up on his chair to look out the window anticipating me as well. Not exactly a Hachi story of a dog who looked for his owner everyday for ten years, but I'll take it anyway!

On my last day of the trip, we went to  Pike Place. I found a store called Merry Tails that stocked all sorts of pets stuff. Normally, I don't hold out much hope at these stores in finding anything "Shiba Inu." To my surprise, I found a few items representing the breed. I couldn't resist and purchased a pair of socks. In case anyone's interested, they were made by Wheel House Designs. Next time I have to be away from home, I'll be packing this pair of socks to cope with missing Niko.

When I came home, Niko went wild with excitement. Instead of his usual tame self where I instruct him to sit before I greet him, he tackled me and gave me non stop licks and sniffs. It was great to see him again and let him sniff me out to figure out where I was. Last night, he joined me on the couch for an extended amount of time. Of course, I lured him with treats first, but the cool thing was that he stayed after the treats were gone. He laid on top of my fleece throw. Niko's face in the wrinkly throw reminded me of a Shar Pei:

What's in Niko's Bowl?

The answer to that question is Blue Buffalo dry dog food. Occasionally, he finds surprises in his bowl. A great way to spice up his usual meal is to sprinkle on some cheese. Niko's food bowl is in the kitchen. Whenever a recipe calls for cheese, I sneak some of it into Niko's bowl before putting it back in the fridge. I had some freshly grated Parmesan cheese left in a container in the fridge that I've been slowly depleting by way of Niko's bowl. This cheese is especially aromatic and he LOVES it. 

Niko oftens peeks into the kitchen when we're in there cooking. He stares me down to see if I share anything. His nose picks up scents of meat and cheese very well.

We noticed Niko's been munching down more food than usual. We attribute it to the colder weather and his survival instincts kicking in.