About Dog Parks

When we moved out to the 'burbs, I was pretty happy to have a dog park nearby. It was big and open with a solid fence and a sand surface instead of mud. Zuko seemed to be pretty happy with it too.

Then one Sunday we went by the park and all hell broke loose. Hubby and I walked in with Zuko and he and another dog did some sniffing then Zuko got down to business: peeing all over the fence. Another dog was across the park with his owners and suddenly came bounding over. And there was a fight between him and Zuko. It happened very fast, I didn't see who started what. What I did see was Zuko biting at the haunches of this other dog and then when he could, he broke away and went off towards the fence. The other owners were still across the park, so I went after Zuko, putting my hand down to block the other dog --- who was of course chasing after Zuko. 

What does this leave me to believe? Talking to the folks at Zuko's daycare, they have said time and again that Zuko is never aggressive. He will "tell off" another dog if that dog is being rude or too rough or if Zuko has just had enough playing. Add to this that Zuko broke off and ran away as soon as he could and the other dog followed him. I don't want to be the crazy dog lady who thinks her dog is never in the wrong, but I don't think this fight was started by him. 

Since then, I've been afraid to go back. The Shiba bloggers have posted photos and stories of Shibas who have been severely injured at dog parks and now I'm paranoid. 

So my question to all you dog owners at there: are dog parks worth the risk of your dog being seriously injured? If so, how do you minimize the risk? I'm really struggling with this one!

-- Zuko's Helicopter Mom

Shiba 500 - in my new yard!

Mom seems to think this iz her new "raised garden" area for growing icky veggies. I think not - iz a Shiba 500 race track for sure!!

Hiking in the 'burbs

Hi! Iz me, Prince Zuko. My typist haz been pretty busy, so not much blogging going on lately. Now we live out the 'burbs, I have been seeing more of nature. Including skunks and ticks, but dat is another story.

We went hiking near the new howse our first weekend. Mom didn't quite read the map correctly, so the "short walk" became about a 4 mile hike. It was pawesome! The first sign we saw told me this wuz gonna be a good hike:

I not scared! They should be warned about ME!

Yup, we climbed dat!

Along the way, mom gotz some video of me doing what I do - being awesome and encouraging her to hike faster!

-- Posted by Zuko!

And the Winner is....

Thank you to all the Shibas and their hoomans who logged in and wished mom a happy birfday! She had a pretty good day, mainly because I gotz to go to work with her and guard her.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for! The winner is... Hoshi Shiba! Starting at the top, counting down the list and skipping mom's post, Hoshi is the lucky winner!

Congrats Hoshi! You have a bag of good stuff coming your way. Have your hoomans email your mailing address to demondogsports at gmail dot com.

-- Woof!

Mom's Birfday is coming up!

My mom turns a very special hooman age on Feb 3rd and she isn't very happy about it. I don't know why hoomans get all worked up about birfdays that end in "zero" but she's sad.

So to cheer her up, I'm asking folks to comment on the blog and wish her a happy birfday! To sweeten the deal, I will (with hooman assistance) do a random drawing of the posters for a PRIZE on her birfday. All comments in before 8am PST on Feb 3rd will qualify!

What's in the prize you ask? Well, our my favorite store is George and from there I will secure:

1. Tasty noms: grain-free turkey tots treats. These are pawesome (ask @PhineastheShiba - he got some for Secret Shiba)!
2. One super awesome bouncy ball.
3. One classic George stick squeaky toy. 
4. One surprise gift. :-)

Happy birfday mom! I wuv you!

B&W foto of mom in Paris - happy mom!

-- Posted by Good Dog Zuko

Run Zuko! Run!

Over the past few months, we have gotten braver with letting Zuko off leash. Originally we only let him off leash in enclosed dog parks and Ft. Funston beach. Ft. Funston may as well be enclosed, the cliffs and the water effectively block two escape routes.

Then we tried the northern area of Ocean Beach, not far from the Cliff House. The waterline is fairly far from the seawall and parking lot, so it seemed safe enough. And it has been, other than that one incident with the birds.**

Usually we only let Zuko off leash when both of us are there. The logic behind this is between the two of us, we should be able to corner and / or catch him eventually. Then one day hubby was sick and I took Zuko to the beach and let him off leash ... and he was so boring it wasn't even funny. I had cheese and he practically stuck to me like a burr. Now hubby has started to let him off leash also when they go to the beach without me. 

Overall, Zuko continues to be good. On a recent trip, hubby said Zuko got a bit amped up because there were so many dogs around and would come back to him for a cheese treat but dodge away from him quickly. Finally, he waited for Zuko to stop and sniff another dog and snagged him. :-)

I'm proud of my little Shibasquatch!

** The bird incident: I thought it would be fun to let Zuko chase birds without having to full-stop at the end of a leash. So we let him off leash near a flock of seagulls on Ocean Beach. The problem is this: birds fly. Away. Next thing I knew Zuko was zooming off into the distance and I was realizing my brilliant idea was not very well thought-out.  However, when hubby called him back, little dude made a u-turn and came running back. Color me impressed by Zuko's recall and the power of my husband's voice to carry long distances!

-- Posted by Zuko's mom 

Waiting for mom to call....

Mom's traveling again and yesterday she called me and dad on Skype. I wuz busy sleeping and missed the call but she got to see me looking adorable sleeping in dad's cube.

Today I'm gonna make sure my iPaw4 is wiff me at all times just in case she calls me.