Flashback - Zuko as a wee pup

Five weeks old and already showing attitude 

Sleepy. Hard work charming me to pick him!

First weekend home. Fearless. 

Loofa dog is bigger than Zuko pup.

--- Posted by Prince Zuko's mommy

Visit from Taro!

Hi everyone! Prince Zuko here. My hooman haz been "working" too much lately and just now haz time to type up how PAWESOME it wuz when Taro and his pack visited us!

Shiba Mind Control at work: Give us cheeze

On his blog, Taro has shared lots of pics and stories, so I'm just gonna write about my three favorite things:

1) I luv the beach but it wuz even better with my little bro Taro! Notice the matching gait on us in this photo. Yeah, we are awesome.

Running with Taro on the beach

2) Photoshoot with my half sisfur Suki and her hudad (thanks for the new word, Kaiju!) and humom. We drew a crowd and it wuz hard work but we gotz tons of treats and BACON afterwards! Noms! You can the full post here. Jonathan is a pawesome photographer and clearly picks good things to photograph (like Shibas).

Behind the scenes at Shiba photoshoot

3) Last but not least wuz just hanging out, being chill with my brofur Taro. See us being good Shibas and sharing chewies?

Brofurs

Mom sayz I was a good brofur and host. Taro and I shared treats, water and toys with no problem. Except that one incident with the wonderful tug-of-war toy but hey, boys will be boys, right? 

Nite-nite (passed out Taro in car)

-- Posted by Prince Zuko!

Me and Dad are crafty ...

Twas the week before Shibamas....

And dad and I were sneaky. We put a gift into this tiny little box for mom:

It's so little! 

And then we hung it on the tree:

Hey dad, let me help you with that. 

It took her at least a day to figure it out. This morning while we were all eating blueberry pancakes, she looked over at the tree and said: "Hey, that wasn't there before...."

Just hanging there, disguised as a tree ornament

Hee-hee. We are sneaky!

-- Happy Shibamas from Zuko and family!

Happy 2 years Zuko!

Our little dude was born two years ago today - one day before our wedding anniversary. I have many, many Libra friends so I guess it was fate that Zuko would be our pup.

His daycare, Woofgangs, celebrated his birthday on Friday. I still have no idea how they get pictures of him in a hat without getting the "airplane ears".

We took the little guy with us everywhere this weekend, including a winery and The Refuge yesterday. He did indeed get to try the famous pastrami at The Refuge and he loved it. Today we walked up the hill to brunch. Our family doesn't eat pork, but based on recommendations from @iamkaiju, Zuko insisted on trying some. I ordered a side of applewood smoked bacon and he loved it. (He only got about 1/2 of one piece though).

Finally, we went by one of his favorite pet stores, George, and picked up some of his favorite treats and a new toy. While I did try the bat-wings on him as a possible Halloween costume, I decided I couldn't do that to him on his birthday. I'll sneak back and buy them later. ;-)

Happy Birthday!

Nom Nom Nom....

Happy Birthday Little Dude! You make us smile and laugh every day and we love you!

-- Mom and Dad

The Good Life

Well, since little Prince Zuko thinks if he lived in Japan he would get to hunt wild boar and be worshiped as royalty on / near Mt. Fuji, I thought I'd set him straight just a little.

Our friend recently visited Tokyo (so jealous) and brought back this magazine called "Shi-ba". Yes, a whole magazine dedicated to the Shiba Inu and their awesomeness. Zuko was pretty pleased with this. It did start off well:

Clearly this Shiba is master of his own domain and having a happy life. But then the horror starts:

Is that an UMBRELLA on that Shiba?

A cow? Cows are prey, not a Shiba costume!

So when Zuko starts getting a tad too big in the ego department, I now bring out this magazine and start asking him which costume he would like me to purchase for him. The cow? The sheep? The fish-on-your-head? The Santa Claus costume?

-- Posted by Bad Mommy

Shibas are Fearsome Hunters

Hi everyone - Prince Zuko here. While my people are off in France eating lots of "fromage" without me, I decided to post something I've wanted to post for a very long time.

Mom purchased a book in Japantown some time ago about Shibas. While it is all in Japanese, I translated it for her.

See the mighty hunter, the Shiba Inu, chasing a wild boar

Shiba Inu takes down boar. Fear the Shiba Inu.

See the amazing Shiba Inu in action. Shibas are awesome.

Shiba Inus are awesome. And super cute.

End of translation.

-- Posted by Prince Zuko

I'm Tuff

Mom caught this video of me teaching my new toy, Lamb Chop, a lesson. I like her music selection. Suits the situation I think!





-- Posted by Prince Zuko, Gangsta INC.

Kitty!!!

Mom took me to a friend's house last night and there was a KITTY there!! Oh my gosh! I was pretty excited but the kitty was growling at me. My kitty brofurs taught me as a puppy that I have to respect a kitty's authority, so I wuz a good dog. I kept my distance but I just couldn't help trying to get closer...and closer...and then kitty would hiss and I'd back off.

Finally, the kitty bolted under the bed and mom's friend got him out and put him on the couch. I wuz so happy my tail was wagging all over the place! Still, the kitty didn't want to play with me and ran back under the bed. I was a good dog still, played with mom's friend and was pretty much awesome but now and then I'd go check under the bed to see if the kitty had changed his mind about playing with me. He never did.

The good news is I get to stay with mom's friend for a week and I'm sure the kitty will decide I'm a great friend and play with me during that time.

- Posted by Zuko!

Buena Vista Park

One of the best things about San Francisco iz all the hills! We Shibas are good climbers and all, you know, and SF gives me plenty of opportunity to keep those skills sharp.

This weekend my people took me over to Buena Vista Park. Mom sayz it is a fake hill - people built it up and made it - but I don't really care. Look at the stairs!

Yeah! Let's climb!

And there are squirrels in those hills and stuff - I chased two of them but 'cause mom had a me on a leash they got away from me. :-( But she did get a picture of me looking awesome:

Mine!

After I take care of bizness, I tend to get a little over-emphatic with my scratching and my people laugh at me. They captured me on video going a bit crazy in the weeds. What can I say? Everyone needs to know ZUKO WUZ HERE.



Later we were at the top of the hill and there was this sand pit - I LOVE sand and I got the zoomies!



Super fun day for me - we got back home and I crashed out on my people's bed.

-- Posted by Zuko the Squirrel Chaser!

Working hard today

Today, I have a big job: Sleep on all the couches.

In this job, which I have self-assigned, I am awesome. Mom documented my superior couch-napping skillz with her terrible camera that made me fuzzy. I will be Shiba Mind Controlling her to buy a better camera so the Internets can see my true awesomeness.

The TV remote is also mine.

This couch is comfy too!

-- Posted by Prince Zzzzzzzzuko

Hide-A-Squirrel: Zuko needs remedial class

After seeing the fun Betsy and Kit had with the Hide-A-Squirrel, I was eager to get one for Zuko! I finally found them at George, here in SF.

According to the box, I was suppose to let Zuko torment the squirrels first. I guess this helps him get a taste for squirrel stuffing and make him eager to dig them out of the tree stump. So - OK. Step one worked well:



Step two: hide squirrels in tree trunk. I also buried a treat in the bottom so it would smell delicious to Zuko. As you can see below, he is going to have to attend remedial Squirrel Hunting class.



-- Posted by Zuko's still amused mom

Why the beach is pawesome!

Look at me at the beach!



I love the beach - best..ever. Why you ask? Even tho my people won't let me off leash (something about "never coming back") the beach is super. I like to pee on seaweed, sand castles and driftwood. I also like to poop in the water line and see if I can get done before the wave hits me. My people mom says the Greenpeace people and surfers give her dirty looks for this and now she tries to stop it ... but sometimes I iz faster than her AND the waves! Woof! I also like to dig in the sand looking for tasty crabs or just for the fun of it. I then stick my nose in the hole and flip out the water and sand. Mom is mystified by this, I iz not telling her what the secret is!

The best part of the beach is running in the sand. Wheeeee!

-- Posted by Prince Zuko, Beach Bum

Zuko's (Odd) Shiba Behaviors

Zuko is a typical Shiba in many ways and has a nickname of "Demon Dog". Shiba Shake gives a very fun article on the Good / Bad personality traits of Shibas. Zuko is exempt from only a few of these, for most it is matter of to what degree the trait manifests itself! I have only heard the Shiba Scream three times: twice while bathing him (he now goes to the groomer for that) and once when he was attacked by a dog at the park.

Pretending to be a cat.

Here is the "short" list of some of his amusing and odd behaviors:

1. Somewhere along the way, he must have been pinched by the buckle on his harness and he started running from it. He got over the fear and now it is a game to him. The harness comes out and he takes off into the back room bouncing along the way. He goes into play-bow stance, tail wagging. Dork.
   
   
2. He does not like to be seen when he poops. He will strain to the end of his flexi-leash and pace back and forth, back and forth, before he finally goes. If we go to the fenced-in dog park, he will run to the complete other end, go behind the bushes, and then finally go. Not sure if this is a Shiba thing or a dog thing, but I've seen a couple of other Shiba owners mention it.
   
   
3. He likes to squeeze between our legs and the kitchen or bathroom cabinets whenever we are standing at the counter.
   
   
4. He knows the sound of me cutting carrots and will come running for them.
   
   
5. He likes to shred sponges. Woe to the dish sponge or cleaning sponge left lying around. So far he has suffered no ill effects, but this one is a bit scary.
   
   
6. He loves to shred paper, napkins and tissues as much as he likes to shred sponges. I never thought "the dog ate my homework" was real, but he actually did shred my notes from a work call one day and I had to 'fess up to my co-workers that the dog ate my work notes.
   
   
7. He was car sick as a puppy and still hates cars. He has reached the point where he can sleep in the car and will sometimes jump into the car voluntarily - but it is rare. Unlike other dogs, I don't think he's ever going to like the car. Shibas remind me of cats in this manner: they never, ever forget things. Ever.
   
   
8. He loves ice chips. But only the ones that fall on the floor.
   
   
9. He will steal your spot in bed at night. If you get up, even for a few seconds, it is as if he teleports instantly into your spot on the bed, snuggled up against your pillow. When you try to move him, he suddenly weighs 400 lbs and has grown roots into that spot.
   
   
10. His favorite thing to pee on is geraniums. There seems to be a species that grows wild here and is sort of a weed: we see it in the parks and along the streets. This is absolutely his favorite thing to pee on. They must have some smell to them that screams "pee on me Shiba!!".

 On top of the world!

-- Posted by Zuko's very amused owner

I iz Pillow Killing Ninja Dog

Pillows are dangerous enemies to dogs. You haz to be careful or they will sneak up on you and attack! I prefer the preemptive strike.





-- Posted by Prince Zuko: Pillow Killing Ninja Dog

Prince Zuko comes home!

Finally, the day came for Zuko to come home! He was just over seven weeks old and it was right after Thanksgiving. We drove down to the breeders' and picked him up. Chuck and Lynn did a great job of going through everything with us, packed up some of the food he'd been eating to keep his diet consistant, showed us samples of the deadly foxtails to watch for and were just really fantastic.

We found quickly that Zuko doesn't like car rides. He didn't get sick on the way home since the breeders had skipped a meal for just this reason - but it was a long hour ride back home for a little dog.

After all the research and studying, I had an exercise pen and a crate set up for him. We brought him in, introduced him to the backyard, fed him and let him crash out in his crate.

We had two cats and we didn't have to worry about introducing them. They avoided Zuko like he was a four-legged plague. Which, to two 17 year old cats, I imagine he was a plague. They had their refuge, the huge window seat where Zuko couldn't jump. Eventually, they decided the puppy was not going to own their house and they checked him out. Zuko loved the kitties. They were definately his brofurs and he wanted to play with them always. They wanted to smack him around, hiss at him, then retreat to their window seat. Poor puppy.

Other than that warm welcome from the kitties, Zuko settled into the house nicely and immediately wrapped us around his little paw!

-- Posted by Zuko's people

What came next: That one is Zuko!

I was able to meet Zuko and his brother when they were five weeks old. There was another litter of puppies, all female, who were about two weeks older than the boys and I got to play with them all when I went to the breeder's house! Zuko was bigger than his brother and seemed more interested in people and snacking on toes. He had a little white tip on his tail so we could tell them apart.

When we went outside to meet his parents, I was standing there in open-toed shoes and felt someone snacking on my toes (again). I looked down and little white-tipped-tail puppy was there - he had followed us out from the kitchen! I knew right then this little guy was the one.

When we went back inside, Zuko posed for pictures and I was double-sure he was our puppy at that point! We had his name already picked out and the breeder started calling him by his name.

About the name Prince Zuko: Years ago we got hooked on a cartoon on Nickelodeon called Avatar: The Last Airbender. Prince Zuko is a character in the cartoon who can control fire and has a bit of a conflicted nature early on. In the end, he joins the side of good and realizes his sympathetic inner nature. When you think about Shibas, Prince Zuko is a good fit! The name sounds Japanese (though I do not believe it translates into anything based on what my friends have told me) and was short enough to roll off the tongue quickly and easily.  Unfortunately, M. Night Shyamalan has cast a totally un-suited individual to play Zuko in the live action film of Airbender and I'm livid. The actor looks nothing like what I would expect Prince Zuko (human version) to look like in "real life". He's a good actor, just not a Prince Zuko by any stretch. Also note Zuko was not named for Danny Zuko from Grease. Puh-lease!!

-- Posted by Zuko's people

The Beginning: Dog that looks like a fox?

The website The Misanthropic Shiba is probably what really convinced us we wanted a Shiba. After you read the article, you may think we are crazy, but I figured any dog who fostered such a feeling of sarcasm and still a feeling of such love, had to be the right dog for us!

We saw our first Shiba four years before we finally had the courage to get Zuko. We were at Jack London Square and saw a dog sitting outside a restaurant. The dog looked like a fox in the face and was giving this look like he was evaluating our worth as humans vs. a snack. He didn't bark, he didn't wag his tail and come running at us - he just looked at us with that Shiba look. We were fascinated!

That night I googled "dog that looks like a fox" and Shiba sites popped up everywhere. At the time, I traveled alot for work and a dog wasn't in our plans. We had cats, that was enough. However, every time I saw a Shiba walking their humans in the city, I stopped and talked. Every person I met said something along the lines of "He / she is great but certainly a handfull". The I saw them, the more I knew the Shiba Inu was the dog for me.

Work changed, life was less about travel and more about online meetings and I begin looking at breeders. Finally, the day came when we committed to getting a puppy from C & L Show Dogs! We wanted a boy, and we waited... and waited... six months later, one day before our wedding anniversary, Prince Zuko and his brother were born.

And then the fun REALLY began!

-- Posted by Zuko's people