I'm looking for a Shiba Inu in OR / WA / ID

Thanks, I appreciate the help in getting the word out!

They are incredibly adorable.... I just love shibas!! Thats why I've been in love with them for 9 years, and I haven't even had one yet!

Thanks for the suggestions!! And again, if anyone knows of a Shiba that needs a home.... definitely pass on my name.

I actually MIGHT have found a Shiba! I'm thinking it over for right now. It is not the colour that I really wanted, but hes very beautiful a black & tan with a sesame sort of face... interesting, actually). He was a rescue -- apparently was abused up until 6 months old. Then someone rescued him and lived in her car with him... ... yeah, that part confuses me. That person gave him to the woman who has him now, because she just couldn't keep him when she found a place to live.

I was/am hesitant after hearing his story (just because I need to be sure hes okay with a child).... but we went to visit and I like his personality a lot. He doesn't seem to have any lasting problems. The woman who has him right now has had him since December. She has had him around children and says that he really loves them. He was interested in dd while we were over there, but did seem a bit nervous & shy in general (around all of us, not just dd).

The woman offered that I could take him on a trial person and just feel it out to begin with. I like the idea of that.

I don't know what I'm doing..... I think I might get him!! He's a beautiful shiba!

A quick reply due to my 3 yr DD crawling all over me, but one that I wanted to do......plz PM me if you want more info.....good thing I can type fast.

Shibas are great, fabulous, loving, intelligent, beautiful dogs, and I have had two for over 8 years. With that said, they are not without their problems, especially with children and other dogs!

Without getting in to it for the thirteen hours that it would take to discuss the pros and cons of Shibas, plz consider the following: as a whole, Shibas are not known to be good with kids and other dogs. I definitely have personal experience with that, and we never, never leave our dogs alone in any way with our 3 yr old. Shibas are way too primal, with the potential of "turning" very quickly, no matter what their personality seems like a second before. Neither of our dogs are good with other dogs, even after extensive training (group and private), dog park visits, etc, etc. These dogs are not Golden Retrievers.

I have never met a Shiba (we know a lot of them around here) who is good and reliable off leash. A fenced yard is preferrable, and I believe most Shiba rescue groups won't place a dog w/out a 6 ft fence. My small female can scale / jump baby gates, low fences, etc. We have a 4 ft gate when she needs to be contained (which I would never trust outside, but we use it inside occassionally), and our yard has a 6 ft wooden fence. If it was chain link, she could climb over it, I've seen her do it at a youth baseball field that we take them to to play ball in. Definitely something to think about.

A good resource, especially for a rescue dog, is Denise Roleke (sp?) at Shibas 4 Life out of Portland area. http://www.shibas4life.us/ She is very knowledgeable about Shibas and has the best interest of the dogs are heart.

Watch / research your breeders! I believe this was said before. Temperment problmes is a HUGE thing with this breed.

Again, watch with kids. We never have our dogs out with other children in the house, not necessarily as much because of the dogs per say, but rather because I don't trust the other children around them. My Shibas don't like to be crowded in any way, and kids, especially one who aren't being taught about dogs, do that frequently.

Walking a Shiba can turn in to a big thing too. Everyone wants to stop you and comment! "Your dog looks like a little fox, what type of dog is it, can I pet him, oooh, he's so soft!" It's fun, but again, if there are kids, you have to be really careful about not having them run up to the dog. Both my dogs feel threatened when being "charged".

Another example, most kids will pet the top of the dogs head, even if they let them smell their hands. Shibas hate this, as it's a dominant move on the persons part. I try to teach kids to let the dogs smell their hands, and then pet them gently under their chin, but that's not the norm of what most people teach kids or the instinct on the part of the kid / adult. This is a big thing with my Shibas, and can make or break the experience of meeting a new person.

And, if this is an issue for you, some Shibas can "talk" a lot. Our male is very quiet and will only bark when really playing or the doorbell rings. Our female however is very, very verbal - growls while playing, barks a lot, whines constantly.

Crate training is great (really a must in my book) so that the dogs have their own "safe place".

Again, I'm typing fast, not editing, and so plz don't think this is preaching. You may have already thought of all these things!! Shibas are fabulous dogs, fabulous!, but they aren't "easy" dogs to have. If I had my preference, while our Shibas are our "first kids" and we love them very much, I would never again have a small child in a house around a Shiba. It's a far cry from my neighbor who has a Golden and can let her kids crawl all over it. That is not the norm with Shibas. A lot of people ask me about my dogs and want to get one; I would never recommend it unless their child is older.

Hope this gives you some additional things to think about! If you do decide that a Shiba is a great option for you, have fun! They are fabulous dogs, just not without things to be aware of.

Karen

All good advice so far about checking into breeders, watching temperament, etc. Just wanted to pass on another link:

www.petfinder.com

It is a database listing of all of the dogs (and cats) in animal shelters in N. America. You can search by breed, by geographic location, by age, etc.

Good luck to you! I'm a big Shiba fan myself . . .

Karen -- Thanks for the reply! I am very aware of everything you mentioned in your post (years of research and devotion to this breed, myself! ) -- which is also why I totally understand why you wanted to post that, and thank you! Shibas are very unique, and are definitely NOT a golden retriever. I actually am not a DOG person (although I used to be as a child) -- I'm just a shiba person.

I know that it will take a lot of work to mediate between a small child and a Shiba. I also realize that I cannot just leave a child and a Shiba alone together -- I feel that goes for any dog, just to be safe. I'm prepared to deal with that.

Thanks so much for posting -- I can tell that you love your dogs as well! Actually I think I saw a post by you when I searched MDC about shibas.... I remember thinking that if you decided to give one up for adoption (you had been thinking about it?) that maybe you'd let me know.

Oh, and about shibas4life -- everyone has been recommeding her to me, but her website already says that she will not adopt a shiba to a family with a child under 5. I also previously tried to email her a while ago and she never responded... I imagine its because I have a young child. I do wish she might consider me, though.

Kirei, Yes, good memory, we did think long and hard after our own personal Shiba issues last year about giving our female up for adoption. It was a heart-wrenching thought; the worst thing I've had to ponder in life to date. I felt like we were potentially giving up on her and losing a "child". Horrible! The only reason we were considering it is because our female (Kitsune, aka Kitty, 6 at the time), attacked our male (Taiko, 7 1/2 at the time), three times in a two month period of time. She was going for alpha position after being submissive since we got her as a puppy. We were devastated (why weren't our babies getting along after we had done everything "right" as educated and loving dog people), scared (how are we going to deal with this with a young daughter), worried (is Taiko going to survive the surgery needed to get Kitty's tooth out of his leg bone and repair all his other injuries - yes it was that horrible of a fight), angry (how much money is this going to cost us), anxious (will Kitty turn on our child), and confused (should we keep Kitty or not). It was horrible. We talked to our vet, the breeder, our trainer, and Denise at Shibas 4 Life. All gave us really great ideas / suggestions, but in the end, it was really only a decision we could make. Denise couldn't take her, as Kitty had attacked another dog and couldn't be in foster care, but Denise did agree to post her info on the web page. We had many people contact us over a three month period that weren't even remotely qualified in any way, and I like to think that was meant to be, because during that time, we worked out the logistics of keeping two dogs separate at all times. Now, it's second nature, and I'm glad we didn't find Kitty a new home. I'm not sure I could have done it anyway. Funny this is, both dogs seem much happier now, and while I don't ever leave my DD alone with them, DD has progressed in to a much gentler stage with the dogs. DD is very, very spirited, so we definitely had issues with the dogs and her! Anyway, long post, and I appreciate the forum to share. It sounds like you've done a lot of research on Shibas, and I applaud you for that. They are a fabulous breed, oh so loving (in Kitty's case, with people!), and so much fun. I hope you find a great fit for your family. My mom actually ended up rescuing a dog from PetFinder a couple of years ago that they know is a Shiba mix, with a Aust. Cattle dog possibly. Fun, gentle dog, so maybe a Shiba mix is an option also? The "perfect" dog will come to you at the "perfect" time! Just don't get two.....ah, I can laugh about that finally.... ...albeit with a bit of saddness. Best wishes to you in your search, Karen

kwarwick -- I'm glad you were able to work things out and keep both of your Shibas. I'm sure they are so important to you. Thanks for the info and support!

cyncyn -- I remember your post... I responded too.