There was a crazy thunderstorm yesterday. When it was all done, my people took me out for a walk. I found lots of big branches with fresh green leaves on the side walks. Normally, I’d grab a branch and walk with it in my mouth, but those were too big for me to carry. There were also a lot of fresh puddles, but for some reason, my people didn’t let me drink out of it.

They took me to the big green area that I like. I like it there because I always meet other doggies. Mikey, the Chow-Boxer mix, is my favorite. He was there again yesterday. He is 13 years old, and very nice to me. The grass and the ground were all wet and soft. They smelled really good. The sun was out and everyone was smiling. Nothing scary happened on the way back, too, except for some new suspicious objects around the mailboxes.

And you know what’s nice, too? When I am home, I now have a brand-new bed in the living room. It’s MY space!! and I get to sit with my humans when they sit and stare at the box with moving pictures.

MINE!

this is actually kinda comfy...

Well, ok, it’s not really the C’s T-shirt, but it’s green, and it’s Irish. It works.

Yay for tonight’s win. We did a lot of High-Fives with Kaiju throughout the game.

do i have to?

Kaiju does not like to go outside. Every time I approach him with his harness/collar and leash, he runs away from the door. Then he protests by sitting down or sometimes laying down, and not moving. After all the trouble, once he is near the door,  he gives me this sad look.

He is a “shy” dog. He is afraid of people approaching him. He is afraid of any random objects on the side walks. He freaks out and starts pulling away frantically at any sudden noises, especially metallic noises or rolling bags. When he sees a toddler ahead, he stops and refuses to move.  All those things we cannot avoid, living where we live. His tail is half-way down or all the way down 80% of the time while we are out, which is too bad because the tail is one of the cutest features of Shiba Inus that he should be showing off. He does not bark. He doesn’t attack. He just wants to run away and hide.

He was a reserved dog to begin with. And it got worse after the injury and the following recovery phase. He spent his 5th and 6th months in his life mostly indoors. He probably missed a lot of good opportunities for socialization. Now in his 7th month, he is afraid of just about anything new. It breaks my heart to think of the stress he must experience at every walk (twice a day).

We’ve been focusing on socializing recently, trying to make up for those lost months, but maybe we need to give it a rest for a while and focus more on the fun?

right there! right there!

don’t stop scratching! It feels sooooooo gooooood…

i chewed through my leash while you weren’t looking…
hemp = yummy!

you should really pay more attention to me...

After reading this post on Shio the Shiba blog, I went to a pet store to get our Kaiju some Deer Antlers. First of all, wow they are really pricey! (just like the post warned us). For now, I just wanted see if he liked it, so I bought the smallest single antler in that store.

I ♥ IT!!!!

We were getting a little grossed out by bully sticks. The way Kaiju digs into the antler with his new adult teeth is a bit alarming, but it’s clean, no smell, and seems to last. Great tip!

went to the bookstore for ‘socialization’. bookstore? doods, I can’t even READ…

do we have to go in there? WHY??

weee!

I’ve been mostly staying in the house since my knee broke on March 1st. I sleep most of the day in my den. In the evenings, I get to spend time in the bigger room with my people. I chew on toys, watch TV, and sleep some more. I have to stay really quiet (=no trotting, jumping, and roughhousing), so that’s pretty much all I can do, especially with this giant cone around my head.

When I sleep, though, I dream about the trip we took up north two months ago. I dream about running in the snow and chasing a ball.

I also dream about that big dog, Sasha, I met during that trip. It was right before my injury. She taught me how to have fun with tree branches. I hope I will see her again soon when I’m better!

heh, house cleaning day… I saw that bath coming.

Do Not Want