We are the Shibaholics, brought together online by a shared enchantment with 6 darling little Shiba Inu puppies, our affection for their owners and the Shiba Inu breed, and our love for animals and a desire to make the world a better place for them.
It all started back in October 2008, when a San Francisco couple set up a live streaming web cam to keep an eye on their Shiba Inu Kika and her first litter of puppies while the couple was at work. Most of us had never heard of the Shiba Inu, a Japanese breed of dog originally bred for hunting. They are similar to Akitas, but much smaller, comparable in size to a beagle. A few people told a few people about the cam, and a few more told a few more, and pretty soon the “Shiba Inu Puppy Cam” went viral. People in over 74 countries tuned in daily to watch the puppies and their adorable antics. Thousands of people would sit at any one time at their computer monitors and watch the puppies sleeping, eating, playing, tearing up pee pads, interacting with their mother and owners, and generally doing what puppies do.
We watched the puppies grow, and we all had our favorites. We watched as on a couple of occasions real life drama unfolded before our eyes, such as the time one of the little females, Ayumi, became trapped inside the crate set up inside the puppy pen and her brother, Aki, literally climbed up the side of the cage in an effort to rescue her, and another time when Ayumi’s collar became trapped in her mouth and she could not eat or drink. The comments section lit up with alarmed viewers warning the couple watching from work, alerting the Mrs. into making a trip home to rescue Ayumi from that frightening and distressing situation. And we cried, as one by one all of the puppies, except for little Ayumi, went to their permanent homes.
It wasn’t just the puppies we became enchanted with. We developed a sincere and heartfelt affection for their owners, two wonderful people who taught us by example that love, patience and socialization are the most effective ways to raise happy healthy puppies. They were very careful in choosing who would become their pups' permanent owners, which shows in the obvious happiness and healthiness of the pups a year later. The couple remains anonymous to this day, and we respect their desire to do so. Since we don’t know their names, they have became known to us by several nicknames….Mr. and Mrs. SF Shiba, Mr. Feet and Mrs. Shoes (since we never saw their faces, only saw them from the knees down), Papa Shiba and Mrs. Mary Janes (from the shoes she became known for wearing). We loved them for the way they interacted with the puppies and their mother, with their other Shibas and their cat Mina, for Mr. Shiba’s unique way of greeting the puppies at the end of the day- “Hiiiiiii puppies!!!!” or “Boing!!” (describing the way the exuberant puppies would greet him), Mrs. Shiba’s sweet gentle ways and her giggles. We loved them for their incredible generosity in allowing thousands of strangers into their home to view the puppies and their interaction with them.
And out of that experience, the “Shiba Nation”, aka the “Shibaholics”, was born. And here we remain, a year later, still tuning in to the cam daily, which the SF Shibas have generously kept running for us Shibaholics, to watch the antics of the now-grown puppy the couple kept, Ayumi, her mother Kika, and the other adult Shibas in the household, male Haru and female Yuuki. And we now are bonding ever closer on the message board set up by Mr. Shiba so that we can stay in touch and discuss other topics as well. We have become a community, caring about each other, supporting each other during loss of pets, sickness or life’s rough patches, laughing together, even occasionally squabbling. We cherish our bond, and logging onto the puppy cam site and/or the message board is now a daily practice for many of us.
Recently, I had the incredible privilege of meeting some of my fellow Shibaholics at the National Shiba Club of America’s annual dog show in Clemmons, NC. To say it was magical and unforgettable is an understatement. We went, very conscious of the fact that we were representing our fellow Shibaholics who could not be there, and that we were by our very presence honoring Mr. and Mrs. SF Shiba and what they and the Shiba breed had come to mean to us. We weren’t quite sure how we would be received by the other folks attending - owners, handlers and judges; after all, none of us own Shibas and most of us had never heard of the breed before the advent of the puppy cam! Would we be viewed as eccentric obsessed fans or “groupies”? As it turned out, we needn’t have worried. We could not have felt more welcomed or appreciated by all who were there in an official capacity. The owners and handlers allowed us to coo, hold, pet and generally gush over their Shibas, as many of us had never seen a Shiba in person before.
As Mr. Shiba is a responsible owner and breeder and has repeatedly pointed out, the Shiba Inu breed is not for everyone. They are high-energy, must be confined in a fenced-in area or leashed at all times, shed copiously on a regular basis, and must be socialized from an early age to sights, sounds and different kinds of people. In short, they require much work on the part of owners. Yes, they are adorable as puppies, intelligent and affectionate as adults if raised properly, but sadly many wind up in shelters because of uneducated people who were charmed by their cuddliness as puppies and were unaware of the commitment it takes to raise a Shiba. As in all breeds of dogs, please do research before adopting or purchasing a Shiba. And DO NOT BUY FROM PET STORES OR ONLINE!!!! These dogs almost always come from puppy mills. If you are interested in a Shiba, or any breed, research reliable and responsible breeders. Or better yet, contact the many rescue organizations around the country. There are so many loving, beautiful and deserving animals in these organizations waiting and hoping for loving and permanent homes. And please remember that bringing an animal into your home is a lifetime commitment for that animal. Consider it as carefully as you would consider having a child, because that is what the responsibility and commitment of adopting or purchasing an animal amounts to: another child in your home.
I will always treasure the weekend in Clemmons, becoming more familiar with the Shiba Inu breed and meeting some of my fellow Shibaholics. Meanwhile, we continue to stay in touch via the Internet, hoping to meet again at another event, and tune in daily to watch Ayumi, Kika, Haru,Yuuki, Mr. Feet and Mrs. Shoes interact in the zen-like and peaceful atmosphere of the puppy room under the watchful eye of the cam. And dream of the next litter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiba_Inu_Puppy_Cam
http://sirra.shibas.org/shibaholics.html
Sunday, October 25, 2009
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