We went to Gantry Plaza State Park with the pups - yet another new place!
We were full of hope - the park was, after all, next to the water. So we headed out near sunset to catch the golden light.
Unfortunately, the park is actually very small, with a lot of areas blocked off for dogs (meaning no dogs even if kept on leash).
We will not be returning there...
Photos taken with M9 + Summicron-M 35mm.
Reflecting back on 2012 after ringing in the new year is surreal. We have moved forward in so many ways with our dogs and survived our first year with two Shibas! In the years prior to 2012, we posted many entries about our day to day lives with Shio (these were pre-Emi days) and life couldn't have been better. As a first time dog owner, everything about Shio growing up fascinated me and it was our goal to document every little move he made from the goop in his eye corners to his twitchy little curly tail. At that time, sharing our life through this blog was the only means of announcing our lives to the world.
In 2012 we started exploring other options in social media realm and dared to share our world in other ways. We began playing on twitter and and meeting new Shiba owning friends, many of whom we met in real life and adore as much as we ever dreamt we would! Instagram was our next step and we've had a great time posting behind the scenes photos of the Shibas playing at home. Then there was my short-lived 365 days of Shibas project on Tumblr filled with photos of just the two Shibas sleeping or playing. At the end of the day, there are only so many photos of those two pups you can take. I also took up the task of helping NYC Shiba Rescue write about their beautiful foster dogs available for adoption.
It seems like our lives are overwhelmed by constantly telling you how much we love our dogs. So we stepped back and started posting only the more significant events and projects! Boy, was this a fun year!
As I have in the past, I'm going to wrap our 2012 with a short list of my favorite posts of the year. Here are my Top 5 posts from 2012.
1. Breaking Bad in Shiba form? Why, yes please! Each of the costumes were handmade and I couldn't be prouder of my handiwork. The Shibas on the other hand, could not be any less pleased by having costumes forced upon them. http://www.shiotheshiba.com/blog/2012/11/breaking-shiba/
2. This was a near tie for #1. Why? Because SHIO STOPPED PROTESTING! Though his rolling-on-the-ground-in-protests reputation preceded him on many fronts, it's been a complete relief to have him walk with us rather than against us like a real dog. Who says that old dogs can't learn tricks that they should've known since they were a pup? http://www.shiotheshiba.com/blog/2012/08/shio-vs-walking-2/
3. My crazy international Shiba key cover ordering project! I wound up ordering over 60 key covers and send them all around the world. This was a great way to bond with all the Shiba friends that we met on facebook, twitter, and the blogosphere. It's amazing that the internet has made the world so flat and allowed people of so many backgrounds to find a common connection. http://www.shiotheshiba.com/blog/2012/04/shiba-key-covers/
4. There's no year complete without a true look at how much your dogs mean to you. This was mine. http://www.shiotheshiba.com/blog/2012/04/mind-heart-soul/
5. Best part about the end of the year is that we have so much to celebrate besides just the holiday season. Emi's Gotcha Day and Shio's birthday ends our year! http://www.shiotheshiba.com/blog/2012/12/shios-birthday-nycsr-donation/
Looking forward to sharing another year of Shiba loving fun with you all!
Wishing our main little furry man, Shio, a very happy 4th birthday!
He may have been born on Christmas eve during the busy holiday season but we always make time to do something extra special for him!
We started this blog when he was a wee 3 months old and it's very amazing how quickly time flies. We thank you readers for joining this fabulous journey with us!
For Shio's 4th Birthday and Emi's 1st Gotcha Day this year we bought and served them salmon and tuna sashimi! Unfortunately because they were just getting over some tummy troubles from last month, J and I decided it would be best to cook the fish before serving.
Regardless of the fact that we decided to cook the fish first, Shio and Emi really enjoyed it! Shio gulped down his food as usual and sat and waited for Emi to finish so that he could scavenge for leftovers. Emi thoroughly enjoyed her meal and there was nothing left for the birthday boy!
We also bought Shio a very special gift this year. It's a mongolian lamb pillow from West Elm. Whenever we bring the pups to West Elm, Shio has never wasted time rubbing himself all over the pillow so it was only fitting that he should finally have his own. Shio wasted no time getting acquainted with his new gift!
NYCSR Donation
Thank you all for spending a minute and commenting on the blog! We know that you all have very busy lives and it was nice to see comments from all our internet and blog friends. We raised a whopping $95 this year for NYC Shiba Rescue!
Happy holidays to all!
ONE YEAR OF EMI
It's been one year (yesterday) since we officially adopted Emi, formerly known as Goo Goo 2, from NYC Shiba Rescue!
Time seemed to fly a little quicker this year. Having two Shibas is really better than just one. Blog updates have been skinny thanks to the extra time spent cuddling with Emi instead of writing. Yes, she is a fake Shiba in many respects! We've also spent much time in training them and covered under mounds of Shiba fur.
I decided to cease the monthly updates for Emi midway through 2012 because the progress was more gradual and we did not want to bore you with mundane details. After one year with us, she is still a very nervous girl around other dogs. She still prefers to keep to herself and play with tennis balls or Shio. Her true self shines when she is at home with us. There are times where I wonder if she knows her name and we really haven't trained her with as many tricks as we taught Shio. She is not as intellectually stimulated as Shio is and is satisfied to simply be near us or play with squeaky things. We still want her to live a well-rounded life so we continue to introduce her to new dogs and people. I'm hopeful for progress but we will see how things unfold next year.
We've had many friends from the "twiba" community meet Emi this year during their visits to NYC and I'm confident to say that everyone understands how quickly we fell for her. She is an amazing creature and we adore her to pieces.
Thank you all for your support during the year!
COMMENT TO RAISE MONEY FOR NYC SHIBA RESCUE:
We are working on creating a tradition for the holiday season. We want to continue to help raise money for the very same rescue that I volunteer at and rescued Emi from. NYC Shiba Rescue and their volunteers have selflessly saved many Shibas in 2012 and accumulated debt from veterinary care from this year alone, especially after helping a sweet girl named Layla. Contrary to popular belief, the adoption fee for NYC Shiba Rescue at the time of adoption does not cover the full cost of vet care for foster dogs in most cases. It was only after I started volunteering that I realized this! Last year we raised $250 - let's aim for the same amount this year! Every dollar and cent counts and we want to help raise some to help!
For each comment that is left for this post from now until noon Shio's birthday 12/24, we will donate $5 to NYCSR.*
All comments are welcome! INCLUDING multiple comments from one household. We just want you to come by for a quick hello and update us on your lives. The holiday season is always so busy and it's nice to take a minute just to reconnect.
If you've been bitten by the happy holiday bug like we have, please consider also donating to NYC Shiba Rescue through this link: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/nycsr/layla
Also, don't forget to follow us on on twitter! @shiotheshiba and @emitheshiba
*maximum $250
The most amazing thing about dog ownership is the relationship that you have with your dogs based purely on interpretation of each other's behaviors. Shio understands my quirky habits better than I do and I always make the effort to figure out what he is trying to tell me. For example, if there is food on the counter he'll sit on the floor closest to the bowl and stare at me until he grabs my attention. Then whips his head to look up towards the bowl, then look back at me. It's very obvious what he's trying to tell me there! There are some less obvious interpretations that can only be known after co-existing for longer time periods. I came home early from work today to nap after feeling sick and found home greeting me at the door. He was not as enthused as normal but I was too groggy to realize. Then I went for a catnap in the bedroom and noticed that he climbed onto the bed to nap with me. Still groggy, I thought it to be a rare sign of empathy from our Shiba. I lightly napped and was awaken several times by his restlessness. Finally realizing that sneaking in a good nap was futile, I stood up and went back to my computer with him following closely behind. I had the inkling that something was wrong the whole time and finally followed my instincts and leashed him up for a walk.
Immediately upon walking out the door, Shio laid down on our welcome mat and vomited his breakfast. He then proceeded to quickly trot to our park to finish the rest of his business on a pile of leaves. This circle of excretion processes happened several times over the next 30 minutes and I took him immediately to the vet for some medication to ease his discomfort. I felt pain for having made him wait so long to go out and realized how considerate he was to hold it for as long as it could so that he wouldn't soil the home.
He is now feeling much better and has been sleeping it off. Test results come back tomorrow.
Shio and I had a difficult year but moments like these make me realize how fragile we both are and how much I love him.