SPAM

Here's some recent photos of Kidou - He has grown, hasn't he? Life's gotten really busy and I can't believe I haven't updated his SPAM for so long :/

Surrender pose

More surrender pose

Shake paw <3

An aspiring teenage boy
And a bunch of lesser-quality photos taken by my iPhone:




Enjoying some yogurt

Rebellious stance
Thanks for looking!

Update on Kidou

Kidou, as some of you may know, was too small to be shown. However, in the past month or so, he has grown significantly. During our last visit, the breeder was exultant to find out that he has grown to 16 inches tall -- tall enough to be shown.
Here's a photo taken by the breeder's camera.

Other than that, Kidou has started shedding heavily and recently lost his last baby canine. I could not preserve the canine as it now rests in his stomach. I hope he's okay! Dumb pup :P
Edit: As it turned out, I was the dumb one. I found his discarded canine on the floor today. I'm so proud of you Kidou :) You know not to eat your tooth, good for you!

Money spent in August

Pretty much $0. Yay! - No vet visit - No new food - No new treat - No new supplies like toothpaste and shampoo

New puppies!!

Kidou's mommy, Tama, just had a litter of THREE girls this week. They are half-sisters to Kidou.
The page can be found at: http://www.godaikoso.com/puppies.shtml
I AM DYING from the cuteness! The breeder told me that one of them looked like Kidou when he was little.

TEEN

I've been very busy this month because of preparing for an exam. Kidou just finished his obedience training and got a cute little graduation certificate! Ironically, he turned a 180 the day after his 'graduation ceremony'. It seems that Kidou has become a true teenager!
Me: "Kidou, come!"
Kidou: ears perk up, stares at me, and stays right where he is
Me: "Kidou, come. Kidou, come. Kidou, come. Kidou! Kidou! Kidou!"
Kidou: slowly, unwillingly, and reluctantly walks over
Me: "Good boy!! Sit."
Kidou: ears flip back, continues to stand
Me: "Sit! sit! sit! sit! sit! sit! sit!"
Kidou: finally sits down
Me: "Good boy!! Down."
Kidou: rolls his eyes
Me: "Up"
Kidou: rolls his eyes
I give up >_<

Money spent in July

In July, the total cost of things are:
1. $0 for food: he still has kibbles and I'm not counting the raw meat I feed him because the cost is negligible (he get a cut whenever I cook meat, so it's no big deal)
2. $26 for salmon oil
3. $0 for vet. I almost spent about $70~100 for his teeth extraction (His baby canines aren't coming out and he's already 7 months old). I learned that one vet charges $10 per tooth, $50 for anesthesia, while another charges $5 per tooth, $78 for anesthesia, and another $50 for miscellaneous "check-up" that's mandatory (what?)when you come for teeth extraction. That's a huge difference in cost! Anyway, I ended up not going because Kidou lost one of his two canines on the day I made the appointment, so I'm hoping the other would come off soon too. Besides, I'm not a big fan of anesthesia or any other chemical/drug because each has its own set of side-effects.
So anyway, July isn't too expensive!

I want to record my bills too

Some forum members have blogged about how much they've spent on their pets and I think it's a great idea. It helps educate current and perspective owners alike. I'm gonna do the same. On a side note: I really want to change the layout of this blog when I get more time on my hands. Kidou became part of the family on May 21st, 2011. Here's the monthly cost breakdown: May: $260 Even with just 10 days remaining, May is one of the most expensive months so far. Initial cost was about $190 on crates, toys, tooth paste, brush, etc. Food cost was about $70. Yes, I bought too much via Amazon even before he came home. First time owner's mistake. June: $35 Food still lasts. Just some spending here and there on toys, treats, and bully sticks.

Cutest. Photo(s). Ever

Some of my favorites taken today:

Kidou the 'show dog'

I met with Ms. Green again this Wednesday. Kidou was thrilled to see his mom as usual, and his mom was prim and proper, as usual. Very sweet girl, she is. From the measurements, Kidou grew about half an inch in height since 2 months ago. Ms. Green said she's not giving up on him yet (he may reach an acceptable height by 1 year) so he went through some conformation training today. Here's a photo: all I want to say is: AWWWWWWWW :)

Honey and pee?

Despite how well housebroken he is, Kid has had three No.1 accidents on the carpet. Now I think about it, they all involved honey to some degree. The first time, okay, it's my fault, I wanted to spoil him so I added a drop of honey to his water. He loved it. Then a few hours later, he peed on the carpet in front of me >_< Second time, I dropped a drop of honey onto the floor and he licked it clean before I could get to it. Later during midnight, he got off my bed (he sleeps on my bed) and peed on the carpet, waking me up with the sound! I never realized it might be honey until yesterday, I made some real honey garlic wings and offered him a tiny bit since he was puppy-eyeing me. Then later, he peed on the carpet. The strangest thing was he went out for a walk at 7pm - between 7pm to the time of peeing he didn't drink any water. So this really made me think it's the honey.

It's very hard not to give in

So I did. After a few weeks of being in his new home, Kidou finally grasped the concept of "Wow, humans eat yummy things too!". Since then, he'd come over everytime I eat something. He would sit down real close to me and attack my conscious with his ADORABLE puppy eyes. I've read countless resources on dog behavior. All resources stress DO NOT encourage begging for food during dining time by giving the dog food. Easy for them to say. I mean, how can you resist a look like that? Whatever, Kidou's a good boy and never harassed or threatened me for food. He just comes, sits down, and patiently camps there until I finish eating. I can live with that. As a result, he'll often be rewarded with some of my food - of course, healthy things only, like low sodium cooked meats or cheese!

Kidou eats a lot

By that I mean he has an appetite for everything, despite just having a full serving of meal. He's interested in oranges, sweet potatoes, rice, and anything else I'm having for dinner myself. Maybe he's growing again? He's a teenager now. Speaking of teenager, the much feared teenage symptoms are here. Yesterday, I found a small blotch of liquid on the carpet. From deduction, it can only be his pee...man! Owning a puppy definitely isn't all cakes and rainbows.

Kidou's childhood photos and his family!

Do you see the resemblance? Daddy - Kyuudou Credit and source: http://www.godaikoso.com Mommy - Tamatsubasa Credit and source: http://www.godaikoso.com The babies - Kidou and Kano Credit and source: http://www.godaikoso.com I do have photos of a 4months old Kano but I will not post it unless I obtain the permission. She's a very lovely girl.

Kidou's first few days at home

I met Kidou at Yori's house. He was such an active, fluffy, amazing pup! He was definitely show quality except hes a little too small - but of course to me it's just extra cute :) His redness is pure and fierce, his urajiro perfect, his tail perkedand full. In my opinion, he looks prettier than any other shibas I've met. I was hooked. Surprisingly, Yori did not screen me. Perhaps emailing me and meeting me in person were enough for her to judge. She was right. Kidou will have a loving, well-off family for his lifetime, I promise. He was very excited on the car ride and very hard to control in the Petco shop when we were shopping. After getting home, he was very active yet somewhat anxious. However, he had a voracious appetite! He enjoyed heartily some Wellness kibble and fresh raw salmon for dinner. No, he did not like his "Petco Ortho Pad" - at least not in the way i hoped. The next day, he got into a depression which worried me sick! I almost got into a depression myself. He wouldn't eat, or go out, or poo. He would crouch down at the furthest corner of the room all dejected looking. I sought advice from Yori and forum members. Many told me it's normal for any puppy who just got to a new home. I suppose that makes sense. Day 3, still very depressed. Pooped once in the morning thank goodness. I figured that he's sad and SMELLY so I gave him a bath with the oatmeal dog shampoo. Except a few escape attempts it went smoothly. In the end, he licked himself through and through and.......guess what! He's no longer depressed! He's bouncy and active and playful again! Everyone gets cheered up by vanilla scent right? The bath did wonders to cure his depression. Since then, Kidou has been normal. He pooped everyday or every other day. I'm happy that he adjusted to his new home so quickly. Of course, I did a lot to help, such as doing things on the floor instead of on my desk so that I could be at his level, etc. It paid off! I'm so happy (and distracted) that Kidou is in my life now.

The importance of research and planning

How did I get my puppy? Like many, I knew nothing about what to look for when adding a new canine member to the family. I just wanted a puppy that looks cute and is active. So At first, I visited PetSmart and Petco hoping to buy a puppy "off the shelf". Turns out they don't sell puppies, or kittens for that matter. Hmm, weird and disappointing! I then google searched "shiba inu puppy" and found several promising websites, including kijiji, pattyspups, and nextdaypets. To my disappointment again, I couldn't find any puppies near my area. As clueless as I was, thankfully I still firmly believed in meeting the puppy before making a payment unlike others who, for whatever reason, are fine with shipping. I was stumped. Not able to find a puppy, I went into the obsessive research phase. That's when I learned the shocking truths about puppy mills, backyard breeders, and pet shop puppies. I was deeply concerned. Even if one's indifferent to the moral aspect of such businesses, it would still be better to go with a reputable breeder's puppy because of the vet bills one may save in the long run. I highly recommend reading the wonderful posts in this blog if you need more convincing. Research has changed me from a clueless newb to an educated, informed buyer. Now I look back, I shudder at the thought that I almost got a puppy from nextdaypets had one been available nearby. A puppy from such sources could lead to a legion of behavioral, genetic, and social problems. So please research and avoid making the mistake that I almost ended up making.