Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Weekend at the Dog Parks

We usually only take Mika to the dog park once a week. If there isn't a LA/OC Shiba Inu Meetup going on, then we will usually take Mika to Fullerton Pooch  Park on Sundays to meet Shaina and Ari. However, Mika got a treat! Kevin took her to Irvine's Central Bark Saturday morning, and we also took her to see Shaina and Ari on Sunday at Fullerton Pooch Park.

Mika still acts like a puppy and still has the energy of a puppy. I'm not sure if she will ever grow out of her puppiness, but I don't really want her to either! I love that she is so social and loves to be around other dogs. The down fall is that she doesn't realize when a dog is telling her to back off! I always have to try to redirect her to another dog or pull her attention away. Nope, she is relentless, if she has her eyes set on a certain dog that she wants to play with, she doesn't care! She will jump up on owners if they are holding their dog cause their dog is afraid of Mika (who could ever be afraid of her?). I've tried letting her get snapped at by other dogs so she can start to learn the body language of other dogs, but she still doesn't get it. I'm really afraid for her sometime, so I always have to watch her to make sure when the other dog has had enough and physically pick up Mika and give her a little break before putting her down again. That usually will break her focus on a dog and let her roam around til she finds another playmate.

Here are two videos from each dog park this past weekend. The first one is from Central Bark. Sorry for the ending, I was a bit too lazy to edit it  :) The second video is at Pooch Park and you also get a glimpse of Ari in the video. The owner of the dog Mika is playing with, didn't really like the way they were playing. Not sure why the owner felt uncomfortable. I personally think she played wonderfully with the other dog.



Thursday, March 3, 2011

Doggy Daycare

Yes! There is such a thing as Doggy Daycare! Doggy Daycare is awesome, not only is someone watching your dog for you while you are not there, they get to socialize with other dogs, and play all day long! A dog playing for hours on end equals a tired dog at home! A tired dog means a non-destructive dog, which makes owners happy!

This was Mika's second time at Wags & Wiggles Daycare. The first time she went to daycare was when Kevin and I went to my nieces, Elise & Chloe's Birthday at Disneyland. We weren't able to watch her on the Doggy Cameras (yes they have live feed of the daycare!) on our phones, so we were always curious what she did at daycare. We've taken her to dog parks and after a while she just hangs out and walks around the park, but she is never at the dog park for more than 2 hours. She was at daycare for at least 8 hours so we were hoping there wouldn't be any separation anxiety, which we doubt she would have anyway since she loves other dogs.

So why the second time? I was going to be in Corona all day and I didn't want to leave Mika home alone, even though she has proven that she is trustworthy to be left alone. We had a free pass for daycare from Mika's graduation from Obedience Level 1, so we figured we might as well use it for today. Kevin dropped her off on his way to work and I logged on to watch her on the doggy camera before I left to Corona. Throughout the day we were watching the doggy camera to see how Mika did. She had a lot of fun playing and wrestling with other dogs. Embarrassing moment for us though is when we saw her jump up on two different daycare attendants. Apparently one of the attendants was holding onto another dog, a dog that Mika wanted to play with. So she jumped up to try to play with the dog. Ah, geez I'm just glad she isn't a 100 lb dog where that would be very dangerous, but it's still a bad habit. I'll need to work harder on training her not to jump when she wants something.

Overall Mika had a great time at daycare, she was able to let out all that energy that little shibas have! Right when she got home she passed out, she woke up to eat dinner, but not the entire thing. That is a sign that she is really tired! This girl is very food motivated and loves to eat, and her not finishing her dinner is shocking!

Here are some screenshots Kevin took of Mika at daycare from the doggy camera.

Rendezvousing~


Where's Mika? :P

Here are some pictures of the aftermath of daycare!

all curled up
still snoozin'
cuddling with her snugga wubba

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Changes

So, I just imported Mika's blog here. I decided that I just want to have one blog instead of having two, or three. So this blog will now be about me and my life. That includes the Inu, so don't worry you will still be seeing some Inu updates here!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Snuggly Cuddle Bug

Yes, it is true. I, Mika, the Shiba Inu love to cuddle! Of course it is when no one is looking and when no one is able to get the proof! Even though I just admitted it, all you shiba owners out there know that shibas hate to be touched and held! So of course you will think I am just lying!

Lately, when going into bed I've been snuggling up super close to my mom. I even lay on her arm if she has it extended. I am always up against her face that it wakes her up when she is sleeping because my whiskers hit her. I love to be close to her. When readjusting myself during the night I always make sure I am touching her. Why the sudden change? Maybe cause I am growing up into a loving shiba!

Since there is no proof of my snuggles with my mom, I figured this picture will show a little bit of my cuddly side!

Cuddling with my Squirrel

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Videos from LA/OC Shiba Inu Meetup's 3rd Year Anniversary!

Enjoy the videos! First two of are many shibas and myself and the last one is of me and a black & tan shiba named Hiro!



Saturday, December 11, 2010

America's Next Top Dog Model

Yes! You heard me! I, Mika the Shiba Inu, will be America's Next Top Dog Model!

On Sunday, December 5th I had a photoshoot with my hooman Auntie named Thaoie. She is a photographer! You can see her work at Thao Vu Photography. She mainly does Wedding & Engagements, but this was a special occasion! I'm so cute who can resist not snapping pictures of me?!

This was a Christmas Photo session of me, and I even wore a dress and didn't pout about it! :) That's what good models do right? Wear what they are told and pose!

Here are some of the pictures from the session! I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did posing for them!

  
Posing in front of the Tree

How can u not love that face?  

Back of my dress and my bushy tail

If you would like to see more, click here.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Why RAW Feeding is SAFE by Olivia Hudson

My mom was given The OC Dog newspaper to read and there was an article by Olivia Hudson, the President/CEO of OC Raw Dog, on why feeding raw is absolutely safe! I actually got to meet Olivia, she is a very nice lady and she also gave me some free frozen pumpkin to eat that she had just made and packaged! Here is her article that she wrote on why raw feeding is safe. I hope this article will help inform the pawrents of my other doggie friends.

Why RAW feeding is SAFE

I manufacture a raw pet food and have been feeding raw to my 18 dogs for over 6 years.  I have made it my personal mission to educate people about the benefits of raw feeding.  When I go to dog events or speak to people about the food, I am consistently asked the same general questions.  How is feeding raw safe?  What about raw meat and bacteria like salmonella?  Is it dangerous to feed my dog bones?  Why can't I just feed them raw chicken?  Here are my answers:

Raw feeding is a philosophy which is based on what wild dogs, coyotes, wolves, lions, panthers, etc. would eat in the wild.  There are some people who follow a "like the wild prey model" of feeding using a large variety of different protein sources like beef, pork, deer, fish, and chicken to feed their animals.  This hunting philosophy may be easy to visualize with a coyote, wolf, large German shepherd or Rottweiler but may not be as easy with  Pomeranian or Chihuahua.  Regardless of size, on the inside they are all the same. Same type of teeth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.  They are all built to eat raw.

The number one question I am asked is "what about Salmonella?"  The bacteria we are inundated with as the source of countless recalls.  The first line of defense against salmonella is biologically inherent in all dogs and cats- The Stomach.  When a dog starts to eat, the pancreas releases a chemical in the stomach to lower the pH balance of the stomach which breaks down the food.  When a dog ingests food, the pH of the stomach plummets to a level between 1 and 2.  At a pH level of 2, salmonella bacteria cannot survive.  When the dogs pH level reaches 1, the dog's stomach roughly equals a 0.4% solution of hydrochloric acid, an acid so corrosive it would burn holes in your skin.  People on the other hand cannot tolerate salmonella because our pH level never goes below 5. This is why we cannot eat raw meat and need to take precautions like cooking to kill the bacteria.

The second line of defense against the bacteria found in raw food is - The Intestinal Tract.  The average length of the intestinal tract in a dog is a meager 16-36 inches compared to an average person's intestinal tract which can measure up to 30 feet in length.  On average it takes a person 24-48 hours to digest their meals.  Allowing whatever bacteria present to fester and multiply.  A dog can completely digest its raw food in under 8 hours - a time frame which does not allow the salmonella bacteria to grow. FYI, a commerical kibble can be digested between 12-18 hours but has known to take up to 24 hours.

The concern regarding salmonella is not on behalf of the dog or cat but on behalf of the caretaker.  Safe handling instructions are labeled on most reputable commercial raw foods.  I urge you to read and follow them just like you were handling raw meat for your family.  Recently the FDA has gotten involved in the regulations of dog food. Go to www.regulations.gov and search "salmonella in animal feed" to see all the comments and new regulations the FDA is considering.

Another issue regarding raw feeding is the bones and if they are safe for dogs.  It is NEVER safe to feed cooked bones to dogs or cats.  When you cook meat wtih the bone the moisture from the bone is transferred to the meat making the meat more tender and juicy.  After your delicious dinner is cooked, the bone is dry and brittle bones which can splinter and cause severe intestinal damage.  Dogs and cats have the ability to break, chew and digest raw bones.  Subsequently, bones are a natural source of calcium and phosphorus.  Not to mention nature's tooth brush.  Obvious precautions need to be taken when feeding raw bones if your dog or cat is a "swallower" not a chewer. Use common sense.  If you think your dog is too small to chew a large beef bone, then they probably are and opt for a smaller less dense bone like a chicken or turkey neck.


So you might be thinking, since raw is safe and bones are good then why can't I just give my dog an extra chicken thigh with his kibble.  You can and I recommend it.  But you will not be taking advantage of all the benefits raw has to offer.  If you really want to see a significant improvement in your dog, I challenge you to feed your dog or cat raw for 30 days.  Dr. Beckie Williams, a Veterinarian at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital (and my personal favorite) "encourages people to feed commercial raw food because it is balanced.  Too many people's idea of raw food is chicken and oatmeal and they don't pay any attention to the vitamin and mineral requirements.  A major cause of fertility failure is feeding an unbalanced raw diet."


As I mentioned earlier there are people who do very well with raw feeding based of the prey model.  If you are new to raw but don't think you can afford a commercially available raw product there are books which help educate how to make your own raw food at home, websites dedicated to the right ingredients, co-ops developed to making bulk meat available to anyone, and online communities to help support the philosophy and lifestyle of RAW FEEDING.


I understand raw is not for every dog owner but I believe raw is a "better choice" diet for most dogs and cats.
Olivia Hudson, OC RAW DOG


I hope that article was somewhat informative for you doggie and kitty pawrents who was ever curious about raw feeding. Just a little note that Olivia didn't mention in her article about bones is that dogs and cats shouldn't be given weight-bearing bones to eat. It is too hard and can crack the teeth. If you pawrents want more information a good place to start would be the dogster forums. They have an entire section dedicated to Raw Diet.

To end this blog post, here are some pictures of me munching on a chicken drumstick last week!
I like to start from the smaller end first!

Munch, munch on the bones!