Self Medicine

Betsy will be wearing the cone of shame for awhile. She had been gnawing at her paw and licking her cooch so obsessively, all the fur around the area is gone! Vet says Betsy has a bacterial infection in her nether regions which should clear up after a few weeks. Betsy's paw is a separate issue. It might be irritated and a special spray will remedy that.

Poor thing :(

I've been experimenting between old skool pen & ink vs digital art. I think I prefer digital art since it's a much faster process. That means faster cartoons for your enjoyment!

Check us out on Instagram! 
Handle is: our_shibal_inu 
What's yours?

coat.

[Click to view larger image.]

The weather had been extremely cold last week in New York. Kit hasn't grown his winter coat yet. Actually, he's been shedding! Rain ended up getting him a fancy coat from Barbour:

Kit looks so handsome! He can probably model for this new dogs in menswear Tumblr site. With the snow and ice on the ground, it's been tricky to walk the dogs on salted sidewalks. In lieu of getting matching boots, Kit and Betsy use Musher's Secret! It's a waxy coating they rub on the bottoms of their paws to protect from salt.

Hope everyone's staying warm!

vote.

Did you vote today?

allergies.

Once in awhile, Betsy has sneezing fits:

draw something.

(click to view larger image)

pi day.

Happy Pi Day!

ukulele.

(click to view larger image)

After I got back from my trip to Hawaii last summer, I decided to teach myself the ukulele. Kit was not happy to be introduced to my ukulele. In fact, he was afraid of it!


Are your dogs afraid of strange things?

rider.

(click to view larger image)

There have been lots of requests for 2012 Our Shibal Inu calendars. Bad news is, I wasn't able to have time to come up with one. Good news is, Kit landed himself the cover of NYC Shiba Rescue's 2012 calendar! You can order this great calendar featuring shiba inus who have found fantastic forever homes. Proceeds go towards funding the rescue. I ordered two :) The year is almost over! Get ready with the NYCSR 2012 calendar!



Is your shiba in this calendar too? Holla to all the other NYCSR alums!

nite shiba.

(click to view larger image)

Last month, I dog-sat Kit and Betsy for a whole week while Rain was in Hawaii. Kit is a fantastic alarm clock making sure I was up in time to feed him before work.

At 5am, I'd see Batman's silhouette popping up from the edge of the bed.
"Awake yet? No?"

And then again at 6am.
"How about now?"

And again at 7am.
"Now?"

homage.

(click to view larger image)

Last week, Natto celebrated the Korean autumn festival of Chuseok. It's basically Korean Thanksgiving, lots of food but with paying homage to the ancestors:





(Photos shot by Jin.)

good life.

A very belated Happy Gotcha Day to Kit!
Here he is very handsome wearing his present:

I was trying to give him a James Bond look since he's all white but he looks more like a Chip'N Dale dancer ready to show off his pink bits :p

Super thanks to Hoshi Shiba for shopping link!

Kit also received a squeaky steak toy for his birthday:

Q: If you had a human job, what would you do?

Check out this story of the first shiba inu joining the Okayama Police Department!
There are many occupations that would befit our Shibal Inus.

Kit can be any of the following:
Club bouncer, personal wake up caller, dishwasher.

Betsy:
Baseball catcher, spa facialist (as she likes to roll around in mud and poo), sous chef.

Natto:
Playwright, detective, Pulitzer prize winning author, luchador.

What human occupation would your dog be good at?

the three little shibas.

(click to view larger image)

This is the last of the fairy tale series. Happy to announce an upcoming new series starring Shio the Shiba! It'll be a good reference if you're considering to be or are a first time owner of a Shiba Inu. Betsy and I got to meet Shio and his person, Ting, at the Canine Cocktail Pawty a few weeks ago. They did not care to be friends but you know shibas... is cool~ is cool~

[L-R: Shio & Betsy]

Wsup to Anouk! And Luna, Emmie the Superdog & Snick! Was very nice to meet such fine shibas!

Last Saturday was Natto's 4th birthday! I'm told he celebrated in Korea with some fish cake and beef bones. Here he is in what looks like food comatose:

[One heppi mung mung eeh - Seoul, Korea]

Happy Birthday Natto!

pocky.

(click to view larger image)

My friend, Tony, returned from Japan a couple weeks ago (right before the earthquake and tsunami). He brought back candies that are only available in Asia.

For example, green tea Kit Kat:


Mango Hi-Chew:


and cola flavored Mentos:


My favorites are those Japanese gummy candies:


And of course, Pocky.

Kit and Betsy's favorite snacks are homemade dehydrated pork jerky and marrow bones.
This is the dehydrator used to make their jerky:

What are your favorite human and canine snacks?

handsome.

(click to view larger image)

I'd like to get Kit a bow tie.
Here are some Etsy stores I've been looking at:
Pecan Pie Puppies - http://www.etsy.com/shop/pecanpiepuppies
Big Paw Collars - http://www.etsy.com/shop/bigpawsaints?section_id=7465663
Rover Dogs - http://www.etsy.com/shop/RoverDog?section_id=7299189

He will hate me... but oh will it be funny.

doppelganger.

(click to view larger image)

Have you guys ever seen the Japanese commercials for SoftBank?
They're kinda strange but pretty funny. I think they're ads for cell phone plans.
The featured family consists of a dad (the dog), mom, son (black dude) and daughter.
I can't decide which is more impressive: the talking dog or the black dude speaking in Japanese.

hachiko statue.

(click to view larger image)

I don't mean to offend. This really is what Kit would most likely do if he ever visited the Hachiko statue in Tokyo... or with any monument for that matter :p

hachiko bus.

(click to view larger image)

My friend, Tony, took this photo of the Hachiko bus on his recent trip to Japan.
Saw this article about the cause of Hachiko's death via Shiba Inu Hawaii:
http://www.komonews.com/news/offbeat/117241763.html?ref=guiltypleasures

Also, Shiba Inu Hawaii needs help donating supplies to rescued puppy mill dogs!
The rescued dogs also include shiba inus.
Check out their video here:
http://www.kitv.com/video/27034153/detail.html

bone fairy.

(click to view larger image)

Here is Kit trying to fall asleep despite excitement over visit from the bone fairy:

Kit tends to whine and cry with his bone in his mouth if he can't find a place to "bury" it.

*Shop Update*
I made a big plush Betsy which is currently listed at the Etsy store.
I'm planning on making both big and mini size plushes of all four Shibal Inu characters.
They will be listed as I make them so please make sure to check back into the store!
By the way, check out prize winners The Firefox Girls making friends with Betsy Firefox!

Also, have adjusted quantities and pricing on greeting card sets and totes are for sale at a reduced price.
Get 'em while they're hot!

earmuffs.

(click to view larger image)


[One beer = free Kpop earmuffs = tormented soul - Seoul, Korea]

Michelle sent this picture of Natto recently. Korea gets super cold and it's good to know Natto is staying warm.