Philosophy.

Q: What's your job?

So sorry for no comic strip last week! I was away on a business trip in Chicago. On my way home, there was a bomb sniffing dog at O'Hare airport on the security line. Thanks to this four legged dude, he checked my bags and gave me permission to breeze through TSA pre-check. Since he didn't find anything dangerous, I was able to keep my shoes and jacket on as I went through the metal detector. No whoosh whoosh full body scanner for me all thanks to this dog with an important job! Now if only Kit and Betsy can do something to earn their keep...

Birthday.

I took Betsy shopping on her birthday. We went to Pet Smart where she had trouble picking out a toy. She was torn between the side of the aisle with toys and the side with bones!
 

Thanks for the ones who were good sports and participated in my giveaway!
Without further ado, the winner is...

Congratulations, Janet!
Please shoot us an email with your mailing address to: 
shibal.inus@gmail.com

We hope you enjoy your Shibal Inu mug :D

Happy 8th Birthday, Betsy!

Sorry, folks! No strip this week. I'm heading out west to the golden state tomorrow and have been busy preparing for a job interview. So in lieu of a comic, I'm doing a giveaway! It's been awhile since I've done one of these. This past Sunday was not only Mother's Day, but Betsy's 8th birthday! In honor of Betsy's birthday, I've donated $100 to the NYC Shiba Rescue from where she came to help other great Shibas like her. Don't tell Kit, but she is the one of the most well behaved smartest awesomest dog evarrrrr~ Rain believes Betsy thinks I'm her real owner who forgets to take her home and she's stuck living with two dudes.

I recently started a Society6 page where artist and designers can upload their art to be applied onto various goods. As an artist, one earns a royalty whenever a customer purchases said goods with their art on it. I've always wanted to use my creative talents for good. I decided whatever royalties I earn from my Society6 page featuring Our Shibal Inus, the money will be donated to benefit the NYC Shiba Rescue to help other awesome dogs like Betsy and Kit who need a second chance. You can read about Betsy's (a.k.a. "Zucca") story here.

So what will I give away????
In honor of Betsy's birthday, I'll be giving away this super cool mug. The best part of waking up is a Shibal Inu on your cup!

I love how well my Shibal Inu mug from #society6 turned out!

A video posted by Our Shibal Inu (@our_shibal_inu) on Apr 28, 2016 at 1:22pm PDT

Rules:
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment and wish Betsy a happy birthday!
Entries will be accepted until next Tuesday (5/16), 8pm EST.
Each entry will be assigned a number and will be drawn at random.
I'll announce the winner next Wednesday and if jet lag is kind, hopefully will have a new strip up.

Good luck, everyone!

Molting.

Whoever said Shiba Inus shed only twice a year is a big liar! Here is Betsy wondering why Rain is stealing all her fur:

Raise your hand if you're also covered in shiba fur. I find Kit hair in the most random places, things that haven't been exposed to him directly!

Game of Bones

massage.

Snapchat

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Michelle has been playing with Snapchat. She figured out how to get Natto's face to register on the app. She might be having a little too much fun with Natto... hehe~

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?

Bong!

Kit and Betsy have breakfast in the morning and an afternoon snack. Their snack is usually a homemade dried beef tendon from the dehydrator. I didn't realize but Rain forgot to dry some one day. I had already gotten Kit excited for a treat. I could see it in his eyes, 'Oh boy! Oh boy! Treat!' 

But when I opened the dehydrator, no treat! Kit was very upset so I had to run to Wholefoods and pick up some cookies for him. He was happy for the cookie but lo and behold, his new cookie made his farts extra potent. It was so bad, you could visualize and almost see how much ground it covered.

 

Gah~

eat o'clock

Daylight savings may have ended, but the clocks in Kit and Besty stomachs have not changed! So technically, they've been eating an hour early, but it's really the same time.

jack-o-lantern

Q: What are you afraid of?

Natto likes to quote Nietzsche...

Hello! Is there anyone there? 
I know it's been awhile. A lot has happened since the last I posted. Professionally, I was a senior toy designer and worked at a growing toy company for the past eight years. I guess I was doing too good a job because the head cheeses piled a lotta lotta work on my plate. While I executed my work well, I got burnt out. That meant no energy left to have fun and pursue my hobbies (this cartoon blog) at home! I finally had it being a cog in a corporate machine. So I quit my job earlier this year. It was a really sad and difficult decision because being a toy designer was my dream job.

Now, I've joined the family business running a peanut brittle factory. This means I have  time to work on my personal projects and explore my own creative outlets. Yesterday, I had the great pleasure and honor to meet my cartoon strip hero, Patrick McDonnell. He is the creator of the Mutts comic strips. Meeting him inspired me to pick up where I left off and find joy in making these cartoons. I hope they'll make you happy too.

Anywho, Halloween is coming up. What are your animal friends afraid of?

carrot.

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Who knew Betsy would like carrots? 

Kit wouldn't go near them. He's more of a meat and potatoes kinda guy.

Reason to adopt Lucy #7

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Lucy prefers to play with the big dogs:

I think it's because she grew up with a rather large Terminator-like Shiba Inu. She is friendly with dogs in the dog park. But for living situations, it is best Lucy is the only dog in the household.

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Reason to adopt Lucy #6

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Here is a video of Lucy's knowledge of basic commands:

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! Don't you wanna find out what else is under this girl's sleeve?

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Reason to adopt Lucy #5

Lucy knows her name!

Dare to fall in love with Lucy!

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Reason to adopt Lucy #4

Lucy asleep and awake:

Lucy does a most excellent job warding off evil spirits. Won't you let her be your lucky Swedish guardian dog?

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

Reason to adopt Lucy #3

Lucy's previous owners were not very careful of her eating habits. Eating poor dog food, not working for treats and begging for table scraps has led Lucy to gain some pounds. We're working on slimming her down to a healthier weight. She's been on a strict diet accompanied by lots of exercise for the past three weeks. Walking with a harness has improved Lucy's walking on leash. 
Here is Lucy's before and after regulated diet:

She is noticeably fitter and will continue to be on her way to a healthier canine lifestyle! 
Won't you have Lucy as your exercise partner?

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED! 

Reason to adopt Lucy #2

I've met lots of shiba inus. Lucy is one of the softest and velvety ones I've petted.

Lucy loves belly rubs and being petted lots. Why get a stuffed animal when you can have Lucy?

If you live in the NY/NJ area and would like to be Lucy's forever home, please let us know: shibal.inus@gmail.com

*UPDATE - 3/2/13* LUCY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!