Kai

03/19/2017

Heartbroken to share that my little foster's adoption placement isn't working out. If there is any chance you or someone you might know are able and willing to foster a loving little Shiba with huge dog aggression issues (no other pets in the household, no doggie day care, no dog walker with other pups at the same time) but a lot of love to give to his humans, please comment below and share with anyone who might be able to help. Thanks.

Kai is currently being fostered with Roberta and Mitch here at Shiba Rescue of New Jersey. He is an active boy who loves to be with people. He gives tons of kisses and we can hand feed him. He also knows basic commands and loves to play fetch with his tennis ball. Kai would do best with a family who is dog savvy and may have had Shibas in the past. Kai MUST be an only dog in the household and does have a very strong prey drive. If you are interested in adopting Kai please go to www.shibarescuenj.org and fill out an adoption application.

01/05/2017

12/23/2016

Kai would like to thank 少し森 for his new toy from Ichi's favorite store in Wimslow!

12/23/2016

I hesitate to write this for fear of jinxing the little man but.... we have had a major breakthrough day! Due to my schedule, we have had to break routine a bit as well as routes (I have been dragging him all over on errands just to get to spend more time with him.) And... he has been AMAZING! We have run into numerous dogs and... while I can't say that he had no reactions, his reactions were so so so mild - and were interpreted as friendly by other dog owners. Maybe the meds are kicking in? Maybe he is feeling safer? Maybe the walk "with" Dewey, CJ Janson and Megan Brennan helped him along? My personal sentimental thought is Ichi is helping out a bit - on this day two years ago, she woke up perfectly fine but during an hour in the afternoon, she went from perfectly fine to miserable - the beginning of the end. I think she is channeling through Kai to give me a good day :-)

12/23/2016

picture taken from a funny angle -- but this is my little workmate, usually positioned just so at my feet while I keyboard (the green and brown in the pic is my sock.) He will sit or on occasion with a little snort to let me know it is time for a pet.

12/23/2016

I will grant you that there are very few distractions out in the park well before the break of dawn but... Mr. Kai performed at 100% on all of his exercises this morning. No hesitation, no need for repeat commands, and ... again, no treats! He loves to be loved!

12/22/2016

New note on Mr. Kai --- just back from a lovely, long, snowy walk where I had him on his 30ft. leash and came to the realization that, absent other dogs or squirrels, the leash was never taut --- he goes off the path to sniff or explore but comes right back to my side at my stride well before his 30 feet are maxed out. Such a good boy!

12/22/2016

Mr. Kai had the pleasure and honor of entertaining CJ Janson and his beautiful, lovely friend Megan Brennan (who is beautiful and lovely in her own right, but even more so since she instantly fell in love with Kai --- and vice versa!) and had SO much fun! The kids helped me take him on a walk "with" Dewey and Meg shared hope for Kai as her (now senior) pup was the same way but eventually came to actually have a couple of doggie friends! Their visit was so fun - Kai put himself to bed a full hour early last night!

12/21/2016

A quick brag on Mr. Kai Kai --- due to my weird schedule and his Rx (pills must be given either an hour before a meal or three hours after a meal), Kai's training sessions have lacked high-value treats (or any treats at all) and have been "praise and praise alone" for the last week. But NO PROBLEM! We have been working on Come/Recall and he is fantastic! He runs right to me from 30 feet and pushes his little self into my legs to get the pets and praise. When we do this in the park, we have had observers actually clap and praise him because not only is he so obedient but just so darned cute lapping up the snuggles and cheers for being such a good boy!

12/18/2016

Kai's "pitch" for his new family! Inquiries very welcome!
This is Kai, a ~two-year old Shiba recently surrendered by owners in Pennsylvania for aggressiveness towards other dogs. Kai is being fostered in Newburyport, MA through Shiba Rescue NJ and is looking for his permanent home! We are working with him to overcome his fear and aggressiveness of dogs* – his only fault, really! He is housebroken, crate trained, and knows all basic commands (though, when excited, he may need some gentle reminders!) He is looking for love from any and everything on two feet – and we are working on helping him contain that excitement (he’s a jumper – but making vast improvements!) He is great with kids of all ages though seems particularly attracted to 10+ year-olds. He has shown absolutely no signs of aggression to any humans of any size since coming to us a month ago – he is just exuberant about giving as many kisses as fast as possible.

Kai LOVES the outdoors! If you want a companion in the yard, on the trails, or even the sidewalks around town, he will be DELIGHTED to join you. He will even love just hanging in your (fenced!) backyard, chasing squirrels (STRONG prey drive) or leaves (he can be goofy!) While he loves the great outdoors, he is a great workmate/snugglebug as well. With a bed under the desk, he has been a great workday companion with very little snoring to disrupt. He is also fine on his own for extended periods – no separation anxiety and a nice strong bladder!

*Kai has very poor thyroid levels which could be the genesis for his canine aggression issues. We have started him on thyroid Rx which he takes gladly and are very inexpensive. In addition to the thyroid Rx, we have been working with Kai at a behavioral level to try to extinguish (or at least diminish) his aggression. While Kai has made VAST improvements, he absolutely must be the only pet in a family. Further, unless/until further improvements have been achieved with his new family, Kai cannot be put in doggie day care nor be in the care of a dog walker with other dogs present.

While further improvements are expected through both medicine and training, it is imperative that Kai’s new home be prepared to have him as the only pet in the home for the rest of his life. With his big personality and vast reserves of love to give, he will be enough for any home!

Kai has his own FB page (https://www.facebook.com/AdoptKai/) with loads of updates, pictures, and video clips available.

Kai is a full bred Shiba Inu looking for his forever home. Kai was owner-surrendered in PA due to dog aggression. He is in a foster home in Newburyport, MA

12/15/2016

Kai would like to thank Carleo and especially Carleo for helping us go on a "miracle walk" this morning! You would have almost thought Kai was a regular dog! Still so much work to do but so excited that I might get to socialize with my friends again in the near future on dog walks!

12/14/2016

Hmmmm... cannot see the latest report card I (thought) I posted on Sunday, our 3-week anniversary... so will share (again?):
Kai's 3nd week report card:
1. sitting and waiting to be released to eat - A- ... so so so much better - but still too quick on occasion.
2. sitting and waiting to be released when exiting the car - B. We have made huge progress here!
3. walking on leash - B+ - gets better every outing
4. sitting and waiting to be greeted by humans - C - again, he totally gets it, he just forgets!
5. reaction to other dogs - still an F as it is unacceptable BUT if we were grading on improvement, it is A++++++++++++++++++++ Again! We will have had a full week on the thyroid Rx as of tonight, and while there are vast improvements, he is still terrified and goes a bit crazy.
6. Crate training - DONE. No credit to me - he must have been crate trained before. Our only issue is waiting to be released when I open the door. And that is progressing!