This year, we selected Matt from the Hawaiian Humane Society!  Whenever a lost Shiba comes into HHS, Matt always makes sure to take care of them.  He often contacts us to help by reaching out to our Shiba ‘Ohana members to see if anyone has lost a Shiba.  If a Shiba comes in needing a home, he lets us know to help find one!  Because of Matt, many lost Shibas have returned home and others have found their perfect new ones!

On Valentine’s Day, the Shibas headed over to surprise Matt…here’s what happened!

After our pawesome surprise and a quick romp in the park, we headed over to Good to Grill Kapahulu for a special Shiba-tines Day Dinner!!  Thanks to Kanoe’s humans, Good to Grill had the place all set up for the Shibas.  We had a fantastic time spending time together and enjoying such GOOD food!  Can’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s Day…thanks Good to Grill!!

Who is this special someone?  We can’t say for fear the beans will be spilled and the person will find out.  But if you’d like to participate in our Shiba-gram delivery, here are the details:

Tuesday, February 14
Meet at the Hawaiian Humane Society Dog Park at 4:15pm SHARP to run off some Shiba energy
More details will be revealed at 4:15pm

If you would like to help us put together our small but meaningful Shiba-gram gift please e-mail niki@shibainuhawaii.com.  But you have to promise to keep the secret or face the wrath of Katsumi & Kuri Firefox AND Kanoe!!!

After the Shiba-gram delivery, if you have no Valentine’s Day plans, we’d like to invite you to our first EVER Shiba-tine’s Day Dinner!  We will be heading over to Good to Grill on Kapahulu Avenue. They have ‘ono food, an outdoor dining area, and our dogs are welcome.

If you want to attend our Shiba-tine’s Day Dinner, please RSVP on our Facebook Event or e-mail niki@shibainuhawaii.com by Monday evening.  We need to put in our (human) head count!

"I WUV our Shiba-Gram recipient! 4 paws up!" -Kanoe

Ken was rehomed last week, but unfortunately he is not suitable for a home with children. We have met Ken and evaluated his situation and will be very much involved with selecting his NEW forever home.

Prospective owners must be advised: Ken has had obedience training, but he is VERY stubborn and responds with aggression when told to do something he doesn’t want to do. He needs an owner who is willing to put in a lot of time rehibilitating him. He may take a long time to get to the point where he can attend Shiba Inu Hawaii Playdates, as he currently does not favor being near any other dogs. As previously mentioned, he is not recommended for a home with children and probably would do best in a single-dog household.

He is however, a very handsome dog and clearly has had some training. With the right owner, we are confident he will flourish into a happy, well-adjusted Shiba!

If you think you are the perfect match for Ken, please email niki@shibainuhawaii.com.

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4.5 year old Red Shiba Male looking for a new home! Ken is neutered, and in typical Shiba fashion needs that special someone to give him a home. He can be a aggressive at times, in fact he was surrendered because his owner could not handle him. :-/

Ken needs someone who will put time into training him, and not give up or give in to his Shiba insanity!

Are you up for the challenge? E-mail niki@shibainuhawaii.com and we will put you in touch with his current foster family.

It’s a proven fact that having a pet is good for your health.  Pets help with anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve your mood!  The Hawaiian Humane Society has a wonderful Pet Visitation Program that visits different hospitals, senior health care facilities and other  places that are in need of some furry friends to lift their spirits.

Shibas by nature aren’t normally cut out for this kind of work, but there ARE some who are quite amazing at it!  Take our Twiba friend Taro, for instance.  He does pet therapy twice a month with his humans and visits memory care and rehabilitation facilities!!  Very inspiring!

We contacted Natalie over at the Hawaiian Humane Society and she is very excited to have a group of Shibas participate!  Interested?  Here’s what’s required:

- Pass an assessment test.  The test is based loosely on the CGC Exam.  This includes: sit, stay, down, stay in place for 30 seconds, come when called, walking on a loose lead in a crowd, exuberant petting, loud noises, meeting a neutral dog (if one is available), accepting strangers and their overall sociability, grooming and interest in people other than their handler, etc.

- Note: Treats are permitted during this test, no choke chains, prong collars or e collars. They also look at grooming, short nails, etc.

- Natalie will make her recommendations and you will find out on the spot if the dog passed the test.

- If you pass (hurray!), you will need to provide a signed form from your vet verifying their vaccinations and flea/ tick preventatives as well as an application form with basic info and microchip number.

After that, Shibas who qualify will be scheduled for Pet Visitation based on everyone’s scheduling and availability.

Natalie has graciously set aside part of her day on Sunday, February 12 for Shiba Inu Hawaii testing.  The following times are available at the Humane Society:

10:00am
10:30am
11:00am
11:30am
NOON
12:30pm
3:00pm
3:30pm

**UPDATE WOW! All the slots have been taken for Sunday, February 12.  If you are interested, please still e-mail niki@shibainuhawaii.com and we will see what we can work out.

Please e-mail niki@shibainuhawaii.com to set up your appointment.  Hope you are all as excited for this opportunity as we are!  What a great new project for Shiba Inu Hawaii and an awesome way for the Shibas to give back to our community!

Thanks everyone for coming out!  Hope to see you again soon, Joan & Bear!

Blazer, Aiko, Kuma Carlos Chan, Rocky, Kanoe, Mikie, Katsumi & Kuri Firefox, Miki, Taiko, Kiya, Meeko, Keiko, Mayu, Mesha, Zumi, Mika (honorary Shiba) and their humans!

After the hike, we headed to Ward Warehouse to get some post-hike noms (it’s the best part of hiking!).  We enjoyed spending more time together and being admired by our adoring fans!  Haha just kidding, but we did gather quite a few admirers!  We also saw Chibi’s humans (sans Chibi) and Aiko/Blazer/Mikie’s breeder.  Shiba lovers are everywhere!

Thanks again to the Hawaiian Humane Society for organizing such a fun hike!  The first hike of 2012, with surely many more to come!

Our next playdate will be February 19, 4pm at Hawaii Kai Dog Park. See you there!

Go Puns!  And Shibas!