22nd Annual Shiba Party

Yesterday, we went to the annual Shiba Party held by the Shiba Inu Fanciers of Northern California. The weather was great and so many people (and Shibas) showed up. 

The park packed with Shibas and their humans

Maya's breeder was one of the event's organizer. It was great to meet her again as well as seeing Maya's sister from the same litter, Geisha. Geisha is now a show dog, working towards her champion title, and will be bred soon. 

According to the breeder, they are able to check for the long-coat gene through a blood test now. Geisha tested positive, but as long as the male Shiba doesn't carry the gene, they can make sure not to produce any long-coat off-springs. That's kind of sad. Though long-coat is a serious fault in the show ring, Maya has been a beautiful "accident" for us. We were even joking about getting a second long-coat Shiba. I guess it'll be really really hard to find when we are ready for another dog.

Maya and her sister, Geisha

Maya and her LC cousin, Michi

Maya's long-coat cousin, Michi, who we meet regularly at our local meetup, also showed up but left early. Maya ended up to be the only "weird looking" Shiba at the party. If we get a dollar each time we hear "Is she a Shiba mix?", "Can I take a picture of your dog?", or "I've never seen a long-coat Shiba before!", we can probably afford the new camera we've been longing for!

Maya was a good girl and posed for many photos through the day. If only she weren't bothered by the allergies, she would have looked even prettier.

Maya posing for many photos

Long coat against the wind

Most Shibas at the party behaved really well. There were some growling and barking, but it's not uncommon for the breed, so no one made a big deal. Ah, I so want a second dog after going to this type of events...

Monthly Expenses: May 2012

May 2012

• Food: $13
• Supplements: $6
• Travel: $27
• Grooming: $45
• Accessories: $23

TOTAL: $114
YTD TOTAL: $4,899

Food

We got some raw fish and turkey necks.


Supplements

Got a bottle of Freeze Dried Nettle.


Travel

This month we added this new category for the expenses that occur when Maya travels with us (as oppose to "Daycare & Boarding" for when she can't come with us.) Since we try to take her with us wherever we go, it makes sense to track it separately.

We spent $27 hotel pet fee when we brought Maya to San Diego with us.


Grooming

We spent $45 for 4 self service pet wash. Though we only use up one, I'm listing it here since we paid for all 4 together.

Accessories

Maya's old collar was a kind of worn out, so we got a new leather collar.

Ashamed of spending so much money?

Self Service Dog Wash

This past Sunday, we took Maya to the beach for a playdate with Tachi (another Shiba Inu) and DonDon (our relative's Westie). Maya got super dirty running in and out of the water, so it's time for a bath.

Maya and Tachi

Super dirty Maya and DonDon in the background

We usually bathe Maya at home in our shower room, which usually involves a pup running around desperately and a human getting all wet. Since it's Memorial Day weekend, we decided to give ourselves a treat and took Maya to Pet Food Express to use their self service dog wash.

Overall, it's a pleasant experience for the humans. The raised tub, tie-downs, and aprons made it a lot easier for us. The choice of three different Earthbath's all natural shampoos are really nice too. We ended up getting the "buy 3 get 1 free" deal for $45 instead of just paying the $15 one time fee. It's a bit pricy, so we'll probably still bathe her at home, but it's nice to enjoy this luxury once in a while. 

As for Maya, of course she hated every moment of it...

Note to self: things I should bring with me next time, 1) a worn collar, 2) a Zoom Groom brush, 3) some yummy treats.

(Sorry for the blurry pictures. Cell phone cameras are not meant for this type of chaos.)

Not happy

Shampoo water

Blow drying after the bath

Itch Itch Itch Itch Itch...

Sigh... Allergies just got a lot worse over the past few weeks. Due to the sudden temperature change, it seems like everyone's somehow suffering. Maya's daddy had been sneezing every morning and even I, who normally don't get affected by these things, have puffy eyes too.

As for poor Maya, she has been itching like crazy again. I gave in and put her back on Atopica, since I no longer was able to distract her when she's in scratching mode. So far I went from once every 3 days, to once every other day, to everyday, but still wasn't able to eliminate the itching. It's a bit more under control now, since I started to give her the meds with an empty stomach. (Which is what the doctor suggested, but when she started on the meds, she often throw up if not taken with food.)

Last week we took Maya to a relative's house and another guest brought her dog over as well. They decided to let the dogs out to play in the yard while we had dinner. I had a quick debate with myself about letting her out, knowing that it'll worsen her conditions, but felt it to be so unfair to keep a dog indoors when there's a big yard to run in and a doggie friend to play with. Maya did have a great time, but the consequences sure came with a vengeance.

It's just heart breaking watching her hurt herself and couldn't do anything about it. :'(

The big wound
(somehow she scratches this side much more often) 

The black eye
(the hair around the eye area got scratched off)

Fun at the Beach

We've been taking Maya to the beach more often lately. Mostly because she gets less allergic reactions comparing to regular dog parks, but also because she would spend more time running and use up more energy. The weather has been really nice in the past few weeks, and we enjoyed walking up and down the coast as well.

On 5/5, we went to a Shiba Inu meetup at Fort Funston. Too bad my camera's battery died before other shibas showed up, so I only got pictures of Maya. Many of the other shibas haven't been there before, so were a bit cautious and stayed out of the water. A few owners were also kind of nervous and didn't let their dogs off leash. Maya used up her energy before meeting the shibas and found the meetup a bit boring, so we left a bit early. On our way back we ran into M.C. and the two Bows. It was great to finally meet them!

Last weekend, we took a road trip to San Diego for a friend's wedding. We found a nice dog beach at Del Mar and Maya had a great time. We were glad we went there, since the first night at the hotel Maya was barking at every sound she heard, but slept through the night like a baby after the beach workout on the second day.

Monthly Expenses: April 2012

April 2012

• Daycare & Boarding: $245
• Food: $90
• Treats & Chews: $10
• Grooming: $8
• Miscellaneous: $20

TOTAL:  $373

TYD TOTAL: $4,785

Daycare & Boarding

Most of the expenses in April is for the 5 night stay at doggie daycare while we traveled to Hawaii. We don't have family around us and most of our friends don't have any experience with dogs, so whenever we travel, we need to budget for this extra expense. This is something we knew before getting Maya, but just wish we could find some cheaper options.


Food

This month we spent a bit more on food. We got a big box of THK Verve and stocked up on fish, beef liver, beef pancreas, and green tripe.

Treats & Chews

We got a bag of pill pockets that we left with the doggie daycare so they can give Maya her meds without trouble. She also got a bag of cow hooves when I picked up the green tripe.

Grooming

We got a big box of baby wipes to clean Maya's face and paws after walks. (Somehow we found it pretty nice for the human butts as well, so I only listed half the actual price here.)


Miscellaneous

I got a bunch of glass food storage boxes, which helped make preparing Maya's meals much easier.

Caspian

Caspian is a 2-year-old poodle mix my friend PC and her boyfriend recently adopted. We were really excited, because we don't have many friends with dogs. Most of our friends are immigrants living in rental apartments, working crazy hours in Silicon Vally, and/or just starting a family. Owning a pet is usually low or nonexistent on their priority list.

Caspian

We took Maya to a playdate with Caspian last Sunday. Though they didn't interact much, they both had a good time at the dog park. Caspian did well with other dogs and would check back with his owners every now and then. I can tell there's already a strong bond between them. 

Maya and Caspian

According to his owners, Caspian was found on the streets, taken to the shelter, then placed in a foster home by a rescue. He's suffering from some separation anxiety when my friends leave for work, but they are working hard to overcome the issues. We hope he can soon realize he's now with a loving forever home and no need to worry about losing his humans ever again!

Always happy to meet a new friend