Saturday, December 30, 2006

Our Trip to the Park!

Today we went to the Park. There is a big Creek there and a pond and streams, too. Also, there are bridges and old buildings and lots and lots of TREES! It was a beautiful sunny day until we got to the Park...then it was cloudy and overcast, but we still had fun! Here are some pictures that Sis took! Mommy took us to the park, and walked us around a lot! Sis walked us too, when she wasn't documenting the adventure with photos!

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Photos from Today









Last post of the day, some photos from today, 12/27/2006.

~A&S

Photos from 12/26/2006

Here are pics from 12/26. I guess we were sleepy that day!

Hi Again Bloggy Pals

Hi Doggy-Bloggy Pals,
We've sure missed communicating with all of you! Sis has been taking some pics of us, so we'll share a few select ones with out now. Hopefully we'll be back on here more regularly by next week. The hoomans are going through a rough time right now, so we have to take care of them. This entry has pictures from Christmas Day, 12/25/2006.

Wet Licks,
Akira and Shiro

Friday, December 22, 2006

Holiday Spirit Dog Of the Day: Number 9



This is actually for Thursday (Butchy and Snickers were for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively). *Drum Roll Please*

The Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day, Number 8, Award goes to....................

M.J.!!!!!!!!!!!!

M.J. is really getting into the Holiday Spirit this year! She has spent time romping in the snow, helping her Dad set up a winter village (complete with dog treat in case the villagers get hungry), and dressing up as Mrs. Santa Paws to visit Santa Paws, himself!
M.J. is a nearly six-year-old Pitbull cross, who lives with her mom and dad and human brother and crabby feline sister (aged 19). Make sure to check out M.J.'s House of Slobber, her wonderful bloggy that always has grrreat pictures!

Holiday Spirit Dog Of the Day: Numbers 7 and 8




Sorry for the delay, as everydog knows, some technical difficulties have been occuring with the bloggy!

Without further ado, however, we would like to announce the next recipients of "Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day"! Presenting....Butchy and Snickers! These two Wire Fox Terriers are looking especially festive in their Holiday outfits specially made by their Mama! Their Mom even has her own business making doggy clothes, and she is very talented. Just look how fancy Snickers' Pawty Dress is! The dog clothes site is: www.snitchybugdogdesigns.com
Here are some factoids on these two "Wild and Woolly WTFs":

Hometown: Janesville, Iowa
Birthdays: Butchy: Oct. 5, 2000/ Snickers: July 20, 2002
Bloggy: http://butchyandsnickers.blogspot.com/

Congrats, Butchy and Snickers!! Well deserved!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Bloggy Error

Hi all! We wanted to add a Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day today, but we can't get a hold of most of our nominees! We can't see the visual verification letters to leave comments on blogs. So, if you're name is on this (or you would like to be nominated for our consideration), send us a message!


We are nominating: Zach, Blu & Comet, and Butchy & Snickers (when their outfits are completed!). We also tried to leave a message with Ender about WoW (our human brother does that, too!). Finally, we are waiting for e-mailed pictures from our dogster pal Jay-Jay, who will also be featured as "HSDotD"


Thank you for your patience,




A&S

(here's another one of the shiba-vodka advertisements! all we can say is, that snow sure looks nice, but isn't that lady in the dress cold? she doesn't have our thick fur coat!)

I Am Humbly Honored

I, Doctor Shiro-da-biro Steve Buscemi Shiro-no-Kachi Shiba Inu, am proud to announce that I have been accepted as an honorary member of HULA (Husky United Liberation Army). Please see this announcement at Meeshka's Blog. Herewith, my certificate:


Thank you, Meeshka, I am truly honored.

Yours truly,

Shiro

Monday, December 18, 2006

Shiba Advertising

Thanks to Joe Stains and his Mom for calling our attention to the Belvedere Vodka ads. No, this is not a post about underage-dog-drinking, this is a post about the use of the Shiba Inu image without just compensation. Not only have we been utilized in adverstisements, but in other media, including video games!

Here, we see a video game starring a VIRTUAL Shiba Inu. Aren't REAL Shiba Inu enough, people? What's more, it's only available in Japan! Do they think other nationalities don't like the Shiba??

Here is an alternate ending to the Video Game "Silent Hill 2," where it is revealed that a Shiba Inu is the Mastermind behind the whole plot:








We have even once seen an advertisement for a video game with a Shiba Inu outfitted like Rambo, with bullets and machine gun.

In conclusion, we Shiba Inu dogs should not be used to promote various things, without consulting with us as a whole. Further more, we should be compensated in some way: kibble, treats, free products, etc.

What does everydog think? How have your various breeds been used in advertisements and other media?

Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day #6

This post catches us up for there to actually be a dog each day! The Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day for today (18 December 2006) is.....drumroll please...... MISS SUNSHADE!!!

Miss Sunshade just oozes with Holiday Spirit, even tolerating her human dressing her up. But she does look cute, so it isn't all humiliating! Miss Sunshade is a 7-yr-old Airedale Terrier living in Vancouver, B.C., Canada!
Miss Sunshade is a very intelligent dog, who always does what is best for her, like eating her veggies, riding safely in her SunshadeMobile, and never going with strangers! For more of her exploits, check out Life of Miss Sunshade!

We leave you with more pics:


Wet licks,
Akira and Shiro

Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day Numbers 4 & 5!



These two awesome dogs have to share a post, but they're used to sharing most things by now... food, toys, their humans attention. The Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day: Numbers 4 and 5 are Yoshi and Tsuki, the Shiba Inu!! And no, we are not telling which one is number 4 and which one is number 5. It doesn't matter anyways, every number is equally important!



Anyways, Yoshi and Tsuki are two great Shiba Inu dogs who share updates, product reviews, pictures, and more over on their blog.

Some facts:
  • B-Days: Yoshi- Feb. 9, 2003 Tsuki-May 2, 2004
  • Breed: Shiba Inu
  • Breeder: River Wind Shibas, Maryland
  • Goal: Shiba World Domination
Some more Holiday Spirit:


( Christmas 2004)

Congrats again to our pals, Yoshi and Tsuki!

~Akira and Shiro

Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day #3*

BOO is our Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day #3!!! Congratulations Boo, well deserved! Boo is a Shih Tzu who lives in Malaysia. He is one of the cutests doggies we know, even when he makes his doofus face. See our blog archives for a slideshow of some of his Glamour shots! Boo is celebrating Christmas with his very own tree (although he would prefer it have real snow on it), and by sending cards to all his friends! Boo is a real charmer with the lady dogs, although even he admits he has a bit of competition in Simba boy...
Boo's birthday is February 23rd. He will be 1-year-old this coming Spring (2007). Boo was named after Jake Gylenhaal's puggle, Boo, who, while admitedly cute, is nowhere near as cute as Shih Tzu Boo! After all, it isn't puggle Boo who is Mr. February on the Dogs With Blogs Calendar #2, now is it???
Congrats again, Boo!

Everyone visit Boo's Diary!

Akira & Shiro

*our apologies for being late, two of our human grandparents are ill

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day #2


Congratulations to our Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day #2: Joe Stains!! Joey is a Boston Terrier who lives with his "doofus" little brother, Tanner. Joe deserves special mention because he has so much holiday spirit he was even willing to give away young Tanner as a gift! Here he is preparing the box to ship Tanner in:



Joey is such a giver, but he managed to think of three things he might like to receive this Christmas. The top three things on his Wish List are:

1. Doofus out of my house
2. An electric blanket
3. the most gigantic block of cheese you have ever seen in your life

Congrats again, Joe Stains! Visit his blog:

Christmas Tag!

I’ve been Christmas tagged by Joe Stains' Blog

The Rules: The player of this game starts with "3 things he/ she would love to get for Christmas" and also has to list "3 things he/ she definitely does not want to get for Christmas". Then he/she tags 5 friends and list their names. The ones who get tagged need to write on their blogs about their Christmas wishes, as well as state this rule clearly, then tag 5 more victims. And the one who tags need to leave a comment that says "you've been Christmas tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Akira:
For Christmas I would love to get:
1. Snow all day long
2. Sis home with me every day
3. a nice soft bed that I could lay on without Shiro chewing holes in it and taking out the stuffing so they have to throw it away :(

I really, really don’t want for Christmas:
1. Bugs, insects, or spiders.
2. Another set of reindeer antlers
3. thunderstorms instead of snow storms

Shiro:
For Christmas I would love to get:
1. Lots of treats, cheese, pork rinds, crackers, chips, fruit, etc.
2. Toys
3. To cuddle with Sis every night
4. possibly a sister (b&t shiba inu! but not going to happen...yet)


I really, really don’t want for Christmas:
1. toads
2. frogs
3. bandannas

We are tagging: Yoshi and Tsuki, Boo, Ivy, and Fu-Fu!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Shiba-riffic!


(That's even better than Terrific, we think...)
Kikujira pointed us in the direction of a wonderful illustrator, Tatsuro Kiuchi, who, among other subjects, illustrates SHIBA INU! He has graciously granted us permission to feature one of his illustrations here with a link to his website: This is the Shibaken section

Thanks, Kiku! Thanks Tatsuro!!

~Akira and Shiro

Dog Article: Fur Color

Some humans are so strange. Why do they think they have to try to figure us out with Science? We're glad our humans aren't this weird!

This is from Discovery Channel News [Link]

Fur Color Linked to Dog Personality

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Dec. 13, 2006 — The color of a dog's fur may seem to be just a whim of nature and genetics that reveals little about the dog. But a new study claims that coat color for at least one breed, the English cocker spaniel, reflects a pooch's personality.

Prior research has suggested that fur color is also linked to behavior in labrador retrievers, while the type of fur — in this case, wiry or long — may indicate temperament in miniature dachshunds. Wiry-haired mini dachshunds are often more feisty than their mellower, long-haired cousins.

The latest study, recently published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, determined that golden/red English cocker spaniels exhibit the most dominant and aggressive behavior. Black dogs in this breed were found to be the second most aggressive, while particolor (white with patches of color) were discovered to be more mild-mannered.

In labrador retrievers, the color rank from most to least aggressive was determined to be yellow, black and chocolate.

The behavior-fur color connection is likely due to related genetic coding that takes place during the pup's earliest life stages, according to lead author Joaquín Pérez-Guisado.

"Maybe the link (to coat color) is due to the fact that the ectoderm (one of the three primary germ cell layers) is where the skin and central nervous system originate in the embryo," he told Discovery News.

Pérez-Guisado, a researcher in the Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery at the University of Cordoba, Spain, and his colleagues measured levels of dominance and aggression in 51 seven-week-old English cocker spaniel puppies that were either full siblings or half siblings.

The tests looked at how quickly a person could capture a puppy's attention, how well puppies followed the individual, how the dogs behaved while restrained, how they exerted their social dominance and what they did when they were lifted off the floor.

In many cases, the golden-colored dogs resisted human contact and even tried to bite the tester, while the particolor pups often wagged their tails and seemed to enjoy the attention.

While genes control coat color and appear to predispose behavior in certain dogs, Pérez-Guisado said that how dogs are raised plays the biggest role in behavior. He determined that environmental factors account for 80 percent of dominant, aggressive personalities while genes only influence 20 percent of dogs' demeanors.

"It is very important to give the dog an optimum and suitable environment in order to have a dog with a low dominance aggressive behavior level," he said. "For that reason, owners are primarily responsible for this undesirable dog behavior."

Canine behaviorist and trainer Wendy Volhard and professional breeder Carolyn Sisson, who is president of the English Cocker Spaniel Club of San Diego, California, both told Discovery News they're not surprised by the findings. They said that coat color's link with behavior has been "a well-known, old wives' tale" for years.

Although they both think there is "some truth to the recent findings," Sisson believes a dog's genetic lineage, going back many generations, is a better indicator of temperament than color.

Sisson explained that there are 29 recognized different coat colors for English cocker spaniels, and combinations other than golds mating with golds can result in a golden dog.

"It's the line breeding out of puppy mills in England that probably resulted in the dominant traits," Sisson said.

She added, "The very best and worst of my dogs have been spaniels. They seem to cover every behavioral extreme."


Pérez-Guisado and his colleagues next plan to study the English springer spaniel and English cocker spaniel genomes to pinpoint common genes associated with so-called dog "rage" and coloration.


What does the fur-type part say about Hershey and Copper? Is it accurate to them? Kind of silly, don't you think?

~Akira and Shiro

Holiday Spirt Dog of the Day #1

Our new ongoing (until Dec 31, 2006) feature is a spotlight on the "Holiday Spirit Dog of the Day." We will try to add a new dog each day until December 31st, but we might have to add several in one day to catch up if we skip a day.

For our first winner, on 13 December 2006, we have: Kikujira the Shiba Inu!

No, the judges were not biased by her breed, and once you see her picture, we think you will agree with our choice.

Finally, without further ado, may we present, KIKUJIRA!


Kiku is a one-year-old female Shiba living in San Diego, California. She was born with a curvy spine, but doesn't let that slow her down at all! Kiku enjoys sleeping, belly rubs, playing soccer and keep-away, chasing other dogs at the dog park, getting them to chase her, and treats. She is also quite adept at destroying toys. Kiku's wish list for Santa Paws includes: Stuffed toys (to destroy !!), dog biscuits, and a trip to the snow.

Visit Kikujira's dogster profile at: http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=313073&j=t

~Akira and Shiro

Product Alert: Fun With Your Dog Science Kit*




This is a science kit your dog will love! It is filled with activities and
experiments that lead to new discoveries about our faithful canine
companions.


  • Read your dog’s mind: What's on your dog's mind? Find out with fun
    experiments as you observe your pet's eyes, tail, and body language. Give your
    dog a Personality Interview and you'll know your pet better.

  • Test your dog's hearing with an ultrasonic whistle. Does your pet hear
    sounds that you can't?

  • See the world through a dog's eyesDo you know what colors your pet sees? Put
    on Dog Glasses and you'll see for yourself. You might be surprised to discover
    that the world looks very different through a dog's eyes.

  • Bake tasty Dog Cookies your dog will loveCan dogs taste sweets? You'll know
    the answer when you bake healthy Dog Cookies as a treat. Compare your sense of
    smell to your dog's remarkably intelligent nose. We bet you can't recognize
    20,000 different odors like your dog does.
~

First of all, nobody can access our brainwaves to read our highly advanced minds! Second, I do not like the idea of the ultrasonic whistle. Finally, however, it might all be worth it for the homebaked treats....hmmmm....

~Akira and Shiro

*Note: This product is currently out of stock at Brain-Builders.Com

A Card for Our Doggy Bloggy Friends!

Akira and Shiro have sent you a Hallmark e-card! To see it, just click the
link below, or copy and paste it into your browser's address line: http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=4920982132802M151521373Y&product_id=


~Warm Licks,
Akira and Shiro

Monday, December 11, 2006

Product Alert: Pet Doorbell

Lentek Koolatron Pet Chime Pet Doorbell- $21.97
Petco

Tired of your pet scratching the door, barking, or howling when he wants to come inside? Want to teach your pet to tell you when they are ready to go outside? Pet Chime is a portable, wireless electronic doorbell that allows pets to tell you when they need to come in or go out.


Hmm.... we could get used to that...we want to go out and play *ding dong* we have to go potty *ding dong* we're bored and it's 2 am and our people are sleeping *ding dong*.... yes, it has potential.

~A&S

We Wish We Were Crafty!

Look at this nifty project for a "doggie bag!" Maybe if we gave our humans one, they would remember to save all their restaurant leftovers in it for us!!!

http://promotion.kodak.com/simplypictures/doggieBag.html

What do you dogs think?

~A&S

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Dessert- Yum!


Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Desserts
When Sis and Akira got back from PetsMart, they brought back some dessert! We got to have some of it that evening! There was a nice lady there from the Nutro company who gave Sis a coupon for four cans for one dollar! So Sis got two in the "Carrot Cake" flavor, and two in the "Apple Torte." They are also available in the "Berry Cobbler." She just gave us each a spoonful to make sure it didn't upset our stomachs. I really liked the "Carrot Cake" kind. After I inhaled mine, Akira hadn't finished his, so I thought I'd help him out, only he really did want to finish it, he just eats slower. Hopefully we can have more soon, and try out the apple, too!

~Shiro

The Snow is Gone...but I Saw Santa Paws!



Alas, the snow has mostly melted by now. It was fun while it lasted. Yesterday, Sis took me to see Santa Paws at PetsMart! It was a PetsMart I've never been too, but I am always up for a car ride. I jumped right off of the couch when Sis got out my car harness-- no time for naps when a car ride is afoot! It took around 40 minutes to get there, but I've rode in the car for 5 hours before! Shiro wouldn't have liked it, though, because he gets car sick. I ran right into PetsMart when we got there-- Sis claims that my tail was wagging so hard my whole butt wiggled back and forth. I like to think I had a bit more decorum than that. We made a few laps of the store, paying special attention to the rats and gerbils and the like, and then I saw the Man himself, Santa Paws. I got my picture, and Sis bought me new treats before we left. Then we got to go outside and mark brand new territory! Unfortunately, I had to share my treats with Shiro when we got home, but such is life.

Hope you like the pictures!
~Akira