Respectable Elizabethan Nunu-Collar

A much needed surprise upgrade! A kind soul took pity on the impoverished look of Mya's old lamp-shade collar and gave her a new one which fit her perfectly. No need for home-made extensions anymore.  Good bye to daily masking tape re-touches! Yes, I can sleep better now as Mya will not wake me up in the middle of the night anymore with her shiba shake sound aggravated by e-collar extensions flapping. Dr. Leo is curing the canine hot spots gone not so wild, as well as the humans' sleep deprivation.  Check out the before and after shots.

Mya seems to know she looked sad in the old collar.

BEFORE UPGRADE

 And she also seems to know she looks much better now.

AFTER UPGRADE

Unrelated to the topic...Here's a simple pre-walk photo. Enjoying the lowered sofa- no legs for now while renovation is on-going.

Irony Is... Missing Mya... in Japan

I finally get to visit Mya's ancestral lands... And I am missing her so much! Right now while we are on vacation in Tokyo, I will have to make do with Mya's portrait on my bedside table.

Thanks to the Seattle Shiba Inu Meetup folks, I found this fantastic shiba inu specialty shop called Wankodo in Shinjuku. Great timing that during this time I am in Tokyo, they opened up booth in Marui One, instead of their usual home location which is a bit off Kyoto.

Wankodo is the heavenly destination of choice for all shiba inu lovers. Wow! One look and I wanted to faint. As i entered the main entrance of the mall, every item seemed to jump out straight towards me. Shiba inu bags, cloth towels, pens, pins, postcards, notebooks, notepads, stationery, shirts, mugs, and a lot more other shiba inu-themed items. I wanted to bring everything back home to the Philippines. But among all of those items, what really really caught my eye, so much that I had a hard time letting go of them were the cloth stuffed toys that were so artfully made. Hand-sewn and hand-painted, I believe. Very realistic, and patterned after the details and appearance of actual shibas. I was so excited that I placed a red shiba and a black and tan shiba in my basket and as I was about to pay for them, we were told that they were just samples and they are sold on a per order basis only. Plus... ordering would take three months. Unfortunately, I am only in japan for 10 days. I wish they could accommodate a special order and send to Manila. The language barrier made it difficult to ask for special arrangements. Nonetheless, those artistic toys have been imprinted in my head and are unforgettable.

I also got to meet a real Japanese black and tan shiba. She is as old as Mya- 2 years, but obviously much smaller. She was about two thirds of Mya's size. According to the owner she weighs around 8 kg. Mya is at 11 kg now. Giant shiba!

Then at the corner of the shop, was none other than Wankodo's artist who was skillfully and effortlessly painting portraits of shiba inus. It only takes him less than 10 mimes per portrait, using watercolor- a very difficult medium, in my opinion. We commissioned him to make a portrait of Mya based on her photo in my camera- the photo I took of her the day we left for Tokyo. I will post it up here when I get back to Manila.

There is just one problem about this trip...I can't get my mind off bringing home a black and tan shiba! Mya needs a playmate!

Visit Wankodo's website so you'll see why I went crazy. :)

http://www.wankodo.com

I think my visit to Wankodo was the highlight of this trip for me. This and the to-die-for, melt-in-your-mouth sushi!

A Time for Simple Joys of Life

There has always been something about the distinct cool evening air of the "ber" months that made me feel nostalgic and happy.  The good memories of past Christmases as a child surely has something to do with it. Not so this year. Soon, it will be one full year from the time I was admitted into the hospital for an emergency C-section.  One full year from the time Quelo and I were supposed to look at each other for the first time after having shared almost 9 months of love and togetherness. One full year from the time I layed down in the recovery room and heard the doctor say to me, "... they are reviving Michael".  One full year since my husband and I came back home with empty arms to a house with a stroller, baby clothes, bottles and gifts from the baby shower.

On Good Days and Dog-Shopping

Tonight, as I breathe the familiar cool evening air of the months close to Christmas, I remind myself how small things used to make me happy.  How simple things can bring so much joy, and how trivial things can all add up to compound into memories of "the good days".  I resolve to make new memories and new good days. 

Tonight I just realized that my current simple joys are composed of, among other things, my online purchases. I have just ordered a few things from Amazon and I am really thankful for my aunt who generously gave me some space in her shipping box from New York. I should be receiving the items before Christmas and I'm embarrassed to admit that all the items I purchased are dog-related.  Yes, all of these are for Mya:

1. Travel Harness


Solvit Travel Harness
This connects the dog to the seatbelt so that
she will not be a trajectory in case of a collision
(not that I intend to be involved in one)

2.  Back Seat Cover


Solvit Seat Cover for Pets
This will protect the car from scratches-
provided the dog can be prevented from laying his paws
on the door and the top part of the backrest 

3.  Training Treat Bag

Guardian Gear Training Treat Bag
Should be very useful during agility training
to keep those yummy treats handy

4.  Tug/ Bumper



Chuckit! Amphibious Bumper

 5.  Fish Oil Supplement (Capsules)



Animal Essentials Fish Oil Plus, Omega 3 Supplement





The Top of My "Simple Joys" List

One of the items at the top of this list is my order of a customized harness for Mya.  It took me so long to finalize my order, and now that it's paid for in full, all I have to do is wait for the shipment to arrive.  I am not used to buying something that I have not seen on the shelf, but more so this time that it will be a unique piece.  I encountered Raw Dog Leather online when a fellow shiba owner from Seattle recommended the Winnie-style harness, which was originally designed for a shiba.  Mixie has been very patient in answering all my questions and takes time to really explain everything. Check out Raw Dog Leather's facebook site and you will agree that Mixie is a gifted and skilfull artisan and business owner.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/RawDogLeather?ref=ts

 Even through e-mails, you can tell that she is a woman with a genuine heart for both people and dogs. :)  Soon, Mya will be sporting one of her creations. I can't wait!