We decided to get a dog back in May of 2008 and began looking for rescue dogs. We quickly found Rocky, a gorgeous sesame-colored Shiba Inu (below left).
Rocky is a beautiful dog, but he was already adopted by the time we called about him. Luckily, the rescue also had two other Shibas, Angel and Pudgy, who were rescued along with him. They were equally charming. Pudgy is Angel and Rocky's puppy (above right).
Though Angel was shy, she stole our hearts from the first. By contrast, Pudgy was bursting with energy; we knew he'd be too much for us to handle. As we approached, Angel went into panic mode and scrambled to hide when she saw us, but it was soon obvious to me and my husband that this dog was very sweet and kind underneath her fear. She licked our hands as if to say, "Don't worry, I've still got lots of love to give you."
Angel was not properly socialized because her previous home was a puppy mill; she was used only to breed puppies. From the time she was purchased (probably from a breeder), she was permanently confined to an outdoor, eight by eight foot cage. We were touched by her story and eager to help.
When the time came to bring Angel home, we were set to spoil her rotten. We had researched Shibas thoroughly before going to pick one out, and we set to work right away making everything just right for her. I spent hours alone researching what dog food to give her! (You wouldn't believe what's in most dog food.) We also picked a new name: Mochi. Shiba Inus are from Japan originally, and mochi is a Japanese candy that is small, sweet and extremely rich. We felt Mochi was all of those things: a little bundle of extreme joy; a rare and special delicacy.
Finally the time came to pick her up. We got all the papers in order and started on the long ride home. At first, she ate almost nothing and stayed in her crate. She came out only while we were asleep. I sat by with all sorts of treats, waiting for her to approach me. She wouldn't budge. We ate lunch and dinner nearby on the kitchen floor and tried to interest her in a juicy kong filled with peanut butter...no response. After the first two days, it was obvious that she'd have stayed in that crate forever if we let her. At night I heard the clitter clatter of her little nails on the hardwood floors as she explored, but a single creak in the wood would send her flying into a dark corner to hide.
On the third day, we coaxed her out of her crate. I put her leash and harness on, fully expecting that she would oppose the idea. Instead she followed me as if on cue. Then we took her outside, and we saw a completely different dog. She went from shy and fearful to gregarious and spirited. She wanted to explore every tree and fire hydrant, and she was not afraid. After a few days, even loud noises and cars began to bother her less. After ten days, she wasn't even afraid of toddlers when we encountered them on the street. She turned out to have a marvelous temperament while on the leash. We discovered something new and positive about her every day.
Things progressed quickly. We introduced Mochi to our cats. She made friends and played with them. We discovered that she loved to be groomed. In only a few days, I trained her to come and to jump in and out of the car on command. We took lots of car rides, especially to the pet store to pick out toys and treats (since she was so finicky). I even started to train her not to go into corners using a combination of "no" and "come here." She was at about 90% compliance on that one; her horrible dependence on dark corners was slowly lifting.
Mochi had one obstacle to overcome: as soon as her leash was off, she ran for her crate and refused to come out. Something about being indoors really upset her. Her desire to hide was incredibly strong, and nothing could get her out of that crate. I'd say, "Let's go outside," and she'd look interested, then shrink back. I'd say, "come here," but she just looked at me, conflicted. She wanted to come, yet something inside her told her not to. It seemed that only time and patience would override her fear.
It took eight days before Mochi came out of the crate on her own. Our cat, Becky, had brought me her favorite toy (Becky loves to fetch string). Not a second after I dragged that string across the floor, Mochi's little fox ears pricked up, and she was out of the crate. She charged at the string and snapped at it in the air. It was a minor miracle. She forgot her fear and chased that toy with abandon. She beat Becky to it on every throw, and she looked very happy. Her tail, which had long hung low without so much as a wag had now begun to sway back and forth. She tried to play with Becky, too, though I can't say Becky took this very well. After all, Mochi did steal her favorite toy.
After that things got even better. We went on many walks and trips together, and Mochi found things all sorts of things to wag her tail about. She trotted around with her head held high, and people fawned over her wherever we went. One night we discovered--as my husband lifted a forkful of macaroni and cheese to his mouth--that Mochi even shared our favorite food. That's when we looked at one another and realized, "This is our dog." As I found myself breaking the "no human food" rule, I chuckled and realized that she would forever be a part of our family.
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Here are some pictures of Mochi during her first weeks at home (click on them for larger images):
