My stats:
Neutered Male
Shiba Inu (cream colored)
Age: 2
Weight: About 23 pounds
I do not get along with dogs - I need to be in an ONLY dog home.
I haven't met a cat before, so I'm not sure how I'd get along with one!
About me:
I'm a 2 year old cream Shiba Inu with a lot of personality. I'd love to be your companion animal to cuddle up with you on the couch, go on long walks and runs, and greet you excitedly when you come home. I am crate-trained and have some basic obedience training. I would love to have a backyard to run around in, but I have also done fine living in an apartment.
My Story:
In February 2009, I was purchased by a nice family with two other Shiba Inus, one male and one female. As I grew up, the other male Shiba and I could not figure out how to get along. Despite many attempts at reconciliation from professional trainers, it was clear that we were just not meant to live in the same household and that I would do best in an only dog home. Many of our issues revolved around food aggression and territoriality. Unfortunately, we got into a really bad fight once and when one of my humans was trying to break us up, I bit her. This is called re-directed aggression, I'm told. After that fight, the other Shiba and I were separated to live on different floors of the house and never had to interact again. I was much happier after that and haven't shown any aggression towards humans since.
Because the situation was tough to keep two dogs living separately (and going on separate walks and separate time in the yard), my first family found a new owner for me in St. Louis. It broke their hearts to have to re-home me because they love me so much. But, my new living situation seemed promising! I moved into my new owner's apartment in January of 2011. We got along great and living in an only dog home was wonderful! I got all the human attention I needed. Unfortunately, this person had a major change in his living situation and wasn't able to keep me anymore. So, I guess this wasn't meant to be my forever home. He was really happy with me though and sad to see be go, but unfortunately difficult life circumstances dictated that he wasn't able to keep me anymore.
So this brings me to today. I'm back in Iowa City and looking for a real forever home, with humans that are willing to adopt me, given some of my limitations. I must be in an only dog home (this is not negotiable). Since I don't do well with other dogs, this also means I wouldn't be able to stay in a kennel where lots of dogs play together and I wouldn't be able to go to dog parks. This also means my new family would not be able to get other dogs or bring me to other people's houses if they have dogs. I have bitten a person before when humans were breaking up a fight with me and another dog, so a potential new owner should know that I have that history. But besides that, I'm really a wonderful dog with a lot of fun personality that is ready to find my place in the world! I'm very quiet and rarely bark. I enjoy playing with toys and going on walks. Please contact Rachel or Jesse (info at right) for more information about me!
Yoshi at 3 months old, February 2009
