It roars like bear and howls like a wolf

I’m getting out of my comfort zone here by writing an article about a dog breed called the Shiba Inu.
I’ve been around dogs my whole life but owning a “shibe” is definitely a different experience.

Most of my dogs came from the shelter but one Jack Russel Terrier we got as a puppy still lives with me today. She’s really old and I don’t expect her to be around much longer.
Anyway we wanted a second dog as soon as we got here. On top of my list were two breeds. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (commonly referred to as “toller” in my country) and the Shiba Inu.

Having spend many hours in Obedience and Agility (dog sports which we used to do) I have seen many Tollers and they make a great companion.
Our other contender, the Shiba Inu has a great sturdy design and the breed itself is very old and remained unchanged throughout time. The breed originates from Japan where it is still one of the favorites today. The Shibe has the ability to guard without bark and knows which chicken is ours and which is not. They can fight a bear but won’t harm a chick.
The thing to watch out for is that shibes are cat-like, so letting them off the leash means they take off to do their own thing. Don’t give them a task and they’ll be doing their own thing too.

In the end we did opt for the shibe and found a litter of three pups close by. I immediately fell in love with this fox like red cuteness. We named her Haruka.

Life with Haru has been nothing but fun. These creatures are not like any other dog. They sleep on their back, make a ton of different sounds (but none like other dogs) and it’s funny to watch them hunt under the snow with weird jumps the way foxes do.
Our shibe is particular about food and will not eat food scraps, only meat, rice, egg, dairy and fish. She can be very playful and has unlimited energy however when I tell her to stop she just go do her thing on her own or lies down quiet on the couch.
The ability to adapt is amazing, she can be lazy for two weeks and go on a full day hike the next day. She seems to enjoy it just the same.
Haru is also very mindful of her people and animals. She picks up on anything that might be off, a strange cat, a chick that’s limping or whatever. She notifies me like she’s a human.
I do not doubt her judgement.

And above all she is QUIET! She just lets me do my job. During a normal day she won’t make a sound. Hey don’t judge me, I lived in a house with three jack russels at one time.

As most shibe owners I take her on walks with a harness. She escaped out of her collar twice. They make a weird corkscrew movement to get out of their collar and after two escapes (and they take off like crazy) I was done with it. The second time I had to get the car and drive after her, scared that she might get hit by a vehicle. I drove next to her, opened the door and she hopped right in (hey boss where have you been?!)
Happiest squirrel-face smirk in the world.
Shibes…

They can also climb fences like cats do so be warned and she will also climb cattle panels. I think there are numerous videos out there about shibe naughtiness.
It’s not that they don’t listen, they are goat-smart. In fact they are very smart and Haru went through puppy school in no-time. They get an A+ in social behaviour as well as learning commands.
If you have kids, keep in mind a shibe has sharp teeth. These ancient dog breeds communicate a lot by using their mouth, although these are (as the shirosuki yt channel calls them) “soft sharko bites”, they can still hurt you accidentally during play time. If you are on the homestead you know some animal might give you a bruise or scratch at some point but I know some parents that get really upset by these things so there you have it.

I personally love this breed and would like another one. I would even like to have a litter but Haru is fixed so that won’t happen. The Shiba Inu has small litters with two or three pups so it would be well manageable. I would keep em all!
I think it’s hard to write exactly what it’s like to have a shibe so let me tell some things I have experienced.
At one time there was a bit of an uproar close by, some protests and stuff. Due to the renovation of the house our toilet is located at the far end of our property which is a bit of a walk. I got scared because of the commotion and shibe picked up on it and escorted me without me asking anything. She sat down outside the toilet straight up and waited for me like she was programmed to do so.
Another time we had a wolf roaming around and just as it got dark she suddenly started to howl like wolf, guess what, the wolf responded but did NOT get on our or our neighbours property. I think she saved my flock.
A while ago we had drunk unwanted guests near our place, Haru went straight for the fence and let out a loud roar like a bear, hairs straight up and utterly focussed. Like she was saying: “not a single step mister”
One time there was a real downpour and Haru let me know something was wrong. I checked all the animals and was soaking wet yet I couldn’t find anything wrong. I stared at her and she pointed in the direction of a bush, there it was: an injured hedgehog! She was unsure if it was friend or foe but got me because it needed help (if it was a threat she would just chase it off). It had a piece of glass on it’s belly and was easy to cure. He/she stayed in the garden for a little while after.

I can’t tell you how precious a sensitive dog like that is. In times of need she knows what to do. I can leave the house and be sure she’ll protect it and all the animals who live here. She’s our pet as much as she is a guard dog, she is active as much as she’s calm. It is like almost the perfect dog. No wonder this balanced dog has been a favorite of the Japanese for many years. These dogs can actually smile, they mimic our smile which in a dog looks kinda creepy but cute. In other dog breeds bare teeth while smiling means something totally different however a shibe can really smile when happy, which makes you laugh btw.

I truly think Haru/the Shiba Inu itself is amazing and hope to have many more years with her.