Thursday, June 19, 2008

Sheering Sheep or Fun with Double-Coated Dogs!

For those of you who have never had the evanescent pleasure of owning a Shiba Inu, or Siberian Husky, or any other Spitz breed of dog, allow me to share with you what has become a semi-annual event in our household for the past seven years - The Blowing of The Coat. I don't really like the expression "blowing coat," it sounds vaguely naughty, however "shedding" doesn't quite capture the full horror of the event.

For starters, you should know that the photos below document Sabi's 5th combing of the day. That's right 5th. If you peek down the stairs you can see the remnants of her 4th brushing. Anyone need a dog hair sweater?


See how patiently she perches on B's lap. All that hair is hot and itchy.

Oooo! More dog hair! We paid $30 for the comb B is using. It is called the Furminator, and if you have a double-coated dog you should run, not walk, and buy one. I cannot begin to tell you how many combs and brushes we have tried over the years and none of them work as well as this thing.

We own lots of lint rollers.

You will note that she still has tons of loose hair on her back legs. We could brush her likes this every day for two weeks and get enough hair off of her to make 3 new dogs!

Wasabi is a very pretty girl and we get lots of compliments on her. Shibas are still rare in the U.S. although in Japan they are as common as beagles are here. In fact, in Japan they are considered a national treasure (which should tell you something about the Japanese). They are strange little dogs and not for the first-time dog owner. What's worse is that they look like little teddy bears when they are puppies. It's worse because those little teddy bears quickly grow up into evil, little, strong-willed dogs who take up residence under your sofa and bite anyone who dares to reach under there. There is a site called The Misanthropic Shiba that does an excellent job of describing the breed.

I adore Sabi. She is the perfect dog for me and I will probably always have a Shiba, but I inevitably feel compelled to warn people about their quirks because so many get drawn in by that cute little face and aren't prepared for the attitude that comes with it. So anyway, if you like mountains of dog hair accumulating in and around your house, get a Shiba!

P.S. If you're wondering, Gerrard was enjoying a beer during all of this.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your facts about Shibas. So many people buy certain breeds of dogs just because of their cuteness. We have rescued two jack russel terriers because of just that. They tend to be nervous, hyper and snippy. One of our jacks was so abused and had been abandoned several times that he had permanent emotional damage. Eventually he had to be put to sleep:(

You have a very nice blog. Very intelligent with a lot of dry humor mixed in. It's a fascinating read! I'll definitely be back to visit.

Jennie said...

Awww Sabi is so gorgeous. I shall just admire her from afar because of all that hair though, I'd be sneezing forever!!

Liz Harrell said...

I'm sure she felt very spunky and prancy after this. And I'm sure Mabel would have seriously envied Gerrard's beer. :)