Do you have a good sense of humor? Like to play? Always up for a challenge? Calm in the face of adversity?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you may have just found your perfect match!

Chigo, the handsome gent in the picture, has energy and shiba-tude to spare. This little smarty pants is originally from the U.S., but is currently residing in Ontario. Ideally, he’ll find his new home in/near Ontario, so that Shiba Rescue of the Greater Toronto Area can provide his new minions owners with any support they may need.

Click here for Chigo’s PetFinder page.

I’ve taken a special interest in Chigo, because he reminds me of wild-man Yoshi. It is not possible to overstate what an energetic and mischievous little character Yoshi was as a young man, but with lots of patience, love, good humor, and positive training, he has turned into the most loving and mellow dog (even if he is still a smarty pants). So, I have a soft spot in my heart for wild and crazy shibas, because even though you sometimes can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel with them, there can be a sweet, wonderful dog waiting on the other side.

If you can, please spread the word about Chigo, maybe even consider posting a link to his PetFinder page on your blog.

Thanks!

(you can click the image for a larger, more readable version)

By way of explanation, Yoshi and Tsuki could not be more different where food is concerned. Tsuki likes to sleep-in, and you have to call her a bunch of times before she’s willing to give up her beauty sleep and come down for breakfast. Yoshi, on the other hand, would throw you under a bus for one bite of a stale biscuit.

Tsuki is a baby in these pictures, in case you’re confused. My husband has always loved these photos of her, which is I guess what inspired him to make them into such a cute little comic.

Click to vote for the Princess!

ランキングに参加中です。 どうもありがとうございます!

Through a Pup Pal request on Dogster, I was lucky enough to find Shannon Darch, an incredible artist who was able to capture Yoshi and Tsuki’s true spirits on canvas. I’ve added watermarks to the larger digital versions, but they are not part of the painted originals.

This painting of Yoshi comes from a funny scenario that my husband dreamt up for Yoshi. By some bureaucratic error, Yoshi is drafted into the army. And, even though he’s obviously a dog, everyone just treats him like a person, and refers to him in conversation as “that short funny-lookin’ kid.” Yoshi is, of course, still Yoshi, so he never listens to his commanding officer. This gets him put on KP duty, which, in typical Yoshi fashion, he exploits for all it’s worth.

For a long time, I’ve pictured Tsuki as a girlie Japanese pop star, and this painting is pretty much the image of her that I’ve carried around in my head. As evidence of her rock star status, Tsuki doesn’t like to step in puddles, and possesses the world’s most discriminating canine palette (dead mice and cat poop seem to be the exceptions to this, but even divas are entitled to their guilty pleasures). She can also be quite demanding of her entourage (that’s us), and will insist that we continue to provide petting and tummy rubs, long after our arms have grown weary. Her bodyguard (that’s Yoshi) also complains about her bossiness. But, nevertheless, her outgoing and magnetic personality have made her quite a star (in our neighborhood, at least).

Having now worked with Shannon on two projects, I can recommend her without reservation. Not only is she reliable, but she is such a pleasure to work with. I have commissioned work from several other artists, but have never felt that they could quite capture the image that I had created in my mind. Shannon not only created images that are amazingly similar to what I had envisioned, but included additional elements that I would never have considered, making the scenes even better. Both paintings completely exceeded our expectations.

If you’ve ever thought it would be fun to have an illustration done of your pet (or a human, even), definitely consider contacting Shannon. But, we plan on keeping her very busy, so you better hurry! We’re already thinking up our next two commissions!

Click to vote for us!

ランキングに参加中です。 どうもありがとうございます!