Sake vs. Michael Vick

Sake is an 1 1/2 year old female Shiba who lives in NYC, and comes to scenic Connecticut to visit her grandparents. The People used her as the excuse to go visit the Grandparent's house because they had spectacular gardens (and one of the ponds had frogs! W00t!!). Everyone sat outside on this beautiful Connecticut day, enjoying the lack of humidity and the beauty of the greenery.

Everyone, that is, except Sake who did everything in her power to inform me that this was her house and I was the intruder. Like I did not know that this was her house. I spent most of my time casually ignoring her; she spent most of her time trying to do sneak attacks upon me. Her people were ever vigilant though, and no problems arose. I laid by The Woman to make sure that Sake never came to close; I don't want her clothes spoiled by another Shiba's fur.

The Guy, however, was wooed by Sake's overwhelming adorability when we all enjoyed some Strawberry Shortcake. He said that the cuteness of that feminine face with the alert prick ears and dark eyes was too much. He succumbed to sharing his whipped cream with her. He doesn't share his whipped cream with me! When did I lose my cuteness factor?

We Shibas, by nature, are protective of what we rightfully aqueous as ours. Whether it be a park, a house 100 miles away from our home, or the neighbor's yard- what we claim sovereign rights. Sake was correctly doing what Shibas do; she was telling me that this was her house. I, of course, know that she can think whatever she wants.

That pond with the frogs is definitely mine.

For 6000 years, our job has been to guard and hunt. Initially, when we are young, we are a tad exuberant about our roles in life (even I admittedly have made a few mistakes). As we get older, we learn that we don't have to assert ourselves so vocally but rather our mere presence subdues the masses and all learn to respect us just with a curl of the lip or what The Woman calls, The Look.

Sake did nothing wrong. She was behaving as she should, and while I will never tell her that she is on the road to being a good Shiba (why encourage her ego that much more?), she was protecting what she felt was rightfully hers. She is not an aggressive dog; she is, however, like myself, an assertive one.

Michael Vicks, on the other hand, did what no one should do. He took dogs, assertive in nature like Sake and I, and taught them to be worse. Intentionally. He bred dogs to fight and kill other dogs, never encouraging them with loving words or subtle love, but rather wanted assertive dogs to become aggressive dogs. For Profit. For Sport. For his Sense of Entitlement and Fun. Teeth to Flesh, Blood and Bone, these dogs were allowed no sense of pride except to injure or kill another dog.

No Dog should be sworn to a Life of Crime. No dog should be born and bred for nothing more than the intention of maiming another dog.

'Tis one thing to defend one's territory. 'Tis entirely another to be forced into a life of violent slavery.

Sake and I recognize that we are lucky. Both of us had lives prior to our current lives, and both of us are blessed with people who understand our God-Given rights of toy destruction and escape artistry. But neither of us are forced to live our lives physically assaulting other dogs and causing them injury for no reason other than to make The People feel Bigger. Better. Stronger. Instead, we are encouraged to be ourselves; Assertive, Attentive, and Affectionate.

And Our People's lives are better because of Us.


I Am Shiba. I Bark At The Mailman But the Mailman Does Not Bark Back.