Home | Watch & Listen | Photo Gallery | About Me | Fun N' Games | Fan Club | Guestbook | Contact | BACK TO THE WHAT'S NEW

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Summer stretches from June 21st to September 23rd but, it's the hottest part of the season, between early July and late August, that is known as "The Dog Days of Summer." It is said that this period was given it's name by the ancient Romans because of the constellation Canis Major ( The
Great Dog ) which is most visible during the summer months. The constellation contains the brightest star in the heavens ( besides the sun ). The Romans believed that because it was so bright, the earth received heat from it, thus making summer hotter than the other
seasons. The name of this star is Sirius ( The Dog Star ). * For my fellow Harry Potter fans, I bet this is where J.K. Rowling got her ideas for Padfoot.

There were definitely some hot days this summer. Where I live, we had quite a few over 100 degrees. One day, the temperature hit 113. The dictionary also defines dog days as a period of lethargy or inactivity. Well, my summer was anything but! In fact, The Dog Days of Summer took on a whole new meaning for me. Why, you might ask?

I GOT A PUPPY!

I've wanted a dog for so long but I could never make up my mind on what breed. At first, I wanted a Chocolate Lab. Then I changed my mind and went with something smaller, a Shih Tzu. No. No. A Cairn Terrier. Yeah. That's what I want. But none of that mattered because I had to convince my dad I was responsible enough to have one, and that would take some doing.

Then one day it happened. I made a wish on Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The planets aligned. And my neighbor's dog had puppies. After just one look, I made up my mind and, lucky for me, so did my dad. It was love at first sight. The breed? A Shiba Inu.  Most people have never heard of it. The Shiba Inu is originally from Japan. In Japanese, Shiba Inu means "small dog." When he's full grown, he will probably be about 14 inches tall and weigh about 25 pounds. But right now, he's just the cutest little thing.

I named him Chado ( rhymes with Lotto ). It's Japanese for The Way of Tea. One reason was because when he was born, he was so small, he could fit in a teacup. It also looks like the tips of his ears were dipped in tea. He is pure white except for those little "tea stains". Chado was born on June 25th in a litter of two. His brother now lives in Washington. ( Hey Hanna, tell Ichi his brother says hi.) His mother and father, Tofu and Sake, live right next door and everyone is doing fine.

Chado loves to run. I have a big backyard so it's perfect for him. And boy is he fast. I mean scary fast. Once he gets going, there's no catching him. Shibas are actually known as "escape artists" because once they see an opening, they're gone. We are teaching Chado to"stay" when we open the door. So far, it's going pretty good. On those times when he does run, he goes straight next door. He just misses his mom, his dad, and of course, Leslie, Gary and Sydney.He's actually a very fast learner.

 

He got potty training down in the first couple weeks. He already understands "sit" and "shake" and right now, we're working on "high five". Chado is such a good dog and he cracks me up sometimes. When he sleeps, he manages to get into such crazy positions. For some reason, he likes to have his head smooshed up against something. Then there's the times when he tries to run away with one of my shoes. They're almost as big as him, but he'll pick it up and trot away with it, tripping over it as he goes. Then he will grab it tight in his mouth and shake his head back and forth so fast. In the process, the shoe is hitting him in the head, the back, the chest… But, he seems to love it.

Speaking of loving it. Chado loves giving kisses. When he sees me after I've been out for awhile, he is so excited. He runs up to me and greets me with open paws and covers me in kisses. And sometimes, for no reason, he'll just walk up to me and start licking my face. Chado is definitely a lover…and a biter. But not a biter in a bad way. He's teething right now, so it's more like a chewer. He will chew on anything. But when he starts chewing on things he's not supposed to, like my toes, we just give him his chew sticks and he's fine.  

A couple times, he's nipped me pretty hard. I know he's just being being playful but, Ouchy! Love hurts! Shiba Inu's were originally bred to hunt small game. And Chado is a hunter. But sometimes I wonder, What is he hunting for? One time I saw him in the backyard. He looked just like a cat, low to the ground, slowly and quietly sneaking up on his prey. Then suddenly, in an instant, he pounced and captured it…a blade of grass.

Or then there's Pirate Chado, hunting for buried treasure. He runs out back, into the garden, and starts digging. As he digs, he buries his nose into the hole. He sniffs excitedly. He starts digging faster, deeper. The dirt is flying everywhere. More sniffing. More digging. And finally, he's found what he was looking for… a hole in the ground. But what's really hilarious is watching him dig just like that in his water bowl.  It gets me every time. Yeah, that's my kooky, adorable Chado. And things couldn't be better. You know what they say, Dog Days, bright & clear / indicate a happy year.

I hope you had a great summer.