Every neighbor begins our initial encounter with: “She looks just like a fox!” Yes, our dog does resemble a fox with her bushy/curled tail, beige/red fur coat, small/medium size, black nose, and triangular ears. As a celebration of welcoming her to our family one year ago (on November 11th, 2018), I am dedicating this post to our Shiba Inu: Matcha. She is smart, stubborn, beautiful, needy, and energetic (at all times). I wouldn’t want to have it any other way 🙂
My husband + I are city people at heart. We love listening to music (+ dancing to it), entertaining family/friends, dining at unique restaurants, and diving into new art/culture experiences. We absolutely loved every minute of the Downtown Pittsburgh lifestyle for a year before moving to Upper St. Clair (a Suburb ~30 minutes South of Pittsburgh) in 2018. I loved taking peaceful walks in midst of nature with my mother (who is a 10-minute walk away – I know…super blessed), but something felt missing. That something was our “Matcha.”
Janetta(RxMa) Bekman, PharmD
11 Things to Know about our Shiba Inu
11 things because we got her on 11-11 last year 🙂
- Shiba Inu is an ancient Japanese breed with a life expectancy of 12-16 years. While Shibas are small/medium-sized dogs (adult females are 15-20 lbs + 13-16 inches tall), they are extremely muscular and bred to hunt. They are difficult to train, since they have a bold personality and are ready to bolt at any second.
- Matcha turned one on September 4th, 2019 and is 100% Shiba Inu. Why did we name our dog Matcha?! When we discovered bullet #1, I told my husband that we should call our dog Matcha after the Japanese green tea (I had an obsession with anything matcha-flavored at the time). The name just stuck. “The meditative act of preparing, presenting, and sipping matcha is the backbone of the Japanese tea ceremony. It was originally developed as a spiritual practice and the principals of the practice—harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility—are still central to tea ceremony today.”
- Matcha’s leash + food bowl are all lime green to live up to her name! I highly recommend this five foot reflective leash, since it has a second handle to keep powerful (+ stubborn) dogs close to you! We started out with a harness but quickly learned that a pull collar is the way-to-go. The collar teaches your dog to walk next to you, instead of in front of you.
- Matcha is extremely energetic! I loved taking her on long walks up until I delivered my baby girl at the end of August. Matcha was my workout buddy and forced me out of the house when I was very pregnant. Currently, my husband (thankfully) walks Matcha every morning. I walk Matcha (with Vienna in the carrier) in the late afternoon and/or evening on a daily basis. If you are not prepared to walk your dog at least three times a day for 10-60 minutes every time, a Shiba Inu may not be the breed for you.
- Our dog LOVES to chew everything! I would recommend to skip the stuffed animals + only purchase the durable tug toys. She is also obsessed with bones + will chew them all day long. She LOVES to play fetch! She is extremely stubborn + will not let go of your personal items. Be extra careful to not leave anything valuable out.
- Matcha does not bark a lot. As mentioned in bullet #1, Shibas were initially bred for hunting. We allow our dog to run around in the living room, family room, and kitchen when we are in + out of the house. Shibas need their space to run! Our glass doors lead out to the deck, where the deck leads out to a forest. Matcha will bark at every groundhog, squirrel, rabbit, or deer until they move outside of her peripheral view. Other than that, she is very calm + barely makes any noise. While another dog could be barking at her aggressively on our walks, you will not hear a peep from Matcha! 🙂
- We do splurge on monthly grooming sessions at our local Petco. They take care of the following: washing/drying, deshedding (a must!), and nail trimming. Matcha has her shedding season in the warmer months; her fur then grows back for the colder months. I do recommend the deshedding brush to use every now + then at home, but the groomers do a wonderful job, too!
- Matcha sleeps extremely well! We crate her before our bedtime (anywhere from 9 pm to 12 am – we will attempt a legit schedule when I return to work next week). She does not bark or make a noise until we open the crate (anywhere from 7 am to 10 am – once again no formal routine just yet).
- Matcha is a very intelligent dog. She was potty-trained from early on. She never pees in the house. She also only goes #2 in the house when we leave her for way too long! Too long being > 6-8 hours (which only happened once or twice all year). We take very good care of our dog! 🙂
- Matcha will attack every stranger that enters the house. She is super protective of her owners, but I am trying to teach her how to be a bit less aggressive when new individuals enter our home. When we are taking walks outside, she simply gets very excited to see the children run up to her. Her eyes squint, her tail wags, and her ears turn into “airplane” ears.
- Matcha shows so much love. She is very needy, but I find it absolutely adorable. As soon as I enter the house, she is the happiest dog in the world. When I am in her designated area (family/living room or kitchen), she will bring her ball, bone, and/or toy right to my foot until I give her attention. She also loves to sit right next to me as a sign that it is time for me to pet her. She loves her belly rubs!
Reference: https://www.teatulia.com/tea-varieties-101/what-is-matcha.htm
Thank you for reading about my Matcha! In attempt to keep the content fresh + fun (new content on a weekly basis at least!), what do you want to see next?! Let me know by DM’ing me on Instagram (@JanettaRxMa) or emailing me at JanettaRxMa@gmail.com 🙂
JanettaRxMa 