He's Got Spirit

October marked the 6th birthday of a special Shiba Inu. I know, most of you have never heard of a specific dog breed called the Shiba Inu. (pronounced she-bah e-new). Shiba Inus originated from Japan, they're related to the Akita (which used to be called an Akita Inu, but the Inu was dropped). The first documented litter of U.S. Shiba pups was in 1979 and they didn't become part of the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Non-Sporting Group until 1993. My Shiba Inu is named Spirit (his given name by the original owners). This is his story.

I was living in St. Louis, MO at the time. I was a volunteer foster parent for Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue (MSIR). I had just recovered from two dog bites to my face from the last foster dog, who unfortunately, was mistrusting of humans due to being in a puppymill. "Akina" was released of her pain and I mourned the loss. She was my first foster dog, and I blamed myself for what happened (while on a walk, she jumped my dog and attacked her, I pulled Akina off of my Wendy and Akina bit my face). Now was not the time for a foster dog. Not at all.

I was contacted by the city pound that they thought they had a purebred Shiba Inu. I definitely doubted it, as Shibas aren't too common - but went to make sure he was because MSIR would only accept a purebred. Yup - he was indeed. I asked one of the employees to let him out of his tiny cage so I could see his behavior. Spirit was sweet the first minute. There was a problem, however. He limped - a lot. He was a cutie, but "defective." No one would adopt him, and with the pound overflowing, he wouldn't last in his "defective" state. The pound had no veterinary services, so no one had any idea why he limped, nor did they really care.

After several days, the pound released Spirit to MSIR (with me as his foster momma). My rescue friend Laura went with me to pick him up and helped me give him a bath (he stank and had tons of matted hair). We took him to the vet for all of his shots and an evaluation. He was sedated for hip xrays (thinking he possibly had hip dysplasia), but those came out ok. The vet had no idea why he limped and referred us to an orthopedic vet.

The ortho vet had no idea either. She suggested a procedure called a Myleogram that would cost the rescue over $1200 but would determine if he had spinal cord damage. Even if the procedure revealed damage, there wouldn't be any treatment. I remembered that another rescue friend knew a holistic doggie doc (doggie chiro!). I called her up and scheduled an appointment for Spirit. I wanted to know if there was anything else to help him before making the rescue foot such a large bill. I didn't tell anyone about the doggie chiro - I thought the whole idea was hooky, but the last opinion. No one would adopt a dog that had unknown medical problems.

That was the best $75 I ever spent. She felt Spirit's spine and hit a spot that made him SCREAM. Long story short, there was something wrong with his spine. I took him back to the regular vet (had to admit that I took him to a doggie chiro - LOL) and his back was x-rayed. Bingo. There, staring me in the eyes, was the answer. Spirit had SIX, yes, SIX surgical pins in his back. No wonder he limped but nothing showed up on his hip xrays. The next answer was why in the world he had pins in his back??

I spent hours trying to track down answers. The pound refused to give any info about the previous owners. He was found as a stray and although he had microchip, when they were contacted, they didn't want him back. I knew his microchip # and called the company. I begged them to tell me his previous vet's name so I could find out what happened to see if he could be helped. I got the records from the vet and the truth was unraveled.

Spirit was hit by a car when he was 11 months old. He was taken to the University of Missouri-Columbia's vet hospital for treatment (a two hour drive!) He spent a month recovering from a broken back, broken ribs and a big gash on his head. When he was discharged back to his owners, he was just beginning to walk again.

Three years passed. He was then found wandering the streets and brought to the pound. And thats the story. No one knows why his owners spent thousands of dollars on major surgery and then didn't want him.

During this diagnostic time, Spirit lived with me and my dog Wendy. They got along great - they didn't exactly snuggle together, but they tolerated each other and he seemed to fit well in my home. Before I knew it, he was mine - forever. I adopted Spirit at age 4 1/2 or so.

I spent the next few months getting him well - still wobbly, but much better. His nasty fur was replaced with nice healthy hair. He went to a doggie physical therapist (yes, they exist!) and walked on an underwater treadmill to help him learn to walk better. I even acquired an electric treadmill for work at home (he LOVES loves LOVES the treadmill). I saw the human treadmill in a free ad and called - of course there were lots of calls but who could deny a gimpy dog the use of a treadmill?

Spirit has been part of our lives ever since. Wendy watches out for him at the dogpark - if she hears him bark, she's there in a flash to kick the butt of whoever is messing with her bro. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPIRIT!

Profile: Spirit
Nicknames: Spiro, Spiro Dinero, Spear boy, Buddy, Snarky
DOB: October 2000
Color: Black and tan
Weight: 25 pounds
Height: 17"
Favorite toy: balls, plush toys with squeakers
Favorite Food: absolutely anything
Favorite Non-Food Items: q tips, underwear, cork drink coasters, the wall (only once),
Commands: come, stay, sit, down
Best Trick: shake (more like a swat so he doesn't fall over)
Funniest Trait: "crazies" - a fun game of "momma's gonna getcha!"
I like: chasing around a remote control car with a treat taped to the top
I dislike: mom dressing me up