It's been a busy, busy year and Christmas really snuck up on us. Thankfully, it wasn't too much work to get into the Christmas spirit. But as you can see, we had to get a bit creative with where to put our tree as our little Brooklyn apartment is already at fall capacity! This Christmas has also been special because it's our first one with Ellie! Ellie is our darling 1.5 year old Shiba Inu that we adopted six months ago from the NYC Shiba Rescue. Despite the hundreds (of thousands) of photos I've taken of her in the last couple of months, this is her first official appearance on this blog!
About Ellie. Basically, she is the best. She is such a funny little girl, full of curiosity and spunk and, of course, fluffy fluffy cuteness. It's been quite an adventure, given that I have literally never owned a pet in my life. While some adjustments have been a bit more difficult (like, having to wake up two hours before your alarm goes off to walk a whining dog), most adjustments have not been that hard. Getting used to a really excited puppy adorably romping around your house all day? Yeah, it's been really tough. Here she is with her best grown-up smile.
We got Ellie through the New York City Shiba Rescue (NYCSR), a large network of foster families who temporarily house Shiba Inus that are brought in through shelters from all over the New York area. We started the process in October 2013, which included submitting a six-page application, providing 3 references (all of whom were called), and getting an in-home visit by a NYCSR volunteer.
Nine months later, July 2014, we still had not been matched with a dog. It was at this time that I saw Ellie brought on as a new foster dog, via the NYCSR blog. She was young (1-year old at the time) and small (only 13 lbs) -- exactly what I was looking for, as I wanted a dog that was small enough that I could take with me to work on the subway. I emailed them about Ellie, not expecting much. Miraculously, I received an email a couple of weeks later saying that her foster family had decided not to take on an additional dog, and that she was available for meeting! I can't describe my excitement on the way to meet her for the first time -- like Christmas morning (in July)! As soon as Ellie's foster mom cracked the door of her house open, a small, energetic bundle of red fluffiness jumped up on me and licked me furiously. The rest is history, I guess :)
Ellie is smart and playful. She can play fetch until my arms give out and she can jump about three times her height. She rings a bell when she needs to go out, and she learns commands quickly. Like most Shiba Inus, she's not particularly affectionate, but she's definitely warmed up to us over the last six months. Sometimes, she will voluntarily cuddle with us (and angels sing from the heavens). She sleeps, curled up in a perfect little ball, and is often mistaken for a "baby fox" or "wolf puppy" on the streets. She also, as I have learned, does not like having hats placed on her head. So, these photos involved a lot of bacon bribery.
And that concludes another Christmas and New Years -- our third in New York City. How time flies! Wishing you all a wonderful new year full of love and joy and adventure, wherever you may be!
