Ahh...I wrote a long reply and lost it. I forgot how much that used to happen here! LOL

Thank you so much for all the info! I didn't know junior handlers could work with altered dogs. That is a perfect compromise. I agree about tired dogs being good dogs. Brewster gets at least a couple miles of walking/day. The block we live on is pretty big! My husband takes him on a morning and evening loop (1/2 mile, I think, sometimes longer if he doesn't poop right away, he's a picky pooper). He also gets a good running in the yard with the kids each day. We don't have a fenced yard, but we have a lot of land. The kids take him in the yard on leash and bring him all around. He is usually exhausted and the one that wants to come back in! It has helped keep his weight down, though.

Therapy work and agility are of higher interest to us. I am actually going to start by pursuing Brewster's CGC since he was a CGC drop-out when I got put on bed rest when preggo. It's never too late to go back, right? If we do go for a pup it will be a nice refresher on manners, and he will be a better influence.

I started reaching out to some breeders to see who would be a good fit for us and who we might be a good fit for. I started by calling Rodel because I have always admired their shibas. They require in person whole family meetings to get the ball rolling (we live too far for that) and referred me to Cape Cod Shibas. I sent both Nozomi and Cape Cod emails. I don't care if we need to go cross-country for a perfect match for our family, but I hope we will be able to Skype for at least some of the meetings. ha. Nozomi is a town over from us. They are very nice, I have met them in the past when I volunteered in rescue. I will wait and see what the breeders say. I have to say I am a huge Mr. Jones fan. Why do there seem to be so many breeders on the West coast? I'm guessing because it's closer to Asia and easier to import?
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, and Cassie the Torbie!

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