Sumi

Hi my new name is now Sumiaki but you can call me Sumi. I am a 10 yr male Shiba Inu & I have only known one family. There comes a time in rescue where the human story is as gut wrenching as the dogs that come into rescue. And so is the case with my sister, Fumi and me. You see, my family loved me very much but the house they lived in for 17 years was taken away from them and my sister and I almost ended up in a shelter. Luckily a family friend found DC SIR so we didn’t have to go to a shelter. My foster mom got a call we needed to be picked up asap because our eviction was in 24 hrs so she drove 7 hrs to get us. She could see we were very loved but also need a lot of care. We love meeting new people so we greeted her with kisses and I stayed by her side as soon as we met. We didn’t know she was taking us from our home. She brought yummy chicken so I liked that and didn’t turn it down when she offers!

My sister and I only ever got walked in our back yard on choke collars so my foster mom got us pretty new collars that are like necklaces to hold our DC SIR tags, microchips and stuff. Mine is a blue collar with foxes and a red bow! We got to walk on harnesses and that feels good but exploring a yard off leash is amazing. We lived in a house with cigarette smoke so our fur didn’t smell so good so my sister and I got a much needed bath. My nails were long and I did not like having them clipped so I loudly protested but it felt great afterwards! But nothing can ease the fear and pain of losing my family and my home of 10 years. I screamed for them my first night in foster care and my sister shook in fear. I yelled at every door in my foster mom’s house to see if it was the door to lead me back to my mom and dad and the only house I ever lived in. My foster mom stayed up with us all night. I jumped up on the couch and sat right up in her lap as she gave me neck massages to soothe me.

I got to meet a bunch of dogs and cats at Shiba HQ and all went well. That feels good to have nice foster family around who knows what I am going through. My foster mom says I don’t act my age because I am so playful and I’m a silly talker. We have real conversations and I respond when she asks me questions. I can’t sleep much or eat much yet but my foster mom says it’ll get better. I’m real overweight and the Rescue is very worried about my teeth – I may need to get some pulled. I haven’t been to a vet in years so they say I’ll need a full senior panel, blood work, IOP testing, thyroid, 4D snap test, and vaccinations when I am healthy. Please help me get healthy and donate to help DC SIR care for me and my sister.
Email adoption@dcsir.org if you would like to adopt this loving senior Shiba!

Update on Sumi:
Dogs: Excellent with all dogs
Cats: Excellent with all cats
Kids: LOVES children and greets them with kisses!