Adoption status: Adopted
Taiki is a 7-week-old male, red Shiba Inu.
Follow his Facebook album.
Taiki is a sweet puppy born 4/21/20 with obvious vision issues. The original owners were told he would likely need surgery to save his vision. Once with DC SIR, Taiki went to our veterinary ophthalmologist and had extensive testing to determine if he was a candidate for surgery. Unfortunately, our vet found that the nerves in his eyes never connected, which means he will not be able to receive corrective surgery. Luckily, Taiki does have some vision and can see movement (not typically still objects). Taiki doesn’t know he is any different from the other dogs. He is an incredibly happy and playful Shiba Inu! He loves to meet people and animals and thinks everyone wants to be his best friend. He is also amazing with potty training and has not had one accident while in foster care. Although, he will call out to his foster mom at 3 am if he needs to go, and she always jumps up to take him out. Now at two and a half months old, he mostly sleeps through the night.
Visual consideration. Taiki can easily navigate his familiar surroundings! He can even walk up five steps on the deck and run into the house through the dog door. However, he is unable to go downstairs when he knows they are there, and he must be watched at all times if there are any potential dangers (stairs, falling off a couch, deck, bed, etc.) as he will not see the risk of falling.
Other dogs: We think Taiki would do best with a friendly and tolerant dog that can help him navigate his surroundings as he grows. He has had many playdates with a variety of friendly dogs, and he loves to hold on to their tail and walk with his new friend. Taiki would not do well with reactive dogs as he is unable to read their signals to back off and enjoys kissing faces and grabbing on tails! While it is not a requirement to have another dog, it is definitely preferred should the right home come along.
Taiki’s adopters will need to be self-motivated to learn about early socialization and training for blind dogs to prepare for the day should he lose his vision. Obviously, we require basic puppy training as every conscientious pawrent should invest the time to learn the skills to communicate with their puppy effectively, but this is even more important for a vision-impaired dog. Having a reliable recall to avoid dangerous situations he is unable to see is an example of this.
Medically there are no other issues with Taiki! He is a happy and healthy Shiba Inu with a love of life and food. His favorite toy is the flirt pole, and he loves to do the Shiba 500 in the back yard.
Location: Local
Dogs: Yes, Preferred
Cats: Yes
Kids: 12+
DOB: 4/21/20
Intake Date: 6/12/20
Available Date: 7/10/20
MEDICAL CONCERN: Taiki has limited vision that can not be corrected via surgery. He only sees some movement and may become blind later in life.
Follow Taiki’s progress in his Facebook album!