Tanuki is an 13 year old, male, black Shiba Inu. See his Facebook album!

Hi everyone, my name is now Tanuki, and I am named after the cute and chubby Japanese raccoon dog who is also part of Japanese folklore. I am a 13-year-old male Shiba Inu. I was surrendered to a VA shelter with my younger Shiba mix sister at the beginning of February when my owners became homeless. I was so scared because I had never been in a shelter. I didn’t understand why I was in this place. So many dogs were yelling for their family to get them. I screamed for my family too, but no one came for us. After a week, my sister and I started to lose hope of ever finding our way home. But around that time, the shelter contacted DC SIR. They felt so bad for us and asked their fans to help raise funds for our care. You see, I have arthritis, hypothyroidism, and I have heart arrhythmia that is made worse by my obesity, and the vet said I might need a pacemaker. DC SIR is going to work on getting me healthy with nutrient-dense foods and a healthy lifestyle and then follow up to see if I still need a pacemaker. When the volunteers picked me up at the shelter, I was happy to be out of my cage and get pets while we waited for my sister to get out of surgery. On the long drive to Shiba HQ I was really scared and screamed a bit. We arrived at Shiba HQ late at night. I was happy to be in a yard! I was put into my xpen with my sister and slept until morning. I got to meet all the dogs and cats at Shiba HQ and I get along with everyone! My foster mom carries me up the stairs but thinks I can do it on my own when I lose weight!

Location: Exception
Dogs: Yes
Cats: Yes
Kids Yes
Weight: 35.10 (obese)
Age: 13 yrs old
Intake Date: 2/17/25

Considerations: Senior. Bonded pair with Stella

Follow Tanuki’s progress in his Facebook Album.