Hariko Nihonken 日本犬張子荘

31/12/2024

Last but not least - THE BITS!

Yuko has started to become an adult and baby brain is settling so we are starting to really get into some fun!

We earned our CH in UKC, got a Total Dog (I believe being the first Shiba to be invited to the Total Dog Invitational, and possibly the first Shiba Total Dog?), tried Brace with Ellie, got our RATI and RATN in barn hunt, chased MANY bags for titles, got her first major in AKC (half way to CH!), charmed judges for a Dolce Award and Judge’s Choice in barn hunt for the pure joy she radiates, ate my night guard (🫠), and gave out ALL the snuggles.

She’s the sweetest dog I’ve ever owned, and loves unconditionally and is always excited (sometimes to our detriment, we still need to learn there is a time and place!) I’m so so looking forward to smashing 2025.

UKC CH Yuko Akakiyosou RATI RATN BCAT RACEA

31/12/2024

Tango has both started and ended 2024 not with a whisper but a BANG!

Got our CM, contributing to the first 10 in our breed to receive that title, racked up several Scentwork and Nosework titles, got her second Best in Open Show, received two Best Veteran awards in two specialties, chased some bags for titles, had a photo shoot with JCPenny, became a therapy dog, got her first Rally titles, and finished her Grand Championship in UKC with a BEST IN SHOW for the Nihon Ken Invitational Heritage Show.

I cannot overstate the lengths this dog goes for me, how willing she is to try things just because she wants to do something with me, and how gentle and kind she is to strangers, making her the perfect breed ambassador to get to learn more about how awesome these dogs are. She’s the bestest baby, and I’m so thankful how this dog has taught me so many lessons in humility and love. I also think, if I counted correctly, we are now at 50 titles. 😱

MBIOS MBIM BISS HnrCH UKC GRCH CH Deikahime Go Kaijusou CM URO1 RATI UG-1 NTD 2K9 SSH UWPCH AP VPA RACEN SPOT-ON BCAT CGCA CGCU ATT FDC TKI SN MC EI SWN

31/12/2024

Ellie’s 2024 Wrap Up!

My bestest bee did SO MUCH this past year.

Ellie turned 12 in November, but is still kicking butt at barn hunt! We got our RATCHX3, Crazy8’s Platinum 2 Bronze, and are close to our RATSX title as well. We also got our FCAT3, infiltrated an Akita pack walk, and showed for the first time in conformation at the Nihon Ken Invitational Heritage Show in PA where we walked away with a cool RBIS in altered!

Probably the BIGGEST thing we did was fly to LA (when my mom had flown here to Dallas - traded places!) to do a commercial shoot for Science Diet Senior Vitality food! She definitely continues to live bold, not old!!

Let the adventures continue!

Evenstar's Adventure is Out There NA NJP CAX FCAT3 RATCHX3 CZ8P2B CGCA CGCU ATT FDC TKI RATI UG-2 SSB BID

31/12/2024

While I need to get better at posting on here on the regular, I at least have a 2024 wrap up! I’ll be posting each one of the pups in their own post to showcase all the accomplishments and fun we’ve done this past year.

Koji!

Honestly not much to say except he’s still going strong at 16 years and 8 months old. Sassy for mealtimes, sleeping in all the comfy spots, and just being my bestest boy. Here’s hoping 2025 is just as kind to him as 2024 was. Love my bubbas!

SIRTx Koji CGC TKN

21/07/2024

Tango and Yuko went down to the World Series of Dog Shows in Houston this week! We started off with a bang with Tango’s second Best in Open Show, and enjoyed schmoozing with anyone and everyone who wanted to meet her today at Meet the Breeds!

Yuko has had fun being her bouncy self in the ring while also finding out what fun her turn at Meet the Breeds could be as well! It’s a huge in conjunction show and the last of our summer “Death March” of shows, so we’ll be taking a short breather before getting back into the thick of things this fall. 😘

04/07/2024

Happy 8th birthday to our girl Tango! We’ve started knocking out Rally and kicking butt at it this year, and are looking forward to our therapy dog evaluation in a month’s time.

Thanks for being my big Baby, just continue to be nice to Ellie for me. 😘

HnrCH UKC CH Deikahime Go Kaijusou CM RATI UG-1 NTD 2K9 SSH UWPCH AP VPA RACEN SPOT-ON BCAT CGCA CGCU ATT FDC TKI AN SC SV MI SCN SIN SBN

21/04/2024

💕💕

25/03/2024

One step closer to our RATCHX3! Ellie had a super fun weekend at our Barn Hunt MidSouth Regional this weekend. (Don’t worry, that’s her HAPPY face!)

Next up - a commercial shoot! 😱

15/01/2024

My Ellie is the #1 Shiba in Senior and the #2 in Master for all of 2023! Way to go, Bee! 😱💕

Happy Martin Luther King Day! It is snowy and cold in Western KY, we do not like these temps here. But I've been working on stats. Please follow the link to see the Top 25 Fastest dogs by Breed and Class for 2023. Note the dog MUST HAVE HAD 3 RUNS AT THAT LEVEL IN 2023 in order to be on this list. Also, the computer compiles these stats. I just make them look pretty. So the stats directly tie to your dog's data. :)

This is a large file, 87 pages. Have fun!

https://www.barnhunt.com/stats/2023_top_25_by_breed_class.pdf

09/01/2024

Wow, what a way to start 2024! First weekend of the year and we already accomplished my number 1 goal - finishing Tango’s CM!! We have been working towards it for a while now, and to not only end 2023 with a wonderful BIOS but to start 2024 with the last points we needed has me on cloud 9! Getting to share this amazing breed has been a complete joy, and Tango charms the pants off of everyone. I’m so proud of my Baby. 💕

This weekend we managed to snag 3 Best in Misc, and a group 2 in one of the Open shows, giving us 7 out of the 5 points we needed. BONUS! We won’t stop showing yet, but we will be able to focus on other things while we get Yuko out and about and focus more on her show career, and Tango can tag along instead of the other way around.

Pending AKC approval with our 40th title across 6 confo and sport registries, Tango is now HnrCH UKC CH Deikahime Go Kaijusou *CM* RATI UG-1 NTD 2K9 SSH UWPCH AP VPN SPOT-ON BCAT CGCA CGCU ATT FDC TKI AN SC SV MI SCN SIN SBN

31/12/2023

And with that, we wrap up 2023 with the Hariko crew!

Lots of firsts, lots of highs, and lots of things we found ourselves needing to work on. 😅

🍚 Koji: Made it through with relatively little drama. Had a vestibular episode this summer, but recovered almost fully and is still just as sassy and healthy as ever! Let’s see how turning 16 in April treats my old mans. 💕

🎈Ellie: BOY what to say - agility took a back seat this year while we focused on our other sports and tricks. We are now most of the way to our RATCHX3, half way to our RATSX, and half way toward our first REMX! We still continue to do you weekly agility class and have fun, as well as figure out other sports and tricks to pass the time. 11 is going to be a good year for her, and she only acts half her age. 😉

🤖Tango: So many shows, so little time!! With the start of Japanese Akitainu being recognized in the Miscellaneous class in AKC, we’ve been busy hunting down the last of our CM points! We’ve snagged a few best in Misc and one really special Best in Open Show this year! The best part is having friends there every step of the way. I love my show families, I’ve really fallen in with some good eggs, and it wouldn’t be nearly as fun without y’all. 5 points left and Tango will be finished!! And not to leave UKC out, but Tango found her stride and not only has 4/5 legs for her GCH, but came in just behind the winner at our specialty show this past summer! 😱 We finished our Weight Pull career with 3 most weight pulled veteran awards, our UWPCH, and 3 Total Dog awards (and loads of tears!). Nosework and PC titles also gained. I continue to enjoy how well this girl trusts me, loves indiscriminately, and shows others the joy of this breed by being the best ambassador ever. 🪷

🌻Yuko: The little miss made her big debut this year! It’s been a humbling trip, as she definitely has her own agenda, but you can’t really get mad at a ball of just pure sunshine. We got her Puppy of Achievement as well as her first title - BCAT! Though we need to work on her recall so I can CATCH HER after her lure runs. 🙃 She’s been having fun being a puppy, but now it’s time to harness that chaos for good. We’ll be introducing her to her first participatory Barn Hunt trial in February, as well as looking into other sports, such as scent sports and agility, and let her tell me what it is she wants to do!

Here’s to 2024! May we continue to thrive and have fun. 🤩 We were able to travel to and show in two new states last year, Michigan and Georgia - so let’s see where else we’ll go!