Saturday, April 24, 2021

Worldwide Pet Shipping


I get a lot of inquiries from people all over the US and occasionally from around the world asking me to ship them a Shiba puppy as a pet. When I give a simple NO they start asking a lot of questions that I wish I didn't have to elaborate on but I've made a comittment to my breed so I'm obligated to explain this to them.

Hopefully the world will read this and have a better understanding of how breeders think and will self assess themselves as potential Shiba owners.....or not.

You just want a pet right? Responsible breeders don't sell pets outside a certain radius from their home. I find it's based on what they are personally comfortable with. One breeder I know only places puppies within 60 miles! I thought that was a little to restrictive for me. I personally say 1/2 a day's or 250 miles for first time Shiba owners and I only ship pets on the west coast to people who have had a Shiba before and I really prefer they fly in to pick them up personally. With Covid I've shipped two puppies on the 90 minute flight to CA.

Why do breeders have a personal pet puppy placement radius? Because this breed is very complicated and requires help from the breeder to raise it properly. What the heck does that mean? It means 50-75% of first time Shiba owners create spoiled, ill-mannered & unruly Shibas that BITE them indiscriminately. Owners just don't understand why the Shiba they treated so well and gave everything they ever wanted, still bites them. Owners learn from these first mistakes and do much better with their next Shiba by setting limits and enforcing good behavior and actually following their breeder's instructions for raising a nice Shiba. THIS IS WHY YOU WANT YOUR BREEDER CLOSE TO YOU.

Most people buy a dog for enjoyment, to enhance their life as a companion to their family and NOT for a lot of added stress to their lives. When you have a Shiba their will be some stress at times which is created by the drama. Shibas are dramatic. Dramatic look and dramatic behavior. Fun and interesting to some people, giant pain in rear to other people who would be so much happier with a more "simple" and "normal" dog.

Yes, breeders do sell to other breeders all over the world. They still take time to develop a relationship with each other and they want to be sure their dogs will be treated & cared for well and well loved just like they would with a pet owner. Most of us will not sell a dog to anyone we think will just keep the Shiba in their kennel and not treat like a pet as well as a show & breeding dog. We know Shibas don't thrive in kennel environments.


Breeders see no purpose in shipping puppies strictly as pets across the country or world. It's a lot of work to arrange and not necessarily kind to the puppy. It's not unnecessary as you can find a pet within driving distance IF a breeder thinks you can properly raise a Shiba puppy. If you have been turned down by several local breeders you should probably accept the consensus that the breeders believe this isn't the right breed for you. It's NOT that you are a bad person or bad dog owner just that you will do better with another breed.


EVERYONE wants a Shiba based on the cute looks but I tell them all dogs are a lot more than just looks. Then they tell me they also like the independance, spunkiness and brilliance. What people don't understand (until they are living it) is that with those characteristics are the reason for all the problems people have with the breed like running off and not coming when called, fighting with other dogs, hunting and killing smaller animals to name a few. It's because they are so smart that they get bored and constantly create new problems to keep their owners busy 24/7 solving those problems not to mention making home repairs.


A good question to ask yourself is would you still want a Shiba if it was hairless. Your decisions would be based only on the characteristics and temperament of the breed. It would still be independent, spunky and brilliant. If you say no then you should look at another breed.


That's my honest truth. It's the only way I operate, with true and tough information that people don't always like to hear. You can find someone to take your money and sell you a Shiba puppy if you keep looking but you won't be getting the best quality & healthy Shiba you are expecting. Anyone who would ship a pet quality puppy OF ANY BREED a long way doesn't care about their dogs at all. These purchases are done with puppy mills and dog brokers. It is bad enough to send top quality puppies across the world, breeders don't like doing it but sometimes it is the right thing to do to help build a healthy breeding program in that country. That is the ONLY reason to be shipping animals across the world.


I hope this information helps you understand breeders views on shipping pet puppies and also helps you make a good decision on whether this breed is right for you or not.


As usual, wishing you all good health and much happiness.


C