It began with a walk on the beach for dog lover Jackie Charlebois from Fergus.
Catching some waves with her then husky, Charlebois recalls a spirited black and tan dog sprinting full-speed towards her to say hello.
“The dog looked a lot like mine, only smaller, like a miniature husky, a puppy,” she said.
“Because the dog ran away, the owner was so thankful that I was there and she was able to catch her dog. It was a shiba inu. I had never seen one before.”
An ancient Japanese breed, the shiba inu is a muscular hunting dog, introduced to America about 60 years ago. Almost extinct during WWll, the breed has seen a big population boom over the last decade.
With confident personalities, shibas are between 18 to 24 lbs and have white markings combined with colouring that is either red, red sesame, or black and tan. They are alert with a smooth stride that almost makes them, ‘fox-like’.
“When I worked in Toronto, I was a kennel manager. I had a shiba inu puppy that did not pass the vet check. I ended up getting that puppy which was a female little red shiba,” Charlebois said.
“And that’s how my love affair with them began.”
As coordinator and owner of Shiba Rescue GTA, Charlebois has dedicated much of her life to the breed specific rescue.
“I’ve had 861 dogs come through my house. And I’m happy I did it,” she said.
“I always say that rescue is a disease. Once you’re in it, you can’t get out. You always think, oh poor guy! He has nowhere to go! If nobody had empathy, there would be a lot of dogs getting euthanized for no reason. They need us, whether they want it or not.”
Charlebois has been a big animal lover her whole life.
“My love for dogs and horses has been really profound. My parents wouldn't allow dogs so my neighbours' dogs would wait for me to come home from the cottage and I used to walk them every day. They would come to our house and go home to their families at night,” she said.
“My parents said, you don’t need a dog. You have all of the neighbour’s dogs.”
When Charlebois moved from Wasaga Beach to Fergus, she joined a dog meetup group in Toronto.
“I met a breeder who told me about two ladies who originally started Shiba Rescue GTA in 2008. He said I would be perfect because I had a lot of experience with shibas. And they desperately needed people to foster.”
Not long after, Charlebois took over the role of owner and operator of the rescue with the mission to house as many as she can.
“I lived in an apartment at the time. I started off with three rescues. I thought why not just take over? So, I just kind of fell into it," Charlebois said.
Charlebois says there’s no doubt about it, shibas are an interesting breed.
Not only does she look after them, but rehabilitates, trains and follows up after each rescue.
“The shiba inu can be difficult. There’s a lot of dominance aggression in them. People think that face is really cute, warm and fuzzy and looks like a fox with that curly tail,” she said.
“And then they realize there can be a very feral thinking mind in that little body. And they can get into trouble pretty quick.”
But Charlebois says, depending on where they come from, whether it be a puppy mill, or a homeless situation, not all dogs have issues.
“Sometimes, people just leave them,” Charlebois said.
“I once got a call from animal control in Scarborough. A lady said that she was watching three shibas running up and down Morningside Dr. which is very busy.”
The woman kept watch and finally lured them into her backyard. She ended up adopting one of pups. Charlebois took in the other two.
“They were the biggest sweethearts I had ever seen in my life. They were so adorable. I thought to myself, why would someone dump these dogs? And that’s just what they were. Drive by dump dogs,” Charlebois said.
Ironically, it was Lynn Scott, co-founder of Shiba Rescue GTA who adopted the first puppy, one and a half year old Mika.
“My husband wanted one, so we adopted a shiba. We’ve had eight since,” Scott said.
“When it comes to these dogs, Jackie has such patience and intuition.”
Charlebois has taken in shibas from across the country and in the US.
“It can get expensive and our adoption fees are quite minimal because most of the dogs do have some kind of issue. It’s always good to give back to the breed. I am lucky that I have known breeders who do give back to the breed," Charlebois said.
Charlebois says there’s a whole lot of faces people see before her face including shelters, transport drivers and airlines.
"I had one dog, Bob, from Kentucky. Someone cut his tail off. The whole side of his body was full of buckshot,” Charlebois said.
"I ended up placing him with a family for 10 years and he was the best dog."
Since that walk on the beach, Charlebois says she adores shiba inus. Since running the rescue, she has never looked back.
“Their size is great because they are portable. I live a fairly active lifestyle, going out to the farm. They go and don't get cold. They are a heartier breed. And also, who doesn’t love a fox? They are just cool looking. Their personality is very cat-like. They can be quite aloof, more like a cat. When they want to come over and visit you, they will,” Charlebois said.
“There are exceptions. Some are couch potatoes and are right in your face, but the majority of them are quite independent."
Charlebois says many of the people she has met through Shiba Rescue GTA have become lifelong friends.
“For me, I have 'rescue syndrome’. You try to save everybody, but you can’t,” she said.
“It’s the rush of finding a good home, and knowing that something good can come out of something bad.”
