Tomorrow is a holiday! Just for one day? | Kikuko Ota (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)

2010.12.27

I'm a four-month-old, four-kilogram Shiba Inu.

I can't help but chase anything that moves. My owner's slippers and socks go back and forth in front of me. When I catch up to them, they run away, so I chase them again. It's fun when my angry owner starts chasing me. I used to get caught right away, but lately, it's not so easy. My owner can't fit into the small spaces I run through.

It used to be hard to get my owner's attention when they were sitting in a chair, absorbed in the TV. But now I can easily jump onto their wrist or arm, so they notice me right away. But they say, "Ouch," and for some reason, I get scolded. The other day, I finally managed to climb onto my owner's chair. When I proudly stood up, I saw lots of delicious-looking things on the desk that I had never seen before. My owner suddenly panicked, saying, "Oh no," and lifted me off the chair.

Today, for the first time, I was able to walk all the way to the nearby park and back on my own four feet. There are dogs of all different colors there—brown, black, and white—and many of them are so big they look like they could swallow me in one bite. I try to peek out quietly from behind my owner's legs. Sometimes, one of them gets closer and closer, and when I get scared and bark loudly, for some reason, the owners just laugh.

A man walking a gentle, toy-like female dog petted my head and said, "You're so cute," which was nice. But then he tried to cast a spell on me, saying, "Don't get any bigger, stay just like this!" I quickly hid behind my owner. No way! I'm going to get much bigger and stronger.

I'm always hungry, and I'm starting to figure out where all the tasty things and fun toys are in the house. I'm always waiting for my chance. I want to be held when I'm scared, but I don't want to be held as much as before, because I'm learning to be independent.

I heard my owners talking about how tomorrow is a holiday. They said they're going to take me to a faraway park I've never been to in something called a "car." All these new experiences can be a little scary, but I can't help but be excited. I'm always left home alone for so long, so I wish my owners' holiday would last forever.

They told me that the white thing in the distance is Mount Fuji, and it seems we're going to see something called the "first sunrise of the year" together. I want to eat a lot, not worry about the cold, experience all sorts of new things, and grow up fast.

(Posted: 2010/12/27)