Sasha The Diva
My Sasha, a petite Shiba Inu, was such a character that many names were given to her. They were Sasha the Diva, Sashabutt, Sasha the Entertainer, & Sasha the Movie Star.
Sasha LOVED to learn new tricks, but she loved to SHOW THEM OFF even more!
In my multi-decade personal use of Service Dogs, Sasha was my 3rd pick. Panther was feeble & Tobi the Tummy was recovering poorly from a knee surgery. It became evident that it would not be fair to expect Tobi to continue as my assistance dog, although I would keep her, of course. I had been very impressed with the dominant Shiba Inu DNA in Panther's breed mix as a working dog; I wanted to duplicate it if possible.
So, I began considering who would replace her. While Tobi was rehabbing, my daughter phoned me from Arizona, telling me she saw a Shiba Inu puppy being bullied by much larger puppies in a pet store window at a mall. This was my sign. I instructed her to put down a deposit. Then I mailed out the t-shirt I had on to be placed in the puppy's cage. When I showed up for Sasha a week later, the fox, I mean Shiba Inu puppy (lol), knew my scent! We bonded instantly!
On her "Gotcha Day, I flew from Atlanta, Georgia, to Phoenix, Arizona, to adopt Sasha. She flew back with me on my lap. We had a great dry ride home.
After a short while, Tobi the Tummy passed away from complications from her surgical wound. , Sasha stepped up to the plate, performing working dog duties. After about another year, Sasha quickly & exuberantly learning loads of advanced tricks, and I noticed a change in her. When we were out about town, I noted that Sashabutt no longer enjoyed being this type of working pup. Little by little, she absolutely resisted wearing her vest uniform. Equally so, she no longer showed the necessary patience, etc., that are mandatory for canine assistance duties.
Because I care holistically about every canine under my tutelage, I eventually retired Sasha from Service Dog work to utilize her talents elsewhere. She danced, twirled, and performed her little self into the hearts of children at schools, the elderly at nursing homes, and into her grandest role. My Shiba Inu became employed as an animal star in a full-length feature movie called Heavy Water. I expanded my resume as an Animal Wrangler & as a movie extra in one of the scenes. I choke up when I rewatch Heavywater Movie.
https://youtu.be/uhxkpHUSzhU?si=Ow7ScoP8o6moygTZ
I often relive the standing ovation from the producer, actors, & crew for "saving the movie, they told me. Btw, the backstage antics of Sasha the Entertainer were hilarious!
