Luna

When I walked into Casey and Nathan’s brightly-lit home in Burlington, their gorgeous Shiba Inu, Luna, met me at the door to say hello. After a few minutes of sniffs and licks, we sat down on a big comfy couch in their living room to chat about their life together.

Luna in 4 words:
Sassy, Confident, Super Cute

How old is Luna?
She’s almost 1

If your dog was a celebrity, who would they be?
Meghan Markle comes to mind because Luna acts like royalty, is very confident, people love her, and she’s good looking and knows it.

How did the 3 of you become a family?
We met about 7 years ago, so we’ve known each other for awhile. We eventually got together and moved in here.

We didn’t rush into getting a dog. We wanted to make sure we were ready for the responsibility and that we could provide it with a great life. Once we decided it was time, we found a breeder and started the process. These puppies go quickly, and even though we wanted a boy at first, we ended up choosing Luna, a girl, for shallow reasons to be honest – she was the better looking one left.

We hoped to spend some time with all the puppies beforehand to get to know their personalities better and see who clicked, but we didn’t get that chance, so looks was all we really had to go on.

We lucked out because she ended up being the best dog. People say you shouldn’t get Shiba Inu’s as first time dog owners because they can be hard to train and very independent, but Luna hasn’t been any trouble at all. You’d think with a puppy you’re going to come home to a torn apart couch, but we walk in and everything is how we left it, and happy Luna is waiting for us.

How did you pick the name Luna?
Well, we had a bunch of boys names picked since we thought we were getting a boy. So, once we had to pick a girls name it took some time. For days we’d shout names at each other through the house as we thought of them. We tried a lot of Japanese names at first because Shiba Inu’s are a Japanese breed, but nothing stuck. Then one day Casey was sitting at her desk and said “Luna” out loud. As soon as the name left her lips we looked at each other and just knew it was the right one.

What are some of Luna’s funny habits?
She does super dramatic yoga poses in the morning to stretch. Downward dog is a real thing! She’ll also hip-check people and other dogs. You’ll just be standing there and she’ll run and then throw her hip into you!

How do you and Luna usually spend your days?
Our days usually include cuddles in the morning, lots of play time in the backyard and inside, and long walks, hikes or rollerblading adventures. When Luna’s not hanging out with us she’ll be watching the road from the window, taking a nap, or eating her favourite meal.

If Luna could talk, what do you think she would say?
Play with me human. More attention please!!

How has Luna being in your family changed your life?
She’s really helped with Casey’s anxiety. Taking her for a walk or playing always helps, and Luna’s energy is amazing. Just being around her makes you smile!

And she’s changed our focus from what we want to what she needs. We’re always trying to figure out how to incorporate her in what we do and find new ways to spend time together. We’ll take her anywhere we can and when we’re without her we’ll be thinking about how to get back to her quicker. She’s our family and we love her so much.