Nami and I went out very early in the morning on Sunday to attend the Rhode Island Pet Expo with a couple Shiba friends. We hadn't planned on really entering the attached dog show, but it was a fun bonus and gave us an opportunity to show everyone the breed. The show followed FCI standards and boasted quite the collection of dogs!

Nami was awarded with her ribbons for her breed wins (since there was no other competition) and earned a "very good" on all of her evaluated traits. I suspect that may be because the judge had no context, but he did seem to enjoy her temperament and the way she moved.

What surprised me was that we took 4th place during the group matches! Nami and I are not show-savvy by any means, but it was pretty fun and a good opportunity to be out with her. 

We also attended an AKC "meet the breed" booth. We spoke to expo-goers and AKC representatives alike about the Kishu Ken. Nami did most of the charming herself, though.

If you are interested in the Hokkaido Ken and are looking to get involved in the breed community in the USA, the lovely people behind Hakuzan Kensha have decided to drop their Hokkaido Ken breeding program and would like to place their two dogs with an individual dedicated to the breed.

This is a great opportunity for the breed and for the individual who welcomes the responsibility.

Nothing new to report, but I snapped these of Fionna (Kaneko) today, so I thought I'd share to break up the silence.