Hello Laura! We Love our Shiba!!!!“ We've renamed him Helo (He-Low) Asami Kuma Ohshibaru - yes it's a mouthful He is so polite and loving! We've already registered him for puppy class and met his brother and sister!! I now know how hard it was for you to part with him and want to personally thank you for having done so. He is such a prize and we love him to death. At literally 4am in the morning freezing so he can use the washroom wouldn't have it any other way adore him! We wanted to thank you again for such a beautiful and well mannered Shiba. From the moment we toured your immaculate facilities and met your well tempered and stunning Shibas we knew we had found a gem“ an extremely professional and loving breeder only matched by the all the championship ribbons that adorn your Hall of Fame. Having visited other breeders it became crystal clear the contrast between your top notch facilities coupled with your seasoned knowledge and expertise that Koyote Kennels is in fact unrivalled for its Shibas. From your incredibly helpful and informative website that helped us decide if a Shiba was right for us to the straight talk, honesty and careful screening to determine if we were in fact suitable for a Shiba evokes a sense that you deeply care for your Shibas even after sending them to their new loving homes. We happily report that Helo has joined our pack and has stolen our hearts. I cannot imagine having made any other choice. Sincerely, Max and Chelsea

Sumo is doing well. Frequent bathing and walks along the bow river have paid off: he started swimming this week. Melody took a short video of Sumo in the Bow river. Sumo has two jobs. In the morning he comes to work with me to my office. During lunch break, I walk him over to Melody's store where he stays for the afternoon. Melody opened a fashion boutique in Inglewood not far from my office - at times, she has to answer more questions about the dog than about her dresses. And then at five I walk him home again.

Hi Laura, thought i would send you a picture of Kiyo, she is quite a character. This is from our camping trip, she had a great time. She was off the leash most of the time, and she ran and ran, till she got pooped out.

We really want to thank-you for helping us get Kita. We (Jeff and I) are so happy with her I can't even begin to explain it. We absolutely adore her and I can't even remember life without her. She is the best dog ever (Ok, maybe just in our eyes - ha!) and we can't believe we were so blessed to get her. She is always up for playing no matter how tired she is, loves going for walks, loves playing with her toys, is always checking up on us when we are in the other room too long, has learned many tricks (including giving "high 5's") and the list just goes on and on. Like I said before we simply adore her! She is still pretty little for her age and is always the smallest Shiba at daycare but we wouldn't have her any other way. Besides it makes her that much cuter. When we take her for walks people are always stopping us to ask what kind of dog she is and to tell us she is so cute. Oh, and did I mention she LOVES humans. She loves being pet and to get attention. And she actually loves going to the vet too (we are still using the Cochrane Small Animal Clinic - we LOVE the vet and like I said so does Kita). Anyway, thank-you again for helping us through this process. I really just wanted you to know how thankful we are. We will continue to love our Shiba Puppy for many years to come. Richelle Love

We were so thrilled to have found an excellent breeder close to Calgary that not only takes care of her Shibas, but does extensive health testing on all of her puppies. From the day that we picked out our puppy, we were allowed to visit Akihiro often until we brought him home. The experience we shared with Laura was great. She was very accommodating, informative and helpful throughout the whole process. I think my husband and I spent over 2 hours per visit and Laura greeted us with a smile each time :) We are so thrilled with our little boy and should we decide to get another Shiba (they're addicting!), we will definitely go through Laura again. Thanks so much for everything Laura, we had a fantastic time through everything and we could never be more thankful for our prince, Akihiro!

Sable was six months old last Sunday. Seems like not so long ago I was at your place preparing to bring Sable back to Ottawa. I enjoyed those few days with you so much. You were so hospitable and the time I spent with you and your dogs was so enlightening. You have an amazing operation. I was truly impressed. Koji is such a beautiful dog, that when we started to think of a second Shiba, it was automatic to consult you again. But seeing your kennels and your dogs - I realized that wonderful dogs are no accident. It's a tremendous gift to know that both Koji and Sable are a product of that environment. I so much more appreciate John's close relationship with Koji now, Sable is very much my baby. Everyone is so impressed by her. Even during our first vet visit, people remarked on her character and confidence for such a young dog. And she has only blossomed. She is the little social butterfly of the neighborhood. Other people, other dogs, she's always happy to see. She even has the occasional day at the office with John. I've always thought of myself as more of a cat person, but Sable and I have a very special bond. I never would have dreamed how very happy that little red puppy could make our home. She has been the perfect fit for us, for Koji and even with the cats. Thank you again Laura. You've provided us with an amazing little gift. Shiba Hugs and Kisses ..... Shelley and Sable

We couldn't possibly adore our little Shibas more - through all the good times and naughty times. Shibas are a unique breed of dog and training an alpha male was not always an easy task, but with lots of love, classes, and of course lots of treats, our big handsome boy turned into a great dog. He couldn't be more intelligent and knows exactly how to guilt us in to getting his way with those big brown eyes. More of a watchful big brother and independent dog, he is always up for a play session with his sister and loves being outside. He will be four in May 2009 - it's amazing how time flies! Our cuddly little three year old Ginger, couldn't be a sweeter or more gentle girl. She is very playful - always up for a game of "keep away" with a squeaky ball or for beating up her big brother. She keeps us on our toes ensuring we don't leave anything worthy of chewing out if we want to use it again and loves her tummy rubs! Laura has been a great friend and is a very knowledgeable breeder. She encourages new puppy owners to come visit thier pup frequently and is an amazing source of information on the breed. She has a huge heart and loves her Shibas dearly. After all these years, she continues to welcome our family into her home to visit, or whenever we need to "run" the pups in a big open yard. We couldn't possibly be happier with Koyote Kennels and our Shibas. Thanks Laura! Yvette & Mark

Dear Grandma Laura, I thought I would send you a photo of me in the snow. I love the snow unlike my Mom valerie.! Here I am picking mountain ash berries before Christmas! (We have a whole lot more snow now!) I don't think that the mountain ash berries are as tasty as saskatoons, so I left them for the waxwings. Cuddles and licks from Tori

Tuck has taken my family by storm! He has the ability to turn a bad day into a good day, and has been nothing but a positive experience. He does have those Shiba tendencies but has done reasonably well at the off-leash parks and is such a social butterfly! He is great around other dogs, kids, and adults. Puppy classes were great, and he excelled in his class. You can certainly tell he is a smart breed. I also want to say that you (Laura) made the buying process super easy, and have been very helpful. If I choose to give Tuck a brother or a sister I won't think twice on where I'll go! Dave

Hangin on the beach in Mexico! Dos Cervesa por favor!!

Laura, I can't believe that it has been 5 years since we first met you in the spring of '04. I'm writing to say that it has been wonderful dealing with you as our girls' breeder. You listened to us with care, we the first-time dog owners, and seemed to know things about us that we did not realize. You were patient with us as you spent many hours with us answering our endless questions. This means a lot to us. We love how you raise the pups in your home and around you and your family. We found your kennel to be clean, tidy and well organized. Your health testing records and pedigrees are organized so that us newbies can follow along and figure it out. I was so incredibly surprised at how accepting the new mothers were with us around their young puppies and this is indicative of the people-friendly temperament that all of your dogs have. I did not expect that the mothers would allow us to handle their young pups but they were totally fine with it and allowed us to keep them near us as long as we wished. This allowed us to bond early with our girls. You gave us the opportunity to show our girls and we are incredibly proud of their achievements in the conformance ring. This was also good training for them. Your advice about obedience training was spot-on and we continue to use the techniques you taught us before we took the girls home for the first time. The girls love coming out for a visit, and when we are driving to your place they start getting excited in their kennels as they recognize the area. The property is well set up with a number of fenced-in acres for them to romp around on and they enjoy visiting with yourself and their buddies from your kennel.

I never would've thought we would have a companion with such a great personality like Kuma has. We can't go a day without the little guy, whether we're wrestling on the bed, playing in the river or climbing a mountain, he's up for an adventure anytime. Thanks for all your help along the way. Ryan & Judy J P.S. We can't wait to get him a little brother.

After seeing a Shiba for the first time many years ago while on vacation in Whistler, it was love at first sight! Many years and many moves later, I have found myself living in Calgary, sharing a townhouse with my boyfriend, Cody Holliday... After being together for over 2 years, we decided it was time to maybe get a puppy. So I did my research, and rediscovered the Shiba Inu breed. They are very clean dogs, and are really cat-like in their mannerisms, so I discovered, and was intrigued yet again... A quick internet search later, and I made a phone call to Laura. She invited us out to Koyote Kennels“ to go hang out with the dogs and see if they were breed was match for us. 10 minutes into our first visit, it was also love at first sight for Cody, and we were ready to put our names on the waiting list for a black and tan male. Flash forward 10 months later, after many trips out to visit Laura and the dogs..... Lars arrived. He's the son of Tatsu and Panda“ and he's a ball of energy! We couldn't have asked for a better experience in getting to know our puppy“ Laura let us know right away when he had arrived, and we first met him at 2 days of age. December 2010, he came home with us to meet my two older cats. It's now months later and they are slowly getting used to him... He's fully housetrained (was a quick process!), and has been given the title Cutest Puppy EVERRR by everyone he meets. Along the way of waiting for our puppy to arrive, I have become great friends with Laura. I always bring my camera out with me to capture those candid moments of her pack! As an amateur photographer (there is a LOT to learn)“ it is quickly becoming one of my passions. And it doesn't hurt that Lars gets to come out and run with the dogs while I'm busy taking photos. I highly recommend Koyote Kennels to anyone that is looking for a Shiba Inu“ Laura has so much expertise and knowledge about the breed“ and the support she offers to puppy and dog owners is unmatched!

We love our Shiba Inu, Kirby Bear, and Kirby for short. Our family has always been big dog people, Huskies and German Shepards. However we are converted. The first time I saw a Shiba Inu I was intrigued. They look like a big dog in a small dog body and they carry themselves proudly. I researched the breed and knew that a Shiba was going to be my next dog. Time passed and eventually we felt it was time to have a new pet in our family to be a buddy for our nine year old son Colin. So I researched the breed again and came across Laura's website among others. Laura's site caught my attention. I like that the pups are whelped in the house and around family and other pets and visitors. Laura does an excellent job at socializing the puppies and this was important to us as we live in another province and could not visit the puppies regularly ourselves. We made contact first by e-mail and then by telephone and then we were on the waiting list for a black and tan male puppy. Laura kept in constant contact with us, she even offered us red puppies as litters were born, but we had our hearts set on a black and tan. We had an opportunity to visit Laura and her family in July 2010. We were able to handle the puppies and played with some of the older dogs. Laura took the time to show us around and answer our questions. We really noticed that all her Shibas are very well loved. She takes pride in her business. We didn't have to wait too long after that visit and Kirby's litter arrived in August 2010. Laura picked out the puppy for us, she described him as the most shy and kissy one in the litter. He is the son of Bear and Emiko and Kaleidoscope is his sister. He has a great disposition, he has lots of energy and he is lovey, he likes to be a lap dog, when it suits him of course. He loves the outdoors which is good as our family does too. We have taken Kirby snowshoeing, ice fishing, and tobogganing to name a few. He loves the snow and porpoises in through the soft snow like a dolphin, popping his head up out of the powder. Oh yes he loves to steal mitts and toques also, it is a fun chase game. We are looking forward to taking him camping, swimming and boat fishing this summer. Everyone that meets Kirby is very intrigued by the breed and remark that he is one of the cutest dogs they have ever seen. I have no hesitation in recommending both the Shiba Inu breed and recommending Laura as an excellent breeder that knows her stuff. Kirby is 8 months old now (April 2011) and we look forward to the many adventures in our future with our wonderful little dog. Thank you so much Laura for doing what you do so well. Shiba Hugs from Darren, Cindy and Colin & Kirby in Prince George, B.C.

Hi Laura, I just wanted to check in and let you know that Lexie's doing fantastic! She's so happy, good natured, independent and spunky. She's beautiful, and I know that as well as how she was raised, where she came from was just as important in the way she turned out. I spent hours searching for a great breeder, and when I flew down to meet you and your dogs I knew right away that I'd made the right choice. Not only did I get too see where Lexie was raised for the first few months, I also got to meet her siblings, parents, and grandparents. Although I couldn't be there weekly to see how my baby was growing, you kept me updated with emails, pictures and phone calls. Lexie is far from the typical Shiba. My vet even comments on how well mannered she is, and says she's one of his favourite patients. Everywhere we go, I get people stopping me to tell me how beautiful my dog is, and asking where I got her. I've recommended you to absolutely everyone that asks for a good Shiba breeder, because in my eyes you're the best. I've included a picture of Lexie and Annabelle for you. Hope everyone is doing well!

We own a wonderful three year old female Shiba by the name of Koda. We love the breed so much that we wanted to adopt another. So we started the process to bring another member into our family and we really wanted to get a black and tan. We are so grateful that we were able to get our little boy (Lynk) and that you (Laura) gave us the opportunity to own one of your precious Shibas. Luckily a couple of litters were born and we were able to go to Koyote Kennels and choose our precious boy. They were one week old when we went to see them. It was a wonderful experience to visit with Laura and see all the wonderful Shibas that reside at her place. They were all excited and fun to meet. Even though we thought we knew a lot about the breed, Laura was able to prove us wrong and we found out so many other things from her that were both interesting and things we use every day.The puppy class was so informative and helpful in training Lynk. Lynk has been a wonderful addition to our family and I don't know how we ever lived without him. He has taken to the whole family, two of our daughters now live in their own houses, but when they come to visit he just loves them too. And we all get lots of Shiba grins from him. He has come into our family and stolen our hearts. We just love him so much. He has the sweetest personality. In the morning once he is released from his kennel he picks up whatever he can find, either a toy, a slipper or a sock if he can find one and then the Shiba grin is on his little face and he is just so excited to greet us. We just don't know what we would do without him.

We wanted to thank you again for our beautiful little Shiba and for all your help along the way. Your little "Smokey" has been a bit of a handful since early on, but is now 1 year old and truly a fantastic well-rounded dog and we know she turned out this way because of where she came from. Right from the very beginning you spent hours showing us around and helping us decide if a Shiba was the right choice for our family, going through all the good and bad of being owned by a Shiba. We could sense that you genuinely love your Shibas and make sure that each and every one goes to a loving home. The difference compared to other breeders was outstanding, from all the health testing that you do on all your dogs, to seeing the temperament of her parents and all of you other Shibas Inus. Even long after we brought her home, the hours you spent on the phone with us were invaluable. Anytime we had a problem you were always just a phone call away. We would also like to mention how much we learned from St. Louis❠who you recommended to us when we first brought Yuki home and had some issues between her and my sister's dog. Thanks to his advice today they are the best buddies. If you remember, we had a difficult year and had to postpone getting our puppy from when we originally thought. We wanted to wait a few more months before we brought a puppy home but when we came to visit you again but the minute we held her we knew we had to take her home with us! She has helped us get through a very difficult time our lives and we really don't know what we would do without her. She is the perfect addition to our family and gets along so well with Chulita our Miniature Pincher; the wrestling is endless between them and they can most often be found relaxing side-by-side. We are so impressed on how smart she is and she still surprises us each and every day, by the time she was 6 months old she already was completely housebroken and had the run of the whole house while we are at work! We cannot even begin to express how much we love our little Yukiko and look forward to visiting you soon! Shiba Kisses Elias & Stephanie

Soba is such a wonderful dog and we could not have asked for a better Shiba Inu. His temperament is perfect and he has none of the "bad" Shiba characteristics you often hear about from people. He even likes to swim when we go to the cabin! He is the most beautiful dog and his coat is still so long and fluffy! Everyone we meet here loves him as well and he is quite a little star anytime we take him out. He is so sweet and we simply adore him. Thank you for giving us our perfect little third family member. Shiba smiles, Brittany, Jesse and Soba Craig

Hi Laura, I just wanted to reach out and tell you how happy we are with Shin Yu. We adopted him 2 years ago and life has not been the same, for the better. He is so well behaved and just adores life. We take him to daycare once a week to socialize with other dogs and often take him to the park to play fetch! I let him off leash and he does not run away like we have been warned. He is in great health and spirit and has enriched our lives in more ways than we could have ever imagined. Thank you and we hope everybody has the same experience we are having. John and Jason

"From the first time meeting Laura, we felt very much at ease and her kindness was evident. After visiting Koyote Kennels, and seeing how clean and professional Laura is, we knew we had found the right breeder.

Each week we came to visit our new "baby" and knowing the pups were raised in the house and would be house trained was awesome. We were very impressed with her knowledge and support and seeing the health testing records assured us of her dedication.

Once the time arrived to take Shinobi home, the little puppy class she gave really helped us feel ready. Being first time puppy parents, we are easily worried and Laura was readily available by phone when Shinobi was sick late one night.

Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better breeder experience and really wanted to express our appreciation! " - Aaron & Tanya