The most popular breed of dog in Japan, the Shiba Inu, is an adorable dog with a bold, beautiful personality to match. Some say that it is possible that these dogs were around as early as 7,000 BC when the earliest immigrants inhabited Japan. Archaeological records found Shiba Inu-sized dogs’ remains among those of the country’s Jomon-jin people who lived from 14,500 BC to 300 AD. It is now thought that Shibas were created by breeding immigrant dogs with the Jomon-jin dogs around 300 BC. Today, they have been declared a national treasure by Japan’s people, and some Shiba Inu dogs have found fame on social media, such as YouTube and Instagram.
The Shiba name comes from the Japanese word brushwood and is thought to refer to the red color of this breed or the dense brush found in Japan’s mountains. Alternatively, an obsolete translation of the word Shiba simply means little. The second part of their name, the word Inu, means dog in Japanese, giving their name a translation of ‘brushwood dog’. These Japanese dogs were initially bred to hunt small game and flush out wild birds or, occasionally, wild boar in Japan’s mountains. They hunt by sight and scent in the undergrowth.
Originally there were three types of Shiba Inu, named for the region in which they originated. These were the Mino, the San’in, and the Shinshu bloodlines. Unfortunately, by the end of World World War II, Shiba Inus were virtually extinct, killed in bombing raids, and severely affected by canine distemper. To revive the breed, Shiba Inus from remote reaches of Japan were brought into breeding programs, and in 1948 the Japanese Kennel Club was established. Most of the dogs used to repopulate modern-day Shiba Inus were Shinshu Shibas, although all three varieties contributed to the breed as we know it today.
The first Shiba Inu to arrive in the United States of America was brought to the country in 1954 by a military family. These dogs were then recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1992, being added to the AKC’s non-sporting group in 1997. Although bred as hunters, these dogs are not classified in sporting group like Retrievers and Terriers may be.
One famous Shiba Inu named Mari saved her family from an earthquake in 2004 when she woke up her elderly owner trapped beneath a cabinet. She miraculously also managed to move and save her puppies. Mari’s fantastic story of survival was turned into a film in Japan called; A Tale of Mari and Her Three Puppies.
Welcome to the Stamford Rail, er, Dog Trail! Enjoy exploring this lovely trail and discover a cache series dedicated to the loyal, long-snouted domesticated mammal so central to mankind's history, sport, legend and friendship.
The cache series is winter friendly and can be done on foot or bike, and yes, dogs are welcome. Park in Stamford and start your journey southward.