Hello everyone!

What a great Meetup we had yesterday!  We lucked out yet again with the weather and we had a very impressive turnout of 37+ Shibas.  I think a few slipped by without registering or signing in at the table because there were a lot of Shibas and people I just didn’t recognize.  I believe we had 17 first timers there.  Thanks to all who came and made this Meetup another success.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the 50/50 draw; the winner was Jag D. and she took home $67.  The other half will be added to the money raised thus far for the SPCA’s "Paws for a Cause" fundraiser in September 2009.  To date, we have raised almost $300 and I will continue to raise money throughout the year at all future Meetups.  In March we will have another 50/50 draw.

The dog cookies were a phenomenal hit and we sold out very quickly!  There were a lot of well fed Shibas at the Meetup that’s for sure.  There were quite a few non-Shibas who were interested in the cookies as well, including two chubby Pugs and a Golden Retriever who actually swiped some cookies off the table!  Amber and Erin, take that as a compliment to both of your efforts.  Thank you so much!

And…. yet another thank you to all the people who donated items for the gift basket to be raffled off at the April Meetup.  I will be collecting more donations for the raffle at the March Meetup as well as try and purchase a few more special items in the weeks ahead.  All money raised from the raffle will be going to "Paws for a Cause".

*** I know a few of you are probably wondering about the Shiba who escaped the park….  Thanks to efforts of a group of people, Aja was caught and is none the worse for wear.  She managed to get out of the park because two very inconsiderate people (non-Shiba owners) left the gate open and just watched as she ran out.  They couldn’t be bothered to let anyone know.  Some very keen eyes spotted her and informed the group and the search was one.  Good work everyone! ***

Most of you already know or have met Eric Jung, our resident Meetup photographer and website administrator.  His photos from yesterday’s event have been posted on Flickr:  February 28th, 2009 – Meetup Photos  If you see a photo of your Shiba, tag them in the comment’s field – there are a quite a few Shibas that I am unfamiliar with.  You will need either a Flickr account or a Yahoo email address to post a comment.

If you already have a Flickr account, feel free to upload your own photos to the Vancouver Shiba Meetup – Flickr Pool

The next Meetup will be on a Sunday, most likely end of March.  Once I’ve set the date, I will inform everyone.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions to improve the events, let me know!  I’d love to hear from you.   info@vancouvershiba.com

Jen, Koshi & Barkley

Hi everyone!
 
I hope you all had a nice winter and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to spring as much as I am! I’ve been swamped lately by email requests about the next Meetup so I thought I would make it official and announce the date.
 
The Meetup will be on SATURDAY, February 28th from 12pm-2pm in the off-leash area at David Gray Park in Burnaby – McKay Avenue and Rumble Street. The event will be held rain or shine so dress accordingly.

Click on the Shiba icon on the first map, and it will give you directions to the park.  Parking is available on McKay Avenue, on either side of the street. There is an entrance to the dog park right on McKay Avenue.
  

http://www.vancouvershiba.com/directions/

There will be dog & human cookies for sale (hopefully!) at the Meetup. I am looking for a couple of volunteers to make some cookies. One of my awesome dog cookie bakers will be having her baby this month so I’m looking for a temporary replacement. Her chicken liver & garlic cookies will be sorely missed by a lot of Shibas!  If you think you could assist in this area, send me an email – info@vancouvershiba.com  Your help is much appreciated!!  The proceeds from sales of the cookies help cover some of the costs associated with hosting the Meetups.

Hope to see you all there!

Jen, Koshi & Barkley

Hi everyone,

We had another great Meetup today, 25 Shibas in attendance.  Not one our largest events but it was to be expected with the iffy weather.  We got lucky again, it was mostly clear and only started to drizzle a little at the end.  We had a quite a few new Shibas and people today that I’ve been in contact with over the months; it was great to finally meet you all in person.  I hope you had a great time!

Thanks to all who participated in the raffle for the gift basket.  We raised $137 for the SPCA’s "Paws for a Cause" event taking place September 2009. The winner of the gift basket: Jen A.!!  Jen is one of our Meetup volunteers but was unable to make the event today. She was busy raising money for  the "No Puppymills Canada" organization at a craft sale and bought tickets in advance for the raffle.

There were quite a few presents for the gift exchange.  We will certainly do it again next year!  Eric and I were really pleased with the gift we received.  Thanks Jadine & Ryan, we will put it to good use!    There was one extra present left behind.  I think someone forgot to pick one out for themselves.  So we can hold on to it for you, or donate it to another gift basket for a future Meetup, just let me know what you’d like us to do with it.

Eric has posted photos from today’s event on Flickr.  He is sorry to inform everyone that due to the weather he wasn’t able to take as many shots as he usually does.  Here is the link if you’d like to check them out:

November 30th, 2008 – Meetup Photos

Well everyone, it was a great year for the Vancouver Shiba Meetup group, thanks for making the events so successful.  We will see you again in the New Year, most likely February 2009 if the weather cooperates.  Organizing these events has been a great experience for me and very rewarding.  I have made lots of good friends and it makes me so happy that our little organization can give back to the SPCA and make other animals’ lives better.  I look forward to seeing you all again next year.  Have a great Holiday Season and try not to spoil your Shibas too much! 

Jen, Koshi & Barkley