Friday, November 21, 2008

Oji

Meet Oji. He is the new addition to my parents' household, a 4-or-5 year old Akita rescued from Michigan via MARS. He's still new to everything, but is very gentle and trusting. His name translates to "prince" in Japanese, and is also close enough to the Japanese pronunciation of "Ozzie," his previous name. "Oji" also sounds to me like "O.G.," but he is hardly an original gangster--for instance, he is attached to my dad, can't sleep alone, and doesn't seem to understand the concept of playing with toys (sad!). But who knows, maybe he will start regulating Logan Square soon enough.

When Yuki passed away last March, I was really cynical about pet-ownership. I was even thinking of things to say to my future child about how owning a pet is ultimately bad. But time has made things slightly more bearable. I think Oji is incredibly needy and possibly overly trusty of people, so he's a good fit for my parents, who tend to be overly give-y. This is to say that among other borderline-crazy things that will happen, he will be fed organic chicken while they eat non-organic chicken.

7 comments:

wes said...

i have to meet himmmm. look at his noble pose as he looks out the window! im in love

Rumi Neely said...

Yup, Kumo ;)

Animals with Japanese names = awesome

Oji is adorable, I've always wanted an Akita.

kei said...

Wesley: I think the noble pose is intrinsic to being a male Akita. My dad says Yuki was more slinky and slouchy when he walked her, and Oji is always upright, kind of trotting along.

Rumi: Thanks! I saw that picture of you petting an Akita in NYC. They are wonderful in every possible way, though some decent arm muscles are needed to walk them regularly.

wes said...

i want a man-kita now, are they difficult to find to rescue?

wes said...

there's a baby akita name huey in chicago, IL!

kei said...

The MARS people will come to your home and make sure you are a fit doggie parent! They will inspect your home with a test-Akita!

They kept pushing Huey on my parents. He look so goofy, but sometimes those are the greatest dogs. I think one of the major reasons why they picked Oji though was because of his age--the older the dog, the less likely it'll be adopted.

wes said...

oooh that makes sense. i guess owning an akita isnt such a good idea for someone who has never had a dog before.

im a little sad knowing i'd fail the mars test