Anko is a one-litter-a-year program in the Boise foothills.
Seven purebred Shiba Inu puppies are due the third week of
September. They grow up underfoot in the house. They go
home at eight weeks vet-checked, microchipped, and covered by a two-year written guarantee.
Mica is the calm one and Fox
is the goofy one, so there should be a puppy in here for most kinds of house.
Whelping dates move by a few days either way. Waitlist applications close when
deposits match the expected litter size.
01 · The program
One litter a year, raised in the house.
We breed Shibas the slow way. One litter a year means every puppy is raised in
the middle of a working household (doors, dishwashers, vacuum, visitors, stairs, car rides) instead of in a run out back. By eight weeks a
Anko puppy has met a lot of the world already.
Underfoot, not in a run. This is what “raised in the house” actually looks like.
We are not the cheapest Shibas in Idaho and we do not try to be. What you are paying for is eight weeks of deliberate socialization, honest matching, a written two-year guarantee, and a breeder who answers the phone for the next fifteen years.
Program record
Litters per year
One
Expected size
Seven puppies She has consistently whelped six to seven. We are planning for seven.
Registration
CKC Mica is AKC; Fox is Continental Kennel Club. The AKC requires both parents, so this litter cannot be AKC registered. Full explanation on the Reserve page.
Go-home age
8 weeks, on November 13, 2026
Placement
Deposit order, with breeder matching Deposit sets your pick position; final match is made together at seven weeks.
02 · Eight weeks
What happens between birth and your car.
Dates below are calculated from the due date and shift with her actual whelping day.
Week 0
Whelping
She whelps at home, attended start to finish. Birth weight, time, sex and markings recorded for every puppy in the first hour.
Days 3–16
Early Neurological Stimulation
The Bio Sensor handling protocol: five brief exercises daily. Associated with better stress tolerance and cardiovascular response later in life.
Week 2
Eyes and ears open
First real photos go up on this page, and everyone on the waitlist gets them by email the same day.
Weeks 3–4
Weaning and first surfaces
Solid food begins. New surfaces to walk on, household noise, and the crate introduced as somewhere they want to be.
Week 6
First vaccinations & wellness check
Seen by our veterinarian. Deworming schedule complete to date. Records start travelling with each puppy.
Week 7
Temperament evaluation & matching
We evaluate each puppy, then match families to the puppy that fits their life, not the one that photographs best. You get our honest read, in writing.
Week 8
Go-home day
Final vet exam, microchip registered in your name, registration paperwork, and the go-home kit. We will walk you out to the car.
03 · Included
What comes home with the puppy.
Every item below is part of the price. Nothing here is an add-on.
01
Registration paperwork
Continental Kennel Club, transferable to you. Not AKC, and the Reserve page explains exactly why.
02
Two-year written guarantee
Covers congenital and hereditary defects for two years. If one appears, your dog stays with you and we refund part of the price. Full terms in the contract, sent before deposit.
03
Veterinary exam at eight weeks
Signed health certificate from our vet, dated within days of pickup.
04
Vaccinations and deworming
Age-appropriate and current. The complete record travels with the puppy.
05
Microchip, registered to you
Implanted and transferred into your name before you leave, not after.
06
Early Neurological Stimulation
Bio Sensor protocol, days three through sixteen, every puppy, every day.
07
Eight weeks of socialization
Surfaces, sounds, strangers, handling, crate and car. We keep a log.
08
Go-home kit
The food they are already eating, a blanket that smells like the litter, a collar, and their record book.
09
Breeder support for life
Call or text us at week one or year twelve. We would rather hear from you early.
10
Parent DNA panels on file
Both Mica and Fox run through a full Embark panel: 270+ genetic conditions, traits and ancestry. Results are published on The Parents page and copied to you with the contract.
11
Take-back commitment
If your circumstances ever change, at any point in this dog’s life, the dog comes back to us. We are not letting one of ours end up in a shelter, at any age, for any reason. This is about the dog. You do not get the purchase price back.
01 · The seven
Positions now, puppies in October.
Nobody can honestly promise you a red male in September. What we can hold is your
place in line. Deposits fill these positions in order. Photographs, names, sexes and coats fill in here as soon as they exist.
7Expected
7Open
0Reserved
0Days to whelp
If the litter comes in smaller than seven, deposits beyond the last puppy are refunded
in full or rolled to the next litter with first pick. Your choice, and we will call you the day she whelps either way.
02 · Previous litters
What Fox throws.
Mica with one of her own, from an earlier litter.
These are not the September puppies, and we are not going to pretend they are.
Every photograph below is from an earlier litter sired by Fox in Utah. Some are out of Mica and some are out of a different female, and we cannot honestly tell you which is which. They are here so you
can judge the pairing instead of taking our word for it.
Photographs from earlier litters, used with the previous breeder’s permission.
Mica is black and tan and Fox
is red, so reds, black and tans and sesames are what we expect this September.
Our own puppies replace these pictures in October.
03 · Names
We use litter names. You use yours.
Every puppy gets a temporary litter name from us so that seven red puppies stop being
interchangeable in photographs and updates. This is the
S litter, so ours all start
with that letter. The registered name is settled with you before the registration paperwork goes in,
and the name you actually call the dog is entirely yours.
04 · Updates
What lands in your inbox, and when.
Everyone holding a deposit gets all of it. This page updates on the same schedule.
01
Whelping night
A message the same evening: how many, sexes, birth weights, and how she is doing.
02
Week two
Eyes open. First real photographs of each puppy, individually, in decent light.
03
Weekly, weeks three to eight
Fresh photos, a short video, current weights, and an honest note on each puppy’s personality.
04
Week seven
Temperament results and your match, in writing, with the reasoning behind it.
Both parents live here, and here is exactly what each one is.
They are not out on lease and they are not down the road at a co-breeder’s.
You can meet Mica in person before you place a deposit, and we would rather you did.
Fox and Mica, the pairing behind this litter.
Mica
Dam
Registered name
DeMille’s Royal Blossom
Registry
AKC
Registration
NP57616804
Coat
Black & tan
Born
November 9, 2019
Weight
32 lbs
Mica settles in the house, ignores strangers until she has decided about them, and does not bark. Affectionate in the cat-like way the breed is known for: on her own terms, and entirely on your side once she has picked you. She has never been aggressive with a person or another dog, she is easy meeting new dogs, and she is great with our kids. One of the best dogs we have owned.
Fox
Sire
Registered name
DeMille’s Royal Blaze
Registry
Continental Kennel Club
Registration
SN-05394479
Coat
Red
Born
August 2, 2020
Weight
26 lbs
Fox is the goofy one. He never stops moving, which is why he is a lean 26 pounds, and he will play fetch until you quit. He actually brings the ball back, which most Shibas will not do. Very food motivated, which makes a real difference with this breed. He loves being petted and he is completely attached to our son.
What the pairing means
Mica sits at the calm end of the breed and Fox at the playful end, so the puppies will land all over that range. You will not get seven of the same dog. Sorting out which end each puppy landed on is most
of what happens in week seven, and you get our read in writing.
If you have not had a Shiba before, two things about Fox need explaining. A Shiba who reliably plays fetch is uncommon: most will chase a
ball once, then look at you as though you should be the one to go and get it. And a Shiba that will work for food is far easier to train, because these are not dogs that live to please you. Training one is a negotiation. Food is the best hand you can hold.
None of which cancels the section further down this page.
Fox got lucky. Shibas are a hard breed and he sits at the easy end of it, but there is no promise the puppies take after him.
02 · Health panel
What we test.
Both parents get a full veterinary examination and a complete Embark DNA panel covering more
than 270 genetic conditions, including GM1 gangliosidosis, the disorder this breed is
known for. Results are published here as they land, with the lab report behind them.
What we do
Mica
Fox
Record
Veterinary examinationFull physical, by a licensed vet
Normal, June 2026
Normal
Signed summary on file
Multi-disease DNA panel270+ genetic conditions, traits and ancestry
Panel submitted
Panel submitted
Embark lab report
GM1 gangliosidosisThe one the breed is known for
In the panel
In the panel
Embark lab report
Ask every breeder you talk to for this same table. A lot of them will not
give you one. Every record behind these rows goes out with the contract before money
changes hands, and you are welcome to read them first.
Both parents are going through a full Embark panel now, and every result posts here as it lands.
03 · Read this part
A Shiba is not a golden retriever in a fox suit. If you want a dog that lives to please you, this is the wrong breed, and we will tell you so before you send a deposit.
Shibas are ancient, independent, and extremely clean. They are also opinionated.
Most of the returns we hear about in this breed come from families who fell for the
face and never read a word about the temperament. Here is the honest list.
·
Recall is not reliable
Prey drive is high and selective hearing is real. A Shiba stays leashed or behind a secure fence, for its whole life. Plan on it.
·
The Shiba scream
A dramatic, human-sounding shriek used at the vet, in the bath, and occasionally at nothing. It is normal. It is loud.
·
Affection on their terms
Cat-like, aloof with strangers, deeply loyal to their people. Not a velcro dog and never will be.
·
They blow coat twice a year
For two or three weeks, spring and fall, there is undercoat everywhere. A good rake and patience.
·
Escape artistry
Gaps, gates and unlatched doors are opportunities. Six-foot fence, checked gates, and a microchip that is actually registered.
·
Same-sex tension
Two Shibas of the same sex in one home can be a project. We will talk through your current pets before matching.
No deposit is taken before we have spoken. That is not a formality. It is how the matching works.
STEP 01
Application
The form below. It takes about five minutes and tells us how a Shiba would fit your household.
STEP 02
Conversation
A phone or video call, both directions. Ask us anything, including the uncomfortable questions.
STEP 03
Contract & deposit
We send the contract, health certificates and guarantee. A $300 deposit holds your position in pick order.
STEP 04
Matching at seven weeks
After temperament evaluation we go through the litter together and place your puppy.
STEP 05
Go-home day
Balance due at pickup. Plan an hour here for paperwork, questions, and a proper goodbye.
02 · Proof
How to know we are real.
Shiba Inu is one of the most impersonated breeds online. Fake breeder pages, stolen
photographs and puppies advertised at four hundred dollars are a documented problem,
and the shipping-fee request is the usual tell. Here is how to check us. Use the same
list on everyone else you talk to.
01
Come to the house
Meet Mica before you send a dollar. A breeder who will not do a visit or a live video call is telling you something.
02
Nothing flies in cargo
Pickup in Boise, Idaho, or an in-cabin flight nanny you book and pay directly. We will never ask you for a shipping or insurance fee.
03
No wires, gift cards or cash apps
Deposits are taken by check or bank transfer against a signed contract carrying our real name and address.
04
Reverse image search our photos
Ours are ours, taken here. Scam sites recycle the same handful of stock puppies across dozens of domains.
05
Call our veterinarian
Ask us for the clinic name and number and confirm that Mica and Fox are patients there. We will hand it over without being asked twice.
06
A price that makes sense
A purebred Shiba from a real breeder does not cost four hundred dollars. If the number looks too good, the puppy usually does not exist.
03 · Price
Puppy
$1,800Everything on the Included list is part of this price.
Deposit
$300Applied to the balance. Holds your pick position.
Balance
Due at pickup Cash, cashier’s check, or bank transfer.
Puppy DNA report
+$150, optionalA full Embark panel on your own puppy: 270+ genetic conditions, traits, predicted adult weight, ancestry, and confirmation that Fox and Mica are the parents. Ordered at pickup if you want it.
Registration
CKC, includedNot AKC, and not available as an upgrade at any price. See the registry question below.
04 · Application
Tell us about your household.
Answer honestly rather than perfectly. We have placed puppies with apartment dwellers and turned down people with five acres.
05 · Questions
The ones people actually ask.
Three separate promises get confused with each other constantly, so here they are side by side.
Promise
Window
What happens
Vet check
72 hours
Full refund, and the puppy comes back to us that day.
Health guarantee
two years
Partial refund for a diagnosed congenital or hereditary defect. You keep your dog.
Take-back
Lifetime
We take the dog back, any time, for any reason. No refund.
The take-back is not a return policy. It exists so that no dog we bred ends up in a shelter or on a rehoming page, and it stands whether you have had the dog eight weeks or eleven years. Call us first, always.
Two things. First, take the puppy to your own veterinarian within 72 hours. If they find something acute, you get a full refund and we take the puppy back that day.
Second, for two years we cover congenital and hereditary defects diagnosed by a licensed vet. If one is found, you keep your dog and we refund part of the purchase price. We are not going to ask a family to hand back a dog they have fallen in love with to collect on a guarantee.
In return we ask you to keep vaccinations current, feed an appropriate diet, and hold off on spay or neuter until your vet says growth plates have closed.
No, and it applies to us, so here it is.
Mica is registered with the American Kennel Club. Her pedigree runs back through Monark lines and her sire carries an AKC DNA profile.
Fox is registered with the Continental Kennel Club, a separate organization with much lighter verification. His own sire and dam were not registered with them at all.
The AKC only registers a litter when both parents are AKC registered. Ours are not, so these puppies cannot be AKC papered at any price. They are purebred Shiba Inu and they can be registered with the Continental Kennel Club, but that certificate does not carry a traceable pedigree the way Mica’s does.
We would rather lose the sale than have you learn this afterwards. It is also why our price is what it is. Both certificates are yours to inspect before you place a deposit.
Because we can measure it instead of asking you to trust a signature.
Both parents go through a full Embark panel, and Embark’s results team performs parentage analysis on dogs in their database. Add the optional puppy DNA report at pickup and the result confirms the parentage of your specific puppy directly.
Proving parentage is the whole job a registration certificate does. A registry takes the breeder’s word for it and prints a certificate. A DNA panel measures it. We would rather hand you the measurement.
What DNA cannot do is act as a registry. It will not make a puppy AKC eligible, it will not get you into conformation, and it does not produce a pedigree stretching back generations. It tells you what the dog is, not who its great-grandparents were.
A full veterinary examination on both, and a complete Embark DNA panel covering 270+ genetic conditions, GM1 gangliosidosis among them. Mica’s most recent exam came back entirely normal. The table on The Parents page shows where each one stands, and the records go out with the contract.
What we do not do is OFA orthopedic screening, the radiographic hip and patella evaluations. Programs that do charge more than we do, and that is fair. We charge for the work we actually do.
If the litter is smaller than expected and we cannot place you, your deposit is refunded in full or moved to the next litter. Your choice, no argument.
If you change your mind, the deposit is non-refundable but transferable to a future litter for twelve months. That is what keeps the waitlist made of serious people.
No puppy of ours flies alone in cargo. Most families drive to Boise, Idaho and pick up in person, which we strongly prefer, because it is the only way you meet Mica.
For longer distances we can arrange an in-cabin flight nanny at your cost. Ask early, since it affects which pickup week works.
Continental Kennel Club registration, for the reason set out above. Not AKC.
If you want a dog with an AKC pedigree for conformation showing or for breeding, we are the wrong litter. We will say so on the phone instead of taking your deposit.
For a pet Shiba who is going to hike, nap and ignore your recall, the paperwork changes nothing about the dog in front of you. Temperament, health and how the puppy was raised are what matter, and that is where our work goes.
Yes, for limited-registration puppies, on a timeline you set with your own veterinarian. We do not put a fixed date in the contract. Current guidance for small breeds generally favours waiting for growth-plate closure, and we would rather you follow your vet than us.
Positions are filled in deposit order. If the litter comes in at four, positions five and up roll to the next litter with priority pick, or take a full refund. We will call you the day she whelps either way.
Birth announcement within hours. Real photographs once their eyes open at about two weeks, then weekly updates by email plus short videos to everyone holding a deposit, right through to go-home day.
Sometimes. It depends far more on how much reading you have done about the breed than on your résumé. A first-time owner who understands what a Shiba is will always beat an experienced owner who wants a compliant dog.
Yes, and we encourage it. Meet the dam, see where the whelping box goes, ask hard questions. After she whelps we keep visits limited until the puppies have their first vaccinations. That is about their immune systems, not about hiding anything.
Draft: before you publish
Fill every CONFIG value at the top of the script.
Add both parents’ weights, and a line about each temperament.
Confirm the Embark panel is actually ordered before publishing; the health table says “Panel submitted”.
Replace dnaDam / dnaSire with the real results in October.
Read the Included list and delete anything you do not actually do.
