thelazypetowner

[thelazypetowner]

Do you see the resemblance…? Hehe.

I didn't make these stickers, but I'm grateful for anyone that's interested/willing to buy one! Saspsarees are a very small and disjointed community, and there's almost no art or anything of them outside of Korea (very little in Korea, too). But we exist!! And it means a lot to support anything with them in it to show that YES, it IS worth making things featuring sapsarees!

(But also if that doesn't convince you, the artist is both incredibly talented with a unique style, and they promote other rare purebreds, so definitely check out their stuff! I don't really collect stickers, but to my uneducated self, the quality of these seem really nice. They're not too thin and flimsy, and physically, they feel well made.)

PS. You can buy them here! https://www.etsy.com/.../1802039585/korean-sapsaree-stickers

[thelazypetowner]

Here are some basic brochures (English version and Korean version) about the Korean Sapsaree.

[thelazypetowner]

One of the Facebook groups I'm in features a breed every month, and August 2024 is sapasree month. I thought I would share my posts here so we can spread some awareness and education since information is very difficult to find (in English especially, but also still in Korean).

Day one is just basic information.

Sapsalgae 삽살개, affectionately called sapasree 삽사리/sapsali 삽살이 and occasionally shortened to sapsal 삽살, is an indigenous dog (토종개) from South Korea. The name originally derives from Hanja (Chinese characters in Korean language) 煞 (evil spirit) and 揷 (to stop), and in Hangeul, the name becomes 삽사 (chase evil spirits) where 개, gae, means dog. Thus, the sapsaree's literal name means to chase or ward off evil spirits, and as such, sapsarees are often seen as guardians or protectors that bring good luck and peace.

Sapsarees have lived in South Korea for thousands of years, but exactly how long is unknown. The history of sapsarees are largely known through oral stories, folktales, paintings, songs, and writings. Potential evidence suggests they have been around since at least the Silla Dynasty (57 BCE – 935 CE), and for some time, they were typically kept by royalty. They were largely kept as companions, but they were sometimes used as military dogs (specifics of both of these purposes are unknown but likely along the lines of a general purpose companion, watch dog, and hunter). It wasn't until the Koryo Dynasty (918–1392) that commoners started owning sapsarees. During Japan's occupation of Korea, Japan issued Ordinance No. 26 in 1940 to kill dogs for fur to use as military resources. Sapsarees were largely targeted for their long hair, and an estimated 1.5 million sapsarees were killed during this period. Sapsarees came dangerously close to extinction, and in 1969, professors from the Kyungpook National University began searching for sapsarees. Of the dogs believed to be pure by appearance and behavior, only about 30 were found by 1972 when research began.

The true dedication to preserve sapsarees began in 1989 when Professor Ji-hong Ha committed to getting sapsarees recognized as a national monument (designations to animals, plants, formations, etc. that highlight and represent Korea's heritage), and in 1992, the Korean Sapsaree Foundation was founded and sapsarees were designated as National monument #368. From the original ~30 dogs saved, only 8 remained, and from those, the breed was carefully bred for preservation and protection. In 1999, sapsarees became available to the general public, and more recently, have become available to international buyers. Today, the Korean Sapsaree Foundation permanently houses approximately 500 sapsarees for preservation, breeding, and research, and sapsarees now number in the several thousands.

As sapsarees have always been companions, their strength comes from their qualities and behavior with their family. They are most well known for their loyalty and loving nature, but they are also characteristically gentle, obedient, and sociable within their circle. They are said to love with their whole body with their people. They are not known to be a vocal breed, but they are very watchful and may alert bark at strangers. In doing so, they are characteristically fearless and loud. As current priority is toward health and genetic diversity, specific traits on individuals are less selected for or against. As such, traits like prey drive, energy level, food drive, toy drive, and social friendliness with other dogs may vary. Sapsarees are a smart breed, but they are not bred specifically for work or sport, and sometimes motivating them can take time. Uniquely without being selected for, sapsarees generally seem to enjoy water and are generally very clean dogs (ie, not crate dirty and may hold their bladder for long periods). Weak character and nervousness is a fault, and excessive aggressiveness is a disqualifying fault.

Appearance-wise, sapsarees are known for their rectangular shape, large head, large ankles, and shaggy (furnished) fur. Combined with their watchful nature, they are sometimes called "lion dogs" but generally have a amiable appearance. While they are known for their shaggy fur, approximately 3% of sapsarees have what is called "short fur" (unfurnished). In Korean, the short hair sapsarees are sometimes called Goryegae 고려개 (a term coined by Professor Ha), but they are genetically the same. In Korea, sapsarees are considered large dogs. However, they are generally a medium-sized dog at about 52-63 cm tall and 20-30 kg (20-24 in tall and 44-66 lb). They have floppy ears and are generally moderate and well balanced dogs in all aspects due to lack of specific breed purpose and trait selection. Because of their near extinction, priority has been placed on health and genetic diversity. While some selection toward appearance is considered, there remains some variation in appearance in regards to subtleties and specifics. Per the foundation, sapsarees are considered blue or yellow, or variations of blue or yellow, or spotted. Genetically, sapsarees appear to be able to be black, brown/liver, blue, various intensities of red (including a very light cream), and piebald. Various markings and variations appear as sable, agouti, masks, minor ticking on noses and paws (more ticking may be noted on piebald dogs), tan point, and residual white on the chest, paws, and nose. Erect ears are a disqualifying fault.

[thelazypetowner]

Obligatory bluebonnet photo! I got a few others, but obviously I had to spend too much time making One Good Edit. ™️

[thelazypetowner]

It's World Frog Day! 🐸 Ribbit!

[thelazypetowner]

Happy New Year!

Brief Journey update, she's doing great! She turned 8 months old a few days ago (about as tall as my knees and 35lb), and for an adolescent, she's so easy! She's very low energy, generally non-destructive and listens well (as much as an adolescent can). She's strongly motivated by environmental smells, though, so those can be a struggle to redirect her from. She's great with other dogs (polite greets, plays well, very non-reactive), smart and picks things up fast, and while she can go speed demon when she wants, she generally likes to meander and smell (she isn't a big leash puller because of that). She also has a very polite, soft mouth when taking treats/food, but she can be pretty chompy when I have a toy. 😅 She also loves water! Her and Enzo get along very well also. Mostly they relax together, but they rarely do play together. We have yet to master walking on leash together, though.

Our main struggle right now is fear reactivity (via barking) to direct/intimidating interactions with people. She's okay walking pass people or watching them, but if someone stares directly at her for a period of time or approaches us or seemingly at us (like jogging our direction to go past), she'll start barking. At this point, given her breed (naturally wary of strangers) and what I've observed over the three months I've had her, she'll likely never enjoy attention from strangers, but there has been some improvement. I expect a dip/step back at some point just because adolescent age, fear phases, etc. but hopefully as she matures and has more exposure, she'll be more neutral.

Overall doing great, though! Hoping the new year and early adulthood will be nice to us! And if you want to see her more, because I'm not as active on Tumblr, I've been mostly posting her on Instagram @sapsaree.journey (which... I also struggle to be active on but... yeah...).

[thelazypetowner]

Did I just make a new YT channel and video just for Journey? Yes, yes I have. I have become "that" pet owner. ☠️ Granted, not sure how long it'll last. I kind of just... completely forgot my camera can actually record video, so I haven't done it until the past week (please excuse my poor focusing lol she moves so fast). I can't imagine I'll be doing this THAT often, but... well, I guess it's just another social media to reach out on.

I digress, though. I just thought it would be fun to look back on when she's older. One of the common comments I see across different social media and in person is how happy she looks in photos I share, etc. That wasn't on purpose, but I hope that is shown here. :) She's mostly very chill, but she's very bouncy and lively when she gets in into it.

It's also fun to see how she and Enzo interact. They've started figuring each other out, and they get each other worked up. Despite him playing kind of rough, he's very tolerant, patient, and handicaps his play for her (a lot of which you can see here, too).

Anyway, hope y'all enjoy and definitely not get motion sick like I did making this. :'))

[thelazypetowner]

Some Journey pictures! She's been here for almost 2 weeks, and she's doing well. Overall, a very good puppy verging on adolescence. She eats well, loves treats/toys, is generally calmer (not super jumpy or mouthy). Interested in the cats, sometimes too much, but I can tell it's very much just a puppy interest and not any instinctual prey drive. She's just starting to get used to the crate, and for the past two nights, she hasn't barked when going to bed (although, I do need to pick her up and put her in there), but we're still working on duration and comfort (to hopefully want to go in and rest). I've taken her to work off shift/when closed) a few times, and she plays really well with other dogs (that I hand picked for being good). She also loves water.

Our biggest challenge has been with strangers. Sapsarees tend to range between aloof to friendly. Right now, she's in a fear period, so she alarm barks at strangers approaching fast (unfortunately, including my family members). Her parents were both good with people, and the foundation said her littermates are going through the same, so hopefully she'll stop once she's out of her fear period (and had time to adjust and acclimate).

I mostly post her on Facebook and Instagram. I'll try here occasionally, but there will be more updates on her Isntagram here.

[thelazypetowner]

September 2023

SURPRISE!!!

I know I don't post on tumblr much these days, but meet Journey! She's a 5 month old sapsaree. She's a short hair variety (unfurnished, aka not bearded), so that's why she looks different from what you'll see from googling. She was imported last week from the Korean Sapsaree Foundation in Gyeongsang, South Korea. Sapsarees were almost entirely killed in the mid-1900s when Japan occupied Korea. In the late 1900s, they were listed as a national monument of South Korea (things that are representative of Korean culture), and they are now protected and bred for preservation.

I decided on a sapsaree because I felt they best fit what I was looking for in a dog (purely a companion, which for me, means calm/lower energy, aloof-to-friendly with strangers, low prey drive/can live with my cats, stable/solid nerves to go out and do "things" like hang out a dog friendly restaurant, trainable/biddable without having extreme needs, etc. -- generally an easy dog to live with). We'll see if that reminds to be seen as an adult, but thus so far, she's been very easy all considering the international travel, all the change, hitting adolescence, in the middle of a fear period... (fun..).

Anyway, one of my goals with her is to try to spread awareness about the breed and also offer more insight, information, education, etc. about the breed in English (as there's very little beyond basic descriptions). I'll try to be more active on tumblr, but that'll remain to be seen. For now, most of my updates are either on various Facebook groups or on Instagram (@sapsaree.journey). :) Feel free to ask questions, and I'll do my best to answer (although I don't really have any other sapsarees to compare her to, not to the level of detail I'm interested in, so I can't be certain how much is her breed versus her individual personality/temperament/etc.).

March 2015 - February 2017

SHE WAS SO TINYYYYYYY OMY LLLL ORDDddd

[thelazypetowner]

So I haven't truly posted/updated here in ages. Not really active on tumblr anymore (IDK why bc fb is a million times more toxic). But here's a quick update for those who don't have me on FB (which is most of you because fuck dog community in general; I yeeted most of y'all, sorry but not really).

Row 1: Went to Hawaii (hotel balcony view, ocean sunset, top of volcano/mountain)

Row 2: Went to South Korea (sight seeing, Korean sapsaree--which I'm on the waitlist for one now--food)

Row 3: Still volunteering w/ local german shepherd rescue

Row 4: Ink passed away last year in August (RIP, super depressed about that). Amber and Sol still here

Row 5: Went to my first dog show, just as a spectator, where we also picked up bestie's silken who we hosted a few days (Enzo and puppy got along well), Enzo currently doing alright (so are snakes, but I don't have recent pics)

Me personally: I'm an assistant manager at my job now. Trying to read physical books more. Re-obsessed with Pokemon with Scarlet and Violet. Really needing/wanting a vacation...

That's all. See y'all again in another 4 years maybe.

[thelazypetowner]

Where have the good dogs gone?

"Where have the good dogs gone? (By "good dog", I am referring to the Ideal Family Dog)

I'm serious.

We went on a walk this afternoon at a local state park and saw no less than 7 dogs. Not one of them was able to...just....walk by us. Not. One.

Two went Way Around, giving us a big bubble while their dog lunged and growled.

Three turned around and went the other way.

Another two were dragged by while they pulled and noised.

Sure, hypersocial reactivity is a thing. Maybe a couple or few of those greetings would have been fine enough if allowed. But not one dog out of 7 was able to just walk by. For me, that's a problem. It's really, really heartbreaking and sad.

I've been watching a trend over the last 7+ years. Dogs as a whole are becoming less social, bigger handfuls, more aggressive, and frankly, more dangerous. We, as a population, continue to lower our standards for "normal" or "acceptable" behavior from dogs.

Enough. Someone needs to say it.

It's Not Normal to have to manage every walk to keep your dog comfortable and keep the public safe.

It's.

Not.

Normal.

That's not what having a dog is supposed to be like.

Some people choose it, and that's their decision. But I would bet a lot of dollars that none of those families I saw today knowingly brought home a project. They just wanted a Good Dog.

Recently, I consulted with a family looking for a dog, and they said to me "we know this is unrealistic" when referring to their living situation and what they want from a dog. It wasn't unrealistic or mythical in the least. They just wanted a hang-out pal to enjoy walks who is friendly with people, dogs, and kids and isn't a project. That shouldn't be unrealistic, but sadly, that's what it's becoming.

Families deserve good dogs.

You deserve a good dog.

We deserve good dogs.

Dogs who can hang with you on the patio at the brewery.

Dogs who can "shake hands" when they pass each other on the sidewalk.

Dogs who can go with you to Grandma's for Thanksgiving.

Dogs who love going to the farmer's market.

Dogs who can go anywhere and do anything because they aren't a safety risk to the general public or an anxious stress mess.

We Deserve Good Dogs.

Do Better.

(Photo: A young child with curly hair strands proudly, holding up a poop bag full of pond water - not poop! and his sighthound stands happily next to him.)

Edited to add: For the record, I am absolutely NOT blaming owners.

Also adding; I'm also not saying your dog is "bad" if you can't but what I am saying is that if my neighbors decided tomorrow that they wanted a dog it would be a damn project to find them one and it absolutely should not be and that makes me really really sad

Also Also Also your teenage dog doesn't have the brain to regulate their hypersocial reactivity and I'm not talking about them either." By Ezri From this post https://www.superpup.academy/

[thelazypetowner]

Remember, there are always multiple routes to the same behavior. There is shaping, luring, capturing, and targeting. There is classical and operant conditioning. Most importantly, there are usually half a dozen different shaping plans that will get you to the same final behavior. Not every method works for every dog (and I don’t mean the whole “some dogs require punishment” thing, I mean there are different routes using the same learning principles). You can get to the top of a mountain by taking the trail. You can also take a horse or a bike. You can get airlifted to the top. You can hack your way straight up through the brush. You can climb the cliff face.

If a plan doesn’t work for you and/or your dog, choose a different one, ask around about different ways to teach the behavior, talk to your instructor, make up your own shaping plan. If your instructor can’t find you a different route that works better for you, you might need to seek out a different instructor. I spoke to a nose work competitor and instructor this week. She was setting up a drop in class and wanted to establish my dog’s ability level. She was completely flabbergasted when I told her that I never classically paired the scent and food. (I taught the alert behavior, put it on a verbal cue, then did a cue transfer from the verbal to the scent cue) She had no idea that was even possible and couldn’t even fathom that it was possible to teach nose work without classically pairing scent and food first (it is and can produces less false alerts later). More than that, she wasn’t interested in learning how I did it and insisted I switch to her method if I took classes from her. This is not likely an instructor that I will end up taking any classes with as a person that decides there is only one true route to a behavior (and that any other method, even one that is working extremely well, is wrong) is not one I want to work with. 

[thelazypetowner]

FEAST YOUR EYES UPON MY NEW CHILD!!!!

Enzo, my german shepherd/husky mix, is for scale. ;) He's 28in at the shoulder standing and 90lb.

[thelazypetowner]

hi! new follower here. can I just ask who made your profile photo (or if it was you) and where I can find more of their art? it's so damn cute!!! hope you have a good day xoxo

Thanks! ^^ It was drawn by TastesLikeAnya (Anya McNaughton). I did a quick search, but it looks like she's deactivated everywhere (used to be on dA, tumblr, twitter, FA). :( If you search up their online name on google, though, you can admire some of their art.

[thelazypetowner]

this is Parent's Money

changing my dogs' names to the stashed funds i spent to purchase them

[thelazypetowner]

baxer deserved that win. amazing looking flatie!

[thelazypetowner]

yall remember that golden next door that had intense barrier aggression and high key fucked up enzo's socialization? (i've posted about it a couple of times throughout the years) just found out they had to put him to sleep yesterday. dunno why but he was like 11ish years old