Hi everyone my name is Koji. For 14 years I was cared for and lived in a home. Then, one day, my people packed up all their personal belongings. I figured we may be going to live somewhere new. But this time, after they moved the last box and shut the door to an empty apartment, no one came back to take me with them. I lived alone by myself in the apartment with a little food and water. I was so lonely and scared. Why would my family leave me there to die alone? I cried myself to sleep each night with no one to comfort me. And each morning when I awoke, I would run around the empty apartment to see if they remembered to come back for me. They never did. Eventually, someone named the “landlord” came to take me out of my lonely prison. But where I went was so much scarier. I went to sit in a cage in a place called the shelter. The people there thought I was too old to be adopted so they put me in what is called “the back room.” This was away from the public so no one even knew I was there! Hopeless souls surrounded me: sick, hurt, aggressive, too scared, or like me…too old to be adopted. No kind-hearted people would even know I was there. So I sat on death row for a week.The Shelter People called me a husky mix. I heard my only chance to live was through a Rescue. But no one came. Finally, I heard someone say it was “Euth day”. All the dogs near me shook in fear. This would be the end of my 14 years of loving service… I gave up, ready to die. This is when a nice woman who works with Rescues saw me and begged the shelter not to kill me– she wanted to have one night to call on Rescues to save me. She knew my breed was a Shiba Inu and she would call the right people. It took just a couple of hours for her to find DC Shiba Inu Rescue and she told them how very sweet and scared I was. Because of my Angel, Cindy, I did not die on “Euth Day”. Instead, I went home with Cindy until the people at DC SIR could arrange transport. She put me on such a soft big bed I just couldn’t believe it! I hear that people think I’m a handsome and sweet guy. I’m tiny too, so I won’t take up much room. Do you have a soft bed for my old bones? I have so much love left to give… Please share my story with others, so that I may find my new home.Koji is in a foster home in South Carolina currently and is awaiting transport to the DC area. We will be arranging his transport and conducting complete medical evaluation before Koji will be available for adoption. We anticipate beginning his adoption process in 2-3 weeks.