裕 (ヒロ) Hiro
Tenshu's Hiro (May 12, 2012 – November 25, 2025), though I just called him Hiro, was a "woolly" Shiba Inu born in Winlock, Washington. He and I formed a pack in June 2012 when I moved to Oregon for graduate school. He remained my very opinionated, sometimes grumpy, but always steadfast buddy and companion for over thirteen years. He became a well-known part of the University of Oregon campus, where we would regularly walk; he joined me on a number of adventures, including a vacation to Montana, and riding along as co-pilot during a cross-country move. He even came to be known as the "Mayor of Market Street" because he would perch in our third-floor window in Downtown Wilmington and make his presence known as needed, though he usually just liked to sit and observe his kingdom below.
Hiro developed glaucoma in his right eye at a certain point; he had to have the eye removed in early 2021 because of the pain it was causing (which can apparently be quite severe). He lived comfortably as a "pirate doge" until fate cruelly took his remaining vision almost exactly three years later. Quite literally overnight, acute glaucoma spiked in his left eye; by the time we saw the vet, it was too late. Though he was blind for most of the last two years of his life, he nevertheless remained confident as ever, up until the end. Unfortunately Hiro was unable to fight back against the forces of canine cognitive dysfunction, or "doggie dementia," which, over the course of just a few short months and at a shocking pace, stripped away any semblance of quality of life that he had left. On the advice of his vet, I had to make the incredibly painful decision to let him go. I miss him terribly--he left a Shiba-shaped hole in my heart (that is, of course, riddled with loose dog hair).
Here is a small collection, in no particular order, of some of my favorite pictures of him. RIP, buddy.
Send Your Pictures!
If you got to meet Hiro at some point and happen to have a photo or two of him that you'd like to share, I'd love to have it. Just go to my contact page and upload it there--and thank you!
