Nina is quiet, sweet, and very timid. She likes to chase a ball and spend time with her family watching Japanese movies.

A three-year-old Shiba Inu, Nina has been missing for more than four weeks, and her parents, Morgan Randall and her husband Steve Cohan, are pretty sure she is still alive.

There have been several “Nina sightings,” first at Madrona Point, then across the street from OPALCO, and twice at Brandt’s Landing chasing geese. Her thick pelt of red, white, and black fur ensures that this bout of nasty weather isn’t getting her down.

Most recently, small doggie paw prints have been seen on Donna McCoy’s front porch on the corner of Terrill Beach Road leading up to a bowl of dog food. Randall is fairly certain it’s Nina, as the timing coincides with her mealtimes and it is in the general area where she’s been seen before. Cohan has been hiding out in the trees hoping Nina will show up.

Nina went missing Thursday, Nov. 20, after a work crew came to the house to do chimney demolition. Nina was home alone, and Randall thinks the loud noises probably “scared her to death.” The crew was coming in and out of the open doors and gates throughout the day, so she slipped out unnoticed. “My guess is, she ran for her life, then it rained and she couldn’t find her way back. We’ve got a terrified little dog who thinks that an earthquake happened at home,” said Randall.

Nina is very easily startled. “Shiba Inus are the oldest breed of dog. So they are very different from other dogs. They have this nature that is more wild than a domesticated breed.” Nina is also very small, weighing in at 15 pounds. “I call her a zeta female because she is so timid,” laughed Randall. Nina’s breeder reports it is not uncommon for Shiba Inus to go feral.

A friend of the family, website designer Irene Ekberg, has been keeping a blog of the dog’s whereabouts at http://ninaquest.wordpress.com/. She is an extremely fast runner, so if anyone sees her, call her name and sit or lay down. Randall even suggests whining softly, as Nina will want to provide comfort. “You must let her come very close to catch her.”

Please call Morgan Randall or Steve Cohan at 376-5505 if you spot Nina or have information about her whereabouts.