Hijiri K. Shepherd is an incredibly talented graphic designer and letterpress printer whose premier print, Live What You Love, took the online world by storm. Since then, Hijiri has gone on to create her own line of cheerful letterpress stationary available in her shop, Heartfish Press and was recently featured in the very cool book, Impressive as well as a new Chronicle Books favorite of mine, Everything Is Going to Be OK
Name? Maia
Nicknames? Mah, Maia-san, Maiako, Mahko, Maia Bear etc.
Age? 3 years old
Breed? Miniature Dachshund (short hair)
What’s “The Scoop?” Maia was a surprise present from my husband for our one year wedding anniversary. My husband came home with a suspicious box and as soon as I opened it, Maia jumped out and licked my face! She was a three-month-old puppy then, and that was three years ago in February. We named her Maia because she had a few tiny white dots on her forehead that looked like a star cluster — Maia is the eldest of the seven Pleiades from Greek mythology. The dots have since disappeared though!
Favorite toy? It always changes but right now it’s between a little yellow ball with legs we call “yellow man” and a rubber lady bug.
Favorite food? Anything that people eat though she doesn’t get any people food except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Favorite place to sleep? Her bed I made, our leather couch, our bed between us, on (anyone’s) lap.
Weirdest quirk? No one taught her this but she brings her favorite toy to breakfast and dinner. She looks for it before eating, finds it and finally drops it in front of her food bowl. Everyday, twice a day!
Pet Peeves? Ear cleaning, teeth cleaning, nail trimming.
Gear? When it’s cold out, she wears sweatshirt from a Dachshund-only shop in Tokyo. She also has a few jackets. When it’s warm, she wears just a red collar with crystals.
If your dog was another animal, what animal would that be? Hmm… I think she would be a human being. She thinks that she is!
Maia is adorable! Do you have any plans to incorporate dachshunds in your letterpress design? I’ve been wanting to, so yes! In the future sometime for sure!
