Ramblings of An Akita Fancier

Published in Akita World Magazine, March/April 1993

First, a little background on me ... I've been active in the sport of dogs since 1973 (ironically, my first show dog was born on April 4, 1973 -- the date Akita were allowed to compete in AKC shows as part of the Working Group). My first breed was (and is) Alaskan Malamutes. I currently have two, both are finished and retired. I've owned and handled several Top Ten bitches (much more of a challenge than the dogs) and finished quite a few others. I only bred on litter, which produced the sire of my Ch. Fate's Little Miss Priss, a multi Group placing and specialty winning bitch. I've had the privilege of judging several sweepstakes, including the National. In 1979 I also started showing Basenjis and within a year owned one of them too! Ch. Warlock's Kunta Kinte was number five or number six Basenji in 1980, depending on which system you were looking at. Out of two basenji litters, five were shown (one I considered to be a pet and he still got a five point major), four finished, and two had multiple group placements and wins, owner-handled. In 1985, I started showing Akitas. The two I have are basically rescue dogs. They were in the middle of a message divorce and the husband did not have the time nor money to take care of them so I took them. I was unable to obtain clear title to them for over six months, and by that time I was quite attached. So the space I had reserved for my new Malamute has been occupied by two akitas. Fortunately they are both very nice quality and I am able to show them (one is finished, and the other is major pointed). I do, however seem to be stuck on pointed ear dogs with curly tails.

Now to the reason for this article. I hope by reading my background you will see that I would be objective and yet fairly knowledgeable about Akitas. I will also state at this time that movement and soundless is of paramount importance to me, unless, of course, a dog is completely lacking in type. In showing Akitas for the past seven years (and admiring them for many years before that), I had had the opportunity to see dogs and bitches from all over the country. My primary problem with this breed is the number of dogs that are out and winning with severe cow hocks. They cannot even be stacked straight! This was not a problem that I noticed when I first started showing Akitas; I remember many dogs with nice rears (standing and moving). I keep going back to the standard and trying and trying to find that it is acceptable somewhere in the fine print. As of yet, I haven't. Now I want to specifically say we're talking serious cow hocks here. I have seen some Akitas that are very SLIGHTLY cow hocked (i.e., can at least be stacked to look straight) but so typey and beautiful in all other ways the I don't really mind them winning or losing to them myself.

Another thing which I've yet to understand is the current battle between "Japanese" type and "American" type. It seems that since the Akita is a Japanese dog that we should be at least leaning toward Japanese type. I'm sure to hear something about this comment. I did discuss this with an Akita breeder at a recent show and she felt that the Japanese dogs were unsound. I personally feel that type and soundness are not the same. All show dogs, and especially breeding stock, of any breed, should be sound. As you will note from my comments above, I'm not overly impressed with the soundness or lack of it we are seeing in the ring today. I would welcome and enjoy seeing further discussions of this topic in Akita World.

Why are there so many fat Akitas? I suspect it's because the judges like them better, mistaking fat for substance. B.J. Andrews wrote a very interesting article some time ago in which she analyzed the standard and how it related to the function of the Akita. I would like to expand on this. This actually occurred to me at a recent show where my bitch went Best of Opposite. A friend of mine that was showing her asked the judge later why he didn't look at my bitch for the Breed. He replied that she was too fine. I question this because she was behind a champion male in the ring and she didn't look any finer than he, and was almost as substantial. Add to that she was out of coat and he wasn't. The judge did, however, admit she was the best moving Akita in the ring that day. (I t occurred to me at that time to put an ad in saying that "So-and-so says she's one fine moving Akita!") I wondered why he seemed to judge primarily on size/weight. If I were judging, I would hesitate to put up a dog I could outrun. And I do not run that fast. As a guard dog (and as part of their other function, hunting bear) I would think some amount of agility would be an advantage. Unless the purpose of an Akita is to stand there and look protective, he should be able to chase the bad guys should they be so foolish as to proceed after confronting this guard dog. Similarly, if an Akita is tracking bear, comes upon one and is unable to stay away from the bear's paws, it is possible that the Akita could be severely injured or even killed. I've seen some very nice, big, heavy-boned Akitas that move well, but they are in condition and their "substance" is not made up of fat. Coat can make a world of difference. I can tell a whole lot about a dog and its actual bone and substance when it's out of coat. I hope that Akita breeders are not falling into "the bigger, the better" trap. We went through this in Malamutes a long time ago, and believe me, it was not a pretty sight. As a working dog, the Akita needs to be able to move, too! I might add that conditioning can help alleviate or prevent my pet peeve, cow hocks.

I think that the Akita is a very beautiful and special breed, but definitely not for everybody. I think my years with two other intelligent (and somewhat hardheaded) breeds have helped to prepare me for their antics, although my Akitas continually surprise me, I was really surprised when Sugar threw herself at my gate and broke through it because she wanted to be with her sister in the van. Since we've had them, I have had to repair and/or replace several sections of our fence as well as both gates. They are very persistent, but I think my yard is finally Akita-proof (I hope)!

Just one more thing, I would like to compliment the Akita Rescue (and the various local rescue groups) on their work. I've read many articles on the work they have done and I am very impressed with the personal sacrifice and work that has been involved, particularly in the rescue or all those Akitas last year. Rescue is a subject near and dear to my heart. I am a member of the Alaskan Malamute Protection League and also the Illinois Alaskan Malamute Rescue Association and I know that the Akita Rescue has been very generous as far as letting us borrow forms and knowledge, etc. Since I live in the city and have a limited amount of space, my support is generally monetary. A couple of ideas for fund raising that I do for our local Mal rescue which are relatively painless: 1) I collect pop cans and donate whatever revenue is derived from that to our rescue; and 2) our rescue gets $1.00 for every point my dogs win; now that I also have a special, they receive $1.00 for every special I defeat by going BOB or BOS. It all adds up!

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