10/18/2024
The End of an Era for us:
From our First Akita, “Aiko” to our last Akita “Chico”
On October 15, 2024 Ed and I woke up, for the FIRST time since April 16, 1991, without an Akita on our Property. The loss of our Beloved Chico, truly did put us in Retirement mode from our treasured and beloved Breed.
We’ve had so many wonderful years in this breed and have met so many wonderful people along the way who have influenced us, taught us so many things, given us hope and direction and with whom we’ve developed friendships we’ll treasure and remember always:
Our journey began with Pat Mills of Skipjack Akitas entrusting us with our very first Akita. Pat quickly became a mentor who encouraged and taught us the ins and outs of Showing in Conformation, and Obedience Competition. Pat was right at our side helping us and teaching us how to whelp our first litters.
Terry Wright (Lijo Akitas) and Debbie Hutchinson taught us how to train Akitas, how they think, and were extremely encouraging to us to explore clicker training, trick training, supporting us in the Conformation ring, Competition in Obedience, and even Agility training with our dogs. Jame Kahler/Mahan who quickly became a member of our family, a best Friend and who taught me everything I did and didn’t need to know about tracking (VBG).
Ed and I began to discover that the White Faced Red marking pattern was quickly becoming our favorite. We learned to “treasure” breed type with balnance that wasn’t on the extremes of either side of the spectrum. Cornelius Campbell helped us develop our eye for Type and Balance within the Breed Types we held so dear which lead us to quite often combining Breedings of dogs that we owned together and achieved through the support, help and guidance of many other friends who shared the same Visions: Andrea Belmore (my sister from another mother) for sharing her Fabulous Dog Viceroy with us, Bill Burland for insisting we use Viceroy with Keeper (our most memorable breeding) Josh Popkins and his incredible herd of very nice Akitas, Paul Levesque for always being encouraging and ringside for us when we needed that “extra” hand, Frank Sakeyda, Carol Howton, Loren and Christina Egland, Sherry Wallis, Rita Biddle, a HUGE support system of many foundation breeders in Florida most of which have crossed the bridge themselves, and any and all those whose name escape me and that I may have missed mentioning here.
We’ve encountered and befriended so many people who were foundation breeders within the US, and who supported, befriended, stood by us, encouraged us to continue and helped us understand exactly what a “Quality” Akita consisted of. Our list would probably contain nearly everyone who has ever owned Champion or dog we’ve admired before the breed was split and most assuredly everyone who’s ever owned a BayCrest Akita, so many thanks to those “friends” we met through this breed and came to love: Betty Krug, Rusty Short, Carol Foti, Carol Laubscher, Nadine and Bob Fontanno, Ruth Zimmerman, Colleen Sullivan, Fran Wasserman, Sherry Wallis, Faith and Nathan Quade, Jill and Russel Drennan, Betty McDade, Rachel Peeples, Ed and Adrienne Isreal, JoAnn Charnik, Vicky Donach, Keith Venezia, Tom and Ann Bavaria, Lynny and Jolene Benzinger, Margret Salkind, Kira Brown, Kevin Carroll, Tina Kuroda, Danny Newmones, The Ingemis’, Rita Roberts, Jane Yates, Lonny and Marc Cohen, Sophia Kaluznaicki, Karen Bloom, Debra Dickinson, Mike and Donna Bennet,
And a HUGE Appreciation for all those rescue Angels we have met who are always there for our dogs and who have picked up all of those countless dogs who have fallen through the cracks: Nancy Lamm, JoAnn Diamond, Kathy Dewees, Kira Brown, Betty McDade, Puller Lanigan oh my this list is just too long to name them all. Without them our breed may have never been able to recover at all within the USA.
This Breed has also given me some very embarrassing moments in the ring:
I once tried to stop short on slippery muddy grass landing flat on my back with the judge standing over me offering me a helping hand up in my muddy dripping wet outfit, I once tripped over the edge of a mat and rolled UNDER the rope right into the next ring scaring every dog in that ring, and I had my own Male lift his leg and urinate on MY leg in the Breed ring.
This Breed has given me some of Proudest Moments in my life:
My first Ribbon, Blue Ribbon, Purple Ribbon, Rosette etc. Breed Rankings and All Breed Rankings, qualifying for the Top Twenty, Group Placements, Seeing my Dog in the Group Ring on TV, Seeing dogs I bred Compete at Westminster, our own Movie Star Forrest, and such Beautiful litters of Puppies.
But Most of ALL this Breed has taught me what true love and devotion really is.
My hope for the future is that the people we are entrusting to rebuild, move forward, and preserve this breed will do so without “extremes”. Yes there are two types/Breeds now, but please realize they are both “RE created” Versions of an original Vision with their own special qualities. American Akitas breeders should hopefully strive to produce dogs that fit the standard as opposed to HUGE overdone dogs in an attempt to clearly state they are a different breed. Japanese Breeders please pay attention to health, soundness, movement, and proper angles, beautiful typey heads should be admired but if they aren’t sitting on sound bodies, they aren’t doing the breed any justice. Balance within your written standards will hopefully be and foremost within all of your minds. Color and making patterns are NOT the only things dividing these two breeds. Please get yourselves SEVERAL mentors within your chosen breed and pay close attention to everything they tell you. It is much easier and safer to learn from the experiences of others than to learn from your own mistakes.
