We had a neighbor who owned two beautiful Akitas. The female looked a lot like a German Shepherd, while the male looked a lot like a Husky, but with beautiful with brindle coloring. The male was huge, as males tend to get a lot bigger than females. When they were both young in age, they seemed like wonderful dogs. You could easily go up to them and pet them, without feeling any sense of fear.
Our neighbors decided that they wanted to breed their akitas. Before the puppies were born, I asked my neighbors if they had any puppies with the same markings as the father if I could have one. Out of eight puppies, there were two with these markings. I was lucky to be a close friend of the family because the puppy was sold to me at $500.00. The other puppies were sold for a much higher price. I was given a beautiful female puppy at five weeks of age.
Never Buy a Puppy If You Cannot Go Near the Parents
Since I had been near both of the parents many times before when they were a bit younger, it did not occur to me why I was not allowed to get close to them now. At the time, I did not think much of it but now I realize that you should never decide to buy a puppy from a breeder without getting close to its parents first.
Bringing the Puppy Home
This was my first time as a dog owner. I was not sure about some of the things that you should know when you decide to own a dog. I quickly learned that I needed a crate which was spacious enough for the puppy, as well as food and water bowls of course. The family that I had bought the puppy from had it on their own alarm clock, as the husband went to work at 2 am and they were up during that time of the day. I had to get her adjusted to my time, along with her crying for her mother and the other seven puppies that she had spent her first five weeks with.
Comforting the Puppy
I was told to get my puppy an alarm clock for the ticking noise that would remind her of her mother’s heartbeat, as well as a house shoe that would remind her of a fuzzy animal. This helped her somewhat, and she eventually adjusted to our house. Soon, she became the center of attention. I have two daughters that were small at the time, and they were playing with at a very early age. For the time being, everything was great. The puppy was house broken within a matter of weeks. She was very smart, and very obedient. She was the ideal dog for anyone who wishes to be a dog owner.
The Puppy Grows into Adulthood
Soon, our puppy turned one years old. Every member of my family loved our dog, as we all spent a great deal of time with her. That is why we were so dumbfounded when she attacked our oldest daughter, biting her in the face, right near her mouth. Now, what would we do? She was always a great family pet. Now, she is turning on the ones who she was supposed to protect. The first thing that we did was put her outside in a dog kennel. She loved being outside, and in order to keep her as a pet, it seemed like the only option at the time. Every time that my daughter outside, she growled and acted afraid of her. Soon, she started acting the same way towards both of my daughters. One day, she went after the other one, but luckily she did not attack her because my brother held the dog back. She was so great with myself and my husband, but it seemed as though she did not like children. When my niece came to visit and stood outside our dog’s kennel, the dog almost tore the fence down in order to attack her. This was when we decided that keeping her was no longer an option.
What Do You Do When Your Family Pet Turns on Your Children?
Akitas are beautiful creatures, and they should be respected, as they do have the reputation of being wonderful dogs. These dogs are dated back in the early 1300’s, when they were raised in Japan as a bear hunting dog. Nowadays, akitas are recognized as a great house dog for people who live in small city apartments, since they do not bark. I was also led to believe that they were good with children, as they were used as babysitters in Japan. When parents would leave their home, they knew that their children would be safe with their akitas.
Since I no longer trusted my dog, leaving it in the house was not a question. Leaving it outside no longer seemed like an option. Not only does the law require you to bring your pet in during the cold days of winter, but what would happen if my dog somehow got out of her kennel and attacked someone? So what does one do?
I Began Looking For a New Home For My Dog
The first thing that we did was call the people that we had bought the dog from, to see if they knew anyone who might be interested in giving her a home. And they did. However, they wanted to take the dog to New York City, which is about three hours away, in their van along with five children. We could not risk the chance that she would bite someone on the way to the city.
So, the next option was the newspaper. I thought that perhaps I could find a good family that consisted of only adults that might be interested in taking her. I was amazed to see how many other akitas were listed in the free column of the newspaper. I next called some local breeders, who informed me that the most important thing is being able to go up to the parents. Needless to say, no one would even consider to take my dog if I did not trust it around strangers. And I was also informed even though I would not have the dog if someone took her, if she attacked someone I would be held accountable for the actions of the dog since I knew what she was like when I gave her away.
Even My Vet Was Afraid of My Dog
Whenever we took her to the vet , he would stand on the other side of the room and would not get close to her. She was fairly big, weighing about 90 lbs, but the face which was all black was intimidating to him. So here the vet was afraid of her and I didn’t trust anyone around her and noone wanted her. I had no choice but to put her down. It was a hard decision and some would think it was cold . But when you have a family dog, that is what it is supposed to be. When you cannot trust it, having it is no longer an option.
Why I Do Not Recommend Akitas as a Family Dog
There is no doubt that akitas are a very beautiful breed of dog. Unfortunately, they are a one man’s dog. There is a lot of hype over these dogs in my are, as they are used for protection. However, there is one problem with this breed. Many people take pride in the fact that their akitas are pure bred, much like any other type of dog. Certain types of colorings, such as brindle, are more rare than others. In order to keep these colorings, many akitas are cross bred by their breeders. The end result is a dog that is more likely to turn.
Am I knocking this breed of dog ? No , I am sharing my experience of them. While I am sure that there are many akitas that are wonderful family pets, it is important to be careful when you decide to buy one. Getting to know what type of personalities the parents have is very important. I hope that you have better luck with your akita than I did with mine.
If you have kids, an akita might not be the best choice for you, as I have later found out that they are often not good with kids. What I eventually ended up doing was buying a little cockapoo, which is known as a great family pet. I trust him one hundred percent, and after five years, he has not given me any recent not to. To me, that’s what a family pet is all about!
