I can't believe it's this hard to find someone who will work with the clubs either! It seems like a plus to me--esp. the opportunity to interact with other owners, etc. It's something that would feel pretty good, actually, to know that you're helping the breed, at least by being an ambassador, by educating others about the breed.....
Oh Sean they are perfect!! They're just so adorable!
I will say that sometimes being a NK owner can be a bit of work. I've driven mine out to meet people three hours away who are interested in Kais. I've had people email me and ask a lot of questions. I've had to go out and intervene for a breeder when homes weren't working out because they are in the midwest and their pups came to California. Koda and I have gone to a couple of festivals, and I take him to the Japanese Cultural Center up the street for reading nights with the kids. I answer a lot of questions on a regular basis. It's a lot more work than my friends who own labs. But I wouldn't trade it for the world!! I love my dogs, and I'm blessed to be able to share a rare breed with others who are interested.
I do hope that you can find some brilliant homes for them. They are very special pups!
I think getting involved with JA clubs is a win-win situation. Not only are you certain that you are getting a quality puppy but theres a full wealth of knowledge from other members that you can use as a resource and learn from. I wish I was back in CA so I can be a club member. I wish u the best of luck with the pups Sean. Im sure you will find akita lovers who are as committed to the breed as they say they are.
@Jessika....I know, I WOULD love a JA! I was already running it over in my head: well, I couldn't likely get out to California for shows, but I could do stuff in Texas....HA!
Now I have this huge list of what my next dog will be: a kai. A JA. Or another AA from Donna at Liberty, because she has a dog I really want a puppy from! And of course there is the big impossible dream: a hokka!
@crispy Dogs do it backwards. During nursing they seem to look great, keep their fur etc etc. The second they dry up though, boom fur starts falling out everywhere. You can't see it in the photos but clumps are just falling out.
When we vaccinated them, my daughter started to cry. She hates needles and this was a big thing for her to watch. So right when I put the needle, well the puppy farted. My daughter starts crying and yells "you popped her". -sigh
The Good: It was a lot of fun raising puppies. I loved seen which ones favored Kita and which favored Kaede. Since it was the off season for work, I got to watch them grow up. K turned out to be a fantastic mommy and for the most part it was a trouble free event. I really like the three families that have bought puppies so far. Two of the puppies will be seen in next years JACA/Akiho show and I think one will stay in the club after that. I was nervous about shipping the pup up to Washington, but the buyer is really doing a good job with arranging the shipping. Getting updates from the new owners is cool too.
The Bad: I had a family pay a deposit. Being lazy, I sat on the check for a week. When I finally put it in the bank, the family but a stop payment on it. In the end they never responded back to me. The funny part is that they would have gotten the puppy they wanted. Luckily, stopping the check prevented me from selling to a crappy family.
Having four girls, turned out to be a bummer too. A lot of people want males. When I ask, they said it was because of heat. I've owned K for three years, going into heat isn't that bad. But people should get what they want.
I'm a little bummed at the number of people who do not want to be in either club. I understand not wanting to show, but free food twice a year and a chance to talk to other JA owners!!!
What I'm going to do different: Next time I hope to be living somewhere else. I would like a kennel outside and a sunroom/utility room to have the whelping box in. I need to make a real website, using iweb isn't going to cut it. I'm also going to remove pet quality from my pricelist. People can define quality however they want it. Usually in the club, pet quality is defined as being free of any health issues but having a disqualifying faults. Sickle tail, ears down, overbite undershot, etc etc fall under that. I was amazed at the number of people would email me demanding the red one. Yet turn in an application for pet quality. So what I will do is take applications and then around week three start looking at quality.
Thank you, I just need to learn to proof-read better. I cringed when I saw my post later in the day.
One thing that I forgot to mention is that my priorities might be different than other breeders programs. For me my priority is to outcross as much as possible. Yes I did use Kita and as a club we have used him quite a bit. But it was also my first litter and I wanted as little complications as possible. If I could outcross and then try to place puppies with people who want to be involved in the clubs.. that would be perfect for me. It help put Akiho LA (because it is the main breeding club for us), on a real solid footing.
Down the road, I would love to work on type. I just feel that I am not ready for that yet. We have people in our club that already have an idea what they want and what they want to work towards. I figure let them have at it, they understand this stuff better than I do. I will say this, seeing Kayoko was the best. I really like the other puppies a lot but Kayoko was just like having Kaede come home. They are so similar.
Sniff - Sachiko Go went home on the 14th. I'm very happy for her, it's going to be a great home. Everyone wants Hachi Red Japanese Akita but the brindles are just so unique.
I had to laugh, my wife called me out later that night. Sachi got to be a valentines day gift and my wife got a hug and a kiss lol. Fingers crossed, the family will introduce themselves on Nihonken.
I realized that I was so busy at the shows that I didn't get one last photo session with her. The good news is that she is local.
Emiko-Go is still here for a few more days. So I took a chance and grabbed some week 10 photos as well as some grab ass shots with her and K.
Comments
I can't believe it's this hard to find someone who will work with the clubs either! It seems like a plus to me--esp. the opportunity to interact with other owners, etc. It's something that would feel pretty good, actually, to know that you're helping the breed, at least by being an ambassador, by educating others about the breed.....
Hmmm....maybe I should have waited and got a JA!
I will say that sometimes being a NK owner can be a bit of work. I've driven mine out to meet people three hours away who are interested in Kais. I've had people email me and ask a lot of questions. I've had to go out and intervene for a breeder when homes weren't working out because they are in the midwest and their pups came to California. Koda and I have gone to a couple of festivals, and I take him to the Japanese Cultural Center up the street for reading nights with the kids. I answer a lot of questions on a regular basis. It's a lot more work than my friends who own labs. But I wouldn't trade it for the world!! I love my dogs, and I'm blessed to be able to share a rare breed with others who are interested.
I do hope that you can find some brilliant homes for them. They are very special pups!
Now I have this huge list of what my next dog will be: a kai. A JA. Or another AA from Donna at Liberty, because she has a dog I really want a puppy from! And of course there is the big impossible dream: a hokka!
Here is some photo spam at week 8.
Kayoko No Harumi Go Taiheiyo Kensha with her new big sister
Red Puppy - she is off to Washington very soon. I should know her name any day now.
Brindle Puppy
K and pup playing - Ignore the long nails. lol
I still need to put up photos of Kiki Go as well
I like both colors.
When we vaccinated them, my daughter started to cry. She hates needles and this was a big thing for her to watch. So right when I put the needle, well the puppy farted. My daughter starts crying and yells "you popped her". -sigh
The Good: It was a lot of fun raising puppies. I loved seen which ones favored Kita and which favored Kaede. Since it was the off season for work, I got to watch them grow up. K turned out to be a fantastic mommy and for the most part it was a trouble free event. I really like the three families that have bought puppies so far. Two of the puppies will be seen in next years JACA/Akiho show and I think one will stay in the club after that. I was nervous about shipping the pup up to Washington, but the buyer is really doing a good job with arranging the shipping. Getting updates from the new owners is cool too.
The Bad: I had a family pay a deposit. Being lazy, I sat on the check for a week. When I finally put it in the bank, the family but a stop payment on it. In the end they never responded back to me. The funny part is that they would have gotten the puppy they wanted. Luckily, stopping the check prevented me from selling to a crappy family.
Having four girls, turned out to be a bummer too. A lot of people want males. When I ask, they said it was because of heat. I've owned K for three years, going into heat isn't that bad. But people should get what they want.
I'm a little bummed at the number of people who do not want to be in either club. I understand not wanting to show, but free food twice a year and a chance to talk to other JA owners!!!
What I'm going to do different: Next time I hope to be living somewhere else. I would like a kennel outside and a sunroom/utility room to have the whelping box in. I need to make a real website, using iweb isn't going to cut it. I'm also going to remove pet quality from my pricelist. People can define quality however they want it. Usually in the club, pet quality is defined as being free of any health issues but having a disqualifying faults. Sickle tail, ears down, overbite undershot, etc etc fall under that. I was amazed at the number of people would email me demanding the red one. Yet turn in an application for pet quality. So what I will do is take applications and then around week three start looking at quality.
One thing that I forgot to mention is that my priorities might be different than other breeders programs. For me my priority is to outcross as much as possible. Yes I did use Kita and as a club we have used him quite a bit. But it was also my first litter and I wanted as little complications as possible. If I could outcross and then try to place puppies with people who want to be involved in the clubs.. that would be perfect for me. It help put Akiho LA (because it is the main breeding club for us), on a real solid footing.
Down the road, I would love to work on type. I just feel that I am not ready for that yet. We have people in our club that already have an idea what they want and what they want to work towards. I figure let them have at it, they understand this stuff better than I do. I will say this, seeing Kayoko was the best. I really like the other puppies a lot but Kayoko was just like having Kaede come home. They are so similar.
Kayoko -
Kaede-
Oh and Kaede sitting in the sun.
I wish I knew how to use the cloning tool better. I'd remove that plant in front of her.
I had to laugh, my wife called me out later that night. Sachi got to be a valentines day gift and my wife got a hug and a kiss lol. Fingers crossed, the family will introduce themselves on Nihonken.
I realized that I was so busy at the shows that I didn't get one last photo session with her. The good news is that she is local.
Emiko-Go is still here for a few more days. So I took a chance and grabbed some week 10 photos as well as some grab ass shots with her and K.
Kaede and Emi playing