Visit to Akashima Kennel
So my husband and I finally went up to Katja's to meet and see the dogs on Monday. It was pretty exciting. Vancouver Island is quite beautiful and the ferry rides were pretty nice. We showed up around feeding time so the Shika's were too engaged with bones. 
But she had a couple of Shiba puppies and this B&T Shiba from Japan that were loving the attention. I took a few vids and pics, but am waiting for the go ahead to show them the forum.
We put down our deposit for a Shikoku, (!!!!!) and will have wait for the fall litter (Kuma/Kimi) or the first 2010 litter. Which litter we get are puppies from depends on a couple of things.
One: because we also decided to get a Karelian Bear Dog and want to get the puppies around the same time. We haven't decided on the breeder for the Karelians yet. There are a few breeders in Washington, but we are leaning towards a breeder also on Vancouver Island (also good friends with Katja.)
Two: We will be moving out to the country to get some acreage later on this year. Depending on how things progress, moving, building fence et al; we might be better off waiting for a 2010 litter.
So we are pretty excited right now cause we got our spot in line for a puppy. Katja gave us pictures of Kimi and Kuma to keep. I found it slightly humorous because later in the car I felt like a mom looking at a picture of her newly adopted child. It was amusing telling the border portal what we did in Canada, as soon as we told him the price of the dog he waved us through.
But she had a couple of Shiba puppies and this B&T Shiba from Japan that were loving the attention. I took a few vids and pics, but am waiting for the go ahead to show them the forum. We put down our deposit for a Shikoku, (!!!!!) and will have wait for the fall litter (Kuma/Kimi) or the first 2010 litter. Which litter we get are puppies from depends on a couple of things.
One: because we also decided to get a Karelian Bear Dog and want to get the puppies around the same time. We haven't decided on the breeder for the Karelians yet. There are a few breeders in Washington, but we are leaning towards a breeder also on Vancouver Island (also good friends with Katja.)
Two: We will be moving out to the country to get some acreage later on this year. Depending on how things progress, moving, building fence et al; we might be better off waiting for a 2010 litter.
So we are pretty excited right now cause we got our spot in line for a puppy. Katja gave us pictures of Kimi and Kuma to keep. I found it slightly humorous because later in the car I felt like a mom looking at a picture of her newly adopted child. It was amusing telling the border portal what we did in Canada, as soon as we told him the price of the dog he waved us through.
Comments
I have to admit, I am pretty envious about the KBD, that is a breed I have admired for many years! I have spoke to a few breeders but never realized there was one on VC Island, that's cool! Do you plan to hunt/hike/work the KBD? What made you decide on a KBD AND a Shikoku? I'm pretty sure you will be the ONLY KBD / Shikoku owners... maybe in the world!
Congrats!
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SO envious
I'm SO happy for you guys!
Brad- We originally wanted the Karelian for hiking/companion and alarm purposes. But I have been strongly looking into SAR. We are also attracted to their loyalty/intelligence/size/speed/agility. We are pretty stoked about it. It was hard to find really good information on them. A lot of dog websites are very generic and some breeders tend to talk up their dogs. The Wild River Bear Institute was very helpful. We were hesitant at first because they are an independent breed and require A TON of constant training and exercise/work to be happy and healthy. But we decided we have the environment and lifestyle for him/her to want for nothing. I think it will be very interesting to compare the two breeds they develop and mature.
Rina- It will be crazy! There were a few reasons behind our decision. One- I will be home most of the time for the next couple of years and be able to devote a lot of time to their early development. Two- We want them to develop a great relationship amongst each other and figure out their hierarchy early on. Three- We think it will be easier on our cats to make the adjustment once and get it over with verse getting their nerves shot a second time around. Funny, our biggest concern is the impact it will have on our cats. They own our home right now and their world will be rocked.
Congrat for your futur new puppy, I'mimpatient to see some pics!
Two puppies at once, we kind of did that with our guys. We wanted to get past the "diaper" stage in one shot instead of 2. Got them about 3 months apart and they are best buds, most of the time. Make sure you have lots and lots of chew toys, as there will be two teething mouths. We made a contest of who's puppy teeth we could find more of (Tetsu-12,Tikaani-3), as you'll find teeth everywhere when the time comes.
two puppies are a lot of fun and a lot of work, but it is always the greatest experiencing them grow and bond together.
Congrats on your breed choices, too! I can't wait to see/hear/compare the two [vicariously]through you!
"It was amusing telling the border portal what we did in Canada, as soon as we told him the price of the dog he waved us through."
^LOL!^
As you said, the breeders tended to talk their dogs up and make them sound extremely aggressive. I had a hard time believing they would be anymore aggressive than the breeds we were already involved in, but due to our dog breeds (specifically the Akita) most breeders refused to place a KBD with us. I actually found a lot of the KBD breeder to be just freaking rude. Specifically "California Karelians", he was just a very rude and unpleasant person. I was looking at the KBD for trail protection - but I went with the CO instead due to our need for LGD work too.
I did really enjoy speaking with The Wild River Bear Institute, they were very nice people.
I think you will find the KBD and Shikoku to be very similar but I would expect the KBD to have a much higher drive, bark a lot more, and be a bit more reactive. It's good they will be puppies together, you guys will have your hands full for sure. lol.
I'm happy for you, I can't wait to see spam of both of them! Congrats again!
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Yes, that's why I know I'll never have one -- cannot provide the environment or lifestyle for a dog like that. Every time I think about a KBD, I think of this statement I read from a dog breed website .... "Never let two Karelian Bear Dogs run together free - for they will go hunting."
The idea of that just cracks me up.
You're getting two great breeds, but I bet it will be quite a challenge to raise two puppies at the same time. (even more being a Shikoku and a KBD?)
After doing much research I found out that there is a bit of conflict in the KBD community. Apparently some North America breeders will mixed KBDs with RELs, still call them purebred KBDs and registrar them at the Universal Kennel Club International (UKCI). The UKCI listed them as "Karelian Bear Laikas:Bear Dog-Russo-European" and apparently thinks RELs and KBDs are interchangeable. All the American breeders I found (except for 1) registered with the UKCI. So me thinks them not purebred......I also noticed a big price difference. Apparently a purebred KBD will be registered with the CKC, FCI, UKC (United Kennel Club) or have AKC Stock. I found a good KBD website (http://www.kbdcoa.com) that listed pure KBD breeders.
Grawpaws is really far away from us (northern Ontario) and we don't know if we will have the puppy shipped or drive up there. Katja had told us that Canada had passed or will pass a law preventing persons from shipping a puppy alone in or out of the country. Apparently to crack down on puppies from puppy mills coming into Canada from the US of A. Instead she would have to ship thru a shipping company, making costs go up for the purchaser.
Ooo congratulations