Shikoku Envy
Oh my goodness, where do we begin? The past few weeks have been almost overwhelming. We have sifted through nearly every discussion in the Shikoku category and have read so much that it is beginning to blur. We have both written comprehensive research papers that required less research than we have done regarding Shikoku. The more we read, the more convinced we are that a Shikoku would be our perfect companion. He and Jess can get carsick together. The pictures and videos... well they have only intensified our eagerness. Jess is even getting a little jealous when we see a post about a Shikoku pup, particularly Brad's wonderful photos of Kaiju.
So what is the next step?
We have filled out a breeder referral form @ www.shikokucanada.org and have emailed Katja of Akashima Kennels.
We are still waiting for responses and are wondering if there is something more we can do. We are waiting to hear back from Katja regarding a trip to meet her and her dogs. We plan to fly down there in late April or early May depending on factors such as work,scheduling and Katja's response. After meeting some Shikoku we will decide upon placing a deposit on a pup from, hopefully, a 2012 litter. The decision is almost made already, given all of our research, yet hinges on our experience and impression of these dogs live and in person.
We are also curious about the contract we must sign. Can anyone please provide us with some information regarding the contracts? We are seeking a companion dog and have no interest in breeding. What may be the terms of such contracts?
-- Decided to check email again just after posting this discussion and there was Katja's response.
Last but not least, how do you cope with the waitng?!?
So what is the next step?
We have filled out a breeder referral form @ www.shikokucanada.org and have emailed Katja of Akashima Kennels.
We are still waiting for responses and are wondering if there is something more we can do. We are waiting to hear back from Katja regarding a trip to meet her and her dogs. We plan to fly down there in late April or early May depending on factors such as work,scheduling and Katja's response. After meeting some Shikoku we will decide upon placing a deposit on a pup from, hopefully, a 2012 litter. The decision is almost made already, given all of our research, yet hinges on our experience and impression of these dogs live and in person.
We are also curious about the contract we must sign. Can anyone please provide us with some information regarding the contracts? We are seeking a companion dog and have no interest in breeding. What may be the terms of such contracts?
-- Decided to check email again just after posting this discussion and there was Katja's response.
Last but not least, how do you cope with the waitng?!?
Comments
You sift through Brad's photos....
Jesse
A contract for a companion dog might include that the dog is not for breeding, what consequences it will have, if the dog gets bred/breeds by mistake/coincidence, if the breeder has any specific wishes for how the dog should be kept that could also be included. Price is also included often, to prevent squabbles about price afterwards and ofcourse (at least it's customary over here in Europe) that a replacement puppy will be provided if the puppy develoups hereditary diseases (or a refund).
Really it can include what information you like, as well as the mandatory information about seller, buyer and the animal in question. Maybe Katja has a standard contract she would let you take a look at...
Lot of breeders will let you look at a blank contract before putting a deposit down, so it would hurt to request to look at it.
im assuming theres a long waiting list over there as well huh?
i go back and forth between asia all the time and it would be a quick flight in order for me to pop by japan.
ive been following the walrus' blog as well. its a great read!
If, however, someone with contacts in Japan was travelling to Japan and willing to bring back pups, the cost decreases a lot. You can place 2 small pups per crate at 200 dollars per crate that travels with the passenger. Then the price of import vs NA pup are about equal.
We have decided to go the NA route for a few reasons. This will be our 1st NK if we do in fact decide to go with Shikoku. That being said, we want to meet Shikoku before we place a deposit. We most definatly want to meet the pup's parents as well. Then there is the health concerns. All of Katja's dogs have had their medical checks and she guarantees her pups will not suffer from degenerative hereditary conditions. From what I understand, and I may be mistaken and I'm certain Shigeru does all he can to assure healthy pups, Japanese breeders do not do health checks on breeding stock or on pups. Now you can request that it is done, at your expense, and you still receive no health guarantee. Even though a guarantee in not 100% proof postive against degenerative conditions, it does, in my mind, offer some peace of mind and financial security given that these are expensive puppies (for us at least).
@shishiinu we have also spoken with Carleen Newman, I do not know if she breeds the hunting line that you are interested in but Shigeru also spoke of someone else beginning to breed Kishu next year in California. You may want to speak with him about the details regarding that line of Kishu.
Whenever possible, I advise people looking for a companion NK to go to one of the established breeders in their country before thinking about importing.
Hopefully in the not too distant future I will have my own tested breeding program, and I'm also trying to work with some NK breeders to start testing their breeding adults.
Of course, I wouldn't import a dog just to be a pet. The advantage to importing is the genetic diversity, which doesn't matter if you're going to neuter your dog anyway. I wouldn't import a dog for breeding either, if there were sufficient gene pools in NA.
I live in Denmark, and we don't have many possibilities. I plan to import a kai since we have very few breeders, and the other reason is that I really want an akatora, so I kinda have to go far away, and I've always wanted to see Japan, so for me it is a good deal to go to Japan to get a pup.
And I'd want to breed ofcourse... That has long been a dream of mine!
We look forward to meeting the dogs and talking to Katja in person.
We will be bringing the camera to document the trip and we know TheWalrus is eager to see more recent pictures of Yamato!
To say we are very excited would be quite an understatement.
i hope to be going back there again sometime this year!