Akita Rescue

Akita Rescue clubs are non-profit organizations dealing in picking up and caring for stray Akita dogs that have lost their homes due to various circumstances. These organizations use volunteer help from people finding homeless animals or providing dog care items, such as food, medicine, leashes, towels and so forth. Rescue organizations collect donations from dog lovers and sponsors, and they work hard to find good homes for their dogs to help them forget about their dreary past.

Akita dogs originated in Japan some 2500 years ago, and today the Akita is a National Monument in its native country. Akitas are renowned for their enviable hunting skills owing to their keen sense of smell, excellent hearing and good eyesight. Their dense and waterproof double coat is a great protection against cold, which enables them to hunt under harsh weather conditions. Akitas are known to have successfully hunted large game, such as wild boar and deer. It was in 1937 that first Akita arrived in America. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1973. Today, the American Akita is slightly different from its Japanese progenitor (Akita Inu). Akitas are usually reserved with strangers and dog-aggressive, which is one of the reasons for a dog to land up in an Akita Rescue club.

There are various reasons why so many Akita dogs find themselves in the street, that rescue organizations are literally crowded with dogs and puppies and often cannot cope with the inflow of new dogs. Most Akitas lose their homes once their owners realize “it is not what they have expected”, or due to sudden changes in family lives, such as a serious disease, death or departure of the owner. Unfortunately, too many cast-out Akitas, as Akita Rescue specialists note with resentment, are actually victims of human ignorance, negligence or abuse. These dogs are very delicate in terms of relationships with people and require a specific way of training. Some dogs, especially those purchased hastily and randomly from unethical breeders, suffer severe genetic abnormalities or have doubtful genetic backgrounds.

Being too proud and dignified by nature to withstand rough methods of training, Akita dogs often end up with serious behavioral deviations resulting in unpredictable and aggressive behaviors. Not infrequently, Akita dogs become overprotective around their loved ones and may attack should someone make a sharp move and the dog regards this as an intrusion into his or her domain. Many Akita dogs are short with children, which entails lawsuits and often results in dogs being abandoned. As a rule, these problems occur due to improper socialization and lack of awareness about the breed’s specific traits on the part of the owner. Many of these dogs become too violent and ferocious for an Akita Rescue organization to manage and have to be euthanized.

Fortunately, relatively few dogs face such a grave prospect, and many of them become fully rehabilitated after a good training and correction course. All rescue dogs are subject to overall veterinary examinations and should be spayed/neutered, so that they do not get involved in breeding programs. When necessary, rescue Akitas receive treatment for parasites and infections, as well as good nutrition until they are adopted. Akita Rescue organizations are always glad to have their dogs adopted by responsible and trustworthy people, and rescue specialists usually stay in touch with them and keep track of their further lives.