Unless you are coming to the Nationals, you better act quickly if you want to be part of our big iWON RAFFLE!!! We have a few tickets left so buy early to avoid missing out! Ms. Nancy must have payment by Saturday 24th at noon.
So hurry up -- go to
http://akitarescuewny.com/Nationals%20raffle/NationalRaf2009/natsraf2009.htm
and buy your ticket before 10/24/09 at 12 noon!!!!
And if you are coming to the Nationals, be SURE to stop by the ARWNY booth -- we have some really amazing surprises planned and some new exciting Akita designs on t-shirts, sweats, mugs, etc. So plan on spending some time at our HALLOWEEN BOOTH this year -- we are really "scaring up" a good time this year!!!
Kathy D-ARWNY
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
RIP Babe...
The world is a bit dimmer now due to the loss of Babe. A fabulous 5 yr male Akita when placed, he has lived for many years with his beloved family in upstate NY. Babe lost his fight with cancer last Thursday & passed over the Rainbow Bridge, leaving us all very saddened. This outstanding stray boy was placed by ARWNY with this loving family in NY and has lived happily with them all these years, accepting their special-needs son as if he were Babe's purpose in life, making them all feel safe and loved. He accompanied them everywhere and was beloved by everyone that met him. I am so sad that the family has to do without Babe now -- he was a very unique Akita and he lived with a very unique family. It was a very wonderful adoption and ARWNY is proud to have been able to match them up. We miss you BABE and while we are glad you are painfree now "Over the Bridge", the world is a bit less bright without you in it!!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Akitas off-leash....and at dog parks...
Every so often this subject pops up -- and when it does, I cring. I remember so many horror stories of Akitas who were killed due to being allowed to run off leash -- hit by cars, by trucks, one drowned when he fell thru the ice of a lake....the horror stories sadly are endless. But the subject crops up over and over because, as humans, we like to think we can overcome centuries of inbred genetics in our animals. So recently when this subject cropped up on an Akita group I am part of, I had to respond. Here is part of my response:
After 22 yrs of handling at least 1,500 (probably more!!) Akitas of EVERY kind, from breeders, to pet stores, to puppymills, to some of the best trained Akitas by professional trainers to Delta Therapy Akitas to multi-titled Akitas in obedience, in agility, in the show ring, I have never met a single Akita I would trust off leash 100% ALWAYS. At some point, either in a year, or 5 yrs or 10 yrs, you will have a problem with recall. You can train til your heart's content -- but you have a breed that THINKS for itself and at some point, something will be more important than listening to YOU say "come back". Trust me on this -- it will happen -- in 22 yrs, not one person I have said that to was able to come back to me 10 or 15 yrs later once their Akita passed on to say "Ha ha, you were wrong." Every person I have ever told this has come back to me at some point (some 10 even 15 yrs later!) to say "God, were you right and it was HORRID!!".
As long as you KNOW this will happen at some point, you will be on top of it and prepared, I hope. But if you put your head in the sand and convince yourself all your training will make your Akita totally trustworthy on recall, you will be shocked and in trouble. So heads up -- just be prepared. I don't need to know you, or your wife or your training methods -- because see, I know AKITAS. I know them inside and out, completely and totally -- I have devoted my life to them for 22 yrs and I have handled more Akitas in a month than most people ever see in a lifetime -- I am NOT bragging, trust me -- I am just trying to help you prevent a problem down the road. You can let your dog off leash all you want -- its your dog. Just realize that some day -- you will hang your head and say "damnit, I was warned." You never even have to admit to anyone that people were right & you were wrong -- but it will happen. We are just trying to help you prevent a problem. Its NO indication of you as an owner in ANY way -- its that we know Akitas.
Now -- my problem with dog parks is -- they are DIRTY places, they allow diseases to be passed among dogs and they cause issues because other people do NOT train or socialize their dogs correctly. So that is why my adoption contract states that NO adopted Akita of mine may ever be allowed in a dog park -- period. I personally want to keep my dogs safe from other people who do NOT take as good care of their dogs as I do of mine!! I don't spend my life rescuing and caring for all these adopted Akitas to end up having them loose their lives due to a disease they caught in the dog park or from a problem that happened in the dog park. I end that problem before it starts -- my contract is strict and people do understand once I discuss it with them!!! Many of the serious diseases we are dealing with like the canine influenze are prevelent in dog parks right now here in the northeast -- its just not worth playing Russian roulette, hoping YOUR dogs won't catch something today at the dog park -- if I had a nickel for every person who came back to me to say "boy were you right, my dog caught this or this at the damn dog park" I'd be driving a BMW instead of a beat up Kia van!! As a former kennel owner I got to talk to hundreds of dog owners -- and the dog park stories I heard over the years are NOT pretty!!
After 22 yrs of handling at least 1,500 (probably more!!) Akitas of EVERY kind, from breeders, to pet stores, to puppymills, to some of the best trained Akitas by professional trainers to Delta Therapy Akitas to multi-titled Akitas in obedience, in agility, in the show ring, I have never met a single Akita I would trust off leash 100% ALWAYS. At some point, either in a year, or 5 yrs or 10 yrs, you will have a problem with recall. You can train til your heart's content -- but you have a breed that THINKS for itself and at some point, something will be more important than listening to YOU say "come back". Trust me on this -- it will happen -- in 22 yrs, not one person I have said that to was able to come back to me 10 or 15 yrs later once their Akita passed on to say "Ha ha, you were wrong." Every person I have ever told this has come back to me at some point (some 10 even 15 yrs later!) to say "God, were you right and it was HORRID!!".
As long as you KNOW this will happen at some point, you will be on top of it and prepared, I hope. But if you put your head in the sand and convince yourself all your training will make your Akita totally trustworthy on recall, you will be shocked and in trouble. So heads up -- just be prepared. I don't need to know you, or your wife or your training methods -- because see, I know AKITAS. I know them inside and out, completely and totally -- I have devoted my life to them for 22 yrs and I have handled more Akitas in a month than most people ever see in a lifetime -- I am NOT bragging, trust me -- I am just trying to help you prevent a problem down the road. You can let your dog off leash all you want -- its your dog. Just realize that some day -- you will hang your head and say "damnit, I was warned." You never even have to admit to anyone that people were right & you were wrong -- but it will happen. We are just trying to help you prevent a problem. Its NO indication of you as an owner in ANY way -- its that we know Akitas.
Now -- my problem with dog parks is -- they are DIRTY places, they allow diseases to be passed among dogs and they cause issues because other people do NOT train or socialize their dogs correctly. So that is why my adoption contract states that NO adopted Akita of mine may ever be allowed in a dog park -- period. I personally want to keep my dogs safe from other people who do NOT take as good care of their dogs as I do of mine!! I don't spend my life rescuing and caring for all these adopted Akitas to end up having them loose their lives due to a disease they caught in the dog park or from a problem that happened in the dog park. I end that problem before it starts -- my contract is strict and people do understand once I discuss it with them!!! Many of the serious diseases we are dealing with like the canine influenze are prevelent in dog parks right now here in the northeast -- its just not worth playing Russian roulette, hoping YOUR dogs won't catch something today at the dog park -- if I had a nickel for every person who came back to me to say "boy were you right, my dog caught this or this at the damn dog park" I'd be driving a BMW instead of a beat up Kia van!! As a former kennel owner I got to talk to hundreds of dog owners -- and the dog park stories I heard over the years are NOT pretty!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
ARWNY Drawing
Every year ARWNY goes to the Akita Nationals if we can. We missed it last year but have attended most years recently. Its a great way for us to reconnect with the breeders, talk about our rescue efforts and to raise funds for our rescue work by having a booth where we hold great drawings!!
Nancy knocks herself out thinking of ways to make each National drawing new and exciting. This year, she began a whole year ago, by figuring out some great new ideas for a drawing.
SO, you have to go to
http://akitarescuewny.com/Nationals%20raffle/NationalRaf2009/natsraf2009.htm
and see what this year holds -- its very special, very limited and you better buy your tickets NOW before they are sold out!!
Also, we have some new exciting designs coming on T-shirts & sweatshirts too -- we will debut them at the Nationals then will put them on our online store to sell. So be watching for that!!
Its vital for us to make money to fund our rescue work and drawings, raffles, items to sell are a big help to us -- so please, support us by buying tickets and buying shirts when they are available, ok?
Nancy knocks herself out thinking of ways to make each National drawing new and exciting. This year, she began a whole year ago, by figuring out some great new ideas for a drawing.
SO, you have to go to
http://akitarescuewny.com/Nationals%20raffle/NationalRaf2009/natsraf2009.htm
and see what this year holds -- its very special, very limited and you better buy your tickets NOW before they are sold out!!
Also, we have some new exciting designs coming on T-shirts & sweatshirts too -- we will debut them at the Nationals then will put them on our online store to sell. So be watching for that!!
Its vital for us to make money to fund our rescue work and drawings, raffles, items to sell are a big help to us -- so please, support us by buying tickets and buying shirts when they are available, ok?
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