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Taking Care of an Akita

Anyone who has ever seen the movie Hachiko would know the loyalty and love an Akita can give to their owners. Akitas are wonderful, alert, and powerful large dogs that have a heavy structure, similar to a bear. The elite society members of northern Japan once bred these beautiful dogs. Today, they can be found all over the world. Akitas are very flexible dogs and can live in an apartment in the city or in a big farm. Taking care of an Akita is not really as difficult as it sounds, nor is it different from the care given to any other breed for that matter.

Always be cautious if others are around them

Akitas are loyal and wonderful guard dogs. They can watch over your home and scare danger off with their loud barks. However, dog owners can never be too careful. Children, especially toddlers, should never be left alone with the dog. Older children need to know what they can and cannot do with a large dog such as an Akita. When there are visitors at home, the dog can be placed inside a room or they can be leashed.  One thing people find less attractive amongst Akitas is their temperament. These dogs are known to be a bit aggressive and do not take to strangers very well. Akitas that are used to seeing other people and animals are actually better in socializing compared to the ones who are always kept at home.

Keep them clean

Akitas have very thick fur. Japanese Akitas come in four classic colors, Red Fawn, Sesame, Brindle and White. American Akitas are bigger and have more fur colors. Either way, these dogs need a lot of tending to when it comes to grooming. Regular baths are needed and brushing should be done daily.

Health issues

Akitas are prone to hypothyroid disease, which causes weight gain. Their diet needs to be monitored to avoid them from getting too big. These dogs, especially pure bred Akitas, are also known to have hip problems, blood and bone disorders and degenerative myelopathy. DM in dogs will mean that they need special attention when it comes to exercise and diet. Checking an Akita’s bloodline is one way of knowing if it will develop DM in dogs in the future, so always check their records.

Lifespan

Akitas can live up to about 10 to 12 years, but some Akitas have lived up to 15 years and more. These dogs are known to survive in most type of climates. However, they are used to more cooler weather. If you live in the tropics, air-conditioning may be necessary during the summer to prevent heat exhaustion and stroke.

Hachikō’s Loyalty

The words loyal and obedient have become synonymous with dogs, identified as a dog trait which all dogs are capable of regardless of who or what kind of a person their master is.

But as all dogs can exhibit degrees of loyalty and obedience, not all are capable of bringing loyalty and obedience to legendary heights – as Hachikō had done.

Famed for exhibiting remarkable loyalty to his master (extending that loyalty for years even after his master’s death) Hachikō’s story began with a simple “routine”, where he would wait at the Shibuya Station at the end of the day for Hidesaburō Ueno - his master who taught in the Agriculture Department in the University of Tokyo - to come home from work.

This went on until a day in May, 1925, when Ueno failed to meet Hachikō at the station. The master had suffered from cerebral hemorrhage during the course of the day, and died. Hachikō, however, continued to wait for his master’s return, going to the Shibuya Station everyday for nine years.

Loyalty and obedience brought to legendary heights, indeed.

Hachikō’s story attracted a lot of people, including growing interest in the Akita breed of dogs which Hachikō was a purebreed of. At that time, one of Ueno’s students conducted a study revealing that there were only 30 purebred Akitas left, and as Hachikō’s story of loyalty was told and retold, his determination and loyalty to his master grew into becoming a national symbol for loyalty, thereby propelling interest in the Akita breed as a whole.

Hachikō died in 1935 and it was only recently, in March 2011, when scientists were in agreement in determining the cause of his death: a filaria (worms) infection and a form of terminal cancer.

Today, variants in the Akita breed are defined by the prime types of the breed, Akita Inu (Japanese Akitas) and American Akita (American breed Akitas). Akitas are part of spitz breed of dogs, with roots hailing from the mountainous areas of Japan.

As a breed, Akitas are dominant and independent. They are very affectionate to masters and family members, but on guard with other strangers and, at times, intolerant of the presence of other dogs. They are known to exhibit cat-like attributes, like cleaning their faces after meals, and as Hachikō had shown, are known for their loyalty.

A number of short stories and full-length features, including a movie starring Richard Gere, have been made based on Hachikō’s loyalty.

If one thinks about it, Hachikō waited for his master’s return for nine years, going to the station everyday. Can we say that we know of anyone else exhibiting that kind of loyalty?