BELLA has found her furrytail ending!

Anyone who has owned an Akita before knows that they're not for everyone. They're a little...ummm...special. (Yes, yes, we know that's the pot calling the kettle black...Huskies and Malamutes are definitely in the same boat!) When Nadine wrote in her application that her family had been 'an Akita family for 20 years', we were confident that she at least knew what she was getting herself into! Bella's foster parents, Aidan & Elyse, fell a little bit in love with our precious girl themselves, although they came to the decision that they had their hands full enough already with one dog (stay tuned for another announcement!) So Bella (whom they had nicknamed Porkins, due to her having a little extra junk in her trunk) boarded a plane headed for Melbourne to join Nadine's family.

We hear that Bella has well and truly made her way into the hearts of Nadine and her son, Jack. Thank you to Aidan & Elyse and also to Bella's previous foster Mum, Louise for loving our cheeky munchkin during her time as a SHAMROQ kid.

Happy furrytail ending, Bella!

So you’ve heard about us Akitas? Have you heard that we can be docile, intelligent, courageous and sometimes aloof? Even careful and very affectionate with our family? I think it’s fair to say that most of those comments refer to me…. Us Akitas are a different breed, not for the faint hearted or the amateur dog owner. Myself, I am a lady and I require that I can build trust with my people. I can be a little wary with new men, but if they are gentle and reassuring, we will be lifelong friends in no time. I won’t stand for any roughness or harsh punishment. My foster Mum has been showing me that I can learn things and feel loved at the same time. Positive reinforcement training coupled with my intelligence can open so many doors for us! I was found wandering the streets with my male Akita mate a while back, and SHAMROQ took me in and placed me with a wonderful foster family. I couldn’t stay with my original mate, but my foster brother Akita has been just as welcoming.

I will either need a large submissive male fur brother to play and withstand my size and strength, or a skin family with gentle teenage children or older who will be home with me more often than not. I have not been exposed to small animals or children, so we don’t want to tempt fate here. Ladies do have their limits! Ok so I said I am a lady – yes well usually, but I will forget the etiquette if you give me food or a squeaky toy! Everyone has their weaknesses, right? It’s best that I am allowed to enjoy my food to myself and kept separate from my fur siblings, and then we won’t have any problems. That is the only time I should be kept separate though. I do worry if my foster fur brother gets taken away from me. What if he needs me?? But with secure 6ft fences, or 5ft fences that I can’t climb, I will stay in my yard. You will need a lockable gate latch though – that Akita intelligence means the basic ones are no match for me! I am more than happy to lounge inside as much as possible, ladies are housetrained you know….