NORTHBRIDGE BMD & AKITAS

The call came in on Good Friday 1990. I was working as an ACO for a 4 town shelter in southern Connecticut. I was told that a stray dog was seen near the woods of the State DOT garage. When I arrived I saw what I immediately recognized as an Akita. I parked a distance from him, and did my usual act of eating something to get the dogs attention. He watched, but showed no signs of coming close. I walked closer, acting as though I did not see him, and continued to eat and talk to myself. When I got within about 30 feet of the dog, he stood up and trotted into the woods. I called, but I never chase a dog as that will only make him run further away from you. I opened a can of dog food and scooped it out of the can and onto the ground. I was hoping that he would come back after I left the area. I drove away and came back in about 20 minutes. The dog had not returned and the food stood untouched. As this location was adjacent to a local highway, I was concerned about his being hit by a car. I returned the next day, but the food remained untouched and the Akita was no where in sight. I did not know anyone in the area who owned an Akita. The dog was very thin and I was fairly certain that he had been dumped by a motorist, due to the fact that we were so close to a major highway.

Three days later I received a call from a homeowner. Her female lab was in heat and there was a stray dog hanging around her property. When I arrived, to my surprise, I saw the same Akita that I had

seen at the garage. Once again as I approached, he slowly got up and walked into the woods. I did not want to scare him off so I went back to the house. The homeowner brought her dog outside to see if the Akita would come closer to get near to her dog. He showed no interest and remained in the woods. I set the largest humane trap that I had, but I could tell by the size of the dog that he would never fit. Over the next 2 weeks I brought food every day for the Akita. As hungry as he obviously was, he would not come over to me. On the 20th day, the Akita was laying on the front lawn of the home when I arrived. I sat on the curb and took out the spoon and can of food. I tossed a small bit of the food close to him. He ate it. I tossed the next bite a little bit closer. Eventually, I had the dog close enough so that he was eating right off of the spoon! I had a slip lead in my hands and I slowly put this over his head. I prayed that he would not try to bolt when he felt the pressure of the lead, but he did not. I stood up and walked him over to my van and helped him to jump in.

     As with all stray dogs, I placed an ad under the lost and found section of the local paper. I also started searching to see if I could locate an Akita rescue group. I knew that this is a breed that must be placed carefully. I felt that I was not equipped to properly interview prospective owners, so I felt it best to leave it to the experts. During the next few weeks I spent a lot of time with this Akita. His temperament seemed to be incredible. He showed no aggression towards people or the other dogs at the shelter. I was able to leash walk him, without any problems. I had contacted a State K9 Officer who I knew loved Akitas. She came down to see the dog, but in the end, decided not to take him because his back ground was unknown. I spoke to 3 different people who did work with Akita rescue groups. They thought they might have located the owner at one time. She had lost her 2 Akitas when they took off into the woods chasing after a deer. They had been missing for over a month, and the description of her male fit this guy to a "T". She drove up to see my Akita, but it was not hers. When I contacted the Akita rescue again, the best they could do was to place him in a home where there were already 2 Akitas. She was honest in telling me that this dog would have to be crated almost all of the time because of her dogs. I understood her decision, but I could not let this dog go to this kind of life, for who knew how long, after all that I did to catch him. I told the rescue worker that I would keep him myself. I already owned a female Bernese Mountain Dog, and a male Borzoi, another one of my rescues, but I knew that this could work.

     Before bringing this dog home, I made an appointment to take him to my vet. They checked him out, gave him all the necessary shots, and scheduled an appointment for him to be neutered. He weighed just 75 pounds. That afternoon the vet contacted me to say that his heartworm test had come back positive. I had no choice but to treat him. I had named the dog "Abby". Abby was about 6 years old at this time and we were concerned about the treatment. At this time they used arsenic to kill the worms. It was risky and expensive, but worth every dime, to bring Abby back to good health. The treatment went smoothly. All the vet techs could not believe how good Abby had been. Now I had to keep him quiet for the next month. No kind of exercise at all. Just out to do his thing, and then back inside. Fortunately for me, he was a real trooper. When he went back in to be checked, the vet said that he was fine. We made his appointment to be neutered and life went on. Abby's final weight, after months of careful feeding, was 115 pounds!!

     At this time in my life, I had a 1 year old son. I was always very careful with him around any of the dogs that I brought home. One day however, Abby was out in his pen eating. Andrew had walked over to the pen and before I could get to him, he had put his hand through the fence and into Abby's bowl of food. Abby simply sat down and waited until I came to retrieve my son. This was to be only the first incident where Abby proved himself to be an incredible dog. I started taking him on nightly walks, once he was fully recuperated from his heartworm treatment. One night, after dark, we were walking down our street and I could see a neighbor walking up towards us, but on the other side of the road. I felt no threat because I knew who it was, but Abby, who had been walking very nicely on my left side, very calmly crossed over to be on my right side. He never barked or growled, but he put himself in what he perceived to be the line of danger. One of the last great incidents to occur in Abby's life was when my vet called me one day. They needed a blood donor and asked if they could use Abby. They had remembered how well behaved he was for the IV during his heartworm treatment. I agreed and Abby did it willingly. Abby went with me on occasion to the local nursing home I visited on a monthly basis. He loved the attention. Of all the dogs that I have had in my life, he was the only one who would sit patiently while I put the food bowl down, and then kiss me before starting to eat. We had a special bond that I will never have with another animal. I was lucky to have Abby in my life for another5 1/2 years. He appeared fine when I left for work just 2 weeks before Christmas in 1995. He had eaten his breakfast and wagged his tail as I left. When I came home I was not immediately alarmed not to see him waiting for me. His hearing had been going, and his naps seemed to get deeper. I could not wake Abby when I returned home on this day. He had passed on to a better place and is waiting for me over the bridge.

     Due to my rescue work at the shelter I could not get another Akita right away. Probably best. When the time was right, I did my research, read many books, visited and spoke to some local breeders and then finally found "Tugger". I could never replace Abby, but Tugger has filled a void in my life. I often wonder if I ever would have known the joy of owning an Akita had it not been for Abby. I'm just glad I'll never have to know.