Looking toTomorrow

In 1998, I couldn't wait to retire so I could spend more time with the dogs, have the ocassional litter without as much hassle, and go to more shows. I retired in February, 2005, and as it happens, I've had no litters in 6 years, spent less time with the dogs, and I go to fewer shows than when I was working! It raises the question "Is there a future for Sajo Akitas?" The answer is "Maybe."

Drummer

(Daitan-Ni Different Drummer)
is nearly 8 years old. He won his first points, a major, in July 2003, going Best of Winners at the Akita Club of Tampa Bay Summer Specialty Show.

Showing an import is a bit more difficult, but he seems to be getting better with age, and I look forward to showing him from mid-2005 through the Florida Winter circuit.

Amanda

Tsunami's Diamonds R Forever has grown into a really lovely bitch, but as with her grandmother, there are little issues that keep me from putting her in the show ring. I'm considering giving it a try this year (2005), and if it goes well, I'll certainly let you know right here! Also on the back burner is a possible breeding between Amanda and Drummer, something I've wanted to do for a long time. Mandy carries some wonderful old Akita genes, as well as some newer import genes. Her grandsire is a beautiful self-masked brindle, as is Drummer's sire, so there's a really good chance this breeding will produce both black and self-masked brindles and reds with or without maskes. Co-owners Rita and Shawn Roberts are as excited about the possibilities as I am!

Thunder

The newest face at Sajo is SnowCrest Trouble in Paradise, aka Thunder. At just over 6 months of age, Thunder is approaching 80 pounds, and is 24 inches at the shoulder. He can't seem to decide whether he's a brindle or a sable, but I'm betting on brindle when the first big shed is done. It hasn't even STARTED yet, so I may have a while to wait. Here he is, at about 12 weeks, looking unmistakably brindle. Right?

Look again at 6 months, and the stripes are starting to come back, but the pictures in between are definitely sable! I've also noticed that he looks more sable to the naked eye, and more brindle to the camera. Go figure! Thunder was bred by Teresa Liles of SnowCrest Akitas in Colorado Springs. His sire is Ch. Kokino's Worth The Trouble (Tiger), a georgeous brindle; his dam is Ch. Monumental's Uncertain Glory (Greta), a "plain brown wrapper" bitch with beautiful movement, a fabulous front, and some other really nice pups to her credit. By the way, Greta isn't really brown, but she's not vividly colored. You can see Greta and Tiger at http://www.snowcrestakitas.com if you're interested.

Thunder is slated to make his debut sometime in August or September in Florida, then travel to the ACA National Specialty in Phoenix. Look for him in Futurity and 9-12 puppy classes at the Nationals.

Maybe Sajo Akitas has a future, and maybe not. It mostly depends on how much energy I have to put into training and showing in the next 5 years or so. My joints keep reminding me that I'm not getting any younger!