Read more … What will become of me?

I am Chief and if you want to be loved and protected by one of the rarest of the Akita breed of guardian dogs, you need to come meet me.  I am a Karafuto Akita ... that's the big, proud long coat Akita that originated several hundred years ago.  Bred in the Karafuto region of Japan, it's almost as if this area was God's prototype for extreme bad weather.  Long winters filled with raging blizzards, sustained temperatures well below zero and LOTS of snow . 

Karafuto Akitas are much like other Akitas with a couple notable exceptions (being Karafuto, I may be slightly biased):

• We are long coated, and as with any long coated dog, maintenance can be a challenge to someone who is not diligent and responsible about a minimum of at least one good solid grooming every week, and
• We tend to be as avid a guardian as any other Akita, but we do also have a little more open attitude towards other dogs.

My owner died unexpectedly this summer and after the funeral, estate sale, yard sale and the relatives taking everything they wanted ... I was left with the unwanted  trash to be hauled away and disposed of.  I don't mind telling you, I was in a pretty bad place emotionally ... I was severely depressed with losing my owner and angry at being left like so much trash. 

The "kids" called me "that big, ratty old dog of dad's."  OK< yes, I'm big and I did belong to the dad ... but I'm a handsome , healthy boy in the prime of my life -- and I gotta tell you I am a whole lot smarter than those dip stick kids of his. 

When dad passed, nobody was there to hold his hand; like every other day, it was just me 'n him.  I knew something was happening and I didn't know what to do, but it seemed like dad was scared, so I laid down beside him and he put his arm around me and knew he wasn't walking to the bridge alone.  Me 'n dad had always done everything together and more than anything I wanted to walk across the bridge with him, but they found us laying together.  Dad had quietly passed, his arm still around my shoulders.  That day my heart was broken and the only world I had ever known was ended.   

Read more … Chief's Story

I'm Chanel and I was originally a California girl.  Then about 6 months ago my family and I moved to Las Vegas, NV.  OMG the heat in Las Vegas is something else!!  I was shocked because I always liked being in the house and going outside to play and suddenly I pretty much just wanted to spend my days in front of the air conditioning vents. 

So, a couple of things happened when we moved to Las Vegas.  The first thing (obviously) was that I got a clear idea of what HOT WEATHER really means.  The second thing was that mom had a baby (she's a cute little thing) and suddenly our life turned inside out.  First we couldn't take those long walks that I so love anymore because the weather is too hot for either me, mom or the baby to spend much time outside.  Second, mom has a lot less time to spend with me because the baby is really time consuming. 

I've really studied this whole human baby thing very carefully.  My observation is that baby people are cute but they make this awful wailing noise and they aren't paper trained like puppies so sometimes they smell really bad.  When they first come home, nobody in the house gets much sleep.   I do like the fact that there are more spills in the kitchen when a baby is eating there and I understand for the next several years, the spills become more frequent and larger as they learn how to feed themselves, so that's a plus.

Then mom started back to work.  For a minute, I was afraid the baby was going to be home with me all day.  Perish the thought.  Apparently there is a place like doggie day care, but it's for babies and so that's where the mommie and dad take the baby in the morning.  But then that leaves me home alone all day, and then when they come home, everyone is tired and the baby needs to be taken care of and nobody really has a lot of time to spend with me either.

So  mommie and daddy decided to keep the baby and find another home for me.  That's how on Thanksgiving day 2011 I was delivered to Blue Moon Akita Rescue here in Colorado.  This isn't a bad place - the food is good, the people are nice and folks do spend time with me ... but it's not like having my own family and home to take care of.  I really miss that.

So I understand that things change and I'm hoping you are reading this because things have changed in your life and you now are looking for somebody like me to be your best friend.  Please contact Karena and make an appointment to come and meet me.  I'd love to go for a walk with you and show you how sweet Akita girls can be.

Oh ... and I forgot to tell you ... I ACTUALLY LIKE CATS.  It's not their fault they don't have nice tails like Akitas do, and they are really funny to watch .. there's a Siamese here named Frank who sleeps upside down ... he's funny.

Please come see me.

Read more … Chanel's Story

I'm Buster and I'm originally from Las Vegas, NV.  I came to live with my dad when I was a small puppy and I liked it at our house.  We played a lot and had nieces and nephews who came to visit.  Sometimes they brought their dogs and we'd all play like crazy.  What I really didn't like about Las Vegas was the HOT weather ...

Then one day my dad told me he was being transferred with his job and was moving to California.  I was excited at the idea of a road trip.  Then I heard my dad and his dad talking.  My dad wasn't able to take me with him!  He wanted to leave me with his dad, but his dad didn't have time to take care of me.  They were wondering what to do with me.  I didn't understand.  It's not like I was a corner table or something to be donated to some charity because I didn't fit the new house.  Holy banannas!  What was going on??

So my dad talked to some other folks and they didn't get any better ideas.  Then my dad contacted Blue Moon Akita Rescue and they said yes they would take me but they were clear in Denver, CO (and I heard that winter there is COLD!  How terrific is that!!) and my dad didn't have time to bring me clear to Colorado, so they made arrangements for me to get to stay in Phoenix until they have space for me in Colorado. 

Then my dad and his dad got up early in the morning, put me in the car and we were on the road.  I was excited about Phoenix and I thought maybe it wouldn't be as HOT as Las Vegas.  Hey, I'm a dog, what do I know about weather patterns in the American Southwest.  So here I am in Phoenix and it's about as hot here as it was in Las Vegas. 

I am hoping to get to Colorado real soon, but even more than that, I'm hoping to find a new home with a forever family who will love me always and take me with them if they move.  It doesn't seem like a lot to ask.  I don't tear stuff up and I am house trained and crate trained.  I like kids and other dogs and I am now neutered.  I am current on my shots and would love to be forever home for the holidays.

Read more … BUSTER's Story

I'm Fritz and I'm just a big sweet guy looking for someone I can take care of.  To be very honest, I don't remember much about my early life.  I know I had a mommy and was part of a litter of puppies, but it seems that I was taken away when I was a baby and then life just got a little crazy.  About a month ago I was picked up in Salina KS as a stray and the dog police took me to the shelter.  Nobody ever came looking for me and I was heartbroken.

I didn't know it then but that was probably the luckiest day of my life.  First I was off the streets and not in danger of being hit by a car or taken by people with bad intentions.  Second, Saiina KS works with Blue Moon Akita Rescue on sending their Salina Akitas to Colorado to find homes instead of being euthanized or placed somewhere that people don't understand Akitas.  The folks at Salina were really nice to me and gave me good food and a medical checkup.  I got my vaccinations and everyone was real glad when they learned that I was HW negative.  They also neutered me, but I'm not going to say anything bad about that -- sometimes you have to pay a big price to get where you can be safe and have a chance for a forever home.

So now I am here at Blue Moon.  The food is good, I'm learning new stuff every day and there are some smokin Akita girls here that I think I will eventually get to play with.  The alpha boy here is a big Akita they call Dillon and he is always with his mommy when she's out in the yards, and he's real clear that she's HIS mommy.  That boy is serious as a heart attack....no sense of humor where his mommy is concerned.  I'm not a baby but I'm not looking for a fight with Dillon that's for sure.  I made it real clear I can take care of myself, but that I know this is his place and I'm a guest here and I have absolutely no intention of doing anything that Dillon's mommy is going to find annoying.  So I pretty much think Dillon and I will work into a friendship but probably not today. 

Bottom line, the dogs here all talk about "forever homes."  Dillon has been forever home since Bill and Karena got him as a puppy, and he's one of the lucky ones because he has never been lost or hungry or alone.  He doesn't even realize how lucky he is.

I would like to be lucky like that and have a forever home where I can take care of my family and they can take care of me.  I'm a good boy and cordial with other dogs.  The whole cat thing has been new to me.  Personally I think they are ugly squirrels, but hey, people seem to like them and the mommy here seems to think it's important to figure out whether I am going to eat the cat or that little Min Pin that hangs out with Dillon.  That little Lugar dog would probably have been an Akita girl's snack a long time ago without Dillon as his backup.  Little snot head barks at all of us and does it standing between Dillon's front legs.  Like anyone is going to go there after him.  Ha!  As if.

Read more … Fritz's Story

Welcome to my bio page .. I'm Zeke and you are probably asking yourself "how did a Siamese cat end up at an Akita Dog Rescue"??  Trust me, I've been asking myself that question ever since I heard I wasn't going to be euthanized at the Salina shelter (and THAT is amazxing because this is a high kill shelter; cats don't stay long here where they get maybe 30 or 40 new cats every day).  I mean, come on, I'm a cat not a rocket scientist, but even I know that Salina KS isn't exactly a mecca for cat lovers looking to adopt.

So I was really happy when I heard I wasn't scheduled for a one way trip straight to the big litter box over the bridge, but I was a little surprised (actually A LOT SURPRISED) to hear I was  being saved by a dog rescue.  I mean ... really ... a DOG rescue??  Seriously?  Do they understand who I am?  Then I heard BMAR isn't just a "dog rescue" it is an Akita rescue, a   rescue that specializes in those big Japanese dogs that were bred to hunt bear. 

Swell.  Just my luck. Clearly I had been mistaken for some pigmy bear and was heading to Colorado for some kind of canned hunt with a bunch of mutant dogs.  OK, I figured I probably should try to find a ray of sunshine in that little cloud.

In retrospect I see that  was my first "ah ha" moment but it turned out to be only the beginning.  I was sent over to the vet for a discussion centering around a sort of a gender reassignment that would probably net me a house job with a sunny sleeping window.  On paper it sounded really reasonable and I think I must have fallen asleep during the technical side of the discussion.  Cats get bored easily and when we're bored, we sleep.

I was next tested and found HW and FIV negative, and everyone was glad about that and while I was still pondering the source of their great joy WHAM, I was vaccinated, microchipped.  OK, the microchipping I could have done without but I figured I was now ready to head to Denver.  I planned to get into my carrier and play quiet kitty in that car full of dogs heading out of Salina. 

Not so fast Zeke old soul.  Oh no, the vet had another surprise.  They talked to me quietly and suggested that I take a little snooze.  After all the previous poking and prodding, I figured we were a about done and so I nodded off to sleep.  When I next awoke, I found little Zeke was screaming that the twins had gone MIA while I snoozed.  OK, that's not good and so I started loudly asking to speak with the management.  A nice attendant came in and then I nodded off again,  experiencing better living through pharmaceuticals ...

Long story short, later that day Little Zeke and I left the vet's office and the twins were still MIA.  I'm thinking they aren't coming back...but Little Zeke seems to be done grieving.

Read more … ZEKE's Story

Well, hi, check me out.  My new name is Ryder (I think my previous name may have been something along the line of "Damnit Dog!") and a couple of months ago I was just another young dog in the 'hood, chained to a tree in a yard with kids throwing rocks and stuff at me and taunting me.  I'm only 10 months old, but it seems like that's all I can remember.  I know I must have had a dog momma and been in a litter of pups, but all I remember is the chain and the mean kids.

Today chains and tie outs are a thing of the past and last week I took my first (and I hope last) plane ride from Memphis, TN to Denver, CO.  I understand in a pretty short time I'm going to see something called "snow" -- don't know what that's all about but I am having a heck of a good time now.  I live during the day in the big corner kennel right next to my buddy Kirby and his new girlfriend Cota, a pretty little girl from SC.  We've all got toys, chew sticks, clean water and good food.  And then of course there are squirrels to chase and dog houses to hang out in during the day.  At night we all troop inside to our beds in the "dormitory" -- everyone has their own crate with a soft cushion and a snuggly blankep and a chew stick in case we get scared and can't sleep ... and we get a radio that plays all night.  The thing I like best is the deal called a "baby monitor" ... Karena can hear us all night long and can talk to us if we get scared.  Sometimes she will come over and sit with one of the new dogs if they are having a rough time.  I've never had my own bed before, but my crate is my personal space.  As long as I am at Blue Moon that's my bed, blanket, teddy bear and I'll always have a chew stick.  When I leave, I will pack all them up to go to my new home with me.  How cool is that? 

Like I said, a couple of months ago I was chained under a tree in all kinds of weather and I didn't know when I was next going to be fed or get clean water.  Now twice a day my bucket is dumped, scrubbed and filled with fresh water and I get some really good food to eat (they are trying to put weight on me because they say I am too skinny).

Read more … Ryder's Story

Well, my name is Taya (not to be confused with that brindle girl Laya who is also here) ... and I am about a sweet a Georgia peach as you will ever find.

Honey, let me tell you my story.  First you need to know that I come from a good family of folks who got me when I was just a little puppy.  Three years and two kids later we were doing great.  I took good care of my family and made sure that my sticky little toddlers stayed spit shined (pardon the expression but I think it's important to keep kids tidy).  My kids never left the yard without me and the mommy. 

The mommy loved us all, and the daddy did too.  My life was about perfect and I figured I would live in Georgia with my family for my whole life.  It was that good.

My daddy was a good man and he was something called a soldier in the Army.  One of the dogs here told me that's like not being the alpha dog in a pack, but I gotta tell you, daddy took good care of us and seemed like alpha material to me.  But anyhow, one day the big alpha in daddy's Army pack said that daddy had to go to a new pack somewhere called Colorado.  We were all really excited, packed up and moved to Colorado Springs.

Well, the new house was the end of the road for me with my family.  We moved onto something called "the base" and I think that's like the pack's territory and everyone has their den there.  We had not been moved into our den for even 24 hours when here came these two big pack members with arm bands that said MP (just so you know, that does NOT mean "My Pack") and they said that Akita dogs were not allowed on "post" at Ft Carson. 

The mommy cried, my kids cried and the MP people offered to take me away with them so mommy wouldn't have to deal with any of it.  She told them no that she would find me a place.  And they told her she had 24 hours or they would be back to get me.  Period.  End of story.

My mommy was resourceful, like all good mommies.  First she held the kids and me very close and told us how much she loved us all.  Then she got on the computer and made several phone calls.  Then I heard her talking to someone she called Blue Moon and then she left the kids with the lady next door (who was real nice and who liked me already) and she put me in the car...

Read more … Taya's Story

Laya is a sweet tempered,  athletic, happy girl who is the classic example of how dogs become homeless and how very irresponsible and impulsive some people can be.  Laya was purchased as an adorable puppy by someone who saw her and knew absolutely nothing about dogs in general or Akitas in particular.   We won't say anything here about anyone who would put a puppy with such a person, as that's a subject for an entirely different soapbox 

By 3 months of age, her owner was surprised that she was getting "so large" and found that she didn't fit his lifestyle in an apartment, so he gave her to his parents .... who had a yard and didn't want a dog ...

and a month or so later, the parents gave Laya to some friends who "had always wanted a dog" ... and then about six months later, they took her to a shelter and explained the situation and her history.  That shelter adopted her to the first folks who came along with an adoption fee ....

amd after few more months, Laya was given to a froemd who "had a lot of land" and it didn't occur to anyone that maybe an Akita needs more than "a lot of land" and so when she started roaming unsupervised and got into trouble, she was given to a someone else whose two young daughters adored her ... but the family had no knowledge of Akiita behavior and only a 3' fence with little dogs next door who liked to tease Laya;.  Eventually she went over the fence and shook the stuffing out of one little dog.  Laya's family paid the vet bill and promised to keep her indoors, but of course they didn't, and eventually she went over the fence again to ask the little dogs to stop teasing her.  That didn't sit well with the little dog owners and so the dog police wsere called ...

and Laya was deemed "a dangerous dog."  Blue Moon Akita Rescue is grateful for the professionalism of the members of  Centennial Animal Control.  Their director  called us to see if we could help Laya because if she didn't go to an Akita rescue, their law was that they were required to euthanize her.   The director said they found Laya to be a tremendously sweet and loving dog that no one had taken the time to learn about or train.

  We took Laya and helped her with some obedience training and saw that when kept in her own yard she is a very sweet girl who genuinely loves her people and wants to be part of the family, so she was adopted to a family who had recently lost their Akita ....

and we made a mistake ...

Read more … Laya's Story

Rhey is a mix who is a dynamite dog -- he's the total package:  very smart, likes learning new things and wants to please, great with kids, likes other dogs, loves to swim, loves to play fetch, housetrained, crate trained, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.   We fell in love with Rhey the minute he stepped off the transport in Denver.

Read more … Rhey's Story

Atty's story desperately needs a happy ending.  This sweet sweet girl loves hanging out with her people and going for walks.  She is amicable with cats but fearful of other dogs (we're working on the dog thing).  Atty has come to us as a difficult to adopt dog because she has a hereditary condition called "Sebaceous Adeniitis" .... which makes Atty a very special dog with a lesson to teach -- appearances may come and go, and things change, but the gentle soul inside doesn't change but radiates an inner beauty and love that is indescribable.  Atty's diagnosis means she needs some special care to keep her comfortable, but she will stay as loveable as she is today.  Atty can live a very normal life with a person or family who is willing to love her for the wonderful Akita that she is.  The cost of her upkeep is minimal, but the condition does demand a commitment of time to keep her in condition ....

Now let's go back to Atty's beginning...

Click on the read more ... below to read this sweet Akita girl's story.

Read more … Atty's Story

Very rarely does a dog this sweet come along.  Mieka was turned in at the Ft Collins CO shelter by her owner who indicated he had lost his job and could no longer keep Mieka.  Initially she was very cautious and slow to warm up, but after just a few days she was eager to meet new people.  Today Mieka greets visitors and volunteers as if she is the official Blue Moon hostess (we have considered having her apply for a greeter job at Wal Mart to assist with our fund raising).

Click on the read more ... below to read Mieka's story.

Read more … Meika's Story