How healthy is that Blue Moon Akita Orphan?

Health.  When an Akita orphan begins his journey into rescue, his mental and physical condition are closely evaluated by people who are familiar with the Akita breed.  If the dog is physically healthy, he will spend some time with Akita people who will evaluate his personality against the breed standard and make an iniatial determination of potential to rehome successfully; not every Akita is a good candidate to rehome. 

Akitas are big strong dogs but they are also very sensitive.  Those who have known the love of a family have to work through a grieving period to adjust to the loss of their family; until they do that, they are not yet ready to accept the love of a new family.  Different dogs have different ways of coping with the stress of loss / abandonment, and it's easier for everyone for them to work through their loss with us and then go home to you when they are ready for a new family.

Any medical conditions are addressed at the time the orphan leaves the shelter and are re-evaluated when he arrives at Blue Moon.  If it wasn't done before, your orphan is now spayed or neutered; he receives all necessary preventative vaccinations and his rabies certificate.  He is thoroughly checked for parasites (inside and out) and is appropriately treated to ensure any parasitic infestation is cleared.  He is treated for any injuries he may have sustained (we have had dogs come into rescue with broken tails, malnutrition, untreated broken bones, etc).  He is then in a condition for good food and good care to help him move into an adoptable condition.  Dogs coming from out of state arrive with a health certificate from the sending rescue and all incoming orphans are taken to our vet upon arrival. 

Some dogs are in good condition -- both physically and mentally -- and available for adoption almost immediately.  Other dogs are not so fortunate  and will spend significantly more time regaining their health before they are ready for adoption.  We are no longer surprised by the condition of the dogs arriving at our door; often the challenge is in repairing the grieving spirit of the Akita whose family has left him. 

Our dogs tell us when they are ready to start "shopping" for a new family, and we have learned to listen.  To that end, if you visit us and see someone and are told he's "not ready to leave" ... please be assured, it's not because we don't want to place that dog; it's because his health or his spirit is not ready for the stress of another change.  If, however, you think you would like to be part of the healing process, please consider spending some volunteer time with us to walk with your chosen orphan as he makes the journey to physical and mental health.

We provide full disclosure of everything we know about each orphan offered for adoption.  Veterinary records are available and are provided to the adopter so that their family veterinarian will have as complete a knowledge as we have about the dog.