murphda2
Super Moderator and KD Blade Show Boss
Arashi-Ko Dec. 23, 1998 - Jan. 7, 2011
Today I said goodbye to my "lil' girl" and best friend in the entire world.
I met Arashi in May of 1998 after I called about an ad in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The breeder told me he had three pups remaining from the litter and that each of the pups were female.
I had no desire to have a female pup, but after all of the reading I had done on the breed, I really wanted to see an Akita in person. As luck would have it, the gentleman just lived a few miles down the road from me.
After I arrived, the gentleman introduced me to a male from his previous litter by the name of "Dragon". Dragon was a BEAST of a dog. His shoulders were as tall as my hip and his head was almost as wide as my waist. He weighed-in at 175 lbs and was chained to a railroad tie by a log chain which was attached to a choker collar that the owner had had made out of the same log chain. Did I mention that Dragon was a teddy bear with his owner's children but hated everyone and every other living creature that wasn't a member of his family? @This dog was scarry!
After meeting Dragon, I was introduced to Arashi's mother, a tiny little Japanese Akita that was as sweet as apple pie. Wow, what a difference from mother to son. I then met the pups. Prior to getting there that day, I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love with the first pup I seen. There was no way I wanted a female pup.
I didn't fall in love with the first pup that ran up to me, it was the third one who knocked the other two out of the way to get to me. She was beautifull and sweet as can be. After playing with her for about half an hour, I told the gentleman that I would have to think about it and get back to him. I thought long and hard and did my best to forget about her, but I just couldn't forget the smile that that pretty little girl had. The next week, I went back to see her again.
When I went back, the breeder was honest with me. He told me that she was the prettiest pup he had ever had in a litter and that everyone had fallen in love with her. The problem was that she was the alpha of the litter and everyone was scared that they would not be able to handle her as she got older (I was too arrogant to know any better).
I went back home and later went to the book store and bought a book on Akitas. After reading the book cover to cover a few times, I went back to pick up my pup. My adventures with Arashi began. Little did I know exactly how far they would take me. Over the next almost twelve years, we would undergo obedience training (where she was valedictorian of her class), she passed her Therapy Dog International Exam to become a Therapy Dog, and became a fully certified Search and Rescue Dog (certified in live find, cadaver, and water borne cadaver). Arashi found her first drown victim before being certified and having only had thirty minutes of cadaver training five days prior to the search. She was up against twelve other dogs who were both cetrified and experienced and under way less than desireable conditions for the search (35 degree water moving at 20+ knots).
Arashi survived numerous ailments over her twelve years of life. The first being severe seperation anxiety that cost me a small fortune in home repairs. Next was Sebaceous Adenitis, a genetic skin disorder which caused her to loose most of her hair and chapped her skin all over her body. In all of the research my vet and I have done, we have yet to find a dog who has survived longer than a year and a half with it. Arashi was diagnosed in August of 2002. In 2006, she was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism which unlike S.A., was treatable with medication. Over the past year her vision has steadily gotten worse and worse until she was almost completely blind. She has been a trooper throughout all of it and always perked up whenever I could get home to be with her.
On Wednesday, Nadine called me at work to tell me that Arashi was sick and that she was scared. It took me a while, but I convinced my chain of command to allow me to come home to be with her. After driving through half the night, I made it home to give her a hug and kiss. We took her in to see the vet yesterday morning to find that she had a bad bladder infection and that she was diabetic. Her blood sugar was almost seven times the normal level. Dr. Beard explained the treatment to us and sent us home. Her appetite had become increasingly less and less and she has suffered from extreme fatigue. When I got up this morning, her spirits seemed a bit better (I think that was just her being strong for me though). When I got her up and moving, I noticed that she was having trouble standing and even more trouble walking. She was acting as though she had lost feeling in one of her rear paws. We had to take her back to the vet to be re-assessed and noticed that her mobility was getting worse. Dr. Beard explained that it was only going to get worse.
I couldn't bare to see my baby girl in pain any longer, so we decided it was time to let her cross over. I thank God for allowing me to be home and be with her as she crossed. I laid in the floor and held her as the medication allowed her to sleep and finally let go and cross over. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my 35 years. Arashi-Ko was more than just a dog to me. She was my "lil'girl".
Arashi-Ko will be greatly missed. She is the strongest spirit I have ever met and the greatest teacher one could ever ask for, a true master of masters among K-9s. @I would say that she is one in a million, but even that would Be an understatement. She was the greatest dog ever and I had the priveledge of calling her "My Best Friend". I know she will be waiting for me, still smiling and wagging her tail when my day comes. Until we meet again.....
Today I said goodbye to my "lil' girl" and best friend in the entire world.
I met Arashi in May of 1998 after I called about an ad in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The breeder told me he had three pups remaining from the litter and that each of the pups were female.
I had no desire to have a female pup, but after all of the reading I had done on the breed, I really wanted to see an Akita in person. As luck would have it, the gentleman just lived a few miles down the road from me.
After I arrived, the gentleman introduced me to a male from his previous litter by the name of "Dragon". Dragon was a BEAST of a dog. His shoulders were as tall as my hip and his head was almost as wide as my waist. He weighed-in at 175 lbs and was chained to a railroad tie by a log chain which was attached to a choker collar that the owner had had made out of the same log chain. Did I mention that Dragon was a teddy bear with his owner's children but hated everyone and every other living creature that wasn't a member of his family? @This dog was scarry!
After meeting Dragon, I was introduced to Arashi's mother, a tiny little Japanese Akita that was as sweet as apple pie. Wow, what a difference from mother to son. I then met the pups. Prior to getting there that day, I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love with the first pup I seen. There was no way I wanted a female pup.
I didn't fall in love with the first pup that ran up to me, it was the third one who knocked the other two out of the way to get to me. She was beautifull and sweet as can be. After playing with her for about half an hour, I told the gentleman that I would have to think about it and get back to him. I thought long and hard and did my best to forget about her, but I just couldn't forget the smile that that pretty little girl had. The next week, I went back to see her again.
When I went back, the breeder was honest with me. He told me that she was the prettiest pup he had ever had in a litter and that everyone had fallen in love with her. The problem was that she was the alpha of the litter and everyone was scared that they would not be able to handle her as she got older (I was too arrogant to know any better).
I went back home and later went to the book store and bought a book on Akitas. After reading the book cover to cover a few times, I went back to pick up my pup. My adventures with Arashi began. Little did I know exactly how far they would take me. Over the next almost twelve years, we would undergo obedience training (where she was valedictorian of her class), she passed her Therapy Dog International Exam to become a Therapy Dog, and became a fully certified Search and Rescue Dog (certified in live find, cadaver, and water borne cadaver). Arashi found her first drown victim before being certified and having only had thirty minutes of cadaver training five days prior to the search. She was up against twelve other dogs who were both cetrified and experienced and under way less than desireable conditions for the search (35 degree water moving at 20+ knots).
Arashi survived numerous ailments over her twelve years of life. The first being severe seperation anxiety that cost me a small fortune in home repairs. Next was Sebaceous Adenitis, a genetic skin disorder which caused her to loose most of her hair and chapped her skin all over her body. In all of the research my vet and I have done, we have yet to find a dog who has survived longer than a year and a half with it. Arashi was diagnosed in August of 2002. In 2006, she was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism which unlike S.A., was treatable with medication. Over the past year her vision has steadily gotten worse and worse until she was almost completely blind. She has been a trooper throughout all of it and always perked up whenever I could get home to be with her.
On Wednesday, Nadine called me at work to tell me that Arashi was sick and that she was scared. It took me a while, but I convinced my chain of command to allow me to come home to be with her. After driving through half the night, I made it home to give her a hug and kiss. We took her in to see the vet yesterday morning to find that she had a bad bladder infection and that she was diabetic. Her blood sugar was almost seven times the normal level. Dr. Beard explained the treatment to us and sent us home. Her appetite had become increasingly less and less and she has suffered from extreme fatigue. When I got up this morning, her spirits seemed a bit better (I think that was just her being strong for me though). When I got her up and moving, I noticed that she was having trouble standing and even more trouble walking. She was acting as though she had lost feeling in one of her rear paws. We had to take her back to the vet to be re-assessed and noticed that her mobility was getting worse. Dr. Beard explained that it was only going to get worse.
I couldn't bare to see my baby girl in pain any longer, so we decided it was time to let her cross over. I thank God for allowing me to be home and be with her as she crossed. I laid in the floor and held her as the medication allowed her to sleep and finally let go and cross over. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my 35 years. Arashi-Ko was more than just a dog to me. She was my "lil'girl".
Arashi-Ko will be greatly missed. She is the strongest spirit I have ever met and the greatest teacher one could ever ask for, a true master of masters among K-9s. @I would say that she is one in a million, but even that would Be an understatement. She was the greatest dog ever and I had the priveledge of calling her "My Best Friend". I know she will be waiting for me, still smiling and wagging her tail when my day comes. Until we meet again.....
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