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"Hoka-Hey!" is the Lakota
Sioux war cry. We chose it as our kennel name because it captures the
intensity, determination, energy and excitement we feel for this wonderful
breed, the Akita.
The
ultimate goal of our breeding program is and always has been perfection
without exploitation. By 'perfection' we mean breeding what we
consider to be the perfect Akita, of course. By 'exploitation' we mean
over-breeding, breeding females too young or too old, breeding for
commercial reasons, breeding dogs without health clearances, not providing
optimum conditions for our dogs, not carefully screening prospective homes,
etc.
Each breeding we
do is important; it represents many years of dreams, study, planning, hard
work, sacrifice and even heartache. Each breeding is done primarily for
'us' and is meant to improve the quality of our dogs – building our
next generation. We feel we've done that successfully. We started out with
an excellent foundation and by very selective breeding, have produced dogs
we are extremely proud of. We want to continue in that pursuit, and
usually breed a litter once a year. We do NOT breed unsound dogs, unhealthy
dogs or dogs that are not champion quality. Any dog we do breed has hip
clearances, eyes with current CERF status, and most importantly, an
excellent temperament. Additionally, the motivation for every litter we
breed is the belief it will be our next step on the road to
'perfection'.
Equally important
to the overall picture, we take as much care to ensure that every puppy we
bring into this world is healthy and happy and a credit to the breed,
regardless of its designation as show or pet quality. Every dog we
breed is 'our' dog for its lifetime, and will return home to us if it is
being kept in a way that violates our contract as far as jeopardizing its
health, happiness or welfare.
At Hoka-Hey, we
consider these philosophies to be our obligation, our responsibility and
our pledge as breeders. Our intent is to share our dogs with people that
feel the same way.
Having said all that, we urge anyone
looking for a loving companion to visit their local shelters before
purchasing a dog from a breeder. If you’re not absolutely committed
to having a well-bred Akita whose lineage and background can be traced
– if you just want a loving, loyal canine friend, a ‘pal’
- you will be saving a life by adopting a dog from a shelter. That
dog will love you intensely and gratefully for the rest of its life. The
next consideration… if you are determined the Akita is the dog for
you, and again, are only interested in companionship, please consider adopting a rescued Akita
from one of the many legitimate rescue groups. These dogs have been
orphaned through no fault of their own, and they desperately need a home,
love and someone to make up for the hardships most of them have suffered.
Please visit our Links page for links to various rescue groups.
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