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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 or dogs with
poor temperaments, 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 so far. 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 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 companion for you, 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. Finally, if you are absolutely
committed to having a well-bred Akita whose lineage and background can be traced, and
whose breeder can be a resource, you are welcome to peruse our site and we’d
be happy to speak with you.
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