To ban a breed of dog means failure; failure in your role as a parent for not teaching kindness to your children, for not instructing them in dog bite, safety and for not “parenting.”  You are teaching them that they can legislate instead of tolerate, they can ignore instead of learn and worst of all, they can kill through ignorance. 

It is the breeder’s failure for not educating the puppy buyer, for not selecting the right temperament puppy for a household with children; for putting more emphasis on type instead of sound mind, and then compounding the strength of this failure. You accepted money for doing it all wrong!  Shame on those whose dogs add to these bleak statistics.

Mainly, it is the failure of an owner who lacks ethics, reliability, or even interest in the very existence of their dog.  They are either too busy or unreliable to bond to the dog, and allow the inevitable to happen.  It is the most profound and worst form of capriciousness.

The truly blameless in breed bans are the dogs themselves and their victims, but they pay the heaviest price.  The most outrageous fact about breed bans—those who are in fact guilty will never face justice—they will go on to repeat the same mistakes, and as a society, we never take action toward prevention. We continue to compile statistics that can be avoided.  Statistics that are not accurate.  Do you think the most dangerous breeds are Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and Akitas?  Wrong! Cornell University recently released information that 27% of Springer Spaniels bite people.  No one is trying to ban Springer Spaniels!

This is not the place for a full discussion of Pit Bulls because Akitas are a breed native to Japan, a hunting breed; Pit Bulls are an American breed with a history of its own.  A wonderful history in movies, in our never ending wars, and as heroes in every phase of American life including the settling of the West.

Neither of these breeds are to be feared or banned.  They are dogs, born with their eyes closed, totally dependent on their mothers for their existence.  From their littermates, they go to our homes and become part of our pack, dependent on humans for their very existence.  We can mold them into whatever we wish by how we feed them, nurture them, teach them, socialize them and allow our children to treat them.  We can turn them into loyal, loving family companions, or we can turn them into abandoned strays who die in shelters, or worse yet, dogs that are added to a breed ban list.  What your puppy becomes is in your hands, and every decision you make is being watched by your children--they learn from you--they mimic your behavior in everything as they grow from child to adult.

Being a parent is an awesome responsibility and being a dog owner is only slightly less work.  All of your actions will have a reaction for either good or bad.

With so few exceptions that I cannot think of one, Akitas involved in bite cases are guilty of being owned by the wrong person. It's simple really, allow your Akita to become the pack leader and you must follow it's rules.  Since you don't speak dog, and most of us fail to understand the subtleties of canines' unspoken body language, you might as well start digging holes in the backyard because that's what your Akita expects! Roll over and show submission before you serve dinner! Preposterous?  Definitely, since you should be the leader in your household--the leader of your kids and your dogs.

Too many people conduct a great deal more research before purchasing a coffee maker or refrigerator than before purchasing a dog. They buy a dog based on an emotional response to a fleeting look at the breed, and then expect it to grow into a well adjusted, perfect family companion without any basic knowledge of the breed. Worse yet, they buy that “doggy in the window” from a pet store which buys their stock from the vast puppy mills of America.  Both purchases can lead to tragedy because they are not based on any intelligent, researched, sound decision.  Get to know the history of a breed and its nurturing requirements, its level of trainability, its need for socialization and then decide if you really want a dog!

There are endless websites on the internet, many great books and dozens of people willing to share information.  Join one of the Akita lists, contact one of the Akita Rescues, Google: "Akita," research until you understand the needs of this breed and then make a decision. 

Print out the Facts About Akitas page and have a family discussion.  Will this dog meet your requirements for a family companion or will you have to make lifestyle changes to make this work?  That NEVER does work!  If you purchase from a breeder, make certain your breeder wants to know you and your family.

Akitas do not thrive when left to their own devices tied up in a yard and ignored.  They are a very social animal, capable of unlimited love and profound loyalty.  Read the story about Kuma and you can see that these dogs can die from a broken heart when their family fails them.  Loneliness is a soul-shattering condition for an Akita--for any dog since they are pack oriented creatures. 

Your commitment to your Akita will make all the difference between a well adjusted animal, a family member, or one that is destined to become another statistic.