Looking for a Japanese Akita? Whether you’re interested in a puppy, a young dog, an adult in its prime or a sweet senior, we encourage you to resist the impulse buy and to avoid pet shops and backyard breeders at all cost.

These days, you may be able to find purebred Japanese Akitas who are in need of good homes at shelters and in rescues for a nominal fee (these fees help defer the cost of care incurred while at the shelter, rescue of foster home). Though they may not come with pedigrees, they often make for excellent pets, and a good rescue will stand by their placement of dogs.

If you want to be more certain of a dog’s pedigree and prefer a hobby breeder who guarantees the health testing of the sire and dam and will offer you a contract that protects the puppy first, browse through our breeder directory. If you want to import, we strongly suggest you read the article by AKIHO LA’s  president, Steve Takamatsu.

Remember that dogs that come from rescues, shelters and hobby breeders come with certain advantages over those that come from puppy mills, pet shops and backyard breeders. Please choose responsibly.