Gifts for Akita Lovers

These cute Akita figurines make great gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Imagine a Christmas tree decorate with nothing but 'Kitas! So cute!

I highly recommend the book Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain. This the true story of Morie Sawataishi, a man who decided to rescue the Akita breed from near extinction after WWII, despite never have owned a dog before. The breed was being killed for meat and to make fur coats for military officers. Morie fell in love with a female pup, and decided to breed her after discovering that there were only 16 confirmed Akitas in existence. This book is an amazing story of how this incredible breed was brought back from the brink of extinction.

Another highly recommended book is "Hachi-ko: The Samurai Dog." This is the true story of an Akita who was so loyal and dedicated to his owner that he waited for him to return from work every night until Hachi died (nearly 11 years) - even though his owner had died nearly 9 years earlier. This is an amazing story that shows the fierce loyality that many Akitas display (although there don't seem to be too many that manage Hachi's level of dedication). Hollywood recently made a movie about Hachi-ko starring Richard Gere. Though Hachi: A Dog's Tale is set in modern day USA, the story is still the same - a dog that patiently waits for his beloved owner to return.

Every so often you'll catch a glimpse of an Akita in a movie (I seem to recall one playing in the park in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2), but, it's pretty rare for an Akita to star in a movie - unless that movie happens to be about Hachi-ko.

Hachi-ko is probably the most famous Akita ever. In fact, after Richard Gere starred (well, co-starred since the real stars were actually the 3 Akitas who played Hachi: Forrest, Leyla, and Chico), in the Hollywood blockbuster, Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009), there is no doubt that Hachi has become one of the most famous dogs in the world, let alone the most famous Akita.

If you want to see a less Hollywood-ized version of the story of Hachi-ko, then check out 1987 Japanese film, Hachiko monogatari (this is a link to the full movie on youtube.com- the title literally means "The Tale of Hachiko").

Make sure you have plenty of tissue handy when you watch these films!!

(I've tossed in a couple books about Hachiko too!)

The Akita lover on your list will get a kick out of these fun, but oh so true, signs.