Shortly before meeting the Thorntons, we lost our Cocker Spaniel of almost eighteen years, Jitterbug. Her surviving Siberian Husky buddy, Kita, was lonely - and so were we.

So after looking around the web at Alaskan Malamutes, German Shepherds and Siberian Huskies, we stumbled upon ET's web site. It happened that a litter arrived a week earlier, and we visited the Thorntons and their dogs. Besides the warm welcome we received from Eloise and "Annie" when we arrived, and their comfort with us handling brand new puppies, it was when Tom let "Drummer" out to run, and we saw his majestic gait, that we were forever changed. The rest, as they say, is history. 

After a year with our first Akita from that same litter, ETs Natasha Miss Goody Two Shoes, Tom and Eloise put us in touch with Colleen Sullivan of Sondaisa Akitas to acquire our first show dog - one that would complement ETs breeding progam. And what a dog he is! "Mason" Ch. Sondaisas Double Exposure, is a proud grandson of the phenomenal "Gonta", BISS Ch.Sondaisa's Roping the Wind CD CGC AOM ROM. In fact, our Kennel name is inspired by Gonta: we pledge to carry on his Legend. 

Since our life with Akitas began, we have been fortunate to find the friendship and support of many Akita people (and we've met a number of great dogs, too!). Tom and Eloise Thornton, Fred and Nancy Garzone, and Colleen Sullivan have been especially helpful as Brad learns how to groom for the ring and Elizabeth learns the ropes of handling. There's nothing like Akita people! 

Along the way, when we talk about what we've undertaken, people have asked us, "why Akitas"? Most often this question comes up BEFORE they meet our dogs. Some have heard horror stories about dog fights or that Akitas are not safe around children. Before addressing our reasons, it is imperative to point out that NO breed should be assumed to be safe around unsupervised children; behavior in either can be unpredictable with unintended outcomes, and we believe that children and dogs should ALWAYS be supervised. That said, the Akita is a majestic breed that embodies qualities we cherish. They bond so closely to their people, are at once dignified, protective, sweet, intelligent, goofy, elegant and independent minded. In our house, we are "alpha" and believe in training both our show and companion dogs to be good citizens. Our dogs are members of our family and bring joy and laughter to our lives. Once people meet our dogs, the most often heard comment is "Wow"!  

We are devoted to the Akita breed, and will strive for soundness, type, and above all, sweet temperaments in our future breedings. Mason is occasionally available for stud to carefully selected, finished bitches with complementary pedigrees.  

Thank you for visiting our web site. If you would like to contact us, click to send an e-mail: Elizabeth Fulghum