Another summer has come. In Germany, in a national park by a lake, I met a woman with a large white dog. He was gorgeous. I almost held the owner's sleeve so that she wouldn't leave before I asked about everything. The dog was a Japanese Akita and although it was not intended for exhibitions, it cost over two thousand marks! Then my face fell and I realized that I would never be able to afford such a dog. But despite the unreality of this dream, I asked the woman about everything as thoroughly as my knowledge of German allowed. The lady was nice and was probably used to people admiring her dog... And there was a lot to admire. :-))) It was then that I fell in love with white Akitas at first sight. At that time, this wonderful breed did not exist in Poland.
Several years passed without a dog... But despite my decision not to take any pets home anymore... the memory of the white teddy bear lingered uneasily somewhere in my subconscious. Until one fine day I read an advertisement in the newspaper that Akitas were for sale. I called and found out that it was my favorite color. The price was sky high considering my capabilities. But I borrowed money wherever I could, asked my friend to take me there in her car and off we went.
There were two white dogs. Each of them was beautiful, but mine was just made for me... an innocent face and a teddy bear face. In one word, a miracle. However, I still remember my mother's horror when she opened the door.
"-And this is supposed to be the puppy you went to get?!" Hmm, it must be admitted that he wasn't tiny... ;-)... Well, he was already 7 months old. I brought it home on May 24, 1997 as a slightly belated birthday present. Late but so wonderful :-))) The white Akita called Lob - or simply Teddy - according to the pedigree was called BOSS Mon-Ost. But I couldn't call the dog "Boss"...
The photo is from Lob's first year of life, that's why he has such a puppy-like expression on his face... but he was always smiling...
Today I know that I was very lucky to buy this particular dog. I could have found an aggressive specimen from another breeding farm. And the psyche is inherited from the parents... Lobo had a great psyche, he easily completed the training, he even qualified for training to become a rescue dog... but unfortunately, lack of time and a car did not allow us to continue on this trail. But everyone loved him anyway... even the older ladies in the neighborhood who were initially afraid of him (because he is so big and looks so strange - as befits a Japanese dog, he has slanted eyes...) later admired what a smart and well-behaved dog he was. And familiar kids held out their hands and called out Lobo... even those who had just recently started speaking. At the exhibitions, he was probably the only male representative of the breed to whom completely strange babies could hug without fear... whose parents were taking photos of them at the time. 😉 Teddy loved children and tolerated the dogs he knew that did not try to fight him. However, he ruthlessly chased strangers away from his area, making them feel that this "dog meadow" was already occupied. Well, if it was a female, it didn't matter... he shared his meadow :) The park is different, it's a neutral area and the teddy bear behaved much more calmly there. All normal dogs were tolerated, even if they were complete strangers to him.
I started showing him very late (because I first had to finish post-secondary extramural school), so he finished the Polish Championship very late. He got one more CWC and we didn't go to exhibitions anymore, which he didn't like much anyway (I just started part-time studies, because you still need to learn more...).
So that he wouldn't be bored while I was at the University, I brought him a little red-haired girl, Lika, from a breeding farm in the Czech Republic. A small sweet puppy (brought in a picnic basket), who, already in the second week of his stay at my place, was fetching and standing next to a large teddy bear, bravely barking at suspicious noises at the door. It was simply impossible to be sad when looking at them. They were playing so much :-))) The noble Lobo was chasing like a little puppy with his tongue hanging out, or pretending that the little red fox (over half his weight) had beaten him to the punch. 🙂 Akitas met all my expectations. They have great characters, they are very balanced, they take great care of the house, but they are also extremely quiet and do not shout unnecessarily. If they bark, you need to check what's going on... And having them with you, you can walk without fear, even in the middle of the night :) Unfortunately, Lobo left us very early. Even though more wonderful and beloved Akitas appeared in my home, I know that I will never have a dog like Lobo again. There is simply no other one like it, because each Akita is unique and unique.