The American Akita authority, Mr. Rayne with his wife, presenting the trophy to a winner in the UK.

      Having entered the new millennium, the world-wide Akita fancy seems unhappily divided into three factions: those who would keep the American and Japanese types separate, those who feel that each type could benefit from blending certain virtues of the other and those who wish the foreign dogs would all go away! As it was diversity of color, size and idealism that were the basis for attraction to this marvelous breed in America, some devotees merely smile as they realize that nothing has changed.

       THE AKITA IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

      Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Akita firmly established itself in the US, becoming widely popular, with several taking top awards on the show scene. Mrs. Andrews sent a pair of youngsters to Australia via the Overhill quarantine kennels of Mrs. Meg Purnell-Carpenter in the UK. In the course of so doing, Mrs. Purnell-Carpenter, a very prominent breeder of working German Shepherds, fell in love with the Akita during what was then a full year’s quarantine at her kennel near Bristol.

      Knowing dogs so well, Mrs. Purnell-Carpenter began to look at the breed, some of which had already arrived in the UK. The first to arrive had been a fawn and white bitch from Canada, imported in 1980 by Marion Sergeant. She was Davos Wata Kyshi Tomo-Dachi of Tegwani, affectionately known as Tania. Marion did much winning with her in the early days of the Akita in the UK.

      The first male to arrive in the UK was Kosho Ki’s Kai of Lindrick and Tegwani. His dam was an American and Canadian champion, and he was imported in partnership by Mike and Joyce Window with Kath and Gerald Mitchell. Another import to arrive about this time was the bitch Yikihime Go, imported by Mrs. Beryl Mason from Japan. These original imports were followed very swiftly by several others, all from America with but one exception.

      Mrs. Purnell-Carpenter decided it was time to go full out and bring in a top bloodline from America. Having become acquainted with Mrs. Andrews through caring for the two pups in quarantine, she inquired for an O’BJ dog. The result was a magnificent white bitch sired by the then top-winning male in America, the Andrews’ Ch. Kakwa’s Orca. O’BJ White Hope at Overhill charmed all who met her and was soon followed by the first American champion to come into the UK.

      Ch. Sachette No Okii Yubi was sent to England by Mrs. Andrews, who maintained that she and the Sachmo daughter had a “thing” going whereby Sachette laid awake at night thinking of ways to thwart her owner’s plans! Had it not been for Mrs. Andrews’ laughing annoyance with Sachette, a bitch of such spectacular quality might never have been allowed to leave America.

      Sachette was the dam of the first litter to be born in the UK. She whelped a lovely litter sired by O’BJ Aces High on October 23, 1983. Aces was a dog completing his residency in quarantine before traveling on to Australia, where he became a successful sire as well. Very quickly there were several other litters born in the UK, including a Japanese-bred litter. These first puppies helped to firmly establish the breed in England.

      In those early days, the Akita in the UK had to compete in the Any Variety Not Separately Classified (AVNSC) Classes, being one of the last breeds to come into the country without having to go onto the import register. The AVNSC competitors in other breeds quickly became aware that the Akita was here to stay, constantly beating them in hot competition to take top honors under not only the English judges but also others experienced in the breed from abroad who appreciated their presence and qualities.

       Ten-time Best-in-Show winner, Ch. The Widow-Maker O’BJ is the number-two sire of all time, having 78 American champion get to his fame. This great dog had thousands of fans on both sides of the pond.

      In a very short time, it became noticeable that the AVNSC Class looked like “the Akita Class,” with 90% being filled with that breed. Competitors in other AVNSC breeds were relieved when Akitas were given their own classification.

      At the 1985 Crufts Dog Show, Mrs. Andrews handled Overhill’s Lizzys Girl to Best of Breed AVNSC, the first Akita and the first American to win this top honor. It was especially exciting for these co-authors, as Lizzys Girl was from the first litter born in the UK, out of the first imported American champion, the bitch sent to the UK by Mrs. Andrews! Lizzy and her sisters, Overhill’s Marlows Miracle and Overhill’s Kita Mori, were out of extremely successful show dogs and producers.

      As in the US, at the beginning there was a great division over the establishment of a breed club. Eventually four people, two representatives from each side, called a meeting of all Akita enthusiasts. The four were John Dunhill, Jill Bingham, Mike Window and Meg Purnell-Carpenter, who together formed the Japanese Akita Association, which gained acceptance by The Kennel Club in 1987.

      The Japanese Akita, as the breed is known in the UK, competes in the Utility Group, whereas in the US the breed competes in the Working Group. October 1998 saw the first Japanese Akita Association Open Show, run by the newly formed breed club, and the first Challenge Certificates (CCs) were awarded at Crufts in 1990. The dog CC and Best of Breed went to the imported Ch. Tamarlane’s Veni Vidi Vici, owned by Mike Window. Veni Vidi Vici went on to become the first male champion to be made up; the first bitch was Ch. Goshens Classy Sassy at Redwitch, owned by Dave and Jenny Killilea.

      Since those early days, the breed has progressed, not only in the show ring but also in other areas. There are many Akitas that have received The Kennel Club Good Citizen Award. Some have become therapy dogs while others have taken to sledding. There is even one that has been participating in Afghan racing and has qualified in acceptable times!

      The English American-type Akitas have made a great impact world-wide, many taking Best in Show and other top awards. In the UK, the Akitas have consistently been winning groups and group placements at Championship Shows, which must make this breed one of the most competitive in the show world.

       At the Crufts Dog Show in 1999, Eng-Nor. Ch. Redwitch Dancin in the Dark won the Utility Group—a cause for celebration in the British Akita fancy.

      In a published interview wherein she was asked which Akita not owned or bred at Overhill she considered to be the closest to the standard, Mrs. Purnell-Carpenter responded thusly, “The Akita closest to the breed standard would be The Widow Maker O’BJ. This superb male—a top-winning Akita in the US—is full of breed type, the nearest example to the breed standard. His outstanding attributes for me would be his wonderful head, hindquarter, vibrant color, movement and overall balance. I set him as my ideal. The Akita I have personally owned and bred that has been nearest to my ideal would be my Ch. Overhill’s Cherokee Lite Fut, a daughter of the above dog. She inherited her sire’s outstanding movement and hindquarters, excelling in bone and substance. She was one of the early English champion bitches to gain her title. In my opinion she would compete very strongly in today’s competition.”

      Breeders in the UK have been surprisingly successful in restoring and selecting for correct ear size and tail carriage, and, in the 21st century, two of the top-winning Great Japanese Dogs in Europe are American imports owned by Katharina Round in France.

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