Toffee The Akita Dog's Friends: A Life in Pictures

Someone once said that I was a fighting dog, but I've never had a fight. This Japanese Akita just wants to make friends. ¹ And I want to say a big Akita hello to many of my doggie friends who I've known over the years, including Roxy the Siberian husky and Buttons the Shih Tzu, Chance the Rottie, Bronte, Bella and Hatch and Oscar and Bee the Beagle and Paris the Whippet and Floyd the Irish Blue and Saffie the Weimaraner as well as Samson the Boxer dog and too many more to mention.

This is me and Sultan in the Stanleys Cask in New Brighton.

This is me and Mr Fuggles at the house in Kirkstall.

This is me and Benji.²

¹Actually there could be nothing further from the truth than this misconception about Akita dogs. Even when confronted by aggression from another dog many Akita's will simply ignore the other animal as if to say that fighting is beneath them. For a short time in Japan the Akita Inu was interbred with larger fighting dogs, but The Akita Dog Preservation Society worked hard in the early 20th Century to breed this trait back out of the Akita Inu and to ensure the purity of the Akita breed.

It is also worth pointing out here that the temperament of each dog is different and in general Akitas don't get on very well with other Akitas of the same sex. In fact, as a general rule of thumb with dogs, the more similar they are the less likely they are to get on well. This is due to their need to establish their place within the pack. So, dogs of the same size, age, gender and breed might find themselves very unsure of where they belong in the pack due to this set of similarities. However, two dogs of different ages, sizes, genders and breeds might get along well as their different places within the pack will already feel to them to be established. This sense of place goes a long way to contributing towards how secure a dog might feel. This is only one factor of course but it can be a useful tool for gauging the dynamics between two dogs when they meet for the very first time.

²Toffee was always very tolerant of smaller dogs and puppies jumping up on her. She would just take this in her stride and let them play. However, when they got too boisterous she would, now and then, put their head in her mouth. Fuggles in particular thought that this was such good fun when he was a puppy that he would actively push his head against her mouth to let her know that he wanted to get a wet, slavery head.

Benji's Mum has the alternative gift shop Twisted Sista'Z just a few minutes walk from Toffee's vets on Seaview Road in Liscard.