Max Derby Shelby

Akita Cautionaries: Shelby's Tale by Rene' Dille I bought my first Akita, Shelby, from a pet store when she was four months old. At the time, I didn't know what an Akita was, and the store manager did nothing to inform me. I knew she had papers and thought that guaranteed me that she wasn't from a puppy mill. That was my first mistake. I brought her home and put her in the backyard. She was surrounded by a seven foot block wall and little else. I bathed her and fed her, had her spayed and saw that she got all her shots. I thought I was doing everything I was supposed to. At around six months, Shelby started barking and growling through the back screen door at people in our house. We were pleased, thinking she was "protecting" us; we wondered at what a good "watch dog" she was becoming. We let her in the house occasionally to play with us, and she seemed quite content to be a one-owner dog. It never occurred to us to "socialize" her; the more she barked and growled at people, the more we were convinced we shouldn't "take the chance". We never trained her, reasoning that we didn't need to - she'd be with just us. Shelby certainly liked us - just no one else. Eventually it got to the point where we had to close the glass door, as well as the screen door, for fear she'd come through it to bite someone. Eventually, when we had someone over, or when the gardeners came, we had to close the blinds so she couldn't even see someone else. Once, when we had workers in the house, they actually had to tape black paper over the back door, so she couldn't see them inside. When we took Shelby to the vet, she not only had to be muzzled, but sedated. To take a simple x-ray or biopsy (this will be discussed later), she had to be completely knocked out. We now realized she was fear-aggressive. When she saw another dog (on the rare times we walked her), she stood on back legs, snarling, growling and barking. Once, when she got off-lead, she didn't run over and smell the other dog; she jumped on its neck and tried to kill it. Then there were the genetic problems. Shelby was at the vet's more often than I could count. She developed skin rashes, had problems with her anal sacs breaking, a compressed disc in her back, and always seemed "tender" in her hind quarters. She was never x-rayed for hip dysplasia, because we never knew that might be a problem. At 4-1/2 years old, she developed huge "hot spots" and was constantly on antibiotics and ointments. She lost hair in several areas. Our vet bills were enormous, and we took her to several different vets, who performed several biopsies and blood tests. Unfortunately, although our vet was renowned in our area (and very expensive), he misread the test results on several occasions. By the time she had just turned five, Shelby was much worse. Her nose was crusted over, her sores were huge, she had a tremendous odor, and her feet were so swollen, she couldn't stand or walk. When we discovered Shelby in her own urine under the dining room table, we were devastated. We decided to get on the Internet and search for help. It took only moments for us to figure out what had to be wrong! We rushed Shelby to the emergency veterinary hospital (same vet) and told him our findings. We demanded copies of her old test results. We had had thyroid tests done and were told they were "a little borderline", but knew from what we read on the net that this accounted for her odor. We contacted the lab and begged them to interpret her results, as we now knew the vet didn't know what he was doing. They said that normal T4s (part of the thyroid test) was 1.5 to 4.5. Shelby's were .38 (acute, not borderline). We also learned that our amateur diagnosis was also correct. She not only had advanced Pemphigus Foleaceus, but secondary Lupus (both inherited auto-immune diseases). We tried desperately to save her, with various pills and medications, including Prednisone, but it was too late. In the end, she was in so much pain, she turned on even us. One of the saddest days of my life was when we had her put down. It was shortly after her fifth birthday. It was the only time she allowed a vet (obviously a new vet) to lead her with no muzzle, no sedatives. I think she knew. By the time we got a new Akita puppy, Fuji, we had learned much - the hard way. We sought out a reputable breeder. We met Fuji's mother, father, litter mates, and grandfather before we bought her. Once we got her, we enrolled in a 6 hour puppy seminar designed to train and inform *us*. So many people think they can just sign their puppy up and let a trainer do the work. This seminar was an education for Akita owners (possible genetic defects to look for, how Akitas "think", and how important "pecking order" is to them, etc.) In addition, we socialized her with other dogs and people. She is not a backyard dog; she stays in the house with me during the day and sleeps next to my bed at night. Though she barks if a stranger comes into the house, Fuji lovingly accepts anyone I tell her is okay. Seeing what this dog can do makes my heart ache for Shelby. But, I simply didn't know any better. Now, when someone asks what kind of dog she is and comments that they want one, I feel responsible to try to educate them. I tell them Akitas aren't for everyone, that they require a lot of time, training and love. I tell them Akita rescue doesn't exist for nothing! And, if they're willing to listen, I tell them the story of Shelby.