Home on the Plains

I needed to get my acting headshots done, since I chopped off ALL my hair. So I took a day trip home to Auburn to have a fun photoshoot with my photographer friend Sherry. Of course I had to bring the Akitas along for the ride! And I have to say...I'm very proud of them. They spent the day running around from location to location , staying when told to stay, and sitting quietly when we were working. We took a few pictures of them too, so they got their 15 minutes of fame :) Their favorite moment I think was at the state park in front of the waterfall. After they got done with their glamour shots, I decided that they definitely deserved a treat so we let them swim. Miho, being the smart one, realized that the rocks were slippery and gingerly stepped her way in, carefully looking at where her feet were going. Harry, he's not the brightest crayon in the box(but we love him anyway!) just trotted right in, and slid and fell into the water. It was hilarious. After our long hours "on set" we went for a walk on Auburn University's campus. We encountered many college students from all walks of life wanting to pet the dogs. Harry and Miho particularly liked the group that was playing some kind of game with a huge inflatable ball...you know the kind you always wanted as a kid in those big cages at Wal-Mart...we all laughed at them chasing the ball around. At the end of the day, we stopped by my parents' house to visit. My mom calls my dogs "the monsters." She's not really a big dog person...
All in all, it was a fun but very tiring day that they all took in stride.






On another note, I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker about dogs in public places. He does NOT agree with people bringing their dogs anywhere. His argument being that you never know when dogs are going to bite somebody, and that I should be careful with bringing my dogs to so many places. Now, I understand and respect that not everybody is a dog person, but if my dog is welcome in a public place, non-dog people should respect my right to bring them as I respect theirs by not forcing my dog on them.
I also disagreed with him on the "you don't know when your dog is going to bite." I beg to differ...completely. I KNOW my dogs. I know what they are capable of, I know their personalities, and I know their limits. I have taken numerous steps to inhibit them to bite, and they are so reluctant to bite anybody that they will ONLY do so under the extreme circumstance...ex) somebody coming at me with a knife...somebody breaking in.
I told this person that the reason I know this is BECAUSE I take them to so many public places, especially when they are young. I'm completely confident in my dogs' temperaments. Socialization in the key to raising a well-trained, gentle, socially accepted dog. I take any and all opportunities to socialize them as much as possible, and look at the results. I have two Akitas who are the first to come greet a stranger, let kids crawl all over them, and accept anybody who approaches them(whether they ask for permission or not).

Definitely not your stereotypical Akita. Great dogs are raised, regardless of what breed they are.