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Six of the seven from that first litter finished, all four males and two of the females. The unfinished daughter went on to become an ROM as did her two sisters, making them the only three ROM sisters in the history of the breed. These girls achieved their ROM's with one or two litters at the most.
Unfortunately, only two of the males were used much for breeding. Our "favorite son", Toki, was SuZee's fourth champion to finish and was always my favorite.
Ch Toki Kodomo No Karasu Oka was undeniably the King of the Hill!!!! Always the dominant dog here and a friend to all who visited. He traveled to many dog shows standing between the front seats of my van, keeping an eye on the road ahead. A huge Akita, Toki was 29 inches at the shoulder and weighed 137 pounds. His heart was just as big as he was. For 12-1/2 years, he was my kind and gentle friend, always perfect in my eyes.
Toki has nine champions out of 3 litters. One daughter is major pointed and a son is just starting his show career. We hope he will make SuZee's fourth ROM progeny.
Better known in the shown ring, Ch Bushido No Karasu Oka or Butch as we called him amassed an impressive record. He finished undefeated from the puppy class and went on to be ranked #6 in 1986. As happens to many Akitas, he changed homes several times because of family problems before he finally came back to us. He lived out his life with friends in Canada and died at the ripe old age of 10.
All of SuZee's kids had OFA-certifications for hips, and they all had good eyes. They produced well in these areas also.
SuZee lived to be almost 13, as did many of her "Super Litter". She was a very important part of our beginning with this wonderful breed. Her pedigree was one of a rich heritage with many of the "Top Breeders" and "Top Dogs" represented.
While we are very proud of those statistics, our greatest satisfaction
lies in the fact that many of our champions, perhaps most, are loving companions
that are an integral part of their families.
Perhaps one of the most noted, Ch Tamarlane's Willowdeen Aikon, ROM, taught us volumes in AKITA. He is a part of our past, present and future. At the age of 4, he moved in and took over! I once dubbed him the "Protector of the Future of the Breed", and meant every word of it. He was 100% Akita. Bred seven times to my own girls, he produced 19 champions, with 6 or 7 major other pointed get.
The most famous of my Aikon kids is probably Tango. Am/Can Ch EsKO Shadazar Tango was a top ranked Akita although he was shown on a very limited basis. He much preferred to sleep on the bed and play with his two young human kids. He was never around small children until he was six years old, but he took to his role of 'fatherhood' like a duck to water.
Two other additions were Ch Apogee's Amazing Grace K Oka, ROM, and Ch Apogee's Stripe Tease of K Oka. Crossed with our original SuZee boys or their offspring, they have produced very well for us.
Gracie's last litter is here now. These reds, brindles, and pintos will be ready for pet and show homes after the first of the new year and we'll have some pictures up as soon as the weather relents and lets us take some. Each puppy will, of course, come with a written guarantee for hips, eyes, and other genetic defects. The sire is our young dog Zara.